Mr. Cantor’s defeat delivered a major jolt to the Republican Party — he had widely been considered the top candidate to succeed Speaker John A. Boehner one day — and it has the potential both to change the debate in Washington on immigration and to reshape the midterm elections, which had been favoring his party.
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| Eric Cantor |
With just over $200,000, David Brat — a professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. — toppled Mr. Cantor, repeatedly criticizing him for being soft on immigration and contending that he supported what critics call amnesty for immigrants in the country illegally. (read more)I rather go down fighting, than lay down preying I don't get run over, by people who's most notable political achievement is to uncompromisingly get their way, no matter what the cost.
Instapundit said...
I CREDIT THE POWER OF MICKEY KAUS, who’s been pushing his opponent for weeks: Eric Cantor Loses Primary in Massive Upset. If he hadn’t supported amnesty, he’d be cruising to an easy victory. I suspect a lot of folks on both sides of the aisle just lost enthusiasm for an immigration deal.
45 comments:
If government is broken, which seems to be the consensus of both parties in poll after poll, why wouldn't you vote out long-time incumbents? Obviously they are part of the problem, not the solution.
Good luck to Mr. Brat. We will definitely see what he's made of in the coming months. What with his very public Christianity and all, the press is going to try to roast him.
Continuing to import millions of low skill workers to compete against native born Americans depresses everybody's wages.
Not difficult to figure out. But, it seems to be difficult to find politicians who are on the side of native born Americans.
What about the democrat party?
A pack of old tired clinging to the failed 19th century ideologies. Anyone care for a purge? Nah.
If leftwing voters could raise Teddy Kennedy and Robert KKK Byrd from the dead and run them again, they would and Teddy and Robert would win.
Schumer, Pelosi, Reid, Clintons, an on and on... What say you? Is this how you want your government - career pols who die in office?
It is time to end the career politician because DC is broken and corrupt. We no longer live in under a constitution. The Obama/Holder administration are akin to the mob running the show.
hey Dems - you up for it?
I doubt it.
We are all forced to walk through anther nightmare chapter of the Clinton obsession.
"I rather go down fighting, than lay down preying I don't get run over, by people who's most notable political achievement is to uncompromisingly get their way, no matter what the cost."
I hear you.
Recibo el mensaje. Alto y claro.
I don't hold any particular animus against Mr. Cantor -- I rather liked him -- but I enjoyed seeing the GOP establishment get this treatment.
More, please.
I suspect this will cause the GOP to work some more on its branding, instead of, say, advocating what Brat did in his door-to-door meetings with the proles.
Or maybe every member of Congress would take 100 of the illegal children migrants into their own homes, feed them, clothe them, pay for their schooling.
Then I would believe them.
"Capitalism is here to stay, and we need a church model that corresponds to that reality. Read Nietzsche. Nietzsche’s diagnosis of the weak modern Christian democratic man was spot on. Jesus was a great man. Jesus said he was the Son of God. Jesus made things happen. Jesus had faith. Jesus actually made people better. Then came the Christians. What happened? What went wrong? We appear to be a bit passive. Hitler came along, and he did not meet with unified resistance. I have the sinking feeling that it could all happen again, quite easily. The church should rise up higher than Nietzsche could see and prove him wrong. We should love our neighbor so much that we actually believe in right and wrong, and do something about it. If we all did the right thing and had the guts to spread the word, we would not need the government to backstop every action we take."
- David Brat
" Can Christians force others to follow their ethical teachings on social issues? Note that consistency is lacking on all sides of this issue. The political Right likes to champion individual rights and individual liberty, but it has also worked to enforce morality in relation to abortion, gambling, and homosexuality. The Left likes to think of itself as the bulwark of progressive liberal individualism, and yet it seeks to progressively coerce others to fund every social program under the sun via majority rule. Houston, we have a problem. Coercion is on the rise. What is the root word for liberalism? (Answer: Liberty)" - David Brat
" It does not mean that the State alone uses violence, but it does mean that when push comes to shove, the State will win in a battle of wills. If you refuse to pay your taxes, you will lose. You will go to jail, and if you fight, you will lose. The government holds a monopoly on violence. Any law that we vote for is ultimately backed by the full force of our government and military. Do we trust institutions of the government to ensure justice? Is that what history teaches us about the State? Or do we live in particularly lucky and fortunate times where the State can be trusted to do minimal justice? The State’s budget is currently about $3 trillion a year. Do you trust that power to the political Right? Do you trust it to the Left? If you answered “no” to either question, you may have a major problem in the future." - David Brat
I'm done.
@ Pogo Or maybe every member of Congress would take 100 of the illegal children migrants into their own homes, feed them, clothe them, pay for their schooling.
