First he tried to defend HR 25, a proposal he co-sponsored which would eliminate the income, payroll, and estate taxes and replace them with a 23% national sales tax.  This issue has been haunting DeMint.  Russert pointed out that sales taxes are regressive and that DeMint wants to raise taxes on 500,000 of the poorest South Carolinians.  Russert,

 "Jonathan Weisman wrote in The Washington Post:  "Under [a national sales tax], those just above the poverty line likely would see a substantial tax increase.  That might not go over well in South Carolina, where nearly a third of the population lives on incomes twice the poverty level or less."  And he goes on, "DeMint has lamented what he calls `an eleventh-hour crisis in our democracy'-- that many of the beneficiaries of federal social welfare largesse pay little or no federal income taxes."

When you talk about federal social welfare largesse, you're talking about Social Security, Medicare.  The fact is there are 500,000 taxpayers in South Carolina who do not pay federal income tax because they don't make enough money.  That's one out of four South Carolinians.  And if you take away the income tax and replace it with a 23 percent sales tax, they will pay that sales tax on everything.  When George Bush was asked about a national sales tax a couple of weeks ago, he said it would hurt the middle class.  That's an idea that you co-sponsored."

DeMint registered shock, SHOCK, at the suggestion he would ever raise taxes on anyone.  Then Russert brought up the idea that the poor could receive refund checks.  After DeMint thanked Tim for throwing him a life raft, Russert yanked it away by asking whether this didn't prevent the elimination of the IRS, a major selling point of HR 25.  After all a bureaucracy would be needed to determine who gets the refunds.  DeMint was crushed and again returned to suggesting that he would never raise taxes.

The second issue DeMint had real problems with was a statement he made recently about gays and single mothers.

If a person is a practicing homosexual, they should not be teaching in our schools.

He went even further and claimed that single mothers should not be teaching in our schools, either.

"I would have given the same answer when asked if a single woman, who was pregnant and living with her boyfriend, should be hired to teach my third-grade children."

Russert gave DeMint a chance to clarify, but DeMint only apologized for "distracting" the public from the "real" issues.  Russert made repeated attempts to point out that DeMint wasn't apologizing for the actual statement.  DeMint refused to apologize for the statement and kept returning to his "distraction" line.  It's a local issue, he claimed repeatedly.

Finally on abortion DeMint refused to state who he believes should be prosecuted for illegal abortions, the mother or the doctor.  DeMint made clear his opposition to abortion and need to protect life, but repeatedly dodged the issue of how this protection would be accomplished.  DeMint was shifty and creepy on this issue.

Inez meanwhile looked confident and composed.  No doubt she is excited about her recent increase in the polls.  DeMint is in trouble and doesn't seem to be able to handle the pressure. He is shooting himself in the foot.  DSCC has been airing ads that blast his 23% tax proposal to great effect.  This is becoming a winnable race and I hope the DSCC keeps the pressure up.  Keep an eye on this race.