Well, I like his ideals, but nearly all Freeper men are provably as handsome. If McCain picks him, I will be enthused, but looks don't matter to me.
Posted on 08/07/2008 8:34:46 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan
Eric Cantor is being vetted by John McCain for the vice presidential slot. Congressman Cantor may very well be the best possible Republican to run with McCain -- for several different reasons.
First, Cantor is very conservative. Virginia, a conservative state, has eleven congressmen. Only one of those eleven has a higher lifetime rating by the American Conservative Union than Eric Cantor. No one, anywhere, was more conservative than Cantor in the last year of congressional ratings, 2007: Congressman Cantor had a perfect one hundred percent rating by the ACU. McCain needs a conservative to enthuse the Republican base and balance the Republican ticket. Cantor does that nicely.
Second, Cantor is young, handsome, and articulate. McCain is not. Fairly or unfairly, that counts in presidential elections. Obama won the nomination largely because he was pretty. Some voters will vote for Obama the candidate because they have a crush on Obama the man. McCain cannot compete against that, but Cantor can. Congressman Cantor not only looks handsome, but he is a new handsome face. His very obscurity will mean lots of media attention on him when the campaign starts in earnest. Weary voters - voters who are even weary of gazing at a photograph of the Messiah Obama - are looking for something, anything, exciting. Cantor could bring that bit of flash which the McCain campaign needs and which the Obama campaign, by sheer fatigue with the candidate, cannot generate.
Third, Cantor is Jewish. He is not just Jewish, but a Jew who keeps Kosher, like Joe Lieberman. Like Lieberman, who takes his Judaism seriously, Cantor is a social conservative. That is a "two-fer." Cantor will attract those social conservatives who are overwhelmingly Christian because they rightly see in Cantor a real ally in our common war against the muck of modern culture. This is the particular part of the conservative base that McCain needs most to reassure. A religiously serious Eric Cantor does that.
Beyond that, Eric Cantor will also attract Jewish voters. Many Jews feel a bit uneasy about Obama and his anti-Semitic friends. These Jews are also disturbed at the summary dismissal or a serious Jewish liberal Democrat like Joe Lieberman, the Democrat's vice presidential candidate eight years ago. Lieberman is a strong McCain supporter, and that support will provide a strong push for ambivalent Jewish voters to tilt towards McCain. Placing a religiously serious Jew on the Republican ticket with McCain will provide an even stronger push. In a close election, and this looks to be a close election, a swing of Jewish voters to McCain could translate into victories in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and other states that McCain could either win or lose. Those battleground states are the keys to victory for McCain.
Fourth, Congressman Cantor is a popular politician from Virginia, itself a swing state in this election. Fundamentally, Virginia is conservative and Republican, but with a popular Democrat governor on the ticket, Obama would have a real chance of carrying Virginia. If Cantor were on the Republican side, though, McCain would have the edge in Virginia.
Perhaps the most appealing part of a McCain-Cantor ticket is the elevation, without a primary battle, of Cantor to presumptive nominee when McCain leaves office (which could easily be 2012.) The image of a young, handsome, very conservative heir apparent who is also an Orthodox Jew could make Democrats break out in cold sweats at night. At the top of the ticket, Cantor could put Illinois, California, New Jersey and even New York in play.
In four years, the fabulously successful Governor Bobby Jindal, a devout Catholic who is just as conservative and bright as Cantor, could be a dream vice presidential candidate aside Eric Cantor. That very conservative but also ethnically atypical ticket would make Democrats have to fight hard for votes outside the traditional white, conservative Christian Republican base, but this dream ticket would not lose a single conservative Christian vote in the process of putting so many other voters in play.
Win this election, and maybe win the next few elections too: What would that mean? It would mean a conservative Supreme Court, an American victory in the war against global terrorism, and an articulate, sincere expression of the values of conservatives. That all makes a very good case for Cantor.
Cantor ping.
It’s President Cantor, if McCain kickes the bucket. By the way, who is Cantor and who wants a President they never heard of?
Lieberman is NOT a social conservative. A good man, right on the war, but not a social conservative.
Cantor/Jindal 2012...
