For Virginia’s GOP delegation, it’s safer to upset leadership than voters (Cantor Repercussions)

washingtonpost.com ^ | 4/4/15 | Rachel Weiner

[cotton1706]

When Congress voted repeatedly on short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security this year, five Virginia Republicans were in firm opposition, part of a failed conservative attempt to halt President Obama’s executive order protecting millions of undocumented immigrants.

Call it the Dave Brat effect. His surprise primary victory last spring over former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) not only created a power vacuum in Virginia’s delegation, it left Republican lawmakers from the commonwealth willing to buck their party’s leaders in order to avoid angering conservatives, Republican strategists say.

That fear reflects a division in the state party that has made fundraising difficult and forced the powerful speaker of the state House of Delegates into a primary.

It’s hard to find an exact parallel in past votes, especially because contentious bills are often yanked off the floor by GOP leadership to avoid an embarrassing failure. Still, Republicans on and off the Hill agree that Cantor would not have permitted a repeated mass defection, as happened with the DHS funding bill.

“Without Eric here, then one of the arm-twisters is silenced,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.), an advocate for strict anti-immigration policies and one of the dozens of conservatives who demanded that any DHS funding bill also cut off support for Obama’s executive order.

On a vote to extend funding for the agency for three weeks that failed by a mere 11 votes, Reps. Brat, J. Randy Forbes, Robert Hurt, H. Morgan Griffith and Rob Wittman all cast “No” ballots, against the wishes of the Republican leadership.

They also voted early, not waiting to see whether their votes might be needed to tip the balance the other way. Later that night, all five voted against a one-week extension, which passed with 357 votes.

[BobL]

Still hard to come down from that victory, almost a year ago now!

[cotton1706]

It indeed was a great night!

And I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the events that followed, especially Cochran, the Cromnibus, etc., were outright revenge against us for taking out their designated speaker-to-be.

[Lurkinanloomin]

I worked my tail off to rid us of that weasel Eric Cantor. I purchased sign materiels and made my own signs against Cantor before Dave Brat announced.

I was smiling for a week after taking down weasel Cantor. I only wish voters in a certain didtrict in Ohio had done likewise.

[Lurkinanloomin]

They had already planned to pass the Senate amnesty bill once Cantor had cleared his primary. Defeating Cantor staved off the betrayal for a little while longer. The RNC/GOP intend to surrender the rule of law and the country with amnesty. The only thing stopping them is the 65% of the citizens that don’t want it.
We have to stop hlding our noses while voting.
Enabling CINO’s will only get us betrayal.

[BobL]

“And I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the events that followed, especially Cochran, the Cromnibus, etc., were outright revenge against us for taking out their designated speaker-to-be.”

Perhaps, but they were treating us like crap before we took out the beast. The pattern kept repeating and repeating: They would rule out a shutdown, then take Obama to the brink of a shutdown, and then cave. It made us look like total idiots.

If they REALLY wanted revenge after we slayed the beast, they would have passed Amnesty. The only thing stopping it was Boehner - the votes were (unfortunately) there in the House, when combined with Democrat votes. And don’t forget what The Beast also had in store for us - he was working with the black caucus to overturn the Supreme Court ruling allowing Texas (and other states) to have some say over voting rules. But that THANKFULLY died with him.

We came out ahead, way ahead. The leadership is now old and feeble - they’ll be out after this session.

[Liz]

IS THE "UNTOUCHABLE" HILLARY ANOTHER ERIC CANTOR IN THE MAKING?

In Florida the massively-funded Hillary has a 7-point advantage among women; and half of the college-educated women’s vote (against Bush), far surpassing Obama’s 42 percent in 2012. In Ohio, she leads all candidates among women by double digits. Same goes for Pennsylvania, where she has at least an 18-point lead among female voters, including a whopping 23-point advantage over Bush.

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Then-Repub Majority Leader---Eric Cantor (Va)---- had tons of money---he spent 26X times his opponent's $100K.

<><> Cantor consistently polled an astounding 34 points ahead of the unknown candidate Brat.

<><> Cantor was considered "inevitable" and "untouchable".

<><> Cantor had no ethics problems.

<><> Cantor sucked-up to "suncoast"--an anti-tea party group.

<><> Cantor sucked up to the latino vote.

<><> Cantor showboated his leadership---was into "diversity."

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BY CONTRAST CANDIDATE BRAT ran as Cantor's TERM LIMIT

<><> Brat roundly opposed, and was vociferous against amnesty,.

<><> Brat ran as a staunch conservative (now in Congress he has a conservative rating 100%.)

<><> On elections day, Brat got 18,000 more Repub out to the polls than the previous election that elected Cantor.

CANTOR IN DEFEAT----DUMBFOUNDED:

[Liz]

THE RISING INSURRECTION AGAINST OBAMA---VA needs to go this route:

Last month, the Republican-led Arizona House of Representatives passed, on a 36-to-24 party-line vote, a bill sponsored by tea party Rep. Bob Thorpe (R-Flagstaff) that “prohibits this state or any of its political subdivisions from using any personnel or financial resources to enforce, administer or cooperate with an executive order issued by the President of the U.S. that has not been affirmed by a vote of Congress and signed into law as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution.” ......more at washingtonpost.com ...

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AS OF 2014 MIDTERMS:

<><> 2015 Republican grip on state government has not been seen since the 1920s.

<><> Republicans unified control: gov/legislature in 23 states (Ntl Conf of State Legislatures factoid).

<><> Repub governorships: Florida, Tx, Ill, Ohio, Mich, MD, Wisconsin, NC, GA, Mass.

<><> Republicans holds 68 of 98 state legislative chambers.

<><> Republicans hold or share control in nearly every state (7 states Gov/legislature are Dem-held).

<><> Republicans hold the largest House majority in 83 years.

[cotton1706]

Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that taking out Cantor wasn’t worth it. I just wanted to connect the events so we all understand the Establishment’s motivations. They literally despise us.

[BobL]

That is for sure. We are HATED...but we’ll prevail, this time. I sense it.

[DaiHuy]

To bad thy don’t use it.

[DaiHuy]

To bad they don’t use it.