DeMint summons GOP hopefuls for forum at which he'll star

[TomCADem]

Source: Kansas City Star

Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, often dubbed Senator Tea Party for his avid national following among GOP activists, is trying to parlay last year's success in getting conservatives elected to Congress into the role of presidential kingmaker.

It doesn't hurt that DeMint's state, South Carolina, will host the Republicans' first-in-the-South presidential primary early next year.

On Monday, DeMint will demonstrate his clout when he quizzes six Republican White House aspirants on their commitment to slashing government spending, diminishing Washington's place in Americans' lives and fighting for a constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget.

* * *
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia and former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain of Georgia will follow one another onto the stage for one-on-one exchanges with DeMint.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/04/3120222/demint-summons-gop-hopefuls-for.html

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Lovely. The Republicans presidential candidates get to fall all over themselves to kiss the ring of Mr. Far Right himself. They ought to set up a blind with DeMint addressing the candidates as Bachelor Number 1, Bachelorette Number 2, and Bachelor Number 3.

This is pretty scary that Republicans still feel the need to pander to the far right when in year's past, the game plan was to demonstrate that the Republican party was in the mainstream while Democrats were outside of the political mainstream. Nowadays, saying that you are in the meanstream is akin to saying that you are a moderate, which is the kiss of death to each party's base.

[Kennah]

1. DeMinted-Pah-Looza! Oh, now THAT would make me pray!

[No Elephants]

2. I call bs on the OP's statement that being a moderate is the kiss of death re: the Dem Party base.

Being only moderately distinguishable from a Republican, however, may annoy some of the Democratic base a tad, though. Not liking Republican policies is the reason I vote Democratic to begin with, not because I have a crush on a candidate or because the letter D comes before the letter R in the alphabet.

Second thread unrec'd this morning by the same OP for insults to fellow Democrats and/or fellow DUers in the OP's attempts to frame the thread.

That may not be impressive for some, but I've unrec'd very few threads in my entire DU posting career--and a couple of those were by accident.

[wilt the stilt]

3. AKA Grand Wizard is having a gathering n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Two layers: the candidates themselves and the "king makers".

I get the feeling that Sarah Palin is positioning herself as the one "chooses" which candidate will get the financing and the nomination in lieu of being the nominee herself. Same with DeMint. They get a taste of the action if they succeed with money from lobbyists and speaking gigs.

[The Wizard]

5. Just like Eric Cancer

but without the expanded vocabulary and charm. Jim DeMint is a bane on humanity.

[Historic NY]

6. DeMint = Palin with long pants.