Jim DeMint 

U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH CAROLINA 

TRIBUTES 

IN THE CONGRESS OF 

THE UNITED STATES 

UNUM

E PLURIBUS


congress.#15
Jim DeMint 

Courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office 


81105.eps
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2014

S. DOC. 113–7 

Tributes 

Delivered in Congress 

Jim DeMint 

United States Congressman 

1999–2005 

United States Senator 

2005–2013 

÷ 

Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

[ iii ] 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Farewell Address ...................................................................................... vii 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina ........................................ 3 

Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah ........................................................... 8 

Levin, Carl, of Michigan ............................................................ 10 

McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky ................................................. 5 

Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island ...................................................... 9 

Reid, Harry, of Nevada .............................................................. 12 

Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama ......................................................... 5 

[ v ] 

BIOGRAPHY 

JIM DEMINT was born in Greenville County, SC, on September 2, 1951. He graduated from Wade Hampton High 

School in Greenville in 1969 and became an active volunteer 

and community leader. He earned a BS from the University 

of Tennessee in 1973 and an MBA from Clemson University 

in 1981. 

As the owner of a Greenville-based market research firm, 

he became an expert in positioning products in a crowded 

marketplace, a skill that made him an effective legislator 

and representative. When he was first elected to the House 

of Representatives in 1998 his colleagues recognized his 

unique attributes and elected him president of the Republican freshman class. He served in the 106th and two succeeding Congresses, January 3, 1999, to January 3, 2005. He 

was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, reelected in 2010, 

and served until his resignation on January 1, 2013. 

Senator DEMINT quickly established himself as one of the 

most effective conservative leaders in Washington, DC, seeking to enact innovative solutions to improve America for future generations. He has been a tireless advocate for smaller 

government, individual liberty, a strong national defense, 

and traditional values. 

JIM DEMINT has earned national acclaim for his work to 

end the system of earmarks, also referred to as the ‘‘congressional favor factory.’’ Following the November elections in 

2006, the Senator stood up against big spenders in Congress 

and stopped over 10,000 wasteful pork projects. Famed 

Washington journalist Robert Novak called him a ‘‘hero.’’ 

Wall Street Journal editor Steve Moore said the Senator’s actions saved Americans about $17 billion and called him the 

‘‘taxpayers’ greatest ally.’’ In early 2007 JIM DEMINT also 

fought for commonsense immigration reform by leading the 

effort to defeat the amnesty bill and calling on government 

to first secure our borders, enforce the laws already passed, 

and streamline the legal immigration system. 

In late 2006, he was elected as chairman of the Senate 

Steering Committee, which is comprised of the majority of 

Republican Senators and works to advance conservative legVerDate Aug 31 2005 13:28 Apr 23, 2014 Jkt 081105 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE12\81105.TXT KAYNE
[ vi ] 

islation. Last year, just as Ronald Reagan had done over 20 

years earlier, JIM DEMINT delivered the keynote address to 

the Nation’s largest gathering of conservative activists at the 

annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He 

was recently ranked as the Senate’s most conservative Member by National Journal and as the No. 1 Senator voting for 

responsible tax and spending policies by the National Taxpayers Union. JIM DEMINT understands the greatness of a 

country is found in its people and values, not in its government. 

The Senator and his wife, Debbie, reside in Greenville, SC, 

and are the proud parents of four married children. They are 

also greatly enjoying their new role as grandparents. 

[ vii ] 

Farewell to the Senate 

Thursday, December 20, 2012 

Mr. DEMINT. Mr. President, I would like to give my farewell address. We spent a lot of time in my office writing out 

a long speech. However, once I read it, I realized it is more 

emotional than I thought, and we set that speech aside. Last 

night I made a lot of notes of what I wanted to say, and then 

I realized this morning that I was just trying to get the last 

word on a lot of the politics we have been discussing, so I 

set that aside and decided to speak from my heart. 

Certainly, this is much more emotional than I thought, 

and as I look around this room, the realization that I am 

standing on the Senate floor speaking for the last time is a 

lot to digest. It makes me very appreciative of the privilege 

we have all been given by the American people, and particularly those who have come before us and who have given 

their lives for us to have the opportunity to settle our differences in a civil and democratic way. This is a great opportunity and privilege to share a few thoughts before I go on 

to the next phase of my life. 

