There have been a lot of opinions thrown around about why Eric Cantor lost his job on Tuesday night, and what it all means. But I'll bet you haven't heard this point of view. Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, a long-time political strategist in Virginia--and something of an Eric Cantor expert--had some very interesting opinions about it, when he talked to Stephanie Miller on Wednesday morning. Worth a listen, if you want another perspective.
Is it so hard to see why there is a page called Eric Cantor's Bitch Face? Image from source, MSN
I can't ever think of the House Majority Leader without thinking of Eric Cantor's Bitch Face, a satirical tumblr page that pokes fun of Cantor's perceived haughtiness and detachment from ordinary folks. And it just may be that attitude that lost him his seat, in a surprise primary night result.
Of course, it could also be the fact that tea baggers were pissed at him for his insufficiently awful immigration stance. And also, of course, because this election was so sparsely attended by voters other then tea baggers. And so, instead of Virginia being home to the second most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives, they'll have (assuming their new candidate wins) a House freshman. But the Tea Party can claim a fairly significant scalp: one of their own guys, more or less.
[Excerpt]
House Majority Leader Cantor defeated in primary
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated Tuesday by a little-known economics professor in Virginia's Republican primary, a stunning upset and major victory for the tea party. . .
It's made the news in the last few days that several polls show President Obama's approval rating to be doing just fine, even amid the heavy focus on three or four (if you count the idiotic umbrella-gate) potential scandals. But did you know polls are now showing that the GOP's approval raging is going down? I didn't know they could go lower, but there you go. And good for America, you're making me proud. [Excerpt] New poll: GOP favorability hits record low following 'Obama scandal' week
After a week of scandals, the dreaded "three-headed monster" of Benghazi, the IRS/Tea Party and the AP/DOJ phone records were supposed to sink the president, harm Hilliary Clinton and catapult the Republican party into the 2014 mid-term elections. While the media focus has highlighted the "three-headed monster," the American people don't seem to be pointing the finger of blame at the president. . .
Is anybody really inspired by these guys? Really? Image from source, TPM.
The down side of the 2012 election was that the House remained in Republican control due to gerrymandering. Meaning that the already obstructionist John Boner Boehner-lead Congress is probably not going to change for at least the next two years. So, the previously non-controversial debt ceiling issue will keep being an issue until somehow, some way, it is finally squelched. I'm hoping that the American public will become so tired of the issue that all of the political oomph is taken out of it.
[Excerpt] House Republicans Increase Debt Limit Without Spending Cuts
House Republican leaders headed off another rebuke from their conservative members and with near unanimity passed legislation to raise the debt limit through May 18, without locking in any cuts to federal spending. . .
I wonder sometimes how politicians can say something that is blatantly untrue, and maintain its validity even in the face of evidence to the contrary. I have a hunch it has something to do with the Karl Rove/Frank Luntz Alternate Reality Machine™. The machine ran nearly perfectly for the first several years of the Bush Administration. You know, like a "Clean Air Act" that allows more pollution, or the always shifting reason for the Iraq War. It didn't work on Democrats generally, but it was almost flawless on pundits and journalists.
The Machine started creaking and sputtering in the waning Bush years, and wasn't nearly effective by the time Grampy McCain and Caribou Barbie tried to take over. Occasionally, it flares up, and a totally bullshit meme will set the beltway press on fire. But even though it doesn't work very well anymore, it would seem that a lot of conservative politicians think it still has them covered with its conversion ray. Case in point, Eric Cantor. Or rather--at least in this case--Eric Cantor's press secretary, who interrupts an interview with Leslie Stahl in order to fact check her. The problem of course is that Stahl was right. Ronald Reagan raised taxes. And no amount of alternate reality warping is going to change that.
Aren't these guys inspiring? Cantor, Boner Boehner and Yertle McConnell. Image from source, Huffington Post
Yeah, I know this was a "test vote" all for shits and giggles and political posturing. But is this really something we should be playing chicken with? Do all parties involved realize that people can see what they're doing? I'm just wondering, because tampering with world markets just to score points seems to be an incredibly foolhardy game.
[Excerpt]
House Debt Limit Vote: Republicans Vote Against Raising Debt Ceiling
House Republicans dealt defeat to their own proposal for a $2.4 trillion increase in the nation's debt limit Tuesday, a political gambit designed to reinforce a demand for spending cuts to accompany any increase in government borrowing. . .
This is a really good question. When the Pentagon says, hey! We don't want this expensive stuff over here! Why on earth would any politician fight to keep spending millions and billions? If John Boner Boehner and Eric Cantor are fighting for useless stuff because it keeps jobs in their own districts, why not spend money on something useful? And then, they turn around and want to slash funding for important things like food safety and nuclear nonproliferation?REALLY?
