Local Conservatives Urge DeMint to Run for President

With the race for the Republican nomination for president now well under way, the talk around the race is still not so much about who is running, as who is not (Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour) or who might (Rick Perry, Chris Christie, Sarah Palin). The buzz gives credence to a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll which revealed that 55 percent of primary voters are dissatisfied with the present group of candidates.

One of the figures mentioned as a possible late entry into the race is South Carolina’s junior senator, Jim DeMint, who has mostly brushed off such speculation.

As if to prove either their fondness for DeMint or the accuracy of the aforementioned poll (or both), a group of about 75-100 gathered on Saturday morning amid soaring temperatures at the Carolina First Amphitheater in Greenville’s Falls Park for the expressed purpose of cajoling DeMint to throw his hat into the ring.

The event was organized by Javan Browder who is part of a group called Conservatives4DeMint.com. Browder took the stage initially, before giving way to several other speakers, including State Senator Danny Verdin (R-9^th), State Representatives Mark Willis (R-16^th) and Tom Corbin (R-17^th) and Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-3^rd) who was the closing speaker.

Each speaker extolled the virtues of DeMint, who was not in attendance, while criticizing the Obama Administration for a myriad of failures.

Browder, who has been promoting a DeMint candidacy via social media, said, (DeMint) is the true standard-bearer of conservatism.”

Winston Smith, who insisted that was his real name and not a pseudonym referencing George Orwell, agreed with Browder. “Jim DeMint talks the talk and he walks the walk. He’s honest. He is who he says he is and that’s what we need. “

Smith, who is following the race closely, has no major beef with the declared candidates, but wants more. “Every one of the candidates I can find something I agree with. I want a candidate where I have to look to find something that I disagree with.”

If Smith can’t find that perfect candidate (i.e. DeMint) he’ll definitely be voting Republican because he believes the course of country needs a complete reversal. “We’re looking for 180 degrees in the opposite of what we have now,” Smith said.

“Anybody right now who is running on the Republican side is better than President Obama. The big question is, ‘Are we going to settle for five percent better or ten percent better?’”

Browder would like someone who can pass the conservative litmus test, but also win a general election. He believes DeMint fits the bill on both fronts.

“He’s the only person who has proven his conservative credentials over a long period of time,” Browder said.

Speaking of DeMint, Browder continued, “He’s not a man to promote himself, but there is a vacuum that needs to be filled and he’s the man to do it. If he entered a lot of these other candidates would be gone immediately.”

Among those who would be hurt by a DeMint candidacy according to Browder would be Newt Gingrich, whose campaign has struggled to find its footing and appears on the brink of collapse.

Much like Smith, Browder sees positives in the existing field, but each candidate has a negative that could be difficult to overcome:

“I like Herman Cain, but he doesn’t have a record and has no political experience.”

“Rick Perry may be perceived as a George Bush sequel.”

“I love Michele Bachmann, but I don’t know how electable she is.”

Browder made little secret of his admiration for Governor Nikki Haley. “I’d love to have a lady president. I wish she was ready to go.”

Returning to the perceived flaws of the actual crop of candidates, Browder said, “They just don’t give us something to grab hold of.”

Browder then went on to say that the 2012 Presidential Election is “do-or-die. It’s not just about this election cycle. It’s about the future of the nation. In any other election we could go with any of three or four of the candidates and be okay. But we want a great candidate and someone we can enthusiastically support. If we don’t have that, who knows what could happen?”

DeMint told CNN on Friday evening that he has no plans to run for president.

Said Browder: “I hope he’ll reconsider because the nation needs him.”