I like it...
who is Cantor? a real conservative, unlike most of the other republicans you’ve heard of.
I don’t care whether I’ve heard of him or not. If he would make a good president, then I’d be hearing plenty of things about him then. And I’m interesting in hearing more about him now.
certainly not fiscal
Not exactly, Lieberman isn't much of a social conservative.
I think Cantor will be able to carry on the VP’s Office new found position of policy maker on the WOT.
To me, Cheney really used the office, the only one that sits in on the Executive and Legislative Branches effectively, IMO Cantor could carry on that policy.
I think the days of a show pony VP are long gone, they have been since Quayle sat in the Office of VP, every VP since GHWB has had a huge role in shaping policy and trying to implement it with the odd exception of Quayle.
The VP does much more then go to funerals nowadays.
He's been a Republican whip for six years, you should pay more attention to Congressional leadership. As to the general public, an existing high name recognition VP would be an asset, that means Mitt, or maybe Gingrich, there really aren't many others out there. If Cantor is McCain's choice, and imo that's the most important issue, my guess the press will have plenty to say about him.
Can you add me to your Cantor ping? I’m liking what I am reading about him, very much!
Amen, amen, right on, and keep ‘em comin’!!!
Though the performance of Republican's in Congress doesn't thrill me, he's said to be a very effective Whip, so you're probably correct that he could fulfull the VP's usually forgotten legislative responsibilities.
“Who is Cantor”
To repeat an old post . . .
Cantor has a 97% ACU conservative. That’s probably more conservative than you (and me).
He lost his cousin to arab terrorists, and is personally motivated against terrorists — been on lots of Congressional Committees re: unconventional warfare and terrorism. Be a natural fit on that issue in an administration.
He’s articulate, young, and is leading the revolt against Pelosi on oil drilling.
He’s not afraid to mix it up, and the Dims call him an “attack dog” -— they don’t like Jews who leave the plantation.
The Club for Growth just endorsed the man.
Here are some ratings:
2007 In 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Representative Cantor a grade of 0.
2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 0 percent in 2006.
2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 0 percent in 2006.
2005-2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 100 percent in 2005-2006.
2007 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the American Conservative Union 100 percent in 2007.
2004 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the Christian Action Network 97 percent during their legislative career up until 2004.
2005-2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the National Education Association 0 percent in 2005-2006.
2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the American Land Rights Association 100 percent in 2006.
2007 Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation’s position, Representative Cantor received a rating of -2.
2003 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel -3 percent in 2003.
2007 In 2007 Gun Owners of America gave Representative Cantor a rating of A-.
2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 100 percent in 2006.
2006 Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2006, the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Cantor a grade of A (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).
2007 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the English First 100 percent in 2007.
2007 In 2007 U.S. English gave Representative Cantor a grade of A.
2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the American Immigration Lawyers Association 0 percent in 2006.
2006 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the English First 100 percent in 2006.
2007 Representative Cantor supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 4 percent in 2007.
Etc.
You are humbly added.
2007: Congressman Cantor had a perfect one hundred percent rating by the ACU.
That fact again:
2007: Congressman Cantor had a perfect one hundred percent rating by the ACU.
Damn, just damn...
You missed my point. If someone has no national name recognition, then in the next 3 months, he is not likely to generate much enthusiam except from his small band of ardent supporters. I would be surprised if 1 in a 100 people ever heard of Cantor.
Well, I like his ideals, but nearly all Freeper men are provably as handsome. If McCain picks him, I will be enthused, but looks don't matter to me.
I certainly don’t object if Lieberman pushes McCain among his Democrat friends. Better than pushing Obama. But I wouldn’t have Lieberman on the Republican ticket for a million dollars. As you say, he is way to the left on every issue but the war.
But Cantor sounds good. I’m not talking whether he is the best conservative that McCain could put on his ticket as VP. Unfortunately, we don’t have any say about who he chooses as VP, beyond insisting that we need a good, solid conservative. But I’m saying that, from the record, Cantor is a good conservative—social, fiscal, and on the war. He lacks name recognition, but he is experienced and has worked his way into the leadership.
And the best way to gain name recognition is to run as VP. Why not? Better than Crist or Mitt.
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