Posted on 11/09/2008 8:56:42 PM PST by GreaterSwiss
REPUBLICANS, licking their wounds after this year's election losses, are casting about for a new face for the party. Will their gazes fall on Virginia's 7th District House member, Rep. Eric Cantor?
Mr. Cantor won re-election to his seat handily on Nov. 4, with nearly 63 percent of the vote versus his opponent's 37 percent, a margin to which he has become accustomed. A congressman since 2001, he has served as chief deputy minority whip for Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., since his second term. On Thursday, Mr. Blunt announced he was stepping down from the position, and has endorsed Mr. Cantor for the job.
"Whips" get their name from fox hunting, where "whippers-in" are responsible for keeping the hounds moving in the right direction, i.e., toward the prey. Likewise, House of Representatives whips arm-twist mem-bers of their own party into voting the way the leadership wants. It's an important, if at times frustrating, position.
Mr. Cantor brings his conservative bona fides as well as his youth to the task of providing new leadership for House Republicans. He holds a master's degree in real-estate finance from Columbia University as well as an undergraduate degree from George Washington University and a law degree from the College of William & Mary, and was instrumental in getting some safeguards for the taxpayers built into the recent financial-bailout bill.
Before the election, the 45-year-old Richmond-area resident told this newspaper that the contest was "all about the economy. My message is simply the fact that we have to work very hard to return accountability not only to Washington but to Wall Street."
A member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Cantor is strong on defense and well acquainted with the challenges of the Middle East: A cousin died in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. He was considered a possible vice-presidential pick on this year's ticket.
Forced to reinvent itself, the GOP needs pragmatic conservatives with middle-class empathy to lead the way in Congress. Mr. Cantor has demonstrated his leadership and his fiscal restraint, two qualities the nation now needs. If minority whip is a step toward even higher office, the nation might be well-served.
A conservative would not agree to nationalize industry in exchange to give money to the UAW unions and pay bonuses of financial professionals.
Minority whipped.
Eric who? Not interested.
BOEHNER & CANTOR must be voted out of leadership.. Choose new blood.
Remember Roy Blunt did the backroom deal telling RETIRING LAWMAKERS THEY WON’T HAVE TO FACE VOTERS AGAIN:
hn Boehner has just released a statement praising outgoing whip Roy Blunt:
“Roy has been one of the most effective whips ever to serve our House Republican team,” Boehner said. “He has been a tremendous leader for our party, and we owe him credit and gratitude for countless victories we have achieved in the House during his tenure.”
Deputy Whip Eric Cantor, who is in pole position to take over Blunt’s spot, also praised the outgoing whip.
“For the past 6 years I have witnessed Roy’s leadership as he has worked to expand our freedom, opportunity and prosperity,” said Cantor. “I look forward to continuing to work with my friend Roy and wish him well as he begins this next chapter of leading our nation and party.”
Another dead skunk with yellow stripes up his back!
Screw him.
I sure hope not, he and Boehner need to “Go”
First of all, your title violates FGR policy as it IS NOT THE TITLE of the article you linked to.
Second of all, you’re full of malarky. Cantor DID NOT ram the bailout down our throats. he offered one of the best alternatives to it.
Lastly, he only signed on, which is what he can be faulted for, begrudgingly after receiving some Conservative requested protections.
It’s just not true. Read up on it.
Second to Blunt and then praising him, no dice!
Another big tent believer.
I agree .
These bums were the reasons of this mess in 08.
The Republican Party in 2012 will be more than Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin; we have a lot of upcoming stars beginning to shine. With the D’rats favored to shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly over the next 18 months, we should do well in 2010 and be well positioned for 2012.
Like I said, you should read up on the man. He went along with the “big tent” and Blunt, then saw the light. His ACU’s have gone up every year since that. He has been instrumental in shedding light on the ill effects of RINO-ism.
I’m not a fan, but I choose to give him a chance to see if he is one of the Conservatives we need to retain.
And he did offer up one of the best alternatives to a bailout.
Okay so everyone here complains about Boehner and not Cantor.. have you faxed your representative yet to tell them you are watching and will only accept conservative, hard spined, leadership yet? I sent mine on Friday. A fax is better than email, they can’t just hit delete.
papasmurf “Like I said, you should read up on the man. He went along with the “big tent” and Blunt, then saw the light. His ACU’s have gone up every year since that. He has been instrumental in shedding light on the ill effects of RINO-ism.”
But he didn’t see the light till after the bailout?
“And he did offer up one of the best alternatives to a bailout.”
The only alternative acceptable to me is none at all and a full blown depression!
There are 3 generations that won’t learn fiscal responsiblity any other way, and that includes business.
Cantor voted for the sell-out to socialism. You don’t need to know anything else about him.
There are PLENTY of stand-up conservatives in the House from which to choose real leaders.
You can’t be a ‘true conservative’ 95% of the time, and sell out the cause when your principles are put to a real test.
Maybe there’s still room in the Big Tent for those that made mistake. . . but not at the front.
Learn your lessons or stay a minority party forever. IF McCain had opposed the sell-out, he’d be President-Elect today. Everybody that ran headlong off that cliff with McCain is responsible for the result: President-Elect Marx.
Every last one. That deserves something other than to be rewarded with leadership.
Here’s a list of Republicans in the House from which to choose the new leadership (pulled from those that voted against the sell-out, may still includes those that might not be in the next Congress):
When conservatism demanded a roll call, THESE are your leaders that stood up to be counted:
Aderholt
Akin
Bachmann
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Broun (GA)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Capito
Carter
Chabot
Culberson
Davis (KY)
Davis, David
Deal (GA)
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Doolittle
Drake
Duncan
English (PA)
Feeney
Flake
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gingrey
Gohmert
Goode
Goodlatte
Graves
Hall (TX)
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Heller
Hensarling
Hulshof
Hunter
Issa
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Jordan
Keller
King (IA)
Kingston
Lamborn
Latham
LaTourette
Latta
Linder
LoBiondo
Lucas
Mack
Manzullo
Marchant
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul (TX)
McCotter
McHenry
McMorris Rodgers
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Moran (KS)
Murphy, Tim
Musgrave
Neugebauer
Nunes
Paul
Pearce
Pence
Petri
Pitts
Platts
Poe
Price (GA)
Rehberg
Reichert
Renzi
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Roskam
Royce
Sali
Scalise
Sensenbrenner
Shimkus
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Stearns
Tiahrt
Turner
Walberg
Westmoreland
Whitfield (KY)
Wittman (VA)
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Excuse my language but he was utterly unimpressive. Hope he better step it up or we need somebody else. That Paul Ryan guy seems too good to be true. Like I just worry there's going to be some scandal with that guy cuz he's too perfect.
“Right there tells me all I need to know about you. Is that a fair summation?”
Is it a fair summation that Obama’s chief platform, tax cuts, could have come straight out of Reagan’s playbook? It is a fair summation for me to point out the irony of a “permanent progressive majority” that has to pretend to be conservative to get elected.
Yes. That’s a fair summation.
So. Is it a fair summation to suggest that when you can’t win an argument on its merits (Cantor doesn’t deserve to be a conservative leader because he voted for socialism when the chips were down), that you resort to cheap innuendo to make your points?
MY point was very clear.
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