The next meeting of the South Carolina senatorial caucus is liable to be a bit chilly, given Lindsay Graham’s status as John McCain’s own personal Mini-Me, but fellow SC Senator Jim DeMint is dead on here regarding McCain’s unpalatability to his own party:
“McCain, who is proponent of campaign finance reform that weakened party organizations and basically put George Soros in the driver’s seat,” DeMint said. “His proposal for amnesty for illegals. His support of global warming, cap-and-trade programs that will put another burden on our economy. And of course, his embrace of the bailout right before the election was probably the nail in our coffin this last election. And he has been an opponent of drilling in ANWR, at a time when energy is so important. It really didn’t fit the label, but he was our package.”
Of course, identifying a problem is only the first step. DeMint makes a pretty good start at how the GOP might turn things around:
DeMint said he would introduce a Senate resolution next week to boot [Ted] Stevens out of the Republican caucus, and “force votes” on Senate seniority rules that have allowed certain members to hold onto power. However, DeMint twice confused Ted Stevens with Ted Kennedy, drawing chuckles from the audience of Republicans, who hold neither senator in particularly high regard.
“One of our principles is that power corrupts, and you need to disperse it,” DeMint said. “And if our own party allows ourselves to be destroyed by this idea, and are not willing to stand up, then we have to change everyone at the top.”
Good stuff. If DeMint’s party had taken that attitude over the past several years, they wouldn’t be in the mess they’re in right now.
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