Sen. Jim DeMint told a packed crowd at Tommy’s Ham House, Aug. 20, that a lot of Congressmen and Senators are going to return to Washington after the August break with a new frame of mind because they are hearing from the American people.

Sen. DeMint, who opposes the president’s health care plan, said he knows the president’s motive is not to get the uninsured insured and that his motive is not to lower the cost of private health insurance because he has introduced bills that would have moved the country in that direction, and they were voted down by the Democrats.

“I introduced a bill that would at least allow people who have to buy their own insurance outside of an employer to deduct that cost from their taxes.” Every Democrat, including Barack Obama, voted against it,” he said.

Sen. DeMint introduced a bill to lower insurance costs for consumers by allowing them to buy insurance policies from other states. Every Democrat, including Barack Obama, voted against it. Every Democrat, including Barack Obama, voted against a bill that would have allowed small companies to form associations to buy insurance.

“What they are trying to do is take control of our health care system so they can control a bigger part of our economy, a bigger part of our lives,” Sen. DeMint said, “not because they have bad intentions, but because they really do believe that centrally managed economics work.”

Sen. DeMint said that we have to stop the president on the health care bill and force him to sit down and listen to the American people, to reflect their values and priorities. “If not,” Sen. DeMint said, “he is going to spend and borrow this country into oblivion…. When we have countries like China and Saudi Arabia telling us to get our debt down and get our spending down because they are concerned about our currency, we should be horrified.”

Sen. DeMint went on to say: “I think you are here this morning because you have been reminded that this country belongs to you and not the politicians. The only way to keep politicians straight is for them to be more afraid of you than they are of someone else who is lobbying the government.”

Sen. DeMint said it makes a big difference to see such support when he comes home. “I would be more tempted to give in if I didn’t fly home every weekend from Washington,” he said.