Imus Prods Cantor on Reluctance to Support Michele Bachmann for Number 4 House Spot (Video)

Three Fingers of Politics ^ | November 10, 2010

[Rufus2007]

It’s not much of a secret that there is a real reluctance by the rank and file in the U.S. House of Representatives to support Rep. Michele Bachmann’s, R-Minn., run for the open House Republican Conference slot.

The favorite among more House Republicans presently seems to be Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. Both have near-perfect voting records according to the America Conservative Union. One of the Hensarling backers, likely House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., appeared on Fox Business Network’s “Imus in the Morning” and gave a real unconvincing reason for not supporting Bachmann. Host Don Imus pressed Cantor on his pick.

...more (w/video)...

[Rufus2007]

It sounds to me like Cantor kind of wants this race to go away.

[NormsRevenge]

Looks like it will take another debacle or two before the “leadership” gets ‘it’.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I used to think Eric was part of the solution, but now I see that he was part of the problem all along.

[Lazlo in PA]

I love when people push Cantor. He is appearing to be a phony Conservative. He dodges and weaves when interviewers ask legitimate tough questions. There is always something off in his slippery answers.

[pillut48]

I really like both Hensarling AND Michele, but she just makes liberal heads explode so easily, I think she should be front and center to keep doing that, LOL.

[GeronL]

didn’t Hensarling vote for the medicare prescription drug benefit and didn’t he put party over principle to support Scozafava??

[ken5050]

This, paraphrasing, is on NRO today.."If Jeb Herserling is now considered the 'establishment' then the Tea Party can fold their tents and go home..they've won...

Boehner, IMHO, is letting this go on waaay too long..just create a new leadership post for Michelle..

[BufordP]

Both Hensarling and Bachmann are solid conservatives. I don't see the point in taking sides.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

Hensarling is a solid conservative and a good pick for the job. Bachmann is great also, but for this job, I would go with Hensarling.

[bwc2221]

I trust Eric Cantor about as far as I can throw Chris Christie.

[MinuteGal]

I've never trusted Cantor since I first saw him on the tube a long time ago. My instincts tell me we'll never fully know what position he will take on things dear to our conservative hearts.

I trust Bachman implicitly.

The vote for this Number 4 House spot is going to be VERY revealing. I'm getting my scorecard and little memory notation book ready now for when the vote is taken.

Leni

[bwc2221]

I wouldn't mind seeing National Review fold its tent and go home. With Pretty Boy Rich Lowry in charge, it definitely reflects “establishment republican” rather than conservative views.

[60Gunner]

Hmph. Seems as soon as the GOP establishment whores got what they wanted courtesy of the TEA Party, they began doing everything they can to marginalize the same people who put them there.

Anyone surprised about that needs to wake the hell up. The Dems aren't the only enemy we face. The establishment GOP needs a swift kick in the crotch as well.

We aren't done yet, people. We still have a lot of work to do.

[Jane Long]

Call Cantor and Boehner's offices. Why is Boehner even automatically assigned leader role?

Cantor - 202.225.2815

Boehner - 202.225.6205

Hensarling voted for Medicare RX.

Bachman represents the sentiment and reason for the 60+ seat gain for GOP. She's THE top fundraiser - $11M. She has earned and deserves the Conference Chair spot.

Stop the RINO hijacking.

[ken5050]

And who do you think was MOST responsible fro Marco Rubio's win....? NR "made him" when they put him on the cover last year, just after he'd announced, when nobody had heard of him, and he had no $$. NY singlehandedly got his candidacy off the ground. I'd read the article, then next week went to see him talk Sat afternoon at an event in St. Pete. The guy was awesome..and I wrote a check that day, signed up to volunteer, and came home and told all my friends that I'd just met the next senator from Florida AND a future president of the US..

BTW..we can have political discourse on the merits, without the "pretty boy" epithets..Lowry's smart, articulate, and can write..

[CharlesWayneCT]

You’d think that ‘I am supporting Hensarling” would be an adequate answer to the question “why not support Bachman”?

Imus is just trying to split the caucus, doing the democrat’s work for them.

It’s not like Bachman’s voting record is any better than Hensarling’s.

[J Edgar]

I heard Michale Bachmann interviewed on the radio yesterday, and she said that Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas was her mentor when she first arrive, that they are friends, and that he is well qualified, and is a genuine conservative.

With that said, I think they will both be good choices.

[CharlesWayneCT]

didn’t he put party over principle

THis year we were all trashing Hoffman for not putting party over principle, and costing us the election.

This year some were trashing Palin for putting party over principle, supporting McCain instead of Hayworth.

This year we were trashing Murkowski for claiming she was putting principle over party in not accepting the results of the primary.

This year we were trashing Crist for claiming he was putting principle over party in dropping out of the republican primary and running as an independent.

I think Hensarling was stupid to back Dede, but it's absurd to dismiss a republican officeholder for endorsing the republican candidate in an election.

[SharpRightTurn]

There’s a simple solution to this.

Let Hensarling have the House Republican Conference slot and let Bachmann have Cantor’s slot.

Send Cantor to the back benches until he can solidify his spine. If he can.

[achilles2000]

Did he vote for that Bush Medicare abomination? Did Bachmann? If he did and she didn’t, that’s more than enough.