"Ron Paul is right on the fact that we’ve got an out of control and unaccountable Federal Reserve that is eventually going to create a major crisis," the Senator said. "He’s also right in the importance of individual liberty and the whole constitutional limited government. And more of our candidates need to incorporate that."
DeMint also suggested that Paul may be holding on just to infuse some of his more libertarian views — those that the Republican establishment chooses to ignore — into the other candidates’ campaign handbooks. "I think that’s why he’s in it," he alleged. "I don’t know whether Ron Paul expects to be our nominee, but if Republicans don’t listen to a lot of things he talks about, I don’t see how we can become a majority party."
The South Carolina Senator echoed his own remarks on conservative radio host Laura Ingraham’s show Wednesday in response to a question asking if there is a lesson to be learned for the Republican Party in the rise of Ron Paul. DeMint replied:
I’m glad you asked about that because I think one of the things that have hurt the so-called conservative alternative is saying derogatory things about Ron Paul. I don’t agree with him on everything, but he is right about the out-of-control and unaccountable Federal Reserve. He’s right about the need for limited constitutional government and the importance of individual liberty. And I really think the Republican … is going to win this thing — if they capture some of what Ron Paul’s [been] talking about for years. And more and more we can see that what he's been talking about is true.
The Senator added that the United States has hit the fiscal and economic tipping point that Ron Paul has been warning about for decades, and unless serious action is taken, particularly in the line of spending, the country will continue to deteriorate.
"You don’t have to agree with everything he’s saying," DeMint told Ingraham’s audience, "but if the other candidates miss the wisdom in what he’s been saying on monetary policy and limited government, then I think we will see it’s to their detriment because the 20 percent or 25 percent or so who are supporting him are people that we need in the Republican Party." He added, "A lot of them are libertarians, but they’re our natural base. We shouldn’t ignore them."
In his interview with the Daily Caller, DeMint conceded that he does not agree with Paul on many of his foreign policy ideas, and his "disengagement around the world," but said Republicans will be where he stands if the country runs out of money. "So the Republican Party needs to become the big tent of Americans who really want freedom, prosperity, opportunity and that’s just synonymous with a more limited government."
Photo: AP Images
