By Hannah Hill from inhenryswake.com

When Jim DeMint stated some time back that he would rather have a small core group of true conservatives that a majority of RINOs, he drew sharp criticism from the GOP establishment and raised concern  in the minds of others, many of whom considered him on an impossible Don Quixote-esque mission against impossible odds.

However, Jim DeMint didn’t listen. Not only has he been taking his case straight to the American people (angering the leadership of his own party by doing so – go figure), but he formed a PAC to support true-blue conservatives get elected. And what are the results?

According to a Bloomberg article,

Since then, DeMint’s money and manpower have upset Senate Republican nomination contests in Colorado, Utah, Kentucky, and Delaware. Of the 13 candidates he’s endorsed, only three have lost. Last year he raised $1.3 million. This year his PAC has pulled in more than $4 million, says spokesman Matt Hoskins.

According to this article, DeMint has “vaulted from backbencher to conservative kingmaker.”

Here’s more of the media buzz following his latest Delaware victory:

Once again, DeMint’s candidate prevailed over the candidate boosted by the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.  He set out to transform the Republican party and it looks like he just might be pulling it off. (ABC News)

“Based on the number of Republicans DeMint has helped get elected this year, I would say he’s done quite a bit to elect a majority,” Hoskins told CNN. “Perhaps the real reason some unnamed leadership aides are upset is that these Republicans actually have principles.” (CNN)

DeMint, whose endorsement boosted O’Donnell late in her primary race, cited other tea party favorites who are doing well in polls, including Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio and Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul. Both defeated better-established Republicans in primaries. (MSNBC) [Read more →]

This year, the SCGOP has added two questions to the June 8 primary ballot. The questions are only ADVISORY in nature, and carry no effect in law. The text of the questions is as follows:

Advisory Question 1 – The healthcare reform bill recently signed into law by President Obama requires all American citizens to purchase health insurance or else to pay a fine to the federal government.  The legislation also contains tax benefits and other inducements that apply only to certain states, benefits that were apparently designed to persuade those states’ Senators or Representatives to vote for President Obama’s healthcare reform Bill.

Therefore, be it resolved:  The South Carolina General Assembly should defend the freedom of all South Carolinians to make their own healthcare decisions by enacting legislation making it illegal to force the citizens of South Carolina to purchase health insurance or participate in a healthcare plan against their will, or to comply with any of the provisions or mandates of nationalized healthcare that do not apply equally to all states.

Do you agree with the resolution above?

Yes

No

Advisory Question 2 – Growth of state spending should not exceed the growth of the economy.

Therefore, be it resolved: The South Carolina General Assembly should enact legislation to limit state spending growth in South Carolina to a growth rate not to exceed the lesser of the annual percentage growth in income of the State’s citizens, or the growth in population plus inflation.

Do you agree with the resolution above?

Yes

No

RINO HUNT Newsletter
January 31, 2010

I am pleased to announce the outcome of a meeting early this afternoon. The leadership of the upstate coalition of conservative organizations met with the Chairman of the Greenville County GOP to discuss the Greenville County and State GOP plan to implement a Tea Party Republican organization.

The Chairman eloquently stated the goals of the County and State GOP to move the Party toward conservative ideology and adherence to the Party platform by incumbents and candidates. The coalition stated their position that the organization of a Tea Party Republican organization was offensive and would create unnecessary problems between the two organizations. We maintained that although our goals were the same, we desired to be independent from the GOP. Furthermore, we agreed that during the next precinct reorganization we would become involved through the precinct level.

After both sides aired their positions, it was mutually agreed that the County GOP would abandon their plan to create a Tea Party Republican organization and the website for the TPR would be taken down as soon as practical. The County Chairman has contacted the State Chairwoman and communicated our agreement with her. She has also agreed that there would be no attempt by the State GOP to start a Tea Party Republican organization in any County in South Carolina.

[Read more →]

Fellow Patriots,

Conservative coalition leaders (including Tea Party groups, 9-12 groups, RINO HUNT, Americans For Prosperity, ABATE, and others) from the Upstate SC area met today with Patrick Haddon, chairman of the Greenville County Republican Party today at 1:30PM. The purpose of this meeting was to let the GOP know how we feel about the proposal of the Tea Party Republican organization.

Thankfully, Haddon listened to the concerns of the Upstate conservative leaders and they are scrapping the new “Tea Party Republicans” club that was to be announced tomorrow night. Instead, new lines of communication are being opened with the Greenville GOP so that we can all work together toward common goals, while maintaining the independent, non-partisan status of the “Tea Party” coalition. The Coalition and the GOP are both preparing public press releases and there are tentative plans to hold a press conference tomorrow to announce these developments to the media.

For this reason we will not protest at the Greenville Republican Party Executive Committee meetting, but everyone is still invited to come to the meeting if you like.

We will continue to fight for the independence of the Tea Party and if necessary, we are willing to travel to any county in SC to confront the GOP should they attempt to hijack the movement in any way. We call on SCGOP Chairwoman Karen Floyd to recognize the independent non-partisan status of the Tea Party and to work with us in ways that will not compromise the integrity of the movement.

Jonathon Hill
Anderson Tea Party
864-245-5885

The TEA Party movement is in danger.

The SCGOP is seeking to form new clubs in every county called the Tea Party Republicans, for the purpose of vetting and endorsing “Tea Party candidates”. This is a devious attempt on the part of the SCGOP establishment to hijack the Tea Party movement and exploit it for their own power-grabbing purposes.

We do not wish to be at odds with the GOP, but if the GOP gets control of the Tea Party’s endorsement to hand out to candidates of their choice, we will see more of the same elitists who are helping to drive our country into the ground go to Columbia and Washington to do more of the same… in the name of the Tea Party. This must be nipped in the bud.

Please join other tea partiers in Greenville on Monday at 6:30PM to let the Greenville GOP know (in typical Tea Party style) that we don’t endorse this action.

For more information:

• January 29th RINO HUNT newsletter
• A Tea Party Patriot Message to the SCGOP: Not interested in protecting the “Republican brand”
• Boiling Springs Tea Party Group Reacts to GOP “Republican Tea Parties” Announcement