Sen. Jim DeMint on why he's leaving the Senate

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Republicans are losing one of the most conservative voices on Capitol Hill.

South Carolina senator Jim dement surprised a lot of people today when he announced he is leaving the senate.

But staying in Washington to run the conservative Heritage Foundation think attack -- Goodman joins us tonight.

Thanks man here great to be -- Why don't.

Well.

If you look at the 2012 election it's apparent -- conservatives need to do more to convince Americans and our ideas who make their lives better.

And unfortunately and the -- a lot of what we have to do is just point out bad policies of the president and that's an important job and I've done a lot of it.

In my whole background is developing ideas -- -- search and market and marketing -- to people.

And the idea of going to The Heritage Foundation which is a -- -- conservative think tank in our country.

And in leveraging their assets to communicate to all Americans that we can make their lives better.

This is a dream job for me and it's critically important I don't think Republicans will win another national election.

And less conservatives first convince Americans and our principles work.

And then hopefully Republicans independents libertarians and maybe even some Democrats.

We'll embraced these conservative ideas -- Americans believe that they're the real solutions.

What do you say to your constituents this Witasick he was my guy and I'm still of that guy and frankly a lot of what I've been able to do that people back home appreciate like -- like some good conservative.

Senators in and stop bad things such as earmarks.

-- only been because I've gone outside the senate and take in my case to the American people and created pressure back on the senate to do the right thing.

And I think I can do a lot more of that at The Heritage Foundation.

And that's what we plan to do.

To that point I talked to back in September of 2010 about the senate how -- -- take a listen to what she said back -- We don't have enough people standing up to stop the spending because that's what drives the culture here you couldn't name a program -- cut.

And your life to.

We keep -- one program on after another and a lot of them passed by unanimous unanimous consent.

When -- -- look if he's saying -- you get calls from somebody who wanted to have money.

So people just after -- -- to say yes but this yes we can present yes we can congress is destroying our country.

We need more people who say no to this expansive government in this -- So you're one of those guys saying no I mean you you said no just this week on the senate floor for the conservatives out there who say.

We're losing to your point that guy who was saying no.

On the floor.

What do you say to them.

Well we're leaving the senate a lot better than I found it and now I'm sitting next to.

Marco Rubio in.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- So there are a lot of champions inside the senate now they can do this no job for me.

And I want to.

Cover them and basically I want to help them by going to the American people.

And asking them to support these people what when they say no.

But also when they say yes to the right ideas and so I think I'm in a more powerful position than a single United States senator.

I wouldn't feel good about leaving if we didn't have so many new.

Bright young conservatives now in the senate.

But it's time that conservatives take control of our message and let Americans know what we can do to make their lives better.

-- Republicans hadn't done that good a job as a party doing that so we need to take to control the message ourselves.

There are people who agree with that Erick Erickson thinks that that's the case you could be more powerful there but we had.

Hundreds of Venus thousands of them actually after we broke the news at 10:30 this morning Sheila was one of them she said this.

What a disappointment he's cutting and running from the senate.

We don't need sender demand that The Heritage Foundation.

They -- a think tank they don't pass laws sender -- Is leaving the senate for his own personal wealth he's a coward decided to stand with the observers and not to do worse what he says she'll.

Nothing passes in the senate and -- pressure from the outside I've been in the house and the senate fourteen years -- -- a lot of my life to this and I want to elevate what I'm doing I can stay in the senate but I never intended to make -- my career I've told folks one run again.

Anyway so how I'm looking for place where I can make more of a difference but we will not win the hearts and minds of the American people if we leave things the way they are we've got to do more Heritage Foundation is the most credible research idea group in the country.

And they were my inspiration to run for office they've helped me develop a lot of the policies that I've worked on.

Now they have heritage action which is found -- they're generating support for a for our ideas from the grassroots.

So I hope and I -- in a year that some of these critics will say what that was -- right thing to do because we're changing things.

Let me ask you quickly about these negotiations you've been critical of house speaker John Boehner.

And what's already on the table what he put out the table the 800 billion dollars of tax deductions in closing loopholes already.

Not even dealing with possibly raising tax rates.

What do you say the people who say listen the president won reelection.

Republicans have to do something.

In order to get a deal.

Well actually what he won the status quo and Republicans all ran on keeping taxes low but the facts are this Brent.

We will have historic levels of tax revenue coming to Washington this year we don't have a revenue problem.

And the government doesn't need to take more money out of the economy and give it to incompetent politicians and bureaucrats that's not gonna make the middle class or anybody better off.

The problem -- we double spending over the last ten years.

And if we keep taken more money out of the economy we see how that works you can look in California you can look at Detroit.

You can look at Obama's policies played out at the state level and in Greece and all over Europe.

There's no place in the world they were working or have ever worked but you can point to a number of states where.

Governors like Scott Walker or John -- -- Rick -- Or employing conservative principles and they are attracting businesses are creating jobs.

O'Reilly did a great segment on comparing Texas and California.

That's part of what I -- to do it heritage is showcase the successes that we're having but for Republicans to concede that we need more revenue.

In the context of not reforming entitlements not reforming our tax code and the president wants a blank check to -- as much money is he can in the future.

That's -- we should not negotiate with ourselves and we should stand our ground and we have the power has a majority in the house.

And this -- of the physical clear Democrats senators say.

That the argument was made in the election.

And it was one on their side.

Well it didn't win in South Carolina and it didn't win in the majority of the states and Republicans who were elected Worrell one those elections running on limited government less taxes.

They shouldn't -- end of that because the principle is wrong in the president doesn't even have a serious plan.

Here's audio raise in taxes were run our country for a few days all it is is a political trophy to the left.

We need to do what's good for America despite what he's been able to sell the media.

But taxing the rich is not going to help the middle class are you gonna run for president.

I'm present the fair Heritage Foundation and that's the job long.

And demand thank you very much good luck Brett thank you.

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Sen. Jim DeMint on why he's leaving the Senate

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