Then I would believe them.
That would get me to respect them.
But remember, the Clintons are broke. They can barely afford their multiple homes. Expecting the leftwing elite to act charitably is a lot to ask.
"One of the most stunning aspects of Mr. Brat’s victory was that none of the major tea party groups apparently played a role. Most are currently focused on the runoff hundreds of miles away in Mississippi pitting incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran against state Sen. Chris McDaniel."
"Matt Kibbe, the president of FreedomWorks for America, which did not endorse Mr. Brat, said that Mr. Cantor’s defeat proves the rules of politics are changing. Some grassroots leaders in Virginia, he said, have more Facebook contacts than some county Republican leaders.
'The Internet has cut out the middleman and people are self-organizing,' he said. 'They’re using social media. They’re getting information from multiple sources and that undermines all of the old tools of incumbency.'”
6 out of 13 comments from Larry the homophobic lawn jockey.
Is this what you were going for with your blog, Lem?
preying
As prey to a predator.
Aren't there any reports from Mexico about harm caused by our immigration policies?
Maybe somebody needs to go walking around, with some cash just in case, and find some heart-breaking narratives that will help stop children from dying in the deserts.
The moment of recognition captured…
People across the country have talked about "throwing the bums out" for years. Only one party has the guts to do it.
No incumbents 2014.
(saw that on a bumper sticker here in proglandia)
Mickey Kaus states: (and he is a democrat)
'The main issue in the race was immigration. It’s what Brat emphasized, and what his supporters in the right wing media (Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Mark Levin) emphasized. It’s the charge Cantor defended against—by conceding the issue and posing as a staunch amnesty opponent. . . . More generally, you’ll hear that Cantor’s loss kills the possibility of amnesty this term. But amnesty was already dead. It’s been killed about 6 times. It’s a zombie. Maybe the 7th will do the job. But don’t expect the lobbyists who back it to give up. If they give up, their corporate clients might rethink their quest for an inexpensive immigrant work force and stop paying them. Mark Zuckerberg’s ex-roommate might have to look for a job.”
emphasis. The chamber of commerce and zuckerberg want cheap labor.
But don’t expect the lobbyists who back it to give up. If they give up, their corporate clients might rethink their quest for an inexpensive immigrant work force and stop paying them. Mark Zuckerberg’s ex-roommate might have to look for a job.”
6 out of 13 comments from Larry the homophobic lawn jockey.
Is this what you were going for with your blog, Lem?
Those aren't comments. They are just cut and pasting of other people's comments.
Use your scroll wheel! Ignore.
See, this is me TOTALLY not losing it, as no authors of YA fiction are commenting here today.
It's obvious that RINOs won't change their convictions, just their "branding," as Pogo says. Therefore they must be opposed and defeated in Republican elections before we have an opposition party to the marxist party. Can this be done? Well, it better be tried and tried hard, because the only other way to stop the marxists' fundamental transformation is with lead.
There are significant differences in Brat's win and the renomination of Grahamnesty in SC that should be a case study for Conservatives to ponder.
Also, as EBL noted elsewhere, how much did the Children's Crusade orchestrated by the Choom Gang contribute to Cantor's downfall.
PS Padre, what you said - in spades.
PS Go over to Drudge right now and take a look at the sidebar to see why Cantor lost.
My dream is ALL incumbents losing their seats in a series of elections.
DBQ, Ignore indeed. Everyone is doing quite well so far!!
TILT!
Brat was the best "tea party" candidate I ever heard speak.
Titus, he is not a tea party candidate. Tea Party organizations had nothing to do with it. He had no support at all. But they'll use it campaign for money anyway.
The most you can say is their platforms match. And that's it.
But his platform is so simple it should match all American concerns, if looked at sincerely and not over analyzed politically and instantly categorized.
But yes, he is very well spoken and that is because he keeps it simple and keeps it sincere and straightforward. That is the vibe I get.
I'm a very vibey-getting kind of guy.
Cantor's situation was somewhat unique in that he refocused his attention on becoming Speaker of the House, meaning his constituency changed from representing shis district to blowing Washington establishment. That is what his district sensed and what they voted on, in a rather unorganized way, each sensing the shift, each imagining Brat would have enough votes to send a clear message to Cantor without really expecting him to win. Turns out that a lot of his district's voters sensed the same thing, behaved the same way, and everyone was surprised.
Lem, you meant praying, no? Lay down praying I don't get run over by people.
"Tea Party organizations had nothing to do with it. He had no support at all. But they'll use it campaign for money anyway.
The most you can say is their platforms match."
