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...
I like this guy alot more than a few of the names I’ve seen floating around...at least he’s got strong credentials!
Are Evangelicals more accepting of a Jewish candidate as opposed to a Mormon?
What is the answer on that?
As I said, no accomplishments. Having a conservative voting record is nice, but that and 50 cents won’t get you a single vote on election day.
I didn’t say he wasn’t a good guy, or that he isn’t a conservative, but that he has no executive experience, no accomplishments, and as such does not qualify to be a VP, or possibly suddenly president.
Trying to push Cantor for McCain’s VP is just plain silly.
The negative opinions that you see posted here are from RINO trolls, and do not represent any significant voting block.
“Picking someone as green as Obama will not help anything.”
A four term congressman is LOADS more experience than a 143-day old Senator.........
Wow, thanks for the info! Talk about shoring up the conservative base. Wouldn’t it be great to set up somone with this record as the presumptive nominee in 2012?
This Evangelical supports Cantor and I am 100% sure I am not alone.
I’d love to see him as the VEEP on the GOP Ticket.
The only problem is B. Hussein Obama’s age is starting to be a factor. Cantor is a year younger than B. Hussein’s.
Idealistically it would be great. Realistically, it would be continuing the road to defeat IMO.
“Are Evangelicals more accepting of a Jewish candidate as opposed to a Mormon?”
Evangelicals and Haredi differ on pretty much one theological issue: who is/was that carpenter from Bethlehem?
Most evangelicals would covert to Orthodox Judaism (or at least some sort of Noahacide relgion, if they changed their belief in that regard).
That said, Romney’s problem ia nor that he’s a mormon. His problem is he is a lifetime liberal who is now clearly lying about being a conservative.
Looks like a younger Stallone with glasses.
The Republicans’ resounding defeat at the polls in 2006 was a watershed event for the GOP Caucus in the House. Some GOP pork spending leaders, such as Rep. Don Young (R-AK), learned nothing from voters’ rejection of the GOP’s profligate ways and continued on their merry earmarking way. Others in the GOP took to heart the need to return the party to its limited government moorings. Rep. Eric Cantor is clearly in the latter group.
Over the past two years, Rep. Cantor has been one of the few Republicans to come to grips with the sorry state of the GOP and lead by example. If Senator McCain wants to win in November, he will need to choose someone who recognizes how badly Republicans have strayed from the principles of limited government and economic freedom. Eric Cantor gets it.
Rep. Cantor is one of only 41 House members to swear off earmarks this year. Just last week, he joined 62 of his House colleagues in supporting an amendment offered by Rep. Flake to strip 103 earmarks from the Military Construction-VA Appropriations Bill (RC #560, 08/01/08).
In 2007, Rep. Cantor rose to the top of the Republican Caucus, scoring a 95% on the Club for Growth’s Congressional Scorecard and ranking 21st overall in the entire House. Over the past two years, Cantor has taken a number of courageous votes in favor of cutting government spending:
· Cantor was 1 of 91 Republicans to vote against the farm bill and voted to sustain the President’s veto of the bill (RC #315, 05/14/08) (RC #346, 05/21/08)
· Cantor was 1 of 54 Republicans to sustain the President’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act (RC #1040, 11/06/07)
· Cantor was 1 of 41 Republicans to sustain the President’s veto of a bill to increase Medicare payments (RC #491, 07/15/08)
· Cantor voted against the Democratic housing bill, imposing new costs and new regulations on American taxpayers and businesses (RC #519, 07/23/08)
“No executive experience, no accomplishments, nobody has ever heard of him. He may have a future, but is not ready now.”
That’s a good point and if Obama had the experience that you refer to I would agree. I think picking Cantor is less of an issue precisely because Obama would have a difficult time using his inexperience as an issue. If you are concerned that he couldn’t get the job done because of his inexperience, I can understand that too. For me, thought, winning and keeping Obama out of the White House is the most important thing and I think Cantor gives us the best shot (although I also like the Alaskan governor). My personal pick would be Romney, but he will not excite the base like Cantor would. I also think that with Cantor, there may be more opportunities to discuss the radical Islamists similar to the people that it seems Obama has to kick off his team on a routine basis.
I am really beginning to think this would be a great choice. My only hold back is that I have always thought he needed to select a governor so someone on the ticket has executive experience.
Again with the ‘executive experience’ and ‘governor’ BS. Was Cheney ever a governor? Bush 41? Quayle? Agnew? Ford? Gore? Johnson? As far as ‘executive’ Cantor knows what it is to have ran a business, same as your pal Romney.
I think I see another rino romney supporter.
btt
The negative opinions that you see posted here are from RINO trolls, and do not represent any significant voting block.
The negative opinions that you see posted here are from anti-RINO trolls.....
There, fixed it.
“Hawkish on Israel”
_____________________________
Ok, maybe I’ll vote after all.
Cheney didn’t need exec experience, because GW Bush had it.
The problem is that McCain does not have exec exp, so he needs a VP to complement him.
I don’t know where you got the idea that I am a Romney proponent. I don’t think that Romney would be a good choice either, because even though he does have the business and exec experience, he just couldn’t connect with the voters in the primaries and I doubt he could help in the general election.
If I would pick, I personally think Gov. Perry of Texas would be the best choice, but for some reason, nobody mentions his as even a possibility.
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