It's widely noted that the GOP field of Presidential candidates seems a little weak. They are especially lacking in Identity Politics Oomph. For example, polls have long revealed more pervasive bigotry against the idea of a Mormon President than against most better known victim groups, but nobody in the media cares about promoting Mitt Romney to make a statement against anti-Mormonism. Similarly, nobody in the press cares that Tim Pawlenty would be the first half-Polish President.The Democrats have their We Shall Overcome Mythopoetic Narrative Candidate locked in. Maybe, in the GOP's struggle to have the press less in the tank for Obama in 2012 than in 2008, the Republicans need their equivalent of comparable Media Narrative Firepower. With legalistic technicalities slowing the potential candidacy of the GOP leadership's current favorite, Bibi Netanyahu, attention will likely turn toward the next best thing. From Wikipedia:
Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district, serving since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he became House Majority Leader when the 112th Congress convened on January 3, 2011. He previously served as House Minority Whip from 2009 to 2011.
... Cantor is the only Jewish Republican currently serving in Congress.
Cantor was born in Richmond, Virginia. His father owned a real estate firm and was the state treasurer for Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign. .. Cantor was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity while at [George Washington] and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1985. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from William & Mary Law School in 1988, and received a Master of Science degree from Columbia University in 1989. ...
In 2002–only a few weeks after winning a second term–Roy Blunt appointed Cantor Chief Deputy Republican Whip, the highest appointed position in the Republican caucus.
.... On November 19, 2008, Cantor was unanimously elected Republican Whip for the 111th Congress, after serving as deputy whip for six years under Blunt. ... Cantor became the Majority Leader when the 112th Congress took office on January 3, 2011. ...
Cantor is a member of the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Republican National Committee. He is one of the Republican Party's top fundraisers, having raised over $30 million for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). He is also one of the three founding members of the GOP Young Guns Program. ...
... He supports strong United States-Israel relations. ... He opposed a Congressionally-approved three-year package of US$400 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority in 2000 and has also introduced legislation to end aid to Palestinians.
In May 2008, Cantor said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a "constant sore" but rather "a constant reminder of the greatness of America", and following Barack Obama's election as President in November 2008, Cantor stated that a “stronger U.S.-Israel relationship” remains a top priority for him and that he would be “very outspoken” if Obama "did anything to undermine those ties." Shortly after the 2010 midterm elections, Cantor met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just before Netanyahu was to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. According to Cantor's office, he "stressed that the new Republican majority will serve as a check on the Administration" and "made clear that the Republican majority understands the special relationship between Israel and the United States." Cantor was criticized for engaging in foreign policy; one basis for the criticism was that in 2007, after Nancy Pelosi met with the President of Syria, Cantor himself had raised the possibility "that her recent diplomatic overtures ran afoul of the Logan Act, which makes it a felony for any American 'without authority of the United States' to communicate with a foreign government to influence that government’s behavior on any disputes with the United States." ...
In August 2008 news reports surfaced that Cantor was being considered as John McCain's Vice Presidential running mate, with McCain's representatives seeking documents from Cantor as part of its vetting process. However, in May 2009, a source who claimed affiliation with the McCain campaign denied those reports, calling them "a complete and total joke", and blaming "Cantor’s PR people" for being responsible for the false reports.
Cantor met his wife, Diana Marcy Fine, on a blind date; they were married in 1989. They have three children: Evan, Jenna, and Michael.
Diana Cantor is a lawyer and certified public accountant. She founded, and from 1996 until 2008 was executive director of, the Virginia College Savings Plan (an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia). She was also chairman of the board of the College Savings Plans Network. Mrs. Cantor is a Managing Director in a division of Emigrant Bank, a subsidiary of New York Private Bank & Trust Corp.
It's hard to see how Eric Cantor is any less qualified to be the First Jewish President than Barack Obama was to be the First Black President.
Even Obama isn't in favor of withholding disaster assistance for tornado victims:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2011/may/23/cantor-learns-delays-lesson-disaster-spending/
"House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Monday that if Congress passes an emergency spending bill to help Missouri's tornado victims, the extra money will have to be cut from somewhere else.
"If there is support for a supplemental, it would be accompanied by support for having pay-fors to that supplemental," Mr. Cantor, Virginia Republican, told reporters at the Capitol. The term "pay-fors" is used by lawmakers to signal cuts or tax increases used to pay for new spending."
As much as I don't like the supporters of Israel dictating foreign policy, I would be willing to support this agenda more or less if there was a big pull back on immigration, both legal and illegal.
ReplyDeleteCan we get this deal?
Doesn't seem like it, but it is there for the taking.
