Posted on 07/17/2008 7:46:42 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
ONE LOCAL pol whose name has not been mentioned could make the perfect running mate -- for Republican John McCain.
Rep. Eric Cantor is 44. McCain is 71.
As a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Cantor brings the clout and experience on economic and tax issues that many believe McCain lacks. He was a businessman before being elected to the House in 2000 and has been an eloquent spokesman for pro-growth policies ever since.
Cantor would energize economic conservatives in a way that McCain has not, and he possesses the skill and expertise to attack the Democrats' high tax, anti-trade, big government platform as precisely the wrong medicine for a struggling economy. (His wife, Diana, also plays in the financial major leagues, serving for more than a decade as executive director of the Virginia College Savings Plan. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Media General, which owns this newspaper.)
As the Republican chief deputy whip in the House, Cantor is one of the youngest members of the congressional leadership. And in this year of group firsts, Cantor would be the first Jewish nominee on a national Republican ticket.
His consistent, staunch defense of Israel's interests could strengthen McCain's already respectable standing among traditionally Democratic Jewish voters, many of whom are growing nervous about Obama's pastor's embrace of the anti-Semitic Louis Farrakhan. Jimmy Carter's get-together with Hamas terrorists offered another reminder that left-wing Democrats often lend tepid support to Israel.
The congressman from Richmond would keep Virginia and Florida in the GOP column and could help McCain in Northeastern states, such as New Jersey, where the Arizona senator appears to be running better than recent Republican presidential candidates.
(Excerpt) Read more at inrich.com ...
Makes too much sense.
Cantor would bring a lot of strength among voters who don’t typically vote Republican.
Sorry, CF. I just don’t know this guy. I fear the MSM if nominated would totally ignore him as trivial. Regardless of the merits and I’m sure you are right about Mr. Cantor, I think we need to go bigger than US Congressman.
Cantor is one of the good guys. I would love to have the rest of America get to know him.
Is Cantor in the global warming cult? Pawlenty and Crist both are and that is why I think it will be one of those two.
The Richmond angle would insure VA remains GOP. I don’t see the author’s Florida angle, though I think it’s almost safe regardless.
“If not Romney, who?”
Here’s one possibility.
I think the GOP made a foolish mistake to pick MN as the state for the convention. Picking Pawlenty as VP is too risky unless the race there is very competitive (i.e., McCain is tied in MN or ahead).
McCain-Sanford.
It's McCain-Romney.
Romney has the $$$$
I don't think so. He might flip some moderate Jewish voters who wouldn't otherwise vote GOP, but otherwise I don't see how he could help the ticket. Jewish voters are a tiny minority of the total number of voters in this country (as the 2000 election showed when LIEberman only helped Gore win in a couple of select areas like south Florida) Cantor is from the safest GOP district's in Virgina and won't change the results from how Virgina is going to vote anyway, as the votes he gets in his district each election are hard R voters. If McCain's going to beat a running mate from Virgina, the first criteria should be someone who win over parts of Virgina that aren't automatically going to vote GOP. We need to keep VA's electoral votes in the GOP column or we're toast.
I think Cantor would probably make a good VP, but he wouldn't make my top 10 by any criteria. He's more valuable staying in the House to fight Pelosi & Co.
Can he operate the wishbone?? I still like J.C. Watts.
You’re correct when you point out that Sanford is an outstanding Governor, but I don’t see what he brings to the ticket politically.
Credibility. The ticket needs a Conservative. If McCain is pig ignorant stupid to pick a liberal fraud like you-know-who, the GOP ticket will go down in flames, and it will deserve to.
Pawlenty is younger and has executive experience. Problem is, he is a global warming cultist. That leads me to seriously question his capacity for rational thought.
And don’t forget the drastic GOP losses on his watch in MN. Not a strong leader. It’s why I tout Sanford. The party keeps growing on his watch and he’s actually a porkbuster.
There might still be hope for the party yet.
Anybody like the idea of McCain/Forbes?
I love the guy but he is too conservative for McCain and probably not a cultist.
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