On Tuesday, I watched MSNBC's coverage of the elections for the most part, along with a group of friends. We ducked out for a little of Kathy Griffin: Whores on Crutches, a little of FOX "News" and their electiongasms, and some local news. But MSNBC's coverage was enlightening and entertaining. I know some people think that the opinion hosts shouldn't be news hosts, but I didn't find that to really be a problem. Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews and the rest got the rare opportunity to talk to some of the luminaries--such as they are--of the GOP. They talked to Eric Cantor and asked him some tough questions.
Cantor mostly answered in generalities, and was very low on specifics. . .which has been typical from the right on economic issues. "Tax cuts" and "cutting spending" are nice easy phrases, but what programs would they specifically cut? Nothing specific seems to be the actual answer. But the real prize of the night was Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. She earned her moniker of "crazy eyes" in spades, looking alarmingly awake, and answered all questions with a canned set of talking points, even if they didn't fit the question. Matthews called her on it, leading to the exchange below. Oddly, the right-wing blogosphere sees this as a "win" for Bachmann, since she got a dig in at Matthews for his "thrill up my leg" statement from the Presidential campaign. It's very strange what things "stick" in right-wing world. Kind of like a tired Barack Obama stammering that he'd been to fifty. . .seven states. Nobody with a functional cerebral cortex thinks that Obama really believes there are 57, but they won't. Let. It. Go.
So, forget that Bachmann looks borderline psychotic here, and that she can't answer questions posed to her. She got in a dig! Woo-hoo!
It should be noted that though MSNBC was expected to be a mournful wake on election night, it really wasn't the case. There was mirth, there was snark. But the hosts all seemed very engaged, and seemed to not only be having a good time, but also had a lot of insight. Was it biased? Probably. But they've never claimed otherwise. Unlike a certain "Fair & Balanced" channel.
I mused yesterday whether or not Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) really had his office window shot out in a political threat/attack. Turns out. . .well, probably not. Unless this was a very clever shooter, who staged an arial attack! I thought it sounded too convenient.
[Excerpt]
Will Eric Cantor, Victim of Random Bullet Rain, Support Gun Control?
After Eric Cantor is done apologizing for lying about his office being shot at, he should probably do something to address the gun problem in his district—which is apparently so bad that bullets are raining from the sky. . .
Read more at: Gawker (with a hat-tip to Tracy for the link)
Okay, so after health care reform passed (and the few days leading up to it), the over-heated, over-blown rhetoric from the right got turned up to eleven, right? Epithets and loogies were hurled, windows broken, Congress members threatened. It was getting ugly. Some of the Democratic politicians spoke out. I don't recall any of their statements to be overtly political. But being a Democrat myself, I didn't have my antennae up. But their statements seemed warranted, and the escalating vitriol from the other side did seem. . .I don't know. . .worth mentioning.
Republicans for their part have made a few statements too, always couched in the "People are angry, but they shouldn't act out violently" way, without taking much (or any) responsibility for stirring them up in the first place. Rep. Eric Cantor has since said that his window was shot out, putting this--as all political things are these days--a story where both sides are as guilty as each other. Which doesn't make a lot of sense, since all of the foaming, rabid craziness has been coming from the right.
I don't want to say that Cantor made it up, or that it didn't happen. I don't want to say it, but it sure has crossed my mind. As the Church Lady would say, "how convenient." Regardless of the authenticity, it seems a bit disingenuous that Cantor (and other Republicans) are decrying the "playing politics" angle of making these sorts of announcements. . .by making the same sorts of announcements themselves.
[Excerpt]
Eric Cantor accuses Democrats of 'fanning flames' on member threats
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) angrily lashed out at Democratic leaders for their handling of reported threats against members of Congress Thursday, accusing them of "dangerously fanning the flames" by blaming the GOP and confiding that he has also been the recipient of threats. . .
When is a plan not a plan? The current Republican Party has earned a reputation as the "party of 'no'" and this press conference does nothing to allay that. The conference was called to introduce the "Republican Road to Recovery," but instead merely blasted the President some more, while promising details "next Wednesday." See you next Wednesday.
House Republicans fail to deliver on promise to offer budget alternative at press conference
Have you ever heard of an MSNBC show called Hardball? It's been around a while, and used to coexist with CNN's Crossfire (which Jon Stewart helped get cancelled). Both shows were aptly named, with Crossfire featuring a liberal and a conservative lobbing verbal grenades across the desk, and on Hardball, Chris Matthews pummeling guests with "hardball" questions.
But something happened during the Bush Administration. The media--for reasons still unknown--played softball with Bushco. Conservatives will deny this, but they obviously choose to forget the fervor with which the press went after Bill Clinton. Hardball was never quite the same after that.
But this clip from a recent Hardball seems to show that Matthews has gotten his fight back. Watch him tear apart John McCain surrogate, Eric Cantor.
