Posted on 07/21/2010 9:06:34 PM PDT by Maelstorm
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is taking a pass on the House Tea Party Caucus.
The second-ranking House Republican told POLITICO on Tuesday that he's not joining the group started by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) because he sees it as more of an organic, grass-roots movement rather than a Washington entity.
Cantor praised Bachmann for providing “another avenue for people to have their voices heard" but said he thinks the tea party is better left outside Washington.
“I met with several of groups that operated under that moniker in Virginia; they’re not all uniform,” Cantor said in his third-floor Capitol office. “That’s part of the beauty of the tea party movement; it’s organic. And it’s certainly not Washington. So I think it’s better left with the people.”
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana is the highest-ranking and only GOP leader to join the caucus thus far. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) also declined to join the Tea Party Caucus.
The group's first meeting is Wednesday morning.
The tea party of late has been plagued with its own problems, such as allegations of racism and anti-Semitism. Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in Congress, said he doesn’t condone billboards like the one in Iowa that compared President Barack Obama to Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
“I think that certainly those in your profession, not you but some, who certainly want to portray individuals in the tea party as extreme or fringe, but if you look, anecdotally through my experience having met with several, if you look at the public polling about who is involved with the tea party, it’s not,” Cantor said. “The tea party is born out of this deep-rooted frustration of lack of leadership in Washington and two a real anger at the fiscal mismanagement here.”
Sorry Cantor!
I must plead ignorance on Cantor.
Can anyone post a quick summary of Cantor’s voting and position record over he last 2 years?
Well, so much for Cantor. Just when you think we have a leader in the GOP, they turn out to be another “gutless wonder”.
... Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) also declined to join the Tea Party Caucus ...
Who could be surprised?
Cantor is a pussy!!!
He is generally a conservative that can be counted on but he was all on board the compassionate conservative train and was trying to push a retreat along with Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney on their “Listening Tour”. I like him but I just don’t trust him. He sends more and more mixed signals as time progresses.
So, he prefers the hard cement of D.C. as opposed to the grass roots of the people. Got it.
Cantor seems to be a Mitt man, and he definitely is anti-Palin.
“He is generally a conservative that can be counted on but he was all on board the compassionate conservative train and was trying to push a retreat along with Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney on their “Listening Tour”. I like him but I just don’t trust him. He sends more and more mixed signals as time progresses.”
Thanks for the info.
Men of principle don’t change over time, but wolves in sheep’s clothing do.
Cantor is showing his true colors now at the showdown time. IMHO
“He is generally a conservative that can be counted on but he was all on board the compassionate conservative train and was trying to push a retreat along with Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney on their “Listening Tour”. I like him but I just don’t trust him. He sends more and more mixed signals as time progresses.”
Thanks for the info.
Men of principle don’t change over time, but wolves in sheep’s clothing do.
Cantor is showing his true colors now at the showdown time. IMHO
“Cantor, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney start GOP listening tour in Arlington”
I'm not going into why as it was playing out on a long thread yesterday.
The concensus is that it IS a bad idea.
Title of the thread is "Tea Party Caucus is a Grave Mistake".
I can't believe that some freepers have no idea what has made the Tea Party movement so successful to date.
Leni
I smell RINO Body Oder.
I know that Michelle’s motives are pure, but some of the others working with her may be more interested in co opting the Tea Party for their own designs.
If that Cantor’s concern on elevating one Tea Party Group over another and creating division, I can respect that.
If his concern that the Tea Party will set the agenda if the GOP takes power again, He should quit now.
Yup to this and some of the other comments. Once again I was fooled, watching him on C-SPAN and thinking we had someone who could save us....
And as far as the billboard, stay out of it, Cantor. Don't want to join the caucus, then don't comment on the billboard. BO IS a combination of Stalin/Hitler and we're all about to go down unless things change fast.
And I doubt he’s ever seen one.
Ewwwww!
I hadn’t thought about that, is he BO’s BF?
Possibly.. Along with Crist and Dodd. Frist was one also.. Care to add to the list, anyone?
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