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Political Hay
DeMint Condition
Why Ted Cruz’s primary win matters.
If Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and National Republican Senatorial Committee chief John Cornyn were keeping score at home, they probably weren’t too worried about Tuesday’s Senate runoff in Texas. Either way, the seat was likely to remain in Republican hands. But conservatives had a pickup opportunity, and with Ted Cruz’s victory they seized it.
The incumbent, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and the Rick Perry-endorsed establishment favorite, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, weren’t exactly liberals. But they weren’t boat-rocking government-cutters either. The Tea Party-backed Cruz promised he would be.
To put it another way, McConnell’s numbers in his quest to gain a GOP majority were unchanged while Jim DeMint received reinforcements. As the Washington Post noted, “Cruz’s primary win virtually ensures that DeMint will have another constitutional conservative ally in the upper chamber during the next Congress.”
DeMint, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee have all been pressuring Senate Republicans from the right to get government spending under control. Wisconsin Tea Party favorite Ron Johnson, former Club for Growth head Pat Toomey, and Tom Coburn are frequent allies. Adding Cruz to their ranks gives them another vote, as well as an articulate spokesman for free markets and fiscal restraint.
More help may be on the way. Richard Mourdock beat six-term Indiana institution Richard Lugar in a Republican primary earlier this year. He has a better than even chance of winning in November. Mark Neumann, a staunchly conservative former congressman, has surged in at least one poll to a three-way tie with Tommy Thompson and Eric Hovde in the primary for what should be a competitive Senate race in Wisconsin.
The size of the DeMint-Paul caucus could matter regardless of who wins the White House this year. If Barack Obama is reelected despite $1 trillion deficits, 8 percent unemployment, and less than 2 percent economic growth, Republicans will be demoralized. Although some conservatives would surely fault Mitt Romney’s moderation, many in the party would press for compromise with the president.
A significant bloc of Senate conservatives could make it impossible to wave the white flag. DeMint pressed Republicans to take no prisoners during the Obamacare debate. His cohort could stall any attempt to revive cap and trade, raise income tax rates, provide amnesty to illegal immigrants, or put gun control back on the national agenda.
If Romney wins, a group of uncompromising Senate conservatives could be even more important. They could prevent the frightening return of a zombie called big government conservatism. Under George W. Bush, some of the most conservative members of Congress voted to increase domestic discretionary spending and enlarge entitlements.
DeMint wasn’t one of them. He was one of just 45 House members to vote against No Child Left Behind, which helped double the Department of Education. He also opposed the deficit-funded Medicare prescription drug benefit, although Republican leaders threatened to withhold financial support from his 2004 Senate campaign if he didn’t back the Bush administration.
Mike Lee and Rand Paul are even more likely to balk at GOP government growth, while holding the leadership’s feet to the fire on issues like Obamacare repeal. As Texas solicitor general, Cruz defied the Bush administration in the Medellin case, when the World Court wanted the Lone Star State to review the conviction of a convicted rapist and murderer on death row.
“Texas is too Republican a state to settle for anything less than a conservative leader,” Cruz told me earlier this year.
It takes only a handful of senators to bottle up legislation. Similarly, just a few voices can influence the debate by urging the rest of the Senate Republican conference to the right. A President Romney could prove malleable in the face of such pressure. In a second Obama term, they could help drive 2016 Republican presidential aspirants to bolster their conservative credentials.
Before the primary, it was often pointed out that Cruz and Dewhurst would have had nearly identical Senate voting records. That may well be true. But when factoring in the cost of No Child Left Behind or Medicare Part D, small differences in how Republicans vote could come with a big price tag.
Republicans have a rough path ahead of them to 51 Senate votes. An effective limited government caucus within the party doesn’t need to be that large. Such a group can become influential growing just one Ted Cruz at a time.
