Jim DeMint - Reference to Health Care as Obama's Waterloo

Summary

In a large conference call to rally supporters, Senator DeMint was discussing health care and referred to the possibility of defeating the plan in Congress as "Obama's Waterloo" and noted that it would "break him", in a reference to the manner that the battle of Waterloo broke Napoleon's military dominance.

Obama's Waterloo

In July of 2009, Senator DeMint participated in a conference call for opponents of the health care reform plan in congress.  Call included was organized by Conservatives for Patients Rights and was organized to coincide with the National Tea Party Patriots group's protests at the offices of members of Congress.  Congressman Mike Pence was also participating in the call.  During the call, Senator DeMint made the following remarks:

I can almost guarantee you this thing won't pass before August, and if we can hold it back until we go home for a month's break in August (where representatives will have to go home and face opposition in their districts) ... Senators and Congressmen will come back in September afraid to vote against the American people this health care issue Is D-Day for freedom in America.

If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him

Democrats seized on the remarks as evidence that the Republicans were refusing to cooperate with Democrats on health care reform on polical grounds.

President Obama's Response

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