I noticed this guy a few years back and figured he would make a great Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidate, which means of course that the GOP will want nothing to do with him. Smart, educated, articulate, Jewish, no thanks, we want the tongue tied and moronic but Christian Sarah Palin instead because "she's a rogue" .
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that Cantor would have to give up a very, very good position in the House. If Cantor wants the top job, he'll likely run for Governor of Virginia in 2013, at least if Obama is re-elected. It would be a good move for a 2020 run in the event of a Republican victory, too.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching his videos on Youtube. He's good in debate, but what stands out for me is that even in videos his own team has selected, he gets introduced as 'Washington', 'royalty', etc. That's what happens when you're House Majority leader.
Cantor on immigration:
ReplyDeleteVoted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on preventing tipping off Mexicans about Minuteman Project. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment. (May 2004)
Voted YES on extending Immigrant Residency rules. (May 2001)
Rated 100% by FAIR, indicating a voting record restricting immigration. (Dec 2003)
Rated 92% by USBC, indicating a sealed-border stance. (Dec 2006)
Declare English as the official language of the US. (Feb 2007)
Eh, they can't throw anti-semitism at him. Only weak spot is the illegal aliens in the hospital, which just shows he's human. I say go for it. If you actually got a Jewish president who restricted immigration, would you really complain? Maybe only Nixon can go to China...
He'd never win--social conservatives would throw a fit--but as a VP, why not?
Too bad Barney Frank is a Democrat. The Republicans could nominate him and have a twofer. Come to think of it, they could nominate him anyway and have a threefer!
ReplyDeleteHey, Disraeli was good for the Tories.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Marco Rubio? Conservative in the Reagan tradition, very intelligent(graduated with honors), all-American(college gridiron star who almost made it to the NFL), EXTREMELY handsome, articulate and eloquent, etc, and most importantly, he is a minority which allows the Republican Party to equal itself to the Democrats in the moral war. It's funny that Sailer hasn't mentioned Rubio.
ReplyDeleteA Jewish congressman who supports strong US borders.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to tie commenters here up in knots.
I'm a Jew, and I think Cantor would likely beat Obama. I'm sure he'd get support from many members of the tribe. This could tip some states, e.g., Florida, Ohio, etc., into the Republican column.
ReplyDeleteMight be a good choice. He seems a bit smug at times though, it might not wear well on tv. Anyway, it seems likely Obama's masses will turn out for him. Unless Whites get explicit, no republican - certainly no "conservative" - will ever win again. Demographics starting to kick in.
ReplyDelete"It's widely noted that the GOP field of Presidential candidates seems a little weak."
ReplyDeleteSo, what counts as strength today? Bush II was a zero but he won. Obama had hardly any qualifications but he won too.
Bush won because of 'Clinton fatigue', he seemed like a 'nice guy' in an era of general blandness and stability, and because GOP stalwarts saw him as a pushover puppet.
Obama won because of Jewish support, chocolate milk charisma, hope and change symbolism, and 2008economic meltdown.
Obama hasn't done a good job so far, so he should be vulnerable. But he does have the telegenic Oprah thing for many Americans. He can count on the black vote and the white guilt vote and tons of Jewish cash and media support. Hispanic vote too maybe but perhaps not as much as in 2008. (Given so much anti-immigration rhetoric from the GOP, it is still amazing that 30% of Hispanics voted for the GOP.)
Anyway, in this age of the electronic image and audio, what counted as strengths in the past no longer apply. Even if all the GOP candidate have strong resumes, they would go nowhere without the personality thing. Obama has a cheesy one but he is telegenic. Republican guys tend to be colorless except for Ron Paul. Paul is good but too extreme on some issue.. and too old. As for Gingrich and Romney, no one trusts them cuz of their past.
We just need someone with shoulders, look of confidence, self-control, optimism, and controlled passion. And reasonably good looks, which Rand Paul doesn't have.
(Am I the only one who thinks Ron looks like Popeye and Rand looks like Sweat Pea?)
And we need a man with the voice.
Our suggest to all conservatives should be TAKE DRAMA CLASSES IN HIGHSCHOOL AND COLLEGE. Learn how to act and speak. And even if you don't succeed in politics, you might in Hollywood, and we can always do with more conservative actors(who sometimes become directors like Gibson, Eastwood, and Duvall).
"Cantor is the only Jewish Republican currently serving in Congress."
ReplyDeleteHahahaha. Jews diss conservatives, so conservatives should go with a Jew. And how about Col. West or Herman Cain as VP?
Is this how low the GOP has fallen?
No to Cantor. He's too ... Beta Male. I like his record on immigration, but creating victory means a super-appeal to White voters, along racial/ethnic lines, but not explicit.
ReplyDeleteThis means a guy who is young, true, but also has charisma. Which Cantor just lacks (see Romney, Pawlenty, etc.) No to Palin -- White women HATE HATE HATE her.
