So South Carolina is a red state and Jim DeMint has come to be known as the U.S. Senate's most conservative member. DeMint has a bankroll of $2.6 million, giving him even more of a head start over any Democratic challenger, so that's that, right? Not necessarily. DeMint's recent comments have clarified that his far-right-wing conservatism is less ideology and more fanaticism. No comment has been more plainly political, putting public perception ahead of constituents' well-being, than his now-infamous "Waterloo" remark:
If we're able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.
DeMint even came out in support of the military coup in Honduras. It's posturing and positions like these that have turned off even moderate Republicans. One such moderate Republican, Ohio's Republican U.S. Senator George Voinovich, said of the GOP's biggest problem:
"We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It's the southerners. They get on TV and go 'errrr, errrrr.' People hear them and say, 'These people, they're southerners. The party's being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?'"
Now, South Carolina Republicans might not care much what they've got to do with Ohio, but moderates may surely share Voinovich's sentiment that they want someone who will work constructively across the aisle to find solutions rather than "go 'errrr, errrrr'" and obstruct any possibility of progress on behalf of the American people. The Democratic National Committee has even gone so far as to commit resources to highlighting DeMint's obstruction to South Carolinians, in the video at right (also demonstrating national Democrats' willingness to take on DeMint and not cede South Carolina).
So is there a Democrat who will provide South Carolinians an alternative to DeMint's far-right-wing posturing? There is.
State Senator Brad Hutto has served in the state Legislature's upper body since 1996. He hails from Orangeburg, near the center of the state. Senator Hutto had considered a gubernatorial bid, but deferred to colleagues from the State Senate. Over the last several months, though, he has given more thought to a challenge to DeMint:
State Sen. Brad Hutto says he's mulling a run against U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., in 2010.
"I think it might be time for a change," the Orangeburg Democrat said Monday.
Hutto said he began contemplating a run after former S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin announced he would not seek the seat last week. He said he has no timetable for making a decision.
He said DeMint's positions are out of sync with the views of most South Carolinians.
Hutto railed against DeMint's opposition to the federal stimulus package in a recent editorial.
"If you need someone to defend the failed economic policies of former President George Bush, schedule Jim DeMint for your show," Hutto said in the op-ed piece.
Hutto said much more than that in his firebrand of an editorial criticizing DeMint's foot-dragging on President Obama's economic stimulus plan:
DeMint short-selling U.S. economy
As the nation struggles with its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression some in Washington are fighting a rear-guard action to block the President Obama's stimulus plan.
And among them, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, is jockeying to become leader of the heel-dragging pack.
This professional ad man knows the importance of burnishing his brand. He has become a stock fixture on the national media circuit. If you need someone to defend the failed economic policies of former president George Bush, schedule Jim DeMint for your show.
DeMint's ideas sound good to a dwindling number of true-believers who think tax cuts can solve any problem and that magical forces will repair an economy in disarray without public intervention.
What's becoming increasingly apparent is that DeMint is not only out of step with Democrats and moderate Republicans, but that he is also out of touch with the real world - the one where South Carolinians live.
Hutto closes his editorial with a sharp rebuke of DeMint's posturing:
DeMint is using one of South Carolina's seats in the U.S. Senate to act like a hedge fund manager - trying to lure citizens and donors to bet that the economic failure his party created will worsen.
South Carolinians can't afford to be so cynical.
Hutto is no stranger to calling out South Carolina's Republican leaders for their failures. He's long been a thorn in the side of the Palmetto State's Republican Governor, Mark Sanford. Consider this episode from 2006:
With a week remaining before the June 13 party primaries, Governor Mark Sanford visited Orangeburg Milling Company to call for government restraint and accountability in spending.
But Democratic Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg, holding a poster board report card giving the Republican governor failing grades for his leadership, challenged Sanford to talk about the "real issues" facing the state, such as unemployment, health care and education. ...
Hutto asked Sanford if he planned to veto the money set aside for farmers in the Clemson budget for a new cattle barn and $1 million for the Edisto Research and Education Center facility, both in Blackville. Sanford answered that he was uncertain how he would decide on the item.
Sanford has used his veto power frequently on the budget in the past. The General Assembly overrode a large majority of the vetoes.
"Why are you not telling me -- here you are in a farmers' community where agriculture is a big thing," Hutto said, noting that Sanford did not choose to sign the Right to Farm bill that eventually became law. "They need the cattle farm. Peanuts have been a tremendous growth industry in this area and they need this new research facility. For the farmers, how about leave that veto out?" ...
Overall, Hutto called Sanford a "total failure" as governor.
"I welcome the governor and his official staff to come to Orangeburg and I am glad he came. But, I find it ironic when he comes here how he won't really deal with the issues impacting the people here," he said.
Hutto will take flak from Republicans for being a trial lawyer, but similar flak didn't stop a political unknown just over the border in North Carolina named John Edwards from beating an incumbent Republican Senator to win a Senate seat in 1998. Also, Hutto's connections in South Carolina's legal community will provide him with a solid fundraising base with which to challenge DeMint.
Sure, it's South Carolina, and any Democrat will have an uphill climb. That said, Hutto's rhetoric is sure to put DeMint on the spot, and Hutto doesn't seem the type to back down from a fight. At the very least, his fiery candidacy could help Democrats Party-build across the state; and, if DeMint continues to offer up gaffes, Hutto won't hesitate to take advantage. DeMint may be a favorite of the far-right-wing; but, if there are enough moderates who share the sensibilities of Republicans like George Voinovich, Hutto could find the political oxygen to provide South Carolinians with a real choice and a competitive race.