First, I have to give particular thanks to my wife Debbie, 

who, for the last 15 years, has spent many days and nights 

alone as I have tried to change things in Washington. She 

has often reminded and questioned me how I thought I could 

change the world when I could not even mow the grass. But 

she has been a supporter and certainly so important as I left 

my children, who were still in school when I began serving 

in the House, keeping them on the right track. I particularly 

wanted to thank them as well. 

All of those who serve here know that when we sign up for 

public life, we also sign our families up for public life. In a 

lot of ways it makes their lives much more difficult. So I 

want to thank my children, my wife Debbie, and my family 

for putting up with this and being so supportive of me. 

I also have to thank the people of South Carolina who 

have entrusted me with this job in the Senate for the last 

8 years, and in the House 6 years before that. All of us who 

serve our States know that as we travel around and meet 

[ viii ] 

people and tour businesses and speak to groups, it creates a 

deep love and appreciation for everyone back home. 

I look at what we are making in South Carolina in these 

small businesses. When we drive by we don’t know anything 

is even there, and then we go and find that they are making 

things and shipping them all over the world. It makes me 

very proud of what we are doing in South Carolina, and I 

know everyone here feels the same way about their States. 

I am very appreciative that the people of South Carolina 

have given me this opportunity. I am very grateful to my colleagues whom I have often scrapped with on a lot of issues. 

I appreciate their patience. I think I can leave claiming to 

have good friends who are Democrats and Republicans. 

I am particularly grateful for a lot of the new Senators. 

Some are sitting here today. I have had the opportunity to 

work with the folks in their States around the country. Their 

respective States have elected some new people to the Senate 

who are bringing the right ideas and some new voices to 

those principles that we know have made our country successful. So I feel as I leave the Senate, it is better than I 

found it, and that our focus now, despite the difficult challenges, is on America and how we turn America around. 

I also want to spend some time thanking my staff. I have 

to say my greatest inspirations have come from the staff who 

I have had the opportunity to serve with in the House and 

in the Senate. As all of my colleagues know who are serving 

here in the Senate, this country is being run by people in 

their twenties and thirties who get us so busy they have to 

follow us to meetings to tell us where we are going and what 

we will be talking about. It is incredible to see that these 

young people, particularly those whom I have served with, 

have such a passion for our country and freedom and they 

are willing to put it all on the line to make a difference here. 

They feel a lot like my family, and I am certainly going to 

miss them, but it is encouraging to watch them moving to 

other offices, taking their ideas and that courage to other 

places on the Hill. 

I want to add my thanks to all the Hill staff, the folks sitting in the front here and those who have worked with us. 

I know sometimes we have pushed the envelope a little bit 

on things we were trying to get done, and I have seen a lot 

of very intelligent, active, and engaged staff all across the 

Hill, both Democrat and Republican, and I am very thankful 

for what they do. 

[ ix ] 

About 15 years ago I started campaigning for the House. 

I had never run for public office. At that time, I believed— 

and I think it still holds true today—that there were normal 

people such as myself and then there were politicians. I was 

a businessman. I had a small business for about 15 years. 

I had four children. I was active in my church and in the 

community. I had begun to see that well-motivated, wellintended government policies were making it harder for us 

to do the things at the community level we know actually 

worked. That is what I have always been about here. It really was not about politics. I had no strong political affiliation 

before I decided to run for office, but I saw ideas from the 

time I was a young person. Ideas that worked. 

I actually saw this statement the other day which I wish 

to read because it reflects what I think a lot of us know 

works in our country. This is one thing I will try to read 

today: 

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. If 

I can seek opportunity, not security, I want to take the calculated risk to 

dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for 

dole. I prefer the challenges of life to guaranteed security, the thrill of fulfillment to the state of calm utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence, 

nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master, save 

my God. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud, and unafraid, to think and 

act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations, to face the whole world 

boldly and say, ‘‘I am a free American.’’ 

I saw this on a plaque called ‘‘The American Creed.’’ In 

South Carolina, at least, we have adopted this as what we 

call ‘‘The Republican Creed.’’ It is really not a Republican 

idea or a political idea, it is an American idea. The ideas in 

this statement are ideas we all know work, and ideas we 

would hope for our children and everyone around us. We 

know there are people all around us who are having difficulty, but this idea of helping them to become independent, 

self-sufficient, and responsible creates the dignity and fulfillment in their life that we know we want for all Americans. 