In my opinion that makes him Tea Party. I consider myself Tea Party, and I don't belong to any organization. It's a platform, a set of beliefs and solutions. Voting for that is what I think the Tea Party really is, and is all it needs to be.
I don’t share the dislike of Cantor because I always figured he must be doing something right since apparently Obama hates him.
Exactly. The whole thing about the Tea Party is that it's not an actual party. The establishment wants it to be a party so it can be demonized (racist, extremist)and that way they don't have to call their own constituents those names. So off putting. The Tea Party organizations didn't back Brat because they didn't think he had a chance at winning against Cantor, not because he wasn't Tea Party.
The Wall Street Journal (and somebody on this blog last night) seems to be implying that Brat's a big anti-Semite and/or Cantor's defeat is due to anti-semitism because Brat said "Hitler" and also Cantor's Jewish so there you go ... The Tea Party candidate is anti-Semitic. Brat's a Tea Partier if it reflects poorly the extremely extreme raaacist Tea Party but not if it reflects poorly on the extremely extreme racist Tea Party. So there. You can't say "bomb" on a plane. Your nuanced, sophisticated intellectual betters have horked up yet another completely reasonable justification for maintaining status quo establishment with no hope for change. Or debate. Yum!
The reason the democrats equate tea party with "radical" is that the tea party is just as Bagoh states: It's a set of ideas based on limited government. No membership required.
The democrat-progressive-left do not want to debate that because they are threatened by that simple concept. So - the left lash out and vilify.
Could A Democrat Win Eric Cantor’s House District? -- that's a piece at Think Progress, which points out that while the district where Brat won has "a distinct Republican tilt,” some polls show the district is a bit more complicated:
"But a victory for Trammell [the Democrat Brat will face in November] in the 7th would not be unprecedented. In the 2008 U.S. Senate race, former Democratic governor Mark Warner defeated former Republican governor Jim Gilmore by about a 60 to 39 percent spread among voters in the district. While it has since been somewhat altered in the 2011 redistricting, the surrounding areas also voted for Warner in similar numbers.
What’s more, a couple of polls of the 7th indicate that on some issues, it may be well to the left of the Republican Brat. A PPP poll of registered voters released Tuesday found that 72 percent supported comprehensive immigration reform including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Even among self-identified Republicans, 70 percent back a path to citizenship and 58 percent consider reform 'very important.' Brat’s primary campaign focused heavily on his opposition to 'amnesty.'
Brat’s conservative views on social issues could also hurt him in the general. On his campaign website’s 'protecting values' section, he vows to 'protect the rights of the unborn and the sanctity of marriage,' and to 'oppose any governmental intrusion upon the conscience of people of faith.' A 2012 poll of the district found 68 percent favored a candidate who supported reproductive rights, compared to 23 percent who preferred one who did not."
Lydia--
Many of those polls are skewed because of the way the question is phrased.
Poll questions: Deport or path to citizenship?
Most don't want to be mean, so they vote for "path to citizenship."
Yeah, but the vote for Warner is a bit discomfiting, no?
A bit. I heard that the district is pretty solid R. Our political system is so messed up, I have no idea what to believe. I don't know if I have the energy to care about a district in Virginia. I will enjoy the mild satisfaction that the voters just turned away the amnesty guy, and that that was the #1 reason. btw- Didn't Virginians just vote in Terry McAwful? Depressing.
At one point, A republican named Scott Brown won in the bluest of blue states A seat "owned" by one Teddy Kennedy. Now, that's gone. Yeah - This new kid will have a fight on his hands. The dems will paint Brat as extreme. They do that with everyone now.
Cantor outspent Brat $5 million to $122k! Cantor spent more @ steakhouses[$168k] than Brat spent on his entire election. This is a classic example of a DC insider forgetting who elected him. We need to clean out Congress this way. Brat got 0$ from the National Tea Party. This was grass roots, baby.
The dems will paint Brat as extreme.
He is extreme but he actually speaks sensibly enough about power exemptions and conflict-of-interest issues that I think there could actually be room for better compromise. Can'ter was just about opposition for opposition's and lobbyists' sake.
I'm cautiously optimistic.
I haven't read Coulter for a while, her Chris Christie Bullshit ruined her brand for me, though I enjoyed Treason immensely, but her column today makes hella-sense.
http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2014-06-11.html
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/laura-flint/2014/06/11/chris-matthews-defends-tea-party-theyre-american-any-liberal
I think Mathews makes much more sense than Ritno.
And lets start using the right words: its not "immigration" or "immigration reform" that killed Cantor - it was AMNESTY and the complete refusal to enforce the immigration laws.
We don't need immigration reform - we need immigration enforcement.
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