So naturally, Dems try and blame him for Obama’s failure to connect the dots in the Detroit underwear attack!
Speaking of the failed undwear bomber Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) focused his criticism on the heart of the matter:
“Soft talk about engagement, closing Gitmo, these things are not going to appease the terrorists,” said Jim DeMint, a Republican senator from South Carolina.“They’re going to keep coming after us, and we can’t have politics as usual in Washington, and I’m afraid that’s what we’ve got right now with airport security,”
So naturally, Sen. DeMint becomes a target of the Chicago attack machine which will spend more time trying to destroy DeMint, who is up for re-election in 2010 (campaign web site), than they will trying to protect Americans. Writing in the Washington Examiner, Mark Hemingway describes how “news” media allies of Obama are only too willing to cooperate:
Democrats are trying to blame the Transportation Safety Administration’s total failure on Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. News items are starting to appear along these
lines — see this McClatchy story “Who’s running the TSA? No one, thanks to Sen. Jim DeMint“; “Republican senator DeMint holds up nomination for TSA chief” at the Washington Post; and “GOP blame at TSA?” over at Politico. Our national security
apparatus may be in disarray, but thank goodness the Democratic spin machine is
in tip-top shape.
Democrats are trying to pin blame for the TSA breakdown on Sen. DeMint, R-S.C., who has placed a hold Erroll Southers, the Obama administration’s nominee to head up the TSA. However, the Obama administration didn’t even nominate Southers until September. It’s pretty hard get indignant over DeMint for holding up Southers’ nomination for three months — if the post is so crucial, why did the Obama administration wait nine months to fill it? There are scores of other key administration positions that remain unfilled solely due to the Senate’s obsessive health care focus, including a number of key Homeland Security and law enforcement positions.
DeMint’s concern with Souther is his reluctance to state whether he would permit the workers in the Transportation Security Administration to become unionized. It’s a national security issue as it relates directly to TSA’s ability to restructure it’s workforce and procedures in response to an immediate threat; something that would be impossible with union work rules. Think of it this way: why do you suppose we don’t have unions in the military?
More from Mark Hemingway:
Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was fairly blunt about the risks of unionizing TSA employees: “I’m not going to negotiate our national security or subject our national security to arbitration. Marines don’t collectively bargain over whether they’re, you know, going to end up being deployed in Anbar province or Baghdad.”
And as I noted yesterday, DeMint questioned Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano earlier this month about her support for unionizing TSA employees. He asked her specifically how unionizing employees was consistent with safety, when “every previous administrator at TSA has said that collective bargaining is not consistent with the flexibility and the need to change.” Napolitano did not answer the question.
Of course we all know how dependent Obama and the Democrats are on the contributions from labor unions. But would they really put their own political interests ahead of national security?
Would they?
Apparently Chris Dodd (D-CT) did just that:
Now that our attention is focused on airline security measures thanks to the failed airline attack on Christmas Day, it’s worth mentioning that one senator took money away from aviation security to line the pockets of a constituency that supported his presidential campaign in a big way.
Back in July, Senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., proposed an amendment reducing aviation security appropriations by $4.5 million in favor of firefighter grants — a notoriously inneffective program. In fact, the money was specifically “for screening operations and the amount for explosives detection systems.” The amendment was also sponsored by Sen. Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen. Carper, D-Del., but Dodd deserves to be singled out here because the firefighters union is a pet constituency of his. In 2007 he campaigned all through Iowa with the firefighters union. It was one of the few distinguishable features of Dodd’s ill-fated presidential
bid.
Conservative Action Alert: Help Jim DeMint in 2010
At the top of the list for conservatives wishing to make a difference and help win big in 2010 should be the re-election of Senator Jim DeMint. His outspoken criticism of the Obama Administration has made him a major target for defeat by the left.
Any contribution you care to make would send a strong signal to Sen. DeMint that you appreciate his leadership and the risks he is taking to defend America against the socialists who would weaken our national security and undermine our economy and political system.
It’s always someone elses fault with the dems…they can’t accept any responsibility for anything..EVER.
This is so blatently obvious, they are going after the one Republican causing them acid-reflux on Healthcare.
Won’t help.
Well, Really!! EVERYONE knows that Bush did it!
Senator DeMint is one of the few people in Washington trying to save this Republic….Blaming DeMint for this security disaster is beyond desperate…
With the large Tea Party pushes, DeMint would be wise to consult with the local TEA groups in his State for the 2010 campaign to stress to the state who was truly responsible for the problems while debunking the strawman attempts against him.
It is an unusual situation when the head of management pushes for unionization of his employees.
Do you think there might be a conflict of interest?
In the private sector he would have been dropped from consideration, but in matters of the Marxist Agenda it is logical.
I truly believe we have a majority of voters for 2010; will it be enough to overcome the voter fraud of Obama’s Acorn and SEIU? Not to to mention the Black Panthers and their intimidation tactics that are condoned and supported by Eric Holder our Black Nationalist Attorney General. The GOP had better be making inroads to stop Obama’s Voter Fraud Machine, America is disgusted with the Chicago Machine style politics. That type of Politics is more acceptable in South America and Eastern Europe. By listening to the heart beat of America, that of the common man, some who were Democrats a year ago, I can tell you categorically, America is not going to put up with the corruption at the polls again this year!
It is starting to get ugly out there! From a man who mingles with a lot of everyday people!
We really need to end the absentee ballot and the fraud ridden practice of not requiring identification in order to vote. Is potential “disenfranchisement” worth corrputing the voting system.
We should also ban corporations and labor unions from being able to make political contributions. Only private citizens should have that priviledge. Let the people’s voices be heard, not the special interests.
You want true campaign finance reform… start with the above.
DeMint voted AGAINST funding for more body scanners. Only 8 senators voted against it they were all GOP fundamentalist Christians and Jews do not want their ladies being viewed like that
I’d give you a C+ on attempt at disinformation there Mr. Ryan.
However, here is his true voting record:
http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=25026
To be more clear, he voted no on the funds being reallocated to non-security programs.
ah, Mr. Irons… perhaps you are unacquainted with our drive-by, single sentence progressive mascot, John-with-a-small-R-ryan. You truly expect too much of his capacities as he’s one of those “headline educated” types.
We’ll give John ryan the benefit of the doubt, and hope he has a New Year’s resolution to actually take the time to read instead of depend on his favorite sound byte media mouthpieces for his one liners.
The bill in questions was the Implementing Recommendations Of The 9/11 Commission Act Of 2007. I, personally, wouldn’t have wanted it purely for two items alone. The 100% of commercial airline cargo screening requirement by three years from passage, and the full maritime cargo screening by 2012. Both would bring commercial shipping and distribution to a vitural halt, and severly hamper the efficiency of airline transportation and massively increase costs to consumers.
But then bills are rarely about one issue, and that’s why some vote against bills they may be mostly for. In the case of John ryan’s outright lie, accusing DeMint for voting nay because of body scanners, one might want to read DeMint’s floor statement INRE his vote.
But then, the words might be too big for John Ryan to absorb…. Don’t worry… he’s usually a one line commenter per random thread. It’s like he believes we really care he’s still out there.
@FedUp:
It’s usually Bush or one of the Clintons. Never BO.