This is not for a small few. This is an American idea, and 

it is an idea I know has worked in my life, and I have seen 

it work all around me. 

That is what I wish to talk about for a second today; not 

political ideas but ideas where we can look back through history and all around us today and point to them and say, 

‘‘That is working.’’ I think if we did that more here in the 

political sphere, we might find a lot more consensus. 

As we look around the country today, we can see a lot of 

things that are working. Sometimes we couch them in our 

[ x ] 

political rhetoric, but I can guarantee my colleagues they are 

not being done for political reasons at the State level; they 

are being done because they work and they have to get 

things to work at the State level. 

We saw last week the State of Michigan adopted a new 

law that gave workers the freedom not to join a union. They 

didn’t do it because it was politically expedient or because 

they thought it was a good idea. Actually, it probably will get 

a lot of the politicians in hot water in Michigan. What they 

did is look at 23 other States that had adopted the same idea 

and see they were attracting businesses and creating jobs, 

and these States, without raising taxes, had more revenue to 

build schools and roads and hospitals. It is just an idea that 

worked. It is not a political idea to give people the freedom 

not to join a union; it is an American idea and it is an idea 

that works. 

We can look around the country today—and, again, we 

make these things political and give them labels that are 

good or bad, depending on I guess which party one belongs 

to—and see that a number of States have been very innovative and creative with what they are doing with education. 

We see what they have done in Florida, creating more 

choices, and in Louisiana particularly, forced by Hurricane 

Katrina to start a new system, in effect. They see that more 

choices and opportunities for parents to choose are helping 

low-income, at-risk kids, minority kids. We can see it working. It is not political. It is an American idea to give parents 

more choices to put their children in an environment where 

they can succeed. It is an idea that works. 

We can look around the country at States that try to create a more business-friendly environment not because they 

are for businesses or for any political reason, or they are for 

special interests, but because they know the only way to get 

jobs and prosperity and create opportunity is to create an environment where businesses can thrive. We make it political 

here and we ask our constituents to make choices between 

employers and employees, but States such as Texas have created a business-friendly environment with lower taxes and 

less regulation. They have passed some laws that reduce the 

risk of frivolous lawsuits. What they have seen is businesses 

moving to their State. They have seen jobs and opportunity 

created not for the top 2 percent but expanding a middle 

class, creating more opportunities and more tax revenues to 

do the things at the State government level that we all want 

[ xi ] 

for everyone who lives there. This is not for a few; this is for 

100 percent. 

We see specials now on television comparing California 

and Texas, businesses moving out and delegations from California going to Texas to try to figure out why businesses are 

moving and families are moving there. It is not political at 

all. We make it political and we talk about it in political 

terms, but creating an environment where businesses can 

thrive is an American idea and it is an idea that is working. 

We see it all over the country, where some States are going 

down one road, with higher taxes, bigger government, and 

more spending, and they are losing to States such as Texas, 

and I hope more and more like South Carolina. They are 

moving to where they can thrive. This benefits every American. 

We look at energy development and we talk about that at 

the national level of how it can create prosperity for our 

country if we open it up. We don’t have to guess at whether 

it works. We can look at North Dakota, we can look at Pennsylvania—States that have gone around the Federal rules 

and figured out how to develop their own energy and are creating jobs and tax revenue for their governments. They are 

able to lower their taxes and use the revenue to improve everything about their States. Here we make it political and 

partisan, whether our country can develop more energy, but 

at the State level it is about what works. All we have to do 

is look at what works. 

This is not rocket science. I came to Washington as a novice in politics, believing in the power of ideas, seeing how 

ideas could revolutionize different industries, can create new 

products and services, meeting the needs of customers everywhere. That is what I hoped we could do here in Washington. Maybe naively, I went to work in the House, often 

working with the Heritage Foundation, to create a better 

product here in Washington. I saw Social Security—and not 

too many people look below the surface—but we knew it was 

going broke. We knew people were paying for this Social Security retirement benefit, but we were spending it all. I 

thought, what an opportunity it would be for future generations—for my children—if we actually saved what people 

were putting into Social Security for their retirement, and 

we didn’t have to do too much math to see that even for 

middle-class workers, Americans could be millionaires when 

they retired if we kept even half of what was put into Social 

Security for them. It seemed like a good idea to create 

[ xii ] 

wealth and independence for individuals in retirement, but 

we made it a political idea and somehow convinced Americans it was riskier to save their Social Security contribution 

than it was to spend it. 

