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JTA: “Is Cantor’s Star Dimming Already?”

Aaron Keyak — March 26, 2009 – 10:14 am | Domestic Policy | Economy | Republicans Comments (7) Add a comment

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) rose from rookie congressman in 2001 to House Minority Whip and GOP rising star just eight years later. But The Hill reports that the only Jewish Republican in the House has sustained some hits from his party colleagues over the last few days:

A rising star in the Republican Party has dimmed over the past week.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), a politically shrewd up-and-comer in the GOP, has broken with his party on two high-profile issues. And the defections on last week’s AIG bonus tax bill and the Obama administration’s troubled assets plan have exasperated some members in the GOP conference.

The grumbling started when Cantor unexpectedly voted with Democrats last week on a measure to recoup the bonuses of AIG executives. Many Republicans called the bill unconstitutional, with more than half of the GOP conference rejecting it. Cantor, who has been labeled “Mr. No” by some Democrats, was one of only two Republican leadership officials who voted for the bill. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) was the other.

“All the unconstitutional stuff aside, if you don’t believe in raising taxes, why would you vote to raise taxes?” House Republican Conference Secretary John Carter (Texas) said.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) added that supporting the retroactive tax cut “sets a terrible precedent, just terrible.”

But Cantor voted for that retroactive tax, saying that he didn’t want to “reward failure,” meaning the AIG officials would keep their bonuses if the legislation hadn’t passed.

Yet Cantor’s vote last Thursday now looks even worse to some of his GOP colleagues. AIG employees are vowing to give their bonuses back and Democratic leaders say their bill — even if it’s not passed — accomplished its mission. The legislation appears to be dead.

Another Republican suggested more members might have voted no if Cantor had.

The GOP legislator who rejected the Democratic bill said sarcastically, “When your whip votes against you, it’s kind of tough to whip for it.”

Cantor’s colleagues in leadership called the bill “a sham.” Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that it was “more than an attempt to cover someone’s rear end because of the political damage that’s out there.”

Boehner told reporters last Thursday that he did not know how Cantor was going to vote on the bill. Boehner voted no early on, while Cantor waited until late to register his vote of yes.

But a leadership aide privy to conversations among GOP leaders said that in the end, Cantor “got spooked.”

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Comments

Robert | March 27, 2009 – 3:12 pm

Rep. Eric Cantor voted against his Republican colleagues on a Domestic issue regarding excesses within a Corp now owned primarily by the American public, due to mismanagement within one of its units. The mismanagement (in all fairness) was an industry wide (accepted) practice to increase ROI within the company.

This has nothing to do with his allegance or support for Israel. If anything.. this is what one might call collateral damage.

Peter Cohen | March 27, 2009 – 4:30 pm

Mr. Cantor’s problems stem from an inability to formulate a position that does not offend the ideologues on the far right wing and to foster policies that have any bearing to reality and effective economic policy. In addition, he is not impartial about this current economic debacle considering how his wife’s firm benefited from the first round of bailouts. The subject of his being Jewish also seems irrelevant in discussing his political leanings, as there is no subtext in his speeches concerned with the role of charity towards the poor and social justice. He presents as rich and insulated from the woes of the world.

K | March 27, 2009 – 7:13 pm

Remember who you are and who put you there.. Either vote like a Republican or leave the party.. We don’t need self professed heros right now. We need to rebuild and stick together.

Brad | March 27, 2009 – 11:28 pm

His wife works for a bailed-out bank, and I’d bet you even money she’s up for a bonus. He didn’t want to appear to be helping her out, while knowing full well it was never going to get through the senate.

Check out: http://wheresericcantor.com

sallie | March 28, 2009 – 3:09 am

Shame on Rep Cantor, he is not going to work with Democrats, he is already running his campaign for the Governorship of VA or to become a senator. Either way he is always trying to pass the buck and has yet come up with any suggestions and input with the stimulus. Cantor only cares about his political future and tax reductions for the rich! Gimme a break. He likes showing his face on TV.
BOOHOO Representative Cantor and please tell your party to stop the insults. I AM A DEMOCRAT in the DEMOCRATIC PARTY and I am tired of be tagged as the Democrat party. Mybe they should go back to school and learn, nouns, verbs and adjectives. THIS IS VERY OBJECTIOANBLE and AN INSULT, I think I will have to address them as REPUGS until they show common respect.

Sallie in West Palm Beach, FL

wendy schreiber | March 28, 2009 – 6:42 pm

Shame shame on all of Congress for joining in the witch hunt.
They should reduce Congress’ pay for not reading the contracts.

FloridaDem | March 30, 2009 – 8:53 pm

I thought Cantor was smart until I heard him saying “No! No! No!” to everything, proposing a plan with no cost analysis, answers tax cuts as the panacea to fixing our broken economy. BTW Cantor was there for the whole Bush admin and helped orchestrate and vote for everything that broke us. I was a Republican until Bush the father and I am encouraged every day that I made the right decision in 1992. Best to all, to this country and to the patriots who live here (both GOP and Dem). Bah to the Cheneys, Boehners, and their ilk for their comments that call for our country to fail so they can retain Reagan’s supply side economics with its trickle down effect. It won’t work now because EVERYTHING is broken, too many are out of work, too many have lost their homes, we have tent cities and you can’t give a tax cut to someone who is not earning any money.

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