Cantor has not joined in the call for a reprimand of Congressman Wilson’s (R SC) disrespect to the president.
Joe Wilson: "Liar"
Rep. Joe Wilson’s rude interruption of President Obama’s speech to Congress with the words, “You lie,” when the president said his health care plan would not cover illegal immigrants.
Cantor issued this statement last night after the president’s address to the joint session:
Tonight the President failed to say anything different or offer clear specifics, and with that in mind the reason for this over hyped speech is strangely unclear. The President has now delivered over 100 speeches where he?s discussed health care and said the same thing. He’s held prime time press conferences, hosted television specials from the White House, and addressed a joint-session of Congress and only thing he?s made explicitly clear is that the status quo is unacceptable, a fact that we all agree on. While the President continues to blame unnamed special interests and Republicans, the fact is that the Democrats overwhelmingly control both the House and the Senate. The President and his party have failed to lead by offering reform that Americans are comfortable with. Families understand that a costly government-run plan will force them to pay more and get less.
Was he paying attention? How could he know what the president said?
Isn’t this disrespect of the president?
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — A top Republican in Congress warned Monday that using a legislative tactic to pass a Democratic health-care bill opposed by Republicans would increase public anger over partisan politics.
Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the third-ranking House Republican, told a CNN editorial board meeting that an American public already unnerved by the economic recession wants unified action on major issues such as health care.
Some Democrats are calling for President Barack Obama and Democratic congressional leaders to use a tactic called reconciliation to pass a desired health-care overhaul. While Democrats hold a majority in both chambers of Congress, it is unclear if they control enough seats to overcome opposition from all Republicans and some Democrats.
Under reconciliation, which applies to bills affecting the federal budget and deficit, a measure requires a simple majority of 51 votes to pass in the Senate, rather than the super majority of 60 votes needed to overcome an opposition filibuster.
Cantor said the public anger displayed at some town-hall meetings on health care would worsen if Democrats force through a bill using reconciliation.
“If they use … the reconciliation option, it would necessarily mean that a bill proceeding under those rules is not a bill representing the mainstream of this country,” Cantor said, adding such a move would make it harder for Obama to make further progress. “This president was elected to bring people together, to bring a divided nation back together,” Cantor said. “I don?t think taking that kind of action would really help” reverse the partisanship of recent years.
Cantor complained that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have rejected Republican ideas or participation on major legislation. “The last eight months have been ‘my way or the highway,’” Cantor said.
It appears that the Cantor tactic is to try to obstruct progress in any way possible, deploy the angry “grassroots,” and then blame the Democrats. What “Republican Ideas” is Cantor referring to?
This article appeared in The Topeka Capital Journal.
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins offered encouragement to conservatives at a town hall forum that the Republican Party would embrace a “great white hope” capable of thwarting the political agenda endorsed by Democrats who control Congress and President Barack Obama.
Jenkins, a Topeka Republican in her first term in Congress, shared thoughts about the GOP’s political future during an Aug. 19 forum at Fisher Community Center in the northeast Kansas community of Hiawatha.
In response to inquiries by The Topeka Capital-Journal, a Jenkins spokeswoman said Wednesday the congresswoman wanted to apologize for her word choice and to emphasize she had no intention of expressing herself in an offensive manner.
Jenkins told people at the Hiawatha forum the nation could benefit from inspired leadership of a group of “really sharp” young Republicans in the House, particularly Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va. Cantor was mentioned as a possible GOP vice presidential candidate in 2008 and is thought to be interested in seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2012.
“Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope,” Jenkins said to the crowd. “I suggest to any of you who are concerned about that, who are Republican, there are some great young Republican minds in Washington.”
A videotape of the presentation contains footage of Jenkins identifying three members of the U.S. House — Cantor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. — as future movers and shakers in the GOP. All are white, as is Jenkins.
“So don’t, you know, lose faith if you are a conservative,” Jenkins said in Hiawatha.
Her comments were in response to a question by an audience member about the prospects of developing a coherent Republican policy blueprint — perhaps something like the Contract with America released by the GOP during the 1994 election cycle. The compact was credited with broadening support for GOP candidates and producing a Republican majority in the House.
The phrase “great white hope” is frequently tied to racist attitudes permeating the United States when heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson fought in the early 1900s. Reaction to the first black man to reign as champion was intense enough to build support for a campaign to find a white fighter capable of reclaiming the title from Johnson.
Kenny Johnston, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, said the statement by Jenkins was regrettable at the least.