I am leaving the Senate to work on ideas I know work. I 

have seen them work all over our country. We can look all 

over our country and showcase these ideas that are working. 

I know there is power in ideas. However, I have learned one 

thing about the political environment: Unless there is power 

behind the ideas, they will not emerge here in the Congress. 

There is too much pressure from the outside to maintain the 

status quo. No matter how much we show it is working, it 

won’t be adopted here unless we are able to win the argument with the American people. 

I spent most of my life in research and advertising and 

marketing and strategic planning. What I hope I can do from 

this point is to take these ideas and policies I know work— 

and the Heritage Foundation for 40 years has been creating 

the research and analyses that show these policies work— 

and what I hope I can do is to help connect those ideas with 

real people, real faces, and to show these people that these 

ideas are not theory, they are not political policies, but they 

are ideas that are working right in their State or the State 

right next to them. If we can win the arguments, if we can 

win the hearts and the minds of the American people with 

these ideas, I know we can engage them and enlist them to 

convince all of my colleagues here to set the politics aside, 

the parties aside, and to adopt those ideas that work. My 

hope is to make conservative ideas so pervasive, so persuasive across the country that politicians of all parties have to 

embrace those ideas to be elected. 

I am not leaving to be an advocate for the Republican 

Party. I hope we can create more common ground between 

the political parties by showing everyone that ideas that 

work for their constituents and our constituents are right in 

front of our faces if we are willing to set aside the pressure 

groups, the special interests, and just focus on what is working. 

Over the next few years, we are going to see more and 

more States doing the right things, becoming more prosperous, creating a better environment for people to live and 

work. We are going to see some States that will continue to 

raise taxes, to create more regulations, and make it harder 

to start businesses and be profitable in those States. They 

will continue to lose businesses and people. Many of those 

[ xiii ] 

States will come to Washington and ask us to help them out 

from their bad decisions. 

I hope at that point we can show, by pointing at these 

States and their right ideas, that we know the solutions at 

the State level and we also know we can change how we 

think at the Federal level and make our country work a lot 

better. 

I leave with a lot of respect for my colleagues. I know my 

Democratic colleagues believe their ideas with conviction, 

and I know my Republican colleagues do too. I hope we can 

look at the facts. I hope we can look at the real world. I hope 

we can look at what is working and set aside the politics and 

realize what makes the country great and strong is when we 

move dollars and decisions out of Washington back to people 

and communities and States. It works not for 2 percent but 

for 100 percent of Americans. 

I feel our customers in the Senate, at the Heritage Foundation or wherever we go are 100 percent of Americans for 

whom these ideas can work to build a better future and a 

stronger America. I am not leaving the fight. I hope to raise 

my game in my next phase, and I hope I can work more 

closely with all of you, as well as Governors and State legislators, to take these ideas and to convince Americans, as well 

as their legislators, their Senators, and their Congressmen, 

that we have the solutions all around us if we have the courage to adopt them. 

I thank you for this opportunity to serve. Certainly I will 

miss my relationships. I hope we will have the opportunity 

to continue to work together for what is the greatest country 

in the world, in what I believe is a generation that could be 

the greatest and most prosperous generation of all if we just 

look to the ideas that work. 

Thank you, Madam President. I thank my colleagues. 

TRIBUTES 

TO 

JIM DEMINT 

[ 3 ] 

Proceedings in the Senate 

THURSDAY, December 6, 2012 

Mr. GRAHAM. Madam President, I wanted to be recognized for 10 minutes to talk about the decision by Senator 

DEMINT to leave the Senate next year. 

I met with JIM DEMINT this morning. To say I was 

stunned is an understatement. JIM indicated to me that he 

will be retiring from the Senate next year and taking over 

the presidency of the Heritage Foundation, one of the great 

conservative think tanks here in Washington. 

My reaction for the people of South Carolina is: You have 

lost a great, strong conservative voice, someone who has 

championed the conservative cause and represented our 

State with distinction, sincerity, and a great deal of passion. 