About the Author
W. James Antle, III, author of the new book Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?, is editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation and a senior editor of The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter @jimantle.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (35) | Leave a comment
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Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 8.3.12 @ 6:29AM
Kay Bailey Hutchinson is the reason the fence was not completed between American and Mexico. Whether you find that surprising or not, it proves a point that Republicans in the Senate are often compromising agents of failure and boot lickers of the ever flourishing big state:
http://ramparts360.com/2010/08.....ing-built/
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has built only 32 miles of double-layer fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border out of the 700 miles originally mandated by a 2006 act of Congress, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
One reason DHS has been able to do this is an amendment that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Texas) slipped into an omnibus appropriations bill that Congress passed on December 18, 2007. Hutchison’s amendment put a loophole in the fence law that allowed the secretary of Homeland Security not to build the fence Congress had mandated the year before.
John Navratil| 8.3.12 @ 11:18AM
BHO,
Hutchison was a supporter of the Law of the Sea Treaty, as well. Perhaps Mr. Antle praises her too highly when he says she wasn't exactly liberal. I, for one, am glad she is leaving.
Stkman| 8.3.12 @ 5:06PM
I'm glad she's gone and I can't wait to vote Cornyn out. I sent that idiot a letter asking him to do something or at least introduce legislation to stop Obama's back door amnesty and I got a form letter back with this idiots comments regarding a "comprehensive immigration refomr policy". Damn traitor. Remeber the Alamo!!!!!!, but more importantly, Remeber San Jacinto!!!! and never return to Mexico!
Jack in Wi| 8.3.12 @ 6:53AM
Here in Wi. Mark Neuman is the man. Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Jim Demint have been running adds for him. Get out and vote Tuesday for the constitutional conservative Mark Neuman. Thommy Thompson and I have had a few drinks together, over the yeas. Please don't vote for that old fool. He is about the oilyist politician on the face of the earth.
Reggie Love| 8.3.12 @ 7:27AM
Jack in WI-I have relatives in that state who are pro-Hovde. Is he a conservative?
Jack in Wi| 8.3.12 @ 11:02AM
He is a rich attorney and lobbyist who is trying to buy the election.
Von Mises Jr| 8.3.12 @ 7:32AM
The other issue that Cruz spotlights is that many Hispanics are not liberals. We are told that the average Hispanic is an illegal Mexican whose vote can be secured with amnesty and a welfare check.
But Cruz and Rubio are both extremely conservative and portray the attitude of many of the Portuguese and Cubans in the area I grew up. They are social and fiscal conservatives, and Cruz proves Rubio is not an anomaly.
lsudolemite| 8.3.12 @ 9:33AM
Sorry, but Rubio's Dream Act and ties to the Bushes make me way too skeptical about proclaiming him the next great Hispanic hope for the GOP.
Von Mises Jr| 8.3.12 @ 9:55AM
Fair point. I think he could be decisive in helping Romney win the election, but he is not my top choice based on ideology. Allen West whom I have met would be my first choice as a conservative/libertarian, and Paul Ryan on a Romney ticket would have more intellect than the entire Democrat Party.
Rubio is not perfect, but when compared to Obama, Bite-Me, Reid, Schumer and Pelosi; he is a prince.
John Navratil| 8.3.12 @ 11:23AM
Von Mises Jr,
I cannot imagine anyone with Presidential aspirations running as Romney's VP. The first crack at running wouldn't be for 8 years when, historically, the White House is most likely to be taken by a Democrat. Bush was an anomaly and rode the coattails of an enormously popular President - I can't see that in Romney. Then you run again in 12 years as a one-time loser. It's a dicey proposition. I don't think, if I were Rubio, I would take it. West, on the other hand, might find the VP slot a good way to get the national attention that Rubio already has. I like West.
Al Adab| 8.3.12 @ 9:37AM
This is exactly where the battle will be fought. Senate seat by Senate seat, House seat by House seat we have arrived at the defining moment for the future of self-government. Either we take our stand at the "rood bridge" or we go quietly into a new long night of tyranny where generations yet unborn will curse our names for failing the defense of Liberty. Perhaps in another thousand years someone may rediscover the "blessings of liberty" which we were once given.
Boar Hunter| 8.3.12 @ 10:13AM
"Google" apparently does not like your "rood bridge" analogy. I however am interested in it. As I know what you say and think to be worthy of more examination, can you kindly provide more information concerning how I might find and read about your use of this term?