“The congressman might have avoided this problem if she had stuck to discussing constructive solutions to the health care crisis instead of lamenting the Republican Party’s search for a leader,” Johnston said.
Mary Geiger, a spokeswoman for Jenkins, said the reference to a great white hope wasn’t meant to denote a preference by Jenkins for politicians of a particular “race, creed or any background.” Jenkins was expressing faith fellow GOP representatives in the House would be key players in returning Republicans to a leadership role in Washington, Geiger said.
“There may be some misunderstanding there when she talked about the great white hope,” Geiger said. “What she meant by it is they have a bright future. They’re bright lights within the party.”
Democrats widened their numerical grip on the House and Senate in the 2008 elections, which also produced a victory by Obama, the first black elected president.
Geiger released the following statement on Jenkins’ behalf: “There’s no doubt the Republican Party has gone through some dark and challenging times in recent years, but thankfully bright young leaders have stepped up to lead the party into the future and she hopes to be a part of it. That was the intent of her comments — nothing more and nothing less. Congresswoman Jenkins apologizes for her choice of words.”
Jenkins wasn’t available to comment personally on her presentation in Hiawatha, Geiger said.
Geiger said she had never previously heard Jenkins use the phrase “great white hope” in a political speech or private conversation.
Tim Carpenter can be reached
at (785) 296-3005 or
timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com.
This appeared on cbsnews.com yesterday. This is the memo referred to below that Cantor sent out to Glenn Nye’s (2nd) district to intimidate Nye from voting for health care reform.
Posted by Stephanie Condon
Cantor and Obama (AP)
Moderate Democrats are at the epicenter of the controversy and anger over health care reform, and both Democrats and Republicans are attempting to control the situation.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has created a memo detailing the negative impacts of health care reform in each Blue Dog district. The memo was distributed in an e-mail Monday, the newspaper Roll Call reports.
For instance, the memo claims that under the House Democrats’ health care plan, hospitals in the fourth district (PDF) of Arkansas would see cuts in Medicare payments of at least $324.8 million. That district is represented by Mike Ross, chairman of the Blue Dogs’ health care task force.
In his e-mail, Cantor encouraged his whip team to explain the “impact of a government takeover on (Blue Dog) districts and constituents,” according to Roll Call.
Meanwhile, House Democrats have set up a “war room” to assist politicians put on the spot about health care at town halls, the Hill reported. The “war room,” according to the Hill, is set up in House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office and staffed around the clock to give Democrats immediate answers to policy questions.
The “war room” is just one of a series of steps taken recently by Democrats to more forcefully convey their message for health care reform. The White House, for instance, recently launched a “reality check” Web site to debunk health care myths. Addtionally, President Obama’s political arm at the Democratic National Committee, Organizing for America, is asking supporters to visit their congressmen’s offices in support of health care reform.
Cantor sending memos trying to intimidate Democrats like Glenn Nye but when will Cantor have a townhall to hear the views of his constituents in the 7th district.
This appeared in Politico this evening.
Eric Cantor
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) generated the kind of buzz other politicians covet when he launched his bid to help rebrand the Republican Party last spring.
Television crews and reporters wedged themselves among the crowd of party faithful to cover the National Council for a New America’s first event at a packed pizza parlor in an Arlington, Va., strip mall. The resulting coverage dominated cable news chatter for the next week. Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney were also on board.
But the council has since flamed out – at least publicly.
Since its launch, the National Council hasn?t held a single public event, despite more than 5,000 invitations to take their show out on the road. Congressional ethics rules limit what Cantor can do with the group because he launched it from his leadership office, making it harder to organize events and recruit partners. Despite that caution, the group is still taking heat from outside watchdog groups that argue he is violating the spirit, and perhaps the letter, of those rules.
We meant to post this last week. This item appeared in the Washington Post about a week ago about the “nonpartisan” research that Cantor and other Republicans wee using to back up their argument that the public option would increase costs for consumers of health care.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 22, 2009; 6:46 PM
The political battle over health-care reform is waged largely with numbers, and few number-crunchers have shaped the debate as much as the Lewin Group, a consulting firm whose research has been widely cited by opponents of a public insurance option.
To Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Republican whip, it is “the nonpartisan Lewin Group.” To Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, it is an “independent research firm.” To Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the second-ranking Republican on the pivotal Finance Committee, it is “well known as one of the most nonpartisan groups in the country.”
Generally left unsaid amid all the citations is that the Lewin Group is wholly owned by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation’s largest insurers. …..
Here is a table from opensecrets of the donors to Cantor.