On a personal level, I have lost my colleague and friend. JIM

and I have known each other for almost 20 years. I think we 

have done a pretty darn good job for South Carolina, at 

times playing good cop bad cop, but always trying to work 

together. What differences we have had have been sincere. 

That is the word I would use about Senator DEMINT. He 

sincerely believes in his causes. He is a conservative voice 

that people in our party look to for leadership and guidance. 

What he has done over the last 4 to 6 years to build a conservative movement to get people involved in politics, such 

as Marco Rubio, whom JIM helped early on in his primary, 

I think is going to be a great legacy. From a State point of 

view, we have lost one of our great champions. JIM and 

Debbie have raised four wonderful children. They have great 

grandkids. I know JIM is looking forward to staying involved 

and pushing the conservative outside the body. He was an 

effective voice in the Senate, whether you agreed with JIM

or not. He really did strongly and passionately advocate for 

his positions and did it very effectively. 

JIM made the Republican Party, quite frankly, look inward 

and do some self-evaluation. Conservatism is an asset, not a 

liability, as we try to govern this country in the 21st century. 

I look forward to staying in touch with JIM and to working 

[ 4 ] 

with him at the Heritage Foundation to see what we can do 

to improve the fate of our country so we will not become 

Greece. 

No one is more worried about this Nation’s unsustainable 

debt situation than Senator DEMINT. I have seen him evolve 

over time as someone who could not sit quietly anymore, who 

had to take up the cause. 

In the 2010 election cycle he was one of the strongest 

voices we had telling us that we had lost our way in Washington. I know JIM to be a very kind, sincere man. He is an 

individual who is a joy to be around. 

When it comes to what is going on in America, I think JIM

understands that if we don’t make some changes and make 

them quickly, we are going to lose our way of life. That is 

what has driven him above all else. He is trying to keep this 

country the land of the free and the home of the brave, 

where people’s hard work is rewarded—not punished—where 

we have a chance to come from nowhere to be anything, including President of the United States. JIM is right to say 

our debt is unsustainable, that Washington does too much, 

and there is a better way. 

I will look forward to working with JIM in the private sector. From a personal point of view, we have had a great ride 

together. It has been fun, it has been challenging, and I 

think we put South Carolina on the map in different ways 

at different times. To people back in South Carolina, I hope 

if they get to see JIM any time soon, say thank you. Because 

whether they agree with Senator DEMINT, he was doing 

what he thought was best for South Carolina and the United 

States. 

At the end of the day, that is as good as it gets. Because 

if someone is doing what they truly believe in and not worried about being the most popular or people getting mad at 

them, then one can do a good job in Washington. To the people back in South Carolina, everything JIM has tried to do 

has been motivated by changing the country, making South 

Carolina the best we could be at home. 

So if you get a chance, run into JIM any time soon or in 

the coming days, please say thank you because he did his job 

as he saw fit. He did what he thought was best, and he 

didn’t worry about being the most popular or taking on people when he thought he was right. 

I can tell you this. When it comes to me, he has always 

been a friend, somebody I could count on personally. We enjoyed our time together. I was stunned this morning. JIM has 

[ 5 ] 

an unlimited bright future in the private sector. I will say 

more next year when his time comes to an end. 

On behalf of all of us in South Carolina, I wish to say to 

JIM and Debbie, thank you very much for taking time away 

from your family, fighting the good fight, and pressing issues 

you passionately believe in. I wish to thank JIM and Debbie 

both for being my friends. You both mean a great deal to me, 

and I am confident the best is yet to come for both of you. 

On behalf of the people of South Carolina, great job, well 

done. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama. 

Mr. SESSIONS. I will associate my remarks with Senator 

Graham and say how much I have appreciated working with 

JIM DEMINT. He is courageous, determined, and principled. 

He has a vision for America, and he has advocated for it 

every single day. He stood, sometimes alone, to advocate for 

those views. He is smart, he is intelligent, and he is good. 

It has been my pleasure to work with him and actually to 

support him. 

I have consistently felt his values and views were beneficial to America, and we can all disagree sometimes about 

how to accomplish them, but we can’t just go along all the 

time. Sometimes we have to rock the boat, and he was willing to do that. I so much have enjoyed working with him. 

