DeMint: States can lead conservative comeback
Since the 2012 election, some conservatives have blamed their losses on their message while others pointed fingers at the messengers. Truth is, both camps have a point.
That’s why Jim DeMint aims to tackle both problems from his new perch at the Heritage Foundation, which he is joining as president after eight years as a U.S. senator from South Carolina.
“I’m convinced if we have the right ideas, the right messengers, the right message, we can win,” DeMint told me Tuesday before greeting Heritage members at the Westin Buckhead.
Part of the challenge is stylistic: “We can’t just talk like a bunch of engineers” about things like budget deficits, he argued.
“We’ve got to help people see how our policies actually can make their lives better. … And the way we can do it is actually put the camera on people whose lives have been changed.”
DeMint pointed specifically to the different approaches GOP-led Pennsylvania and Democrat-controlled New York have taken to their natural-gas deposits which have been made more accessible by hydraulic-fracturing, or “fracking,” technology.
“It’s almost like a line between North and South Korea,” DeMint said. “On one side, in New York, they’re not developing the energy. And on the Pennsylvania side, we can talk to families whose lives are better” because of the jobs that have come thanks to fracking.
There will be more opportunities for making such comparisons thanks to the one area where conservatives actually made inroads last November.
“We’ve got more conservative governors and legislatures, [and] they’re doing bold things now with the states on school choice, with tax reform. … We’ve just got to showcase those ideas and show how they’re working.”
Even without a turnover of power in Washington, DeMint said there are ways for conservative state leaders to prod the feds in the right direction.
He pointed to the 26 states that sued to overturn Obamacare. While they didn’t get the entire law declared unconstitutional, they did persuade the Supreme Court to rule Congress was overly coercive in threatening to reduce the states’ existing Medicaid funding if they didn’t expand the program.
But despite their legal victory, some conservative governors have been reluctant to decline the expansion — and the federal funds that come with it, albeit at a cost of billions of dollars for the states.
“Some governors realize this is a dead-end street,” he said. “At some point, you’ve got to say, ‘Keep your money, we’re going to make it ourselves.’ That’s where we have to really work on block-grant ideas, so that states can get back the money they send up there, whether it be for transportation or education or Medicaid.
“We’re going to try to build a coalition of states that will push back against the federal government on these things. I think we’re close to having half the states who would come together to just say no.”
Banding together will become even more crucial very soon, he warned.
“What you’re going to see over the next few years, is these states that are failing, with terrible tax policy, regulatory policy, energy policy, they’re going to be in Washington needing a bailout,” he said.
“That’s why I think this coalition of states, what I might call a Coalition of Responsible States, is so important, to give each other support and push back against the federal government.”
– By Kyle Wingfield
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577 comments Add your comment
Politico
February 18th, 2013
6:44 pm
Suck on the program md
You good boy
getalife
February 18th, 2013
6:46 pm
“We may have but government has made a bundle of money off drugs, legal and illegal and government just keeps on winning and winning.”
Great, legalize weed and tax it to make more money for the debt.
md
February 18th, 2013
6:47 pm
And Politico, why is it I never get an answer when I post the bit about students…..is it that hard to look at the truth?
Should a student that CHOOSES to study 24/7, does no partying and makes A’s have to share those A’s with a student that CHOOSES to party 24/7, does no studying and makes F’s??
It’s a very simple question and we all know it applies to real life in numerous situations, so what are you folks afraid of when it comes to debating the subject????
Does the truth just obliterate your beliefs or what??
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
6:47 pm
The key to stopping the recession in 2009 and keeping Bush’s economic engine humming right along was to not elect the dummycrats to the House of Representatives. We blew that chance but maybe we’ll learn next time around. liberals = stagnation.
md
February 18th, 2013
6:49 pm
“Suck on the program md”
As I suspected, you can’t debate the fact so you throw up smoke screens……
What are you afraid of? Admitting that it is your own fault that you make the choices that you do??
getalife
February 18th, 2013
6:49 pm
cons = obstruction.