Representative Eric Cantor has reported a total of 1,754 contributions ($200 or more) totaling $1,905,309. To search these itemized contributions for this member, click here.
| Rank | Contributor | Total | Indivs | PACs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McGuire, Woods et al | $13,000 | $12,000 | $1,000 |
| 2 | MacAndrews & Forbes | $12,500 | $12,500 | $0 |
| 3 | Dominion Resources | $12,350 | $7,350 | $5,000 |
| 4 | DuPont Co | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 4 | Eli Lilly & Co | $10,000 | $0 | $10,000 |
| 6 | Interface Group | $9,600 | $9,600 | $0 |
| 6 | Oso Corp | $9,600 | $9,600 | $0 |
| 6 | Ray Tye Med Aid Found | $9,600 | $9,600 | $0 |
| 9 | Gumenick Properties | $9,200 | $9,200 | $0 |
| 9 | Highway Service Ventures | $9,200 | $9,200 | $0 |
| 11 | Travelers Companies | $8,400 | $3,400 | $5,000 |
| 12 | McCrery for Congress | $8,000 | $0 | $8,000 |
| 13 | Altria Group | $7,400 | $2,400 | $5,000 |
| 13 | MeadWestvaco Corp | $7,400 | $7,400 | $0 |
| 13 | Target Corp | $7,400 | $2,400 | $5,000 |
| 16 | Reynolds Development | $7,100 | $7,100 | $0 |
| 17 | Markel Corp | $6,900 | $6,900 | $0 |
| 18 | Federation of American Hospitals | $6,500 | $0 | $6,500 |
| 19 | Hirschler Fleischer PC | $6,200 | $6,200 | $0 |
| 19 | Norfolk Southern | $6,200 | $1,200 | $5,000 |
Add this to the donors to the ERIC PAC in the previous post and see how many are health care related.
Eric as Republican king maker:
This is from opensecrets.
| Rank | Contributor | Total | Indivs | PACs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MacAndrews & Forbes | $15,000 | $15,000 | $0 |
| 2 | Mortgage Bankers Assn | $7,500 | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| 3 | Citigroup Inc | $6,000 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Altria Group | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | American Airlines | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | American Bankers Assn | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | American Dental Assn | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | American Hospital Assn | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | American Institute of CPAs | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | American Land Title Assn | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | American Society of Anesthesiologists | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Armstrong Capital | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | AT&T Inc | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Automotive Free International Trade PAC | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | AXA Equitable Life Insurance | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Bank of America | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Baxter Healthcare | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Boeing Co | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Boston Scientific Corp | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Cinergy Health | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Clarium Capital | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Comcast Corp | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | CSX Corp | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | CVS/Caremark Corp | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | DLA Piper | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Dominion Resources | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | East West Partners | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Federation of American Hospitals | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Ferguson For Congress | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Financial Services Roundtable | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | General Services Co | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Groom Law Group | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Home Depot | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Indep Insurance Agents & Brokers/America | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Intrepid Capital Management | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Jules Stein Eye Institute | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Klee, Tuchin et al | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Lockheed Martin | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Loews Corp | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | McCrery for Congress | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Merck & Co | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Metlife Inc | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | National Assn of Convenience Stores | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | National Assn of Home Builders | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | National Assn of Realtors | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | National Beer Wholesalers Assn | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Natl Assn Real Estate Investment Trusts | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Northrop Grumman | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Novartis Corp | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Park Town Group | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Pfizer Inc | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | PricewaterhouseCoopers | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Printing Industries of America | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Property Casualty Insurers Assn/America | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Raytheon Co | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Renco Group | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Republic Beverage | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Reynolds Development | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Sallie Mae | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Securities Industry & Financial Mkt Assn | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Travelers Companies | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | UBS Americas | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | United Parcel Service | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | USAA | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 4 | Weinstein Properties | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 |
| 4 | Wellpoint Inc | $5,000 | $0 | $5,000 |
This item was in politico:
On Tuesday, Cantor hosted a $1.1 million fundraiser at the Capitol Hill Club benefiting his 50 or so Republican lawmakers who make up the House GOP whip team ? a major haul that left members wide-eyed. That?s about $20,000 in lobbyist and political action committee dough for each of Cantor?s deputies.
It seems Cantor is at the pinnacle of all the interests trying to bust up attempts at health care reform.
Also, this was buried in another article on politico. Cantor is a top recipient of money from the health care industry:
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) got even more from insurers: $560,000 over a two-cycle span, $116,000 in the first two quarters of 2009, according to opensecrets.org.