You're watching...
Sen. Jim DeMint takes on the 'Gang of Six' plan and explains why 'Cut, Cap and Balance' may be the best bet for a debt deal
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
The deeper and made it playing they have drawn a line in the sand over the debt ceiling but will the Tea Party.
Senator -- -- co-founder of the senate Tea Party caucus who is out with a brand new book the great American -- -- he joins us use -- -- it's -- be -- and this chronicles sort of the last two -- the Tea Party and other big changes this country has gone through.
And goes through what was happening outside -- in an -- out of Washington and the whole point is Americans can change things if they get active.
I -- -- -- -- -- told you before we set up that I love I guess who shows up with my add notes right and that set.
You're in favor of cut can happen now is that recognizing that -- that button.
Well it's -- you you certainly can and it's the only plan on the table you know the president is latched onto this gang of six.
For the gang of six proposals not written down as senator thune said it's not even going to be a factor.
And there's no other plan on Capitol Hill the president doesn't have won the Democrats in the senate -- don't have one.
And they only have a house that we control is Republicans have passed a plan that increases a debt limit.
With some very reasonable cuts and spending and it lets the states decide about a balanced budget now they say if that's extreme.
Then.
We need to change their portion of strength.
I guess -- it.
Yeah I understand day your your passionate and other people -- verified cut capital bounced a wonder when you look at the numbers mean it doesn't it doesn't look like it's going to happen.
At least I mean you've got to get sixty do have sixty in the senate.
Well we won't have this week OK we could have.
August the fifteenth if we have to the only way Republicans are gonna get -- thing that helps our country.
Is to let the president know if he's willing to go past August 2 we are too.
And we don't wanna do that he will be disruptive but we won't default and we will -- senior Social Security.
And Medicare and less the president just chooses not to because the -- -- are there.
But people need to be clear about what's going on him -- -- what the last couple of days but intent.
The president has covered over the message of what Republicans -- in the house.
Good that we've done all we can do.
I mean we we can't get a proposal at a White House we can't get a proposal out of the Democrats.
The Republicans in the senate compromise on their own they gave the president an increase in the debt limit that he asked for the whole 2.4 trillion.
But we have to cut some spending.
-- after the -- -- level would that satisfy you like we just trust us we're starting and but the cuts or just or gradual over ten years that bring us towards a balanced budget.
And if we don't balance our budget we're going to bankrupt our country.
How much about -- highlight is a term lightly mischief and given up numbers in the Tea Party caucus and those who and so sign -- -- to block the gang of six and to makes any effort by the president and the gang of six of them didn't -- complete disregard you they do have the muscle to stop them.
There won't be a game six in the president may take some elements of it and put it in some plan but he's not gonna submit a plan we've learned that he doesn't ever show his cards.
He's -- to want Republicans to negotiate with ourselves.
And that's what we've been doing.
Mitch McConnell came up with a plan the gang of six you don't like Mitch McConnell -- -- -- plan don't know that's that's not what we're elected to do make it easier to increase the -- -- sinking to like Tennessee say Ellison and Jim made and we needed come -- -- -- and those -- parties and is assured -- he's he's leading the effort in the senate to pass cup captain balance.
And people say it couldn't can't be done.
But that.
Over twenty Democrats in the senate have campaigned on a balanced budget amendment to the concepts are -- gonna vote on Saturday with -- -- I don't know -- I know that Harry Reid is gonna try to get them to filibuster this.
But if they filibuster -- and won't even let us proceed to debate and consider amendments.
What else can Republicans do that we passive in the house we brought it to the senate and they filibuster it.
And they don't have a plan on thereon so somehow we've got to get the message to the American people that if built with Republicans are willing to compromise and work with the president.
But we we can't vote on a speech and that's all we get from expressed its dimension because as we get -- -- the line.
And if we see that there's no plan and there's no program and -- and then hasn't been -- -- that we're gonna run into this deadline.
It seems like the next -- the strategy from both political parties is how to to make the American people think it's the other party you've done it well that that's part of the smoke and mirrors that the only real plan again is a -- camp in balance it's not smoke and mirrors its real.
It meets the criteria standard poor's and Moody's as far as significant deficit reduction.
So in it and keep us from the fall through it could because we raise a deadline.
But so what -- what things are right a lot about in the book and you ask about a Greta do we have enough horsepower on the outside with the Tea Party -- -- -- American people that's the big question right now we've got the largest coalition of outside groups.
In my memory.
That are behind cut camp in balance we've got.
Well over a hundred groups of well over a hundred Tea Party we're trying to get Americans in -- -- the process and if Democrats want him.
That they want -- filibuster this there's nothing to follow it and I mean that's really important understand what we -- develop legislation in two weeks.
The only piece of legislation exists right now they came.
They can raise the debt limit before August the second.
Is cut kept in balance and if the Democrats blow it away without any explanation I just wanna hear the president say.
What's wrong with it that the PC put -- from the White House -- -- -- was it was so an accurate.
It makes you want to scream why didn't that happen.
Because this the plan to cut spending caps spending would change the agenda and administration.
That plans to spend our I have another -- entry in -- -- it.
Is headed dozen different ideologies on the presence of an I think -- the last -- boy I really wanna run this place in the problem he has it he his music is a complete his way to serve restore America whether shredder Iran is is is as a different -- whether it works or not and and I.
It's not ideology this is common sense and Alan Greenspan says we're close are born -- The president proposed adding another ten trillion dollars to our -- in his budget so he apparently doesn't think it's a problem.
Let's see if -- of the -- I be worried about that February.
09 stimulus bill and the fact that we still haven't pulled out of our on -- -- employment situation.
As being sort of a signal that -- were on the -- doesn't understand that the private sector creates our economy the stimulus was government spending and now he wants to take more taxes out of the private economy in recession.
He doesn't know how American free enterprise capitalism works -- why haven't Democrats go along with -- well not.
Again I don't know it's politics but they're playing politics with -- tax increase that would do more of her jobs and to create them why did they -- -- raise taxes.
Because they believe in a centralized government -- activism -- that they demonstrate ideology over that is a different ideology.
But a balanced budget over time Greta would have to change your agenda of the campaigns could no longer be about.
Promising more from government more government programs they couldn't create more government dependency which creates more dependable votes.
We've got to polarization in Washington but outside out of Washington I write about it in the great awakening.
Is America is you know lining around fiscal issues.
You've got libertarians and liberals and Democrats and independents come in the tea parties because they're concerned about our standing in her -- That's what they did last November if Republicans cave here grown up.
You're gonna see the deterioration the Republican Party.
We get the president is willing to go past August 2 and I don't want to because he's pulling the strings he can make it look like chaos even if it's not.
Republicans are gonna have to give the president our best proposal he don't like -- he needs to give us one.
-- -- CNN that red -- in the book the great American wedding thank you -- thanks -- and strain.
