Posted on 07/31/2008 1:22:54 PM PDT by MeanWestTexan
The conventional political wisdom is Sen. John McCain needs a vice presidential running mate like Eric Cantor.
Cantor is a young, conservative congressman and one of the leaders of House Republicans. He represents the 7th District, which stretches from Richmond northwest to Page and Rappahannock counties — a mixture of state capital and western Virginia conservatism that will, in all likelihood strongly support McCain in November.
McCain’s age and some of his previous stands on issues such as immigration and campaign finance reform have angered the Republican party’s conservative base.
Since vice presidential running mates are supposed to be everything the presidential candidate is not, having the solidly conservative 45-year-old Cantor on the ticket could help revive McCain’s campaign. That’s especially true in Virginia, where McCain finds himself in a tough race that should be a shoo-in for any Republican presidential candidate.
Cantor has the support U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, who has written the McCain campaign on Cantor’s behalf. That takes a lot of political guts because Goode hasn’t actually endorsed McCain.
Goode wrote the campaign that McCain should “look right and not left” when he picks his running mate, and he called Cantor “a consistent conservative” who would “energize the Republican base.”
If nothing else, Cantor has certainly energized Goode.
But the real question is whether it will help McCain, who trails Sen. Barack Obama all over the electoral map. The poll tracking Web site Real Clear Politics reports that if the current opinion polls are correct and the toss-up states were to vote for the candidates that lead them today, Obama would win 322 electoral votes — including Virginia’s 13.
Since it only takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency, Obama is clearly ahead at this point in the race. Even without the toss-up states, Obama still leads McCain, 238 to 163.
Clearly, McCain’s campaign needs a big boost, and one of the best ways to do that is with the right vice presidential choice.
Rep. Cantor may be that choice, and it certainly doesn’t
Cantor would fire up conservatives. Of course Thompson, Cox, or Sanford would be great also. Pawlenty or Romney, would NOT.
Eric Cantor is my Congressman. I’d rather not lose him to such a meaningless job as Vice President, but I would be a lot more comfortable about voting for McCain in November if Mr. Cantor was on the ticket.
Cantor would fire up conservatives.
LOL! No.
I’m a conservative, and I assure you that he will not “fire me up.”
Cantor will deliver exactly nothing to the electoral list.
Yes, I would like Cantor very much.
There’s actually a website:
http://www.ericcantorforvp.com/links.php
He had a 100 rating from the ACU last year and has a 97 lifetime rating.
Has a 0% NARAL rating and a 100% NRLC rating.
He's anti-gay rights, anti-affirmative action, anti-government regulation.
He voted to station our military at the border.
He voted no on investing tax dollars in renewable energy and biofuel and in favor of offshore drilling and ANWR drilling (before it was popular).
He is rated A by the NRA.
Voted no on the SCHIP bill.
Voted yes on the border fence and has a 100% rating by FAIR.
Rated 0% by the AFL-CIO and the ARA.
If you are a conservative, how could you not be fired up about this guy when the front-runners appear to be such duds as Romney and Pawlenty?He is a consistent and very right-wing conservative who appears to be on the right side of EVERY issue.
The paleocons don’t like Cantor because he’s Jewish.
Screw them. We’ll pick up Obama-doubting Jewish voters and Evangelicals who would otherwise stay home.
Sorry , but McCain doesn’t need a big boost. Obama is toast.
His numbers across the board looks like crap. He has huge polling problems with woman over 40 (huge democratic voting group) , he has problems with white voters. He is only polling around 75% within his own party.
McCain just needs a safe pick.
Cantor is a safe pick.
A candidate who excites Republicans and provides a boost to the campaign is a safe pick. A candidate who angers conservatives is a very unsafe pick.
Because such duds can win a swing state and this guy cannot.
Accept that.
Also understand that the only thing that is going to fire up anyone right now is winning.
Without bringing a disputed state into our electoral column, the VP choice is meaningless.
Second place is simply the first loser, and at this point I simply want to defeat Obama.
Nothing about any likely candidate is going to “fire me up,” nor are my feelings going to change a thing about this election.
Florida is voting GOP, irrespective of the coming Media blather, and if Mitt can win us Michigan, or at least put it into serious contention, then I'm fired up about the prospect of beating Obama. - note my tagline.
Okay, Bill. When was the last time a VP pick swung a state that otherwise would not have been won? Cheney, no. Gore, no. Quayle, no. Bush, no. Is there even one example in the past 50 years?
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