Posted on 08/06/2008 7:00:03 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan
Rep. Eric I. Cantor's mention as a potential vice presidential running mate for John McCain has put Cantor on the Democratic National Committee's hit list.
The DNC yesterday listed Cantor, R-7th and six other Republican vice presidential possibilities on a Web site it titled: "the Next Cheney."
"Each has a record of strong support for the Bush-Cheney administration," Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the DNC, said in a conference call with reporters. "Each one of these individuals means simply more of the same."
Through a spokeswoman, Cantor declined to comment.
Democrats think that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are so unpopular that the association will hurt potential Republican running mates.
Among Cantor's sins, according to the DNC: he has voted with his Republican colleagues 92.5 percent of the time in the 110th Congress, making him a reliable supporter of the president. The 110th Congress lasts from Jan. 4, 2007, through Jan. 4, 2009.
The attack on Cantor also seeks to link him to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who held a fundraiser for Cantor in 2003 and even named a sandwich after Cantor. Abramoff, now in jail, partly owned a Washington deli.
On Jan. 3, 2006, Abramoff pleaded guilty to three criminal charges. Cantor announced at the time that he would turn over to a Richmond charity about $10,000 in political donations from Abramoff and from Abramoff's wife. Cantor sent the funds to the William Byrd Community House.
The DNC Web site quotes a January 2006 report in The Hill, a Washington newspaper, that at a January 2003 fundraiser for Cantor, Abramoff announced that he had named a "tuna-based stacker" for Cantor. The Jewish Forward, first to disclose the sandwich saga in 2003, reported that Cantor asked to switch his sandwich to "the more red-meat combo of roast beef on challah."
Reports surfaced over the weekend that the McCain campaign had asked Cantor for personal records as part of the vetting process. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is reported to be on Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's short list of vice presidential candidates.
Cantor, 45, who lives in Henrico County, is serving his eighth year in the House of Representatives. He is the deputy whip of the Republican congressional delegation.
Woodhouse said the DNC planned to show up at Cantor events to monitor what he says.
Cantor has caught the eye of Republican officials with his ability to raise substantial sums of money.
The other potential vice presidential candidates on the Web site, www.TheNextCheney.com, are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, FedEx chairman Fred Smith, businesswoman Carly Fiorina and South Dakota Sen. John Thune.
Virginia has the attention of both presidential candidates because its 13 electoral votes are thought to be up for grabs this year. Virginia has not supported a Democratic presidential nominee since 1964.
(Cantor's wife, Diana Cantor, is a member of the board of directors of Media General Inc., parent company of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.) Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.
I think the DNC is particularly upset that a Jew dared leave the Democrat plantaion.
Cantor seems like a good guy with a conservative record. I could get behind him.
They are trying so desperately to box McCain and the VP as the next BushCheney. It just isn’t going to work.
DNC thinks calling Cantor “Cheney” is insult ping.
(Sounds like an endorsement, to me.)
If the democrats dislike him, he must be one of the good guys. God forbid we should get a republican VP candidate the democrats approve of.
You say sweet things like that, and you’ll end up on my ping list.
Cantor better get his suit of armor on...he’s going to get attacked, flamed, and crucified aka Dan Quayle. MSM don’t like true conservatives, we know that!
McCAIN WOULD DO WELL TO PICK SOMEONE THAT NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD OF.............
Yup, the rodents just hate him because he’s a Jew. But they ain’t too kind to their own Jews (Lieberman, for example).
I agree with Cantor, I’d rather have the Roast Beef on Challah named after me then a double tuna stacker.
As for the DNC, McCain could nominate a bell hop from the DC Hilton and they would complain that he had carried Cheney’s bags a couple of times.
Lieberman was a good Court Jew as long as he was on the Dem line. After he decided to be American before Democrat they decided that he isn’t one of their own anymore. After purging Zell Miller and Lieberman I think there aren’t any patriotic Democrats left.
Racists. Anti-Semites. Bigots.
I’ll admit I’ve never heard of this guy before today, but from what I am learning he certainly seems worthy of a BUMP!
Ambassador John Bolton for Veep!
It doesn’t matter WHO McCain chooses .. the DNC/Obama crew will try in every way possible to identify the nominee with BushCheney (as if that’s a bad thing). They don’t seem to understand they have already overplayed that card and that BushCheney has higher approval ratings than the Dem Congress.
Please sign Congressman Eric Cantor’s petition to demand the Democrats come back to the House
http://www.callbackcongress.com/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.