WEDNESDAY, December 19, 2012 

Mr. MCCONNELL. Madame President, I would like to speak 

this morning in tribute to an unexpected addition to the list 

of retirees on the Republican side of the Senate, Senator JIM

DEMINT of South Carolina. 

They say success has many fathers, but it is hard to think 

of anyone who has done more than JIM DEMINT to raise the 

public’s awareness on spending and debt, and the threat that 

big government poses to our liberties. 

JIM has been a powerful voice for conservatism during his 

time in the House and the Senate. I have no doubt he will 

be extremely effective in his new post over at the Heritage 

Foundation. I wish him every success. Because the truth is, 

the Nation simply cannot continue on its current path, and 

if JIM can help more people understand that from his new 

[ 6 ] 

perch on Massachusetts Avenue, then it will clearly have 

been worth it. 

So while JIM’s voice will be missed here in the Senate, we 

are glad to see he will be putting his considerable talents to 

good use by helping to arm his former colleagues and many 

others with the arguments they will need to make the case 

for constitutional conservatism in the years ahead. 

As a young boy, JIM developed a knack for sales by necessity. His mom ran a ballroom dancing school out of their 

home as a way to keep food on the table for her four children, and part of JIM’s job was to recruit the students. He 

says he still runs into people who attended the DeMint Academy of Dance and Decorum. ‘‘Our home sometimes seemed 

like boot camp,’’ JIM once said, because to survive as a single 

parent his mom enlisted all four kids for daily duties starting at 6 a.m. It was ‘‘the closest I would come to basic training.’’ Interestingly, part of JIM’s responsibilities involved filling in for folks who did not have a dance partner. 

When JIM wasn’t busy in the ballroom, he was working his 

two paper routes or bagging groceries at the grocery store. 

On weekends, he fed his love of music as the drummer for 

a band called ‘‘Salt and Pepper.’’ He was best known for his 

vocals on the song ‘‘Wipe-out’’ and the song’s distinctive 

opening cackle. JIM says he could have been a rock star, if 

it weren’t for the fact that he had no voice or musical talent. 

So as an adult, he stuck with sales, and it was from there 

that he launched his political career. 

It has not been easy. JIM has always worked hard to ensure that Debbie and the kids remained at the center of his 

life. I know how much he admires Debbie for keeping her 

focus on their kids over the years. Theirs has been a true 

partnership almost since the day they first met all the way 

back in the seventh grade. 

JIM was not always all that political. In fact, those who 

know him best say that one of the most surprising things 

about his career is how such a shy and gentle spirit could 

be viewed by so many as a take-no-prisoners firebrand. As 

a young marketing executive, he recalls thinking that he had 

a wife, kids, and a business—and that was basically his universe. He did not even know who his Congressman was. To 

this day, one of the things JIM enjoys doing most is working 

on his lawn back in Greenville. While he has gotten his 

share of awards in Washington over the years, I don’t think 

any of them compare with the one his neighborhood associaVerDate Aug 31 2005 13:28 Apr 23, 2014 Jkt 081105 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE12\81105.TXT KAYNE
[ 7 ] 

tion gave him a few years back for ‘‘Best Lawn.’’ He is really 

proud of that one. 

JIM’s interest in politics came about when the government 

started to intrude more and more into his business, and 

when he started to notice how it unwittingly harmed others. 

‘‘The more I learned about how things operated,’’ he once 

said, ‘‘the more I understood how problems in our society 

such as broken homes, crime, and school dropouts were a direct result of well-intended but misdirected government policies.’’ 

So he got involved. 

In 1992, Bob Inglis walked into his office and asked for his 

help in running a race in South Carolina’s Fourth District. 

JIM took the job and for the first time began to think about 

running for political office himself. When Inglis retired, JIM

decided to run as his replacement. He was 47 years old, he 

had never run for anything in his life, and Debbie thought 

he was crazy. But the voters liked what he was selling, and 

so did his colleagues in the House. They voted him president 

of their freshman class in 1999. 

Six years later, JIM was elected to the Senate. He has been 

a leader here as well, working to cut Federal spending and 

reform how we spend taxpayer dollars. A conservative stalwart, JIM leaves with a stellar 98.77 lifetime rating from the 

American Conservative Union. Crucially, he has made a difference. One member of the press corps once referred to JIM

as the patron saint of lost causes in the Senate. Frankly, I 

don’t think we will be abolishing the Tax Code anytime soon, 

as JIM has suggested, but that’s to miss the point. Great 

causes almost always start out with a constituency of one, 

and JIM has never been afraid to take up important and unpopular causes early, and let the polls and punditry take 

care of themselves. 

