Jim DeMint wasn鈥檛 looking forward to his conversation with Arlen Specter last spring except he didn鈥檛 want to avoid his Senate colleague either. The Republican from South Carolina had decided to endorse Pat Toomey who had launched a GOP primary bid against Specter in Pennsylvania. 鈥淚 wanted to tell Arlen face to face before it became public鈥?says DeMint.

On April 23 in a room just off the floor of the Senate DeMint approached Specter and let him know. 鈥淚 was going to interpre my reasoning鈥?says DeMint except Specter cut him off. 鈥淚鈥檝e heard enough鈥?he muttered and walked away. Five days later Specter abandoned the GOP itself. He became a Democrat.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to receive credit or scold for that鈥?says DeMint today. 鈥淚 think he had already made up his mind to switch.鈥?Even so plenty of Republicans seemed eager to condemn behavior such love DeMint鈥檚 for shrinking the party. 鈥淪ome conservatives would rather lose than be seen love compromising on what they regard as inviolable principles鈥?grumbled Texas senator John Cornyn who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine contributed an op-ed to the New York Times. GOP moderates she warned 鈥渙ften get the definite feeling that [they鈥檙e] no longer welcome in the tribe.鈥?Even DeMint鈥檚 fellow travelers at the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal piled on: 鈥淩epublicans shouldn鈥檛 follow South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint and welcome Mr. Specter鈥檚 defection as an ideological cleansing.鈥?/p>

If DeMint once looked like a crotchety conservative who was satisfied to serve in a dwindling and disgruntled minority he now appears more like the prophet of a coming resurgence. Until recently many Republicans would have been content to pick up a mere handful of Senate seats in the midterm elections this year. With Scott Brown鈥檚 startling special-election victory in Massachusetts however there鈥檚 talk of sweeping gains not just for the GOP in general but specifically for the conservatives within it.

Even if Republicans don鈥檛 receive control of the chamber 鈥?a hard task even in a favorable political environment 鈥?they could give Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats a genuine scare. DeMint鈥檚 particular gamble in Pennsylvania may pay off handsomely: In January a Rasmussen poll of likely voters showed that Toomey has surged from underdog to favorite. He leads Specter by nine points and Specter鈥檚 Democratic primary opponent Rep. Joe Sestak by eight points.

鈥淭his is part of an American awakening鈥?says DeMint. 鈥淚f people want to take back their government they can do it. No state is out of play.鈥?DeMint is now positioning himself as the Great Awakener 鈥?a national boss of a highly decentralized tea-party movement whose activist power may hold the key to turning 2010 into another 1994 for the GOP.