Jim DeMint: Tea parties can defeat Democrats

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a darling of the tea party crowd, credited that movement with blocking Democratic health care reform efforts and predicted the conservative activists behind the movement could ultimately thwart the passage of that bill and others.

"The only reason we don't have national health care right now is you — is the people outside of Washington," DeMint told a gathering of tea party activists gathered Wednesday night in Washington for the premiere of a documentary about the movement. "I think we do have a shot at stopping this thing," he said of the health care reform bill the Senate began debating this week.

DeMint added that the grass-roots activists who turned out by the tens of thousands at congressional town hall meetings and so-called tea parties around the country to voice their displeasure with Democratic health care reform efforts would likely be able to derail other big-ticket initiatives being pursued by President Obama and the Democratic Congress, including plans to limit carbon emissions.

"Now we've seen what an unrestrained Democrat Party can do, and all of America is alarmed. Republicans, independents and many Democrats," he told the more than 200 people gathered at the Ronald Reagan Building to watch "Tea Party: The Documentary."

DeMint spoke as part of a panel of veritable tea party all-stars, along with Reps. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Tom Price of Georgia, Joe Wilson of South Carolina and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas.

Armey is chairman of the small-government conservative group FreedomWorks, which sponsored the screening and helped organize the Sept. 12 "Taxpayer March on Washington," a seminal event in the tea party movement.

The movement has been derided by some liberals as so-called AstroTurf manufactured by special interests opposed to Obama's agenda and has also been strained by internal rifts that threaten its ability to become a factor in the 2010 elections.

But all the speakers stressed the organic nature of the movement and predicted it's not done shaking up the Washington landscape.

"What we have seen in this country for the past year — and what we will see in this movie — is the most amazing spontaneous grass-roots uprising for economic issues and concerns in the history of the country," said Armey, whose group had laid out a red-velvet-rope-lined AstroTurf runway outside the auditorium in place of a red carpet.

Blackburn, who along with Price was among the few politicians invited to speak at the September march, said "this tea party movement is the source of energy in the conservative movement."

And Price challenged attendees "to recruit more folks to the cause. And then I want to challenge you to re-energize them and then to re-energize yourself."

Source:  Politico