Al Adab| 8.3.12 @ 11:07AM
"By the rood bridge which spanned the flood
"Their flag to Aprils breeze unfurled
"Here the embattled farmer stood
"and fired the shot heard round the world"
Rood is on old english word meaning wooden. Quite archaic but used in the above poem. The use of it was in refernence to the poem. It may be understood these days as rude in the sense of crudely made but that would not be accurate. Thanks for asking.
Boar Hunter| 8.3.12 @ 11:30AM
Thank you for the answer!
I wonder what our "shot heard round the world" will be?
Al Adab| 8.3.12 @ 11:37AM
To elaborate, the term began in churches referencing the cross displayed as part of the screen which seperated the congregants from the altar. I too wonder where and when the first shot will be fired. Perhaps the lawsuits over Obiecare or the immigration bills is it and the battle has already begun. We will see.
Stkman| 8.3.12 @ 5:31PM
The shot heard round the world will most likely be on of two things. A citizen defending his or her right to bear arms when a government entity tries to take them, or the assasination of a congressman, Senator or Supreme Court Judge.
There is a third possiblity that the shot heard round the world will be the overwhelming defeat of Obama in November.
Dai Alanye | 8.3.12 @ 11:19AM
AS needs to do something about the clownish commercial spammers who infest this site.
Al Adab| 8.3.12 @ 3:52PM
I still want to know who the girl on the cover of Blood and Earth is. Those eyes have it.
Nick| 8.3.12 @ 10:20AM
Don't forget about Michigan, Mr. Antle!
Clark Durant is the T.E.A. Party endorsed candidate against former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, in the GOP primary. Our primary is this Tuesday.
Michelle Malkin, Erick Erickson, and Larry Arnn have all endorsed Mr. Durant.
The fight against Stabenow will be tough, but she is vulnerable.
Please, if you can, help Clark Durant.
http://www.clarkdurant.com/
RJ| 8.3.12 @ 11:51AM
Good article, James.
Libertyinfinite| 8.3.12 @ 12:01PM
Nothing short of an entire nation of aware people, in active civil rebellion against the deep despotism of both sides will see a recovery in America. & we don't need one or two wins for the Tea Party of the republican ticket, we need a Tea Party ticket, a presidential one. Romneys' smoke & mirrors won't be enough to win the presidency. The romney team is counting on the American people being dumb enough not to see that he is no better than obama & in many ways he is worse. I don't think that will pan out for them. Romney has nothing to offer but tax cuts for the very rich, & he is a through & through liberal on everything else. Sure he talks out of both sides of his mount, L & R, but so does O.
The American People have let their governments almost in the entire nation, run as the despotic governments wanted, with almost zero oversight.
This isn't one us to look to romney. This is on us to look to ourselves & realize that unless we the people do the work, Americas' days are a whole heck of allot shorter than you'd think.
Stkman| 8.3.12 @ 5:37PM
I've been saying the same thing for the last three years, that the Tea Party needs to become it's own party. All of us agree that we've been voting for the lessor of two evils for a long time. The Tea Party could give us a better candidate than "less evil".
And to those of you who say a thrid party will split the vote and cost an election, you're right, and the party that will cost the election is the Republican Party. Bush cost Perot the election, not the other way around. I know it sounds crazy, but Perot was dead on with everything he said. We've watched as the Republican Party has endorsed the wholesale movement of industry and jobs to other countries.
Leathersmith| 8.4.12 @ 11:09AM
I am not opposed in principle to there being an official Tea Party, but building it to the level that we can win control of the legislature and Presidency will take years. The Democratic Party did not become the party of Karl Marx overnight, the "Progressives" have been patiently worming their way through the party structure for decades.
Whether we take the Republic back through the GOP or a third party, we are going to have to win ground district-by-district and, just as importantly, media outlet-by-media outlet. At present, their Borg of a political party is much more unified than ours, and their Ministry of Propaganda is second to none in history.
