Sen. Jim DeMint to help lead effort to stop stimulus

By Ben Szobody • STAFF WRITER • January 29, 2009

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint told reporters today that he intends to be "one of the leaders" in the effort to stop an economic stimulus bill in the Senate, and that he has more allies at the outset than he did in a bitter and ultimately successful effort to defeat 2007 immigration reform.

DeMint proposed a stimulus plan of his own in a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation Thursday, but wouldn't say if he's willing to filibuster Democratic-favored stimulus in the Senate that he called "one of the worst pieces of legislation ever produced in Washington."

Unanimous Republican opposition in the House this week "galvanized freedom-loving Americans," DeMint said in a conference call with reporters, describing his goal of securing the 41 votes necessary to force Senate debate.

"I think everyone's changed their mindset from yesterday," DeMint said. "I think now we have a real possibility to stop this."

He blasted the House-approved stimulus as a central government approach to jump-starting the economy that spends relatively little on infrastructure and doesn’t do enough to create permanent jobs.

DeMint said his plan, developed by the Heritage Foundation, eliminates uncertainty and encourages risk-taking by giving more money to workers and producers. He wants to make permanent the Bush tax cuts and add an additional cut from 35 percent to 25 percent for the top marginal rate and for corporations.

With further simplifications in the tax code, DeMint said the plan would create 7.5 million jobs over five years and 22 million jobs within 10 years.

He also praised Gov. Mark Sanford’s opposition to the Obama administration’s proposed stimulus, saying the money it would send to state budgets would allow South Carolina sidestep needed reform.

Meanwhile, DeMint said he hopes to have time to show taxpayers what the Democrat-favored stimulus would do, pointing to what he said is a stimulus mandate for the military to buy environmentally friendly cars as an example.

"It's not obstruction we're after," DeMint said. "We've got better ideas."

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