WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding the retirement of Sen. Jim DeMint:
“I’d like to speak this morning in tribute to an unexpected addition to the list of retirees on the Republican side of the Senate, Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.
“They say success has many fathers, but it’s hard to think of anyone who’s done more than Jim DeMint to raise the public’s awareness on spending and debt, and the threat that big government poses to our liberties.
“Jim’s been a powerful voice for conservatism during his time in the House and the Senate. I have no doubt he’ll be extremely effective in his new post over at the Heritage Foundation. And I wish him every success. Because the truth is, the nation simply can’t continue on its current path. And if Jim can help more people understand that from his new perch on Massachusetts Avenue, then it will clearly have been worth it.
“And so while Jim’s voice will be missed here in the Senate, we’re glad to see he’ll be putting his considerable talents to good use by helping to arm his former colleagues and many others with the arguments they’ll need to make the case for constitutional conservatism in the years ahead.
“As a young boy, Jim developed a knack for sales by necessity. His mom ran a ballroom dancing school out of their home as a way to keep food on the table for her four children, and part of Jim’s job was to recruit the students. He says he still runs into people who attended the DeMint Academy of Dance and Decorum. ‘Our home sometimes seemed like boot camp,’ Jim once said, because to survive as a single parent his mom enlisted all four kids for daily duties starting at 6 a.m. It was ‘the closest I would come to basic training.’
“Interestingly, part of Jim’s responsibilities involved filling in for folks who didn’t have a dance partner.
“When Jim wasn’t busy in the ballroom, he was working his two paper routes or bagging groceries at the grocery store. On weekends, he fed his love of music as the drummer for a band called ‘Salt and Pepper.’ He was best known for his vocals on the song ‘Wipe-out,’ and the song’s distinctive opening cackle. Jim says he could have been a rock star, if it weren’t for the fact that he had no voice or musical talent. So as an adult, he stuck with sales. And it was from there that he launched his political career.
“It hasn’t been easy. Jim’s always worked hard to ensure that Debbie and the kids remained at the center of his life. And I know how much he admires Debbie for keeping her focus on their kids over the years. Theirs has been a true partnership almost since the day they first met all the way back in the seventh grade.
“Jim wasn’t always all that political. In fact, those who know him best say that one of the most surprising things about his career is how such a shy and gentle spirit could be viewed by so many as a take-no-prisoners firebrand. As a young marketing executive, he recalls thinking that he had a wife, kids and a business — and that was basically his universe. He didn’t even know who his congressman was. To this day, one of the things Jim enjoys doing most is working on his lawn back in Greenville. And while he’s gotten his share of awards in Washington over the years, I don’t think any of them compare with the one his neighborhood association gave him a few years back for ‘best lawn.’ He’s really proud of that one.
“Jim’s interest in politics came about when the government started to intrude more and more into his business, and when he started to notice how it unwittingly harmed others. ‘The more I learned about how things operated,’ he once said, ‘the more I understood how problems in our society such as broken homes, crime, and school dropout were a direct result of well-intended but misdirected government policies.’ So he got involved.
“In 1992, Bob Inglis walked into his office and asked for his help in running a race in South Carolina’s 4th District. Jim took the job and for the first time began to think about running for political office himself. When Inglis retired, Jim decided to run as his replacement. He was 47 years old. He’d never run for anything in his life. And Debbie thought he was crazy. But the voters liked what he was selling. And so did his colleagues in the House. They voted him President of their freshman class in 1999.
“Six years later, Jim was elected to the Senate. And he’s been a leader here as well, working to cut federal spending and reform how we spend taxpayer dollars. A conservative stalwart, Jim leaves with a stellar 98.77 Lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union. And, crucially, he’s made a difference. One member of the press corps once referred to Jim as the ‘patron saint of lost causes in the Senate.’ And, frankly, I don’t think we’ll be abolishing the tax code anytime soon, as Jim has suggested. But that’s to miss the point. Great causes almost always start out with a constituency of one. And Jim has never been afraid to take up important and unpopular causes early, and let the polls and punditry take care of themselves.
“After becoming what he called a ‘recovering earmarker’ he succeeded in convincing others to give up the practice. A member of the Foreign Relations Committee, he was also instrumental in resolving a serious problem in Honduras a few years ago after the Obama Administration misconstrued the legal ouster of a president with a political coup. Jim enlisted Miguel Estrada to figure out what was really going on down there, and I was happy to help him travel to Honduras to investigate in person. Jim soon reported back that it was instantly obvious it wasn’t a coup. And the story eventually had a happy ending: the Honduran people held a new election and inaugurated a new president and the Obama administration grudgingly backed down. But none of this would have happened without the leadership of Senator DeMint. ‘The senator kept the administration honest,’ Estrada later said. “’He was invaluable.’
“Senator DeMint and I share a profound commitment to free speech, and he’s written eloquently on its importance for our nation. ‘Good government,’ he has written, ‘is a result of freedom debated.’ He has called the right to free speech ‘the most treasured benefit of living in a free and democratic nation.’ And he has certainly exercised that right to the fullest both here in the Senate and across the country.
“Throughout his political career, Jim has always been guided by an unwavering commitment to freedom, and I know it’s that same commitment to defend and enlarge our freedom that led him into this next chapter in his life. It’s this passion to defend freedom, both for Americans here at home and for our allies around the world, that has struck a chord with so many Americans and helped make Jim a national figure — not to mention a best-selling author.
“In addition to the fact that he and his staff have helped address more than 30,000 constituent inquiries during his time here in the Senate, it’s also why Jim has remained so popular with his constituents back home. And it’s why his colleagues here in the Senate are so sad to see him go.
“Jim leaves with a legacy. He’s been a real champion for limited government and constitutional conservatism on the national stage. But what’s always guided him most over the years is the conviction that most decisions are best made at the local level. And whether it’s his work with veterans, in promoting adoption, or in reforming education, that’s what he’s always stressed.
“So I want to thank the Gentleman from South Carolina for his sterling service to the Palmetto State and to our country. I wish he and Debbie and the entire DeMint family all the very best in the years ahead.”