Posted on 08/06/2008 1:11:12 PM PDT by Ziva
The news that Rep Eric Cantor (R-VA), the House chief deputy minority whip, has been asked for his family, health, and financial documents by the presumptive Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain, with an eye towards vetting him as a possible running mate, has excited not only some in the Jewish community. Many right-wing Evangelicals, sometimes referred to as the Republican core or base, say the Jewish Mr. Cantor may be the only possible running mate Mr. McCain can choose that will get them to the polling stations in November rather than spend Election Day fishing.
"He would energize the Republican base," said another member of the Virginia Congressional delegation, Rep Virgil Goode (R-VA). Like many Republicans, Mr. Goode has advised Mr. McCain to "look right and not left" when he picks a running mate.
Mr. Goode said that by choosing Mr. Cantor, Mr. McCain could staunch the flow of conservatives deciding either to support Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr, or not to vote at all.
"We need some enthusiasm with the conservative base," said Mr. Goode.
Hawkish on Israel
A stalwart conservative who happens to be the only Jewish Republican in the House of Representatives, Mr. Cantor, a fourth-term Congressman, represents Virginia’s seventh district, a mixture of state capital and western Virginia conservatism.
Reputed on Capitol Hill to be "squeaky clean," he has a nearly 100 percent rating by the National Conservative Union, but is still reported to do well with the more moderate wing of the Republican party as well with Democrats.
His views on Israel and its struggle against Palestinian terror are among the most hawkish in Congress. He has sponsored legislation that would cut off all US taxpayer aid to the PA until they put a halt to unauthorized excavations on the Temple Mount.
Sole Undivided Jerusalem
He also supports keeping Jerusalem as the sole, undivided capital of Israel. In a recent talk for a program called "One Jerusalem," called as a protest against the Annapolis summit last fall at which the Olmert government indicated its willingness to divide the city, Mr. Cantor characterized Jerusalem as "not merely the capital of Israel, but the spiritual capital of Jews and Christians everywhere."
"It is the site of the First and Second Temples, which housed the Holy of Holies, and it’s the direction in which we Jews face when we pray. This glorious City of David is bound to the Jewish people by an undeniable 3,000-year historical link," he said, adding that Jerusalem "is Israel’s lifeblood."
"No one understands this better than Israel’s enemies. That is precisely why they still engage in a systematic campaign to erase the historical link of the Jews to this great city. For if Israel were severed from Jerusalem, the Jewish state would lose its sense of legitimacy and its will to fight. Only then could Israel be destroyed," he said.
Victim of Terror
When he discusses victims of terror, his sympathy is not just theoretical. In April 2006, his cousin, Daniel Cantor Wultz, a 16-year-old student at the David Posnack Hebrew Day School in Plantation, FL, was the victim of an Islamic Jihad suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.
Daniel was in Israel with his family for Passover. He was hospitalized for almost a month after the bombing, while thousands of Jews throughout the world prayed for him and 46 of his classmates traveled to be at his bedside. He died of his injuries on May 15.
Conservatives say there is no denying that Mr. Cantor’s faith and passionate defense of Israel have played a major role in winning their admiration.
Not McCain
In many ways, Mr. Cantor is everything Mr. McCain is not. Those who worry that Mr. McCain, at 72, seems old, especially when compared to 47-year-old Barack Obama, see the good looking Mr. Cantor, who is only 45, as a spark of fresh air.
Those who are concerned because Mr. McCain’s record on immigration and free speech during political campaigns (masquerading as campaign reform), have made conservatives wary, say Mr. Cantor’s record could make up for a multitude of Mr. McCain’s "maverick sins."
On a political website discussing possible Republican candidates for vice president, one blogger summer it up this way: "Cantor is a real conservative who is a star. He is amazing. He would fire me up to have him on the ticket." Continued...
It would get mine. Voting records are very important and this guys is the best I have seen in a long time. To conservatives, hard facts speak volumes.
So will I. And I've been voting in presidential elections since '76. Voted GOP every time except once.
I like what I hear about Cantor. He could also help in Ohio, which has a substantial Jewish population in the northeast.
Four terms, and established a strong conservative record in it, not just sat on his ass. That is indeed something. I want to elect a leader, not a follower and his willingness to stand strong on Politically hot issues, and indeed lead this micro revolt on the oil vote issue means the guy is a leader.
Having him as VP, probably wouldn’t even get the Democrat Jewish voters to vote for McCain... since all their lives they always vote for the Dem candidate.
We have seen a break from that pattern lately as more are voting Republican. I do not believe that is because they are becoming more conservative, but that the terrorism war hits home. Having a definite hawk on Israel and terrorism that is Jewish to boot is a very strong pull. Not only to McCain, but from Obama who has allowed a lot of anti-semitic crap on his campaign site. I am sure Obama's callous use of the Temple Mount did not garner him any favor either.
Perhaps we should let some of our Jewish FReepers weigh in on that issue. Jews are not very mono-flavor in my experience. They are talkers and thinkers, and I suspect this election is generating a lot of good discussions.
I just watched Israel be over run by Liberals in the conservative non vote protest and they are paying a very heavy price for it now. The liberals are rewriting the laws just to avoid another vote because they know they will never have this much power again. Why? Because they are having such a toga party tearing up the Country and destroying the conservative party's work for the last 50 years. When they get done, there will be not much of anything left.
That single protest non vote set Israel back at least 20 years to the left. I would hate to see this happen in America too.
Perhaps it would be better to pin your wishes on purging the house and senate of the liberal left. That would reform rinos, and give the country back into adult hands.
There is some entertainment value there.
A did some numbers during the 06 election when the "dump the RINOs" strategy was popular. Depending on the definition of a "RINO", I used ACU ratings, drawing the line with McCain if I recall, the strategy involves ceding 65% to 70% of the House and Senate to dem control. I can't say the damage would be unreversable, one day we might well get a handle on FDR's Social Security program, as well as LBJ's Great Society, but those who think it will be one or two election cycles are dreaming. It would be decades, and much of the damage would be permanent.
Unfortunately most Jewish voters in the US don’t care about Israel, or they wouldn’t overwhelmingly keep voting for Democrats.
Here is how it stood a few months ago, I don’t think it improved any.
61% of Jewish voters support Obama, only 32% support McCain.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107059/Obama-Beats-McCain-Among-Jewish-Voters.aspx
some of those guys are pretty sneaky, they can have a pretty good ACU rating but they will vote for some liberal issues under the radar. btw in 06 I voted for republicans, well the only one that mattered was the 2nd congressional district, incumbent is a democrat......the republican lost of course....this year there is no GOP candidate :( I dont have a president to vote for or a congressman. I may not vote.
He knew Cheney didn’t want to run himself.
He either felt Cheney’s service was worth the problem or didn’t see a problem, trusting the and it’s GOP voters to be up to the task....:p
Or didn’t care. He’s been a poor leader for the party.
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