Rick Perry is likely the best positioned, he's all over Greta Van Susteren's show on border crime/immigration issues. He's conservative. He's populist.
And that is the key. Green eyeshade "cuts to Medicare" guarantee an Obama victory. "Obama will gut Medicare to give money to illegals" is a vote-winner for GOP Candidates. Perry as a more populist guy understands that. Cantor does not.
People like Bibi because he's a conservative populist for his own people in the West. We wish had our own populist. America has not had a true populist since, maybe Truman.
ReplyDeleteWhat we have instead is faux-aristo elites, who "know" they are better than us, and hate America's traditions and people. Pushed by ... well White female desire for Princes and Kings and dislike of ordinary people.
This means, yes we need a young hunk candidate, but one that can be populist (male White voters show up) as well as hunky (yes White women vote on youth/virility as much as anything).
One Jewish billionaire's cash is now up for grabs in 2012: Haim Saban says he's not going to support Obama's reelection bid.
ReplyDeleteHe's an unlikable dum douche. I'm a jew and I'd never vote for him. His accent is disturbing to me.
ReplyDelete"Similarly, nobody in the press cares that Tim Pawlenty would be the first half-Polish President."
ReplyDeleteI have a great idea. Look here:
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/sheep_thats_15_human_created_for_transplants/
"Scientists have created the world’s first human-sheep chimera – which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs. The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells – and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer."
How about we create the first hybrid candidate? Maybe 60% man and 40% elephant. Elephant Man as president! Think of the memory he'll have.
This way Democrats will only be wimpy interracist while we will be fully interspeciest. I wouldn't being half-tiger myself.
Correction. I wouldn't MIND being half-tiger myself.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is if Cantor runs, he may take a dive because he doesn't wanna send a message to the black community, 'A Jew beat a black guy'. And in order to maintain the Jewish-black alliance, Jews may stick with Obama than go with Cantor.
ReplyDeleteHaim Saban breaking with Obama?
ReplyDeleteLink
Somehow I doubt he'll need to do that.
It's a myth plain and simple that US foreign policy is pro-Israel. All one needs to do is ask themselves if the US and international community completely removed themselves from the affairs of the Middle East what would the situation look like.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who thinks that the Israeli military (even without the pittance of military aid, which amounts to less than <2% of GDP) wouldn't wipe the floor in a no holds barred total war between it and its neighbors is nuts.
The only reason Syria, Lebanon and Egypt continue to enjoy the privilege of living outside the stone age is because the "international community" (read: US State Department and US liberal media and press) would have a shit fit if a couple of nukes were lobbed into the center of Damascus and Beirut (and for that matter Tehran), followed by a tank blitzkrieg.
The military aid is nothing compared to the fact that our government, journalists and political correctness stops the Israeli military from going in and just carpet bombing whatever hospitals and orphanages Hamas is hiding their rocket launch sites in.
The only thing Israel needs from the US is for it to drop its squeamish, cowardly fear of "offending" third world terrorists and thugs.
Woody Allen-ish, guys, non-alpha.
ReplyDelete"One Jewish billionaire's cash is now up for grabs in 2012: Haim Saban says he's not going to support Obama's reelection bid."
ReplyDeleteSo, who among the GOP will be craven to take his thirty pieces of silver?
To clarify, I didn't mean Cantor looks disheveled like Woody Allen, but his speaking voice is whiny like Allen's and he's soo metrosexualish.
ReplyDeleteNope.
"And we need a man with the voice."
ReplyDeleteSeems that man was Fred Thompson, had he actually been interested in campaigning.
"It's hard to see how Eric Cantor is any less qualified to be the First Jewish President than Barack Obama was to be the First Black President."
ReplyDeleteYeah, but that's sure not saying much.
Ron Paul's the best GOP candidate because he offers a message of freedom. This will take away young voters who will otherwise vote Dem. They'll notice that Obama has continued to reduce freedom.
ReplyDeleteOur first Jewish President will also be our first Mormon President. His name is Jason Chaffetz, and he's a young congressman from Utah.
ReplyDeleteHe was born, bar-Mitzvahed, and raised Jewish. His family comes from rich, well-connected, coastal stock (he has a half-brother named Dukakis, for example). He's young, conventionally handsome, and the media seems to cover him sympathetically.
He played D-1 college football on the Sailer Plan, too, which shouldn't hurt his prospects.
"No to Cantor. He's too ... Beta Male."
ReplyDelete"This means, yes we need a young hunk candidate, but one that can be populist (male White voters show up) as well as hunky (yes White women vote on youth/virility as much as anything)."
