Jim DeMint Still Upset About Working During Month Of December

As you probably have heard, Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is not happy about having to work during the lame duck session of Congress, where legislators are attempting to unwind many issues they did not consider in the previous, non-lame duck session of Congress, because the Senate is terrible and men like DeMint have been pointlessly obstructing measures like the re-ratification of the START Treaty.

DeMint has famously drawn his line in the sand around the Christmas holiday, saying that working during that time is "sacrilegious." (Whereas threatening to force a Senate assistant to read 2,000 page bills aloud, for no reason, keeps with Christian traditions.)

DeMint attempted to explain his point of view to Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin:

JR: Senator DeMint, exactly how long before Christmas Day is the period during which the American people don't want Congress to work on major legislation, in your view?

JD: It has nothing to do with us not being willing to work. For the [continuing resolution] I'm willing to work right through New Year's. It's just, trying to do [New START] under the cover of people being distracted. We've worked with a lot of people on the outside and around the country who feel this is a bad way to do a bad treaty. People are distracted.

Yes, people are just so distracted, what with the mistletoe and the carolers and that lunar eclipse that everyone stayed up to watch last night, making everyone so tired and crotchety at work today.

Rogin seemed pretty unsatisfied with the answer ("How long are people distracted before Christmas? Is it the entire month of December, or what?"), so DeMint changed the subject, averring that the lame duck session itself was an "illegitimate process" that shouldn't be used to "pass major legislation." Like creating the Department of Homeland Security? Or impeaching Bill Clinton?

Finally, DeMint got ecumenical about it: "Sure, we normally take off for Jewish holidays. It's more of the distraction of the end of the year. I'm not trying to make it just an issue of Christmas." For what it's worth, Senator Joe Lieberman came in to work on Shabbat to get "Don't Ask Don't Tell" repealed. He didn't seem distracted!

Meanwhile, many of the 9/11 responders who would benefit from the passage of the Zadroga bill during this lame duck session of Congress are spending the Christmas season being "distracted" by cancers that they were afflicted with that time they all tried to save a bunch of people's lives.

RELATED:
Jim DeMint and the war on Christmas vacation [The Cable @ Foreign Policy]

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Comments

[Moneypolitics]

04:31 AM on 12/29/2010

I am sure he had a lobbyist paid for holiday planned for Christmas and was upset that he would miss it.

[sunnycreek]

05:15 PM on 12/28/2010

I don't get this Demint guy. Congress has worked on many things during lame duck sessions before. I guess it's just because it is for this administration this year. And there wouldn't have been so many things to pass all at once if repubs hadn't filibustered and delayed for so long. Of course these important issues need to get passed this year - otherwise once repubs get more power in January, none of this stuff would get passed.

[JustJoy7]

07:41 PM on 12/23/2010

Jim DeMint is the establishment GOPs designated person to make the tea party think that they are being seriously considered. Tea people, try to remember that these folk specialize in snowing you to do whatever they want. None of them are truly in your corner. DeMint is a decoy to keep you folk at bay.

[ConsensusReality]

01:46 PM on 12/23/2010

For Republicans, Christmas is a time to seek divine guidance on which nation to invade next.

[AveragePatriot]

12:46 PM on 12/23/2010

If he really means it, he should work towards giving the American soldiers a week off then as well...

[txthinker]

12:41 PM on 12/23/2010

If Jim DeMint is so easily "distracted", he needs to do the right thing and resign. Effective immediately. And in the interest od fiscal responsibility, he should voluntarily forfeit his Senatorial pension.

[asiclilpup]

12:30 PM on 12/23/2010

Next on dements list of obstructionist bs will be a need to trek to mecca.

[asiclilpup]

12:27 PM on 12/23/2010

When it comes to BS obstruction tactics I suspect demented will next want to make a trek to Mecca.

[Julia Bailey]

11:53 AM on 12/23/2010

Poor congress, making them work in December. Next we won't let them have all those months off they get during the summer.

[myrtle1909]

11:36 AM on 12/23/2010

Many professions do not get Christmas off, unless it is your day off. Firemen and Nurses and doctors have to word every day and many others. A hospital does not take Christmas off.
If a politician does not want to work on holidays then he should get into another profession. The American people want someone who represents them all of the time not just part of the time.

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

10:36 AM on 12/23/2010

Too bad he doesn't have job. Most companies make their workers work everyday except Christmas, including all or part of the 24th.

DeMint is definitely out of touch with the real America and living in an insular, elitist stratosphere of big money, power, and callous, willful disregard for the lives of his constituents and the rest of America's working families.


Notice the fancy French way he writes his name. Ooh la la.

[zx880]

08:35 AM on 12/23/2010

He's free to resign at any time if he doesn't like the job.

[Tropiholic]

08:34 AM on 12/23/2010

please resign and allow sc to have elected officials who actually want to work for the people who elected them!

[BlueSkyPilot]

08:27 AM on 12/23/2010

When animal rights legislation came up in South Carolina the resounding consensus from the State legislature was "Screw the Horses!"

[H8politics]

07:08 AM on 12/23/2010

DeMint has a point. People are distracted during the holiday season and should not be forced to make key decisions until all the celebrations have ended. With that, our troops are probably distracted during this time of year as well; DeMint should be working to bring them home until all the celebrations have ended so they can focus on the task at hand

[Megley]

09:39 AM on 12/23/2010

Well, if Congress was doing its JOB during the non-holiday season, then they wouldn't "be forced to make key decisions until all the celebratio­ns have ended."