"I've never been more burdened by what's happening here, or more optimistic."

Jillian Bandes | October 03, 2009 11:04 AM

That was low-tax maven Sen. Jim DeMint, after he took the stage to receive the Washington Award, AFP's highest national award.

We know what works. And being a conservative is what works.

Like other speakers, he emphasized the importance of grassroots action.

We need to remind more and more Americans who have been too busy with other things. We need to remind them of what's at stake: we're the most compassionate, most successful, most prosperous country in history. More Americans are saying: we need to be a part of that.