ReplyDeleteMarco Rubio fits that desciption to a "t". He is young, extremely good-looking, highly intelligent, former college gridiron star, eloquent, articulate, beloved by the Tea Party and most importantly, he is a Latino and thus puts the Republican Party on a moral equal ground with Democrats and their black president. He has also stated that America is the only country in the World that doesen't enforce it's immigration laws, and that this is shameful. Rubio is as good as Republicans can get. Now, if you want a candidate that wants to end Third World immigration to America, then you won't find any among mainstream politicians because not supporting Third World imigration is racist, and that is something that no mainstream politician wants to be considered. If that is what you want, then you should become a White Nationalist and forget about politics as usual.
Inkraven gave us the link to the Washington Times story about Cantor not wanting to give aid to the Missouri tornado victims unless it was paid for by cutting the budget elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIn November 2010, shortly after the republicans won the House, Cantor was reported to be supportive of a new plan to classify aid to Israel as part of the US defense budget, instead of what it actually is, foreign aid. He was worried that the Tea Party movement would pressure the republicans to cut foreign aid, and he did not want Israel getting adversely affected. So his solution was to reclassify that aid as US DoD spending. Here is a story about it in the Jerusalem Post.
As a resident of Missouri, I find this offensive. That a US Congressman would nickle and dime US citizens in time of need, but do everything in his power to keep the financial gravy train running for a foreign nation is despicable, especially for a foreign nation that is supposed to have a knowledge-based economy that is the envy of the world.
In effect Cantor is saying that Israel is more important than an American state and American citizens.
Or maybe he feels like Grandpa Simpson. In one episode of the Simpsons Granda was displaying a 49 star flag. Marge asked him why he did not have a 50 star flag. Grandpa told her that it would be a cold day in hell before he recognized Missourah. Maybe Cantor feels the same.
Anyone who thinks that the Israeli military (even without the pittance of military aid, which amounts to less than <2% of GDP) wouldn't wipe the floor in a no holds barred total war between it and its neighbors is nuts.
ReplyDeleteYou're assuming Russia, China, the EU, etc. would just sit idly by.
In my previous post, I suggested that Eric Cantor might not like Missouri much like Grandpa Simpson.
ReplyDeleteHere is a youtube clip of Grandpa Simpson expressing his feelings for the state of Missourah. I should have put it in the original post.
"Our first Jewish President will also be our first Mormon President. His name is Jason Chaffetz, and he's a young congressman from Utah.
ReplyDeleteHe was born, bar-Mitzvahed, and raised Jewish. His family comes from rich, well-connected, coastal stock (he has a half-brother named Dukakis, for example."
**********************************
Jason Chaffetz is the son of Kitty Dukakis' first husband, John Chaffetz.
"And we need a man with the voice."
ReplyDelete"Seems that man was Fred Thompson, had he actually been interested in campaigning."
But he lacked intensity. He had the entitlementality of Southern gentry, the whole attitude being, "I'm an old white male of proper breed and pedigree, and so the people should hand me the key to the city." It might have worked in the South decades ago, but it's wrong for today.
Also, in his old age, he looked like the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
All the 'baby' in rock songs should be changed to Bibi.
ReplyDeleteBibi Love ooh Bibi Love Missing ya ooh ooh Kissing ya.
"Haim Saban says he's not going to support Obama's reelection bid."
ReplyDeletePrimary challenge? Watch Clinton.
First picture of him I've seen.
ReplyDeleteNo chance. Horsefaces don't win.
The guy looks like Clark Howard with a tan.
I don't get the commenters who say that Cantor can't win the Presidency because he's a "beta" male and not an "alpha" male. An "alpha" is a leader. Cantor is a LEADER in the House of Representatives. What would persuade these commenters that he's an "alpha"? Does he have to drag his knuckles on the ground, grunt, scream, and scratch his ass in public? WTF?!
ReplyDelete"Cantor is the only Jewish Republican currently serving in Congress."
ReplyDeleteThat's not true. House member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) also has Jewish ancestry. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileana_Ros-Lehtinen#Personal_life
"What would persuade these commenters that he's an "alpha"? Does he have to drag his knuckles on the ground, grunt, scream, and scratch his ass in public? WTF?!"
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we live in an age in which tv matters.
Have you ever heard Cantor talk?
Anyone who thinks that the Israeli military (even without the pittance of military aid, which amounts to less than <2% of GDP)...
ReplyDeleteIs that true? 2% of whose GNP?
... wouldn't wipe the floor in a no holds barred total war between it and its neighbors is nuts.
Why didn't the IDF do better and stronger against Hezbollah during Israel's 2006 incursion into Lebanon?
Eric Cantor looks like Bob Saget.
ReplyDeleteCantor's upper lip often curls into a snarl of contempt. Not good for a politician.
ReplyDelete