Get your party out of the way of free commerce.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
6:49 pm
More people out of work, negative growth, high gas prices, out of control inflation, double the welfare rolls. The only economy that the dummycrats have improved is al qaeda’s.
Maybe they should all shut up?
getalife
February 18th, 2013
6:51 pm
Maybe the gop should surrender and work on “fixing” their failed party.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
6:53 pm
Yes, we should get rid of all the moderates.
Michael H. Smith
February 18th, 2013
6:54 pm
Great, legalize weed and tax it to make more money for the debt
Yeah, and figure out how to pay to treat the addictions and all the other socio-economic ills from legalizing drugs and tell the profiteering government to take a flying leap.
getalife
February 18th, 2013
6:54 pm
I think you are doing that Aesop.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
6:55 pm
Other countries and smart people are paying a premium for gold because they know the US dollar will never survive obozo.
Michael H. Smith
February 18th, 2013
6:56 pm
Yes, we should get rid of all the moderates.
Moderates? Where?
getalife
February 18th, 2013
6:56 pm
“Yeah, and figure out how to pay to treat the addictions and all the other socio-economic ills from legalizing drugs and tell the profiteering government to take a flying leap.”
Prohibition never works and makes the gangs very rich.
The killings in Chicago are knocking off the competition just like Capone.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
6:56 pm
I am not a lib. I do not sacrifice my principles for political power. I find the practice, frankly, to be quite wormy. Please write this down and past it on your forehead so that you do not get confused again. Thanks.
getalife
February 18th, 2013
6:58 pm
What are your principles Aesop?
Michael H. Smith
February 18th, 2013
6:59 pm
Prohibition never works and makes the gangs very rich.
And makes government even richer.
Michael H. Smith
February 18th, 2013
7:01 pm
Goodnight all.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:04 pm
Nigel Travis, head of Dunkin’ Brands, said his doughnut chain was lobbying to change the definition of “full-time” employees eligible for coverage from those working at least 30 hours a week to 40 hours a week.
Some restaurants, including Wendy’s and Taco Bell franchises, have explored slashing worker hours so fewer employees qualify for health insurance, arguing that they cannot afford the additional healthcare costs. Other businesses are deliberately keeping headcounts below 50.
Thanks, liberals, for further damaging the youth of this country, got any more bright ideas?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:05 pm
Limited government, you know, what worked for two hundred years before you libs forced your way into power.
getalife
February 18th, 2013
7:06 pm
Yeah, screw those workers huh Aesop.
getalife
February 18th, 2013
7:07 pm
Screwing workers is one of your principles?
You might want to rethink that self defeatist.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:08 pm
You sure did, gitmo. Cut their hours, laid some of them off. Whenever a lib says “I have an idea” we should all hit the ground.
Hillbilly D
February 18th, 2013
7:08 pm
Give me Krispy Kreme, any day.
getalife
February 18th, 2013
7:08 pm
w grew government like reagan.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:09 pm
Why are you so against common sense, gitmo?
getalife
February 18th, 2013
7:09 pm
“Give me Krispy Kreme, any day”
Love them hot and freshly made..
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:11 pm
D – Just think of what that donut will cost once obozocare is in full effect. No matter how good it tastes, you’re still gonna be like “damn, $4?”
getalife
February 18th, 2013
7:12 pm
“Why are you so against common sense, gitmo?”
The gop attack on the American worker made Americans use common sense and fire the gop.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:12 pm
W fell for the aisle reaching nonsense. You got him for it, no doubt about that.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:13 pm
No, the Americans elected a cavalcade of lies. They’ll figure it out.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 18th, 2013
7:15 pm
No, the Americans elected a cavalcade of lies.
The smoking gun is the mushroom cloud.
We will be greeted as liberators.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:18 pm
You ever wonder why dummycrats have to make up their “accomplishments?”
They created and or saved 4 million jobs, while failing to mention that they lost and or squandered 4 million jobs?
Let’s all list the biggest lies we’ve heard the last 4 years.