I don't mean this as a pessimistic statement. Largely because of the Tea Party movement, there is energy in play that is at least managing to slow the Marxist juggernaut. That's a huge accomplishment. But honestly, it seems to me we have a better chance to prevail if we continue to "infiltrate" the GOP and change it from within. That's already happening (Cruz being the latest example), and I think the momentum is building in our favor.
Libertyinfinite| 8.3.12 @ 12:06PM
We the people can't stand here & helplessly ask our despotic rulers to stop taking everything away from us. We the people must rise, & take everything back from our governments, or this nation will shoot through the toilet. Or maybe just get washed out to see. It isn't them who created this mess, it is us by not controlling what they do. Freedom is not automatic. You get as much freedom as the work that you put into it. & for the last thirty years, that would amount to almost zero, in effect.
fmm| 8.3.12 @ 1:54PM
Senator DeMint is a true statesman and a hugely important force for rationality in the US Senate. I contribute monthly to his Senate Conservatives Fund and hope the conservative voice grows exponentialy in the future.
nathan| 8.3.12 @ 3:23PM
MR is a liberal. Look at his record. He signed an "assault weapons" ban in Mass which he still defends while talking about how he supports the Second Amendment. Romneycare preceded and set the stage for ACA individual mandate and all. And we don't see a lot of concern for individual rights. No condemnation of the NDAA language, no, maybe we don't need the Patriot Act, no, let's reconsider executing Americans abroad without judicial oversight. He has a record and the record sucks. Bain capital is one thing what matters is what he did as governor.
Foreign policy? All neocon. He wants to go off and start his own wars. He more or less has already declared war on Iran. Now, will he be any more successful than Bush II? Probably not. But when you put his domestic policy together with his foreign policy that's what you have, Bush/Cheney redux. If you like that, fine. Bush was a flaming liberal domestically too. What made "conservatives" swoon over him was his let's go invade everyone foreign policy. We saw where that got us. Again, if you like that, you'll like MR. They are SOOOO much alike.
Truth to Power| 8.4.12 @ 5:45PM
You are counting on the Tea Party being stupid and helping the big O to another term. You have missed your mark again. The Senate and House will be more conservative and Mitt Romney will do what he is forced to do by circumstance. Some progressive told me the Tea Party is dead. They get quiet and ineffective confused. They also get noisy and effective confused.
Dixon| 8.4.12 @ 1:21PM
Here in Packerland DeMitt has endorsed Mark Neumann, who would be fine...but he tends to be a lone wolf and alienates so many people. Hovde is articulate and smart...has a few closet skeletons.
The best choice would be WI Assembly leader, Fitzgerald....but he has no money and his campaign has not caught on. Too bad...he has been a great leader...shoring up Gov. Walker's right fank as a rock solid Conservative Assembly Leader.
The worst choice to go against the uber liberal lesbian Tammy Baldwin would be the old moderate dinosaur, Tommy Thompson. He'd be like Kay Bailey Hutchinson and at times would remind us of Olympia Lugar....if he could beat Tammy.
For me, it looks like a choice between Neumann or Hovde.
RJ| 8.4.12 @ 4:02PM
Thanks for the insight. I met Neumann at a function in California a few months ago and liked him. I was surprised that he fell in the polls, but I really don't know much about either Hovde or Fitzgerald. May the best conservative win.
jomo2009| 8.4.12 @ 4:39PM
Don't forget Jeff Flake of AZ!
RJ| 8.4.12 @ 7:07PM
No way can we forget Jeff Flake. He is a solid star of the conservative galaxy. I met him at the same function I met Cruz, Neumann, Jim DeMint and Mike Lee. It was a great day. Jeff's primary is coming up later this month. From what I can tell, his campaign is doing well, but we need to be sure that he has sufficient support to get his message out.
JamesDrouin| 8.5.12 @ 12:32PM
Slowly but surely we are returning America to its once-great roots.
Timely Renewed | 8.5.12 @ 5:09PM
One of the valuable contributions this core of constitutional conservatives could make would be to reform the constitutional amendment process so that the states can directly amend the Constitution to restore the Constitution's original limits on federal power. See http://www.timelyrenewed.com