Glenn Beck: The 2,000 pages that will destroy America

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November 19, 2009 - 13:11 ET

Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina

GLENN: Well, we have a ton to share with you tonight. I don't want you to miss it and then I'm going to be in, am I in South Carolina today? Am I in both South Carolina and North Carolina? Do you know? I never know. I love them both and I love the sweet tea. I know that Lindsey Graham is thrilled to have me tonight. At a book signing. We will see you on the road this weekend.

GLENN: Hello and welcome from high above times square. I'm Glenn Beck. The third most listened show in all of America. Stu, where am I tonight? Am I in South Carolina only or North Carolina as well?

STU: You've got one Carolina covered, the south one. 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.. In Columbia and then 9:00 to 10:00 p.m.. In Charleston.

GLENN: So I will see you in South Carolina. Is Jim DeMint on the phone? Senator, how are you, sir?

DEMINT: How are you?

GLENN: Very good. How are things?

DEMINT: Welcome to South Carolina in advance. I'm excited you are headed that way.

GLENN: Are you going to be in South Carolina? You are not sending Lindsey Graham my way, are you?

DEMINT: I think we are going to have votes today. I'm going to fly to Charleston tomorrow for a ground breaking for Boeing and then I may have to fly back up here for health care vote on Saturday. That's still kind of up in the air but hopefully I will be in Charleston with you on Friday.

GLENN: You have a bowling ground breaking?

DEMINT: Boeing.

STU: Things are so bad we have Senators running back home to break ground on bowling alleys.

DEMINT: I would do it.

GLENN: A year from now we are all going to be thrilling at the ground breaking ceremonies ever bowling alleys.

DEMINT: No, Boeing is moving an assembly line to Charleston. We are a great right to work state and a lot of companies are seeing that you can compete globally if you produce in South Carolina.

GLENN: So, Senator, really, we're talking about a 2,000 page bill.

DEMINT: Right.

GLENN: On the program earlier today if this passes this is the tipping point. If this passes, the American economy as you know it and I don't know how long it will take, but this will destroy it. Do you think that's overstating?

DEMINT: No, I don't. I really said all along I think this is the big battle for the president but it is also an even
bigger battle for our country and principles we believe in, and if we give into this, if we accept this idea that you can pass this massive overhaul of health care in a couple of days it is just -- they think Americans are stupid. I'm just so hopeful Americans stand up and prove them wrong.

GLENN: What do we do? I've been saying there is like Landry, Nelson, a few people on the fence still that I said if you are in those districts can you get those, there are six Senators, I believe, if you are in those districts, you need to call and say I'm telling you I will spend my last dime campaigning against you when you come up for reelection.

DEMINT: We also need to make sure that these folks know that they are going to vote to proceed to this bill saying they want to advance the debate. The debate is over. It is about government-run health care, cutting Medicare. It is about raising taxes. Adding to the cost of Medicaid for state. That's not going to change and every one of them know it and if they vote to proceed to this bill they need to be held accountable for passing the bill.

GLENN: Have you talked to Joe Lieberman?

DEMINT: No, I haven't. He is a man of integrity but I'm afraid on this one he is not being completely honest and he says he is going to vote to advance the debate but he knows the debate is over. He knows we are not going to change a government-run plan or stop taking money from Medicare.
He knows that and all of the members of the Senate know that so anybody who thinks they can pull it over on the American people needs to know that we are on to them.

GLENN: Senator, is it going to pass?

DEMINT: I think they are going to get the 60 votes. Every Democrat in the Senate is going to vote to proceed to it. Whether or not they will get the final 60 votes to close out all of the debate.

GLENN: Do you believe Harry Reid will actually not use the nuclear option?

DEMINT: He may not have to but the nuclear option is not going to work for the whole bill because a lot of provisions don't fit into technically what you are supposed to be able to do but frankly they are changing the rules on so many fronts now and using so much smoking mirrors that I just hope there is outrage across our country.

GLENN: There is. Senator, there is, and, you know, Senator, how long have we known each other, four years, five? A long time.

DEMINT: Four or five years and we've only met I guess in person this year.

GLENN: Yes, but you and I ever since you've been on this program do you remember four or five years ago I said you guys have got to stop disenfranchising people and clean up the corruption and start telling people the straight truth and I think we were
talking about the immigration bill and I said you've got people in your own party that are lying and Americans know it and it is not going to last long. We're at the tipping point. Do you feel that?

DEMINT: I think we are on the edge of a cliff. I mean if you look at where we are with our spending, our debt, the government take-overs, there is so much of our economy now health care I just came from a meeting where they are trying to reregulate the whole financial and credit industry. You've got cap in trades sitting here ready to go. There is no end to what they are trying to do.

GLENN: I said I don't even know if I have said this on the air yet. I've never seen politicians act in their -- without their own survival interests at stake. You know? They won't politically act if it goes against their survival. But this administration is acting, is doing things now that you are not going to be able to politically survive because the lies are so big and when these things start to kick in American will have an awakening and realize oh, my gosh what has happened? I have never seen anybody plan so short-term because this is going to become apparent within the next 12, maximum 18 months. What is their plan to survive the wrath of the people? In front of every consideration you have to put they think Americans are stupid.

That's a big part of it. The other part is they think if they pass it now by next November that most Americans will see that life goes on, not much has changed, and they will forget about it, and they won't think it is that big of a deal. I don't think that is true. I think this is a tipping point for Americans. With their outrage about Washington in general, but the Democrats believe that they can get away with this. They also think some of the moderates can vote against the final bill and still say, and still survive but these are the ones that are going to help pass it by giving them the 60 votes. How much of the tax do you even know yet? How much of the tax is going to be instituted now? I know none of the benefits start until 2014, but how much are we going to see of the dark side of this right away?

DEMINT: For four years it is going to start very soon next year, the new taxes, just the cost of business and individuals we're going to have four years of that without any benefits.

GLENN: Then let me go back to that question. You say they think that they are going to pass this and people will just forget about it. You are now going to be taxing them without the benefit at the end to be able to say, yeah, but we have health care. They are just going to be taxed for four years. America, I mean it may be dumb, parts of America may be dumb. There are probably a good 20 percent, maybe 10 percent of America that are just dumb as a box of rocks, but the majority of America is not dumb, especially when you hit them in the pocketbook. How do they survive?

DEMINT: I think every American is going to figure it out. You're going to see a whole political realignment. A lot of folks already who are Democrat and voted for Obama who are saying this is not what I signed up for and the question is are the Republicans going to be there to receive them with a clear truth of where we need to go from here? I hope they are. But we just need outrage and people standing up right now. My hope is to stop this bill and somehow to get one or two Democrats to say I'm not walking over this cliff with the rest of the Democrats. But it is a big fight for America. It is for everything that we believe in and for our future. We cannot have this go through.

GLENN: I appreciate it, Senator, thank you so much. Jim DeMint.