Cut spending by 2.5 trillion?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:19 pm
al qaeda is on the run?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:19 pm
It’s Recovery Summer?
md
February 18th, 2013
7:19 pm
“The gop attack on the American worker made Americans use common sense and fire the gop.”
Must be time for the stagnant wages chart so the masses can understand that the american worker is the one that attacked the american worker…….
http://www.epi.org/publication/webfeatures_snapshots_archive_02282001/
It is NOT coincidence that wages are flat as imports continue to climb……and who keeps buying the imports?
Yep, that would be those with the stagnant wages……
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
February 18th, 2013
7:20 pm
For Finn/Cheesy
Once again, for the reading impaired.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574402820278669840.html
As the minimum wage has risen, the gap between the overall unemployment rate and the teen rate has widened, as it did again last month. (See nearby chart.) The current Congress has spent billions of dollars—including $1.5 billion in the stimulus bill—on summer youth employment programs and job training. Yet the jobless numbers suggest that the minimum wage destroyed far more jobs than the government programs helped to create.
Congress and the Obama Administration simply ignore the economic consensus that has long linked higher minimum wages with higher unemployment. Two years ago Mr. Neumark and William Wascher, a Federal Reserve economist, reviewed more than 100 academic studies on the impact of the minimum wage. They found “overwhelming” evidence that the least skilled and the young suffer a loss of employment when the minimum wage is increased. Whatever happened to President Obama’s pledge to follow the science? Democrats prefer to cite a few outlier studies known to be methodologically flawed.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 18th, 2013
7:24 pm
The Wall Street Journal, the public relations dept. of corporate America comes out with a piece against raising the minimum wage?
I’ll act all shocked and awey if it will make you feel any better.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:28 pm
kamwhack – All that might be impressive over at kookman’s but here we expect some empirical evidence to back up your phony claims.
Oh…….never mind.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 18th, 2013
7:30 pm
Empirical evidence?
From where?
AmSpec?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:33 pm
At this point, anything, anything that you can give us other than your own faulty opinion, I’ll take a look at it.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 18th, 2013
7:37 pm
Uh, huh.
And I have a hot date with Hannah Davis lined up for this evening.
At the Holiday Inn Express.
After my dinner with Morgan Fairchild.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:39 pm
How did I know you didn’t have anything?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:44 pm
Currently, 47% of Democrats are satisfied with the direction of the country, up from 39% in January and the second highest recorded since early 2010. The high came during a brief period before the November 2012 election when Democrats’ satisfaction surged.
Was it all the lies they were being told or just a mindless tribal victory chant that drove the bump?
By contrast, satisfaction among Republicans has been fairly flat over the past year and currently stands at 9%, 38 percentage points lower than Democrats’.
We’ve got 91% to work with here, all this talk over the years of aisle reaching and such silly things has worked out……not so well? We are we going to try to be…………….ourselves?
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
February 18th, 2013
7:44 pm
For MarkV
http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/16/minimum-wage-labor-economics-opinions-contributors-art-carden.html
Repeal The Minimum Wage
Art Carden, 10.16.09, 02:30 PM EDT
It wastes resources and hurts the poor.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:45 pm
oops, when are we
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
February 18th, 2013
7:50 pm
Currently, 47% of Democrats are satisfied with the direction of the country,
Looks like Romney was right.
md
February 18th, 2013
7:54 pm
Yep, that would be those with the stagnant wages……
And for Politico, buying those imports is also a choice……..
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
February 18th, 2013
8:09 pm
RT WT
RCP Average 1/10 – 2/10 37.2 56.0 -18.8
Right Track/ Wrong Track average of polls from Real Clear Politics.
Thulsa Doom
February 18th, 2013
8:10 pm
Politico
February 18th, 2013
6:40 pm
“Thulsa
You are more Richard than fact
But you know that alreadyd”- Politico
Politico,
Then prove me wrong instead of posting the same post twice.
Politico
February 18th, 2013
6:43 pm
Enter your comments here
Politico,
I see that instead of refuting my facts picked straight out of cheesy grits own link you can’t even get a post through after double posting to begin with. Sheesh!