After becoming what he called a ‘‘recovering earmarker,’’ 

he succeeded in convincing others to give up the practice. As 

a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, he was also 

instrumental in resolving a serious problem in Honduras a 

few years ago after the Obama administration misconstrued 

the legal ouster of a president with a political coup. JIM enlisted Miguel Estrada to figure out what was really going on 

down there, and I was happy to help him travel to Honduras 

to investigate in person. JIM soon reported back that it was 

instantly obvious it was not a coup. The story eventually had 

a happy ending: the Honduran people held a new election 

and inaugurated a new president and the Obama adminisVerDate Aug 31 2005 13:28 Apr 23, 2014 Jkt 081105 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 H:\DOCS\BYEBYE\BYEBYE12\81105.TXT KAYNE
[ 8 ] 

tration grudgingly backed down. None of this would have 

happened without the leadership of Senator DEMINT. ‘‘The 

Senator kept the administration honest,’’ Estrada later said. 

‘‘He was invaluable.’’ 

Senator DEMINT and I share a profound commitment to 

free speech, and he has written eloquently on its importance 

for our Nation. ‘‘Good government,’’ he has written, ‘‘is a result of freedom debated.’’ He has called the right to free 

speech the ‘‘most treasured benefit of living in a free and 

democratic nation.’’ He has certainly exercised that right to 

the fullest both here in the Senate and across the country. 

Throughout his political career, JIM has always been guided by an unwavering commitment to freedom, and I know it 

is that same commitment to defend and enlarge our freedom 

that led him into this next chapter in his life. It is this passion to defend freedom, both for Americans here at home and 

for our allies around the world, that has struck a chord with 

so many Americans and helped make JIM a national figure— 

not to mention a best-selling author. 

In addition to the fact that he and his staff have helped 

address more than 30,000 constituent inquiries during his 

time here in the Senate, it is also why JIM has remained so 

popular with his constituents back home, and it is why his 

colleagues here in the Senate are so sad to see him go. 

JIM leaves with a legacy. He has been a real champion for 

limited government and constitutional conservatism on the 

national stage. What has always guided him most over the 

years is the conviction that most decisions are best made at 

the local level. Whether it is his work with veterans, in promoting adoption, or in reforming education, that is what he 

has always stressed. 

So I want to thank the Senator from South Carolina for 

his sterling service to the Palmetto State and to our country. 

I wish him and Debbie and the entire DeMint family all the 

very best in the years ahead. Godspeed, Senator DEMINT. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I wish to say a few words 

about my colleague JIM DEMINT. We have had a lot of really 

good people during my service here on both sides of the aisle. 

I have friends who have passed on and who made such a difference around here. I have to say that JIM DEMINT has 

been a rock-ribbed conservative who I think has made a 

great difference in this body and for whom I have a lot of respect. I have profound gratitude that he has fought as hard 

[ 9 ] 

as he has for the principles he believes in, most of which I 

believe in. 

I wish him Godspeed as he works over at the Heritage 

Foundation. I can’t imagine a better place for somebody who 

loves the issues, wants to play a role, has played a role, understands this body, understands the political nature of this 

country, and has been very active in trying to change this 

country for the better. JIM has those kinds of abilities. I wish 

him well, and I sure hope he will have a great time while 

he is over at the Heritage Foundation. I have great respect 

for him. I think most people who really know him have great 

respect for him. I always respect people who really do what 

they believe, and JIM DEMINT has exemplified that as well 

as anybody I know. 

THURSDAY, December 20, 2012 

Mr. REED. Madam President, at this time, I wish to take 

a few minutes to salute my colleagues who are retiring at 

the end of this year with the conclusion of the 112th Congress: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Kent Conrad of North 

Dakota, JIM DEMINT of South Carolina, Kay Bailey 

Hutchison of Texas, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Jon Kyl of Arizona, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, 

and Jim Webb of Virginia. They have all worked ceaselessly 

to give their constituents the best representation and give 

the country the benefit of their views, their wisdom, and 

their experience. They are men and women who are 

committed to the Nation, and they have every day in different ways contributed to this Senate and to our great country. 

