A noticeable invisibility in South Carolina

What I’ve found interesting these past few weeks is the noticeable absence of one heretofore prominent politician, even in his own state. I’m referring of course to South Carolina’s own Sen. Jim DeMint. Sure, he’s all over the Palmetto State, mixing and mingling with his constituents, and still very popular in the state. What I’m more puzzled by is the senator’s lack of visibility on the national stage, especially when all eyes are on his home state and on a group that heralded him as its de facto kingmaker — the Tea Party.

I consider myself a regular consumer of political media, especially the cable daysides. And unless I’ve fallen asleep the past few weeks, DeMint just hasn’t been the regular fixture on the political circuit. I can’t say that I’ve seen him quoted in national publications who have been covering every angle of the GOP primary in the state. One would think someone so important to a movement such as the Tea Party might be given more prominence in the journalistic heavens, and yet he hasn’t.

Now, I like Jim DeMint a lot.  He’s a true conservative.  The point of this blog is not to question what he’s done, but to publicly ponder why.

It’s a safe bet the Tea Party has been on somewhat of a downward spiral lately.  A Pew Research Center poll late last year confirmed the waning sentiment both nationally and in the hotbeds of congressional districts where Tea Party loyalists were elected. Some of this is media hype. It’s only natural a movement cannot hope to sustain a heightened level of enthusiasm day in and day out. After all, these are average Americans who have jobs and lives outside of politics.

But back to DeMint. I just find it interesting the South Carolina senator has not been courted more by the candidates, at least not publicly. And if they are wooing him, DeMint’s not making a spectacle about it. If that’s his M.O., then more power to him. But it seems to me he would want to leverage the interest in his state and his Tea Party allegiances to only grow its power and influence. After all, politics is about influence — persuading your opponents and would-be supporters that yours is the right course of action.

I find it odd.

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