Just Who Does Demint Represent?

Jim Demint has a lot to say about "freedom".  But for Demint, it means the freedom to be a self-righteous faux-Christian bigot.  And I believe he has the right to be that self-righteous faux-Christian bigot.  But NOT on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Demint believes that it is his God-given right to legislate his morality -- or, immorality, actually.  Like Joe McCarthy before him, he is a paranoid megalomaniac who clings rigidly to his hates and biases.  AND he has the power and capital to enact laws based on those hateful beliefs.

I wonder that, rather than demand his resignation, or that Congress reprimand Demint for his bigoted remarks, people are "demanding" an apology.  I imagine that Demint is facing a great deal of ostracism from members of his own party, so close to Election Day.  But he has apologized before. 

In the Washington Post, Rachel Weiner  points out that in 2004, Demint "apologized" for commenting that an unwed pregnant woman should not be allowed to teach in public schools.  He apologized by saying,

"[S]ometimes my heart disengages from my head and I say something I shouldn't - and that's what happened yesterday. I clearly said something as a dad that I just shouldn't have said. And I apologize."

Some apology.

Now, six years later, pockets full of cash from corporate interests determined to use Demint to enflame the voters, Demint is happy to spread his gospel of bigotry.  Now he relates that experience of six years prior as, really, a victory for, of course, Freedom:

"...everyone would come to me and whisper that I shouldn't back down. They don't want government purging their rights and their freedom to religion."

 In true Demint-speak, "everyone" was glad he was defending their freedom to religion.  That means that in a public school, Jim Demint and his followers have the freedom to express their bigoted religious beliefs.

My head hurts when I try to follow his logic, really.

But, the most important thing about this is that the Post goes on to talk about Tom Clements and his opposition to Jim Demint:

Tom Clements, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, weighed in. "The public has the right to know the full extent of DeMint's plans to put public employees to a morals test and he should reveal details of who he would target and what the criteria for judgment are," said Clements. "DeMint's efforts to push his own zealous beliefs on all of us clearly demonstrate the extent of his radical agenda and show that he is not fit to be a senator."

We need Tom Clements in the Senate, fighting for our freedom.

We need right now to be free from Jim Demint