I wish to thank them personally for their service, and, 

in so many cases, their personal kindness to me; for listening to my points and for, together, hopefully, serving this 

Senate and this Nation in a more positive and progressive 

way. . . . 

I could go on with all of my colleagues, just thanking them 

for their friendship, for their camaraderie, and for their commitment to the Nation and the Senate. As they depart, they 

have left an extraordinary legacy. Now it is our responsibility to carry on in so many different ways, and I hope we 

[ 10 ] 

measure up to what they have done. If we do, then we can 

go forward confidently. 

With that, I yield the floor. 

FRIDAY, December 21, 2012 

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, one of our traditions here in 

the Senate is to take a moment as the current session of 

Congress draws to a close to acknowledge and express our 

appreciation for the service of all those Members who will be 

leaving when the gavel brings to a close the 112th Session 

of Congress. I know we will miss them all—especially those 

like JIM DEMINT who have played such an important role in 

the work we do every day in committee and on the floor. 

I know I wasn’t the only one who was surprised to learn 

that JIM DEMINT was leaving the Senate to become the 

president of the Heritage Foundation. It is a great opportunity for him, and I know he will make the most of it in 

the years to come. We will miss him, though, because in a 

short time he had become an important voice in the Senate 

for the issues that meant a great deal to him. 

Looking back, I have no doubt that JIM learned at an early 

age that the law is a great teacher and by coming to Washington to help draft our laws he could help to teach people 

all across the Nation what it means to be a citizen. He could 

also help to ensure that our government responds more fully 

and substantively to the needs of the people of our Nation. 

I think that is what most interests him about the Heritage 

Foundation—the knowledge that it will be another opportunity and provide him with a different platform from which 

he can continue to have an impact on those issues that mean 

so very much to him. 

Over the years I have come to know JIM as he has taken 

his place as one of a very few who have been known as the 

conscience of the Senate. He is an individual of strong principles and core values and he brings his sense of direction to 

the work of the Senate every day. 

As I have watched him in action, I have seen his ability 

to bring our attention both carefully and forcefully to the 

flaws in the legislative matters we had taken up for deliberations. In everything we did, JIM would take a close look at 

the wording of each clause and every proposed amendment 

and make it clear to us the reasons why he believed something needed to be changed. Then as we began our debate, 

[ 11 ] 

he would then present his points with greater clarity and 

substance as he made clear his strong opposition to or support for the issue that was before us. 

His views on how the Senate functions and how we could 

make it more effective and more efficient are clearly presented and strongly espoused in his books. I have no doubt 

that JIM’s books could change the Senate if we could get 

every one of our colleagues to read them, consider them and 

then put some of his ideas into practice. 

Thank you, JIM, for your willingness to serve and for all 

you have helped us to accomplish during your time in the 

Senate. You have presented us with some strong, bold ideas 

about our future as a nation and I have no doubt they will 

continue to have an impact on the Senate for a long time to 

come. Thanks for sharing them with us. 

The new adventure you will now begin with the Heritage 

Foundation sounds like a challenge you will fully enjoy. I 

know we will continue to hear from you in your new post 

and we are looking forward to it. You have an important 

viewpoint to bring to our deliberations, and it would be 

missed if you didn’t continue to make your thoughts and concerns known. We will be watching and listening for your 

comments and suggestions in the days to come. Good luck 

and keep in touch. 

WEDNESDAY, January 2, 2013 

LETTER OF RESIGNATION 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair lays before the 

Senate the letter of resignation of Senator JIM DEMINT of 

South Carolina, which shall be printed in the Record. 

The letter follows: 

U.S. SENATE, 

Washington, DC, December 20, 2012. 

Hon. NIKKI HALEY, 

Governor, State of South Carolina. 

DEAR MADAM GOVERNOR: I hereby give notice of my retirement from the 

Office of United States Senator from the State of South Carolina. Therefore, 

I tender my resignation effective at 11:59 p.m., January 1, 2013. 

Respectfully Submitted, 

JIM DEMINT, 

U.S. Senate. 

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THURSDAY, February 7, 2013 

ORDER FOR PRINTING OF TRIBUTES 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 

there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to the retiring Members of the 112th Congress. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

Æ