Shock defeat of majority leader Eric Cantor by Tea Party sends shockwaves through Republican Party

[webfact]

Shock defeat of majority leader Eric Cantor by Tea Party sends shockwaves through Republican Party
Nick O'Malley
US correspondent for Fairfax Media

WASHINGTON: -- The Republican congressional leadership has been thrown into disarray by the shock defeat of its second highest ranked office holder, Eric Cantor, to a barely known Tea Party backed insurgent in a primary race.

Mr Cantor, a representative of Virginia, is the sitting House Majority Leader and was expected to breeze through this primary challenge to eventually take over as Speaker of the House from John Boehner.

Instead his career was snuffed out by an obscure right-wing economics college professor named David Brat, who professes a high regard for Ayn Rand’s case for human freedom and free markets, according to a profile by the National Review.

“Eric Cantor’s loss tonight is an apocalyptic moment for the GOP establishment,” L. Brent Bozell, chairman of ForAmerica, a conservative group that targeted Mr Cantor throughout the primary told the Washington Post. “The grassroots is in revolt and marching.”

Full story: http://www.theage.com.au/world/shock-defeat-of-majority-leader-eric-cantor-by-tea-party-sends-shockwaves-through-republican-party-20140611-zs40b.html


-- The Age 2014-06-11

[Credo]

Now it will be the Looney-left liberals that are going to have to start buying guns to protect themselves from the Tea Party.

[Scott]

Troll post removed.

[pookiki]

The will of the people has been shown through democratic elections.

[Ulysses G.]

I think that this article is exaggerating a LOT. A Tea party candidate beat one of the old guard. That is not exactly a revolution.

[Chicog]

I think that this article is exaggerating a LOT. A Tea party candidate beat one of the old guard. That is not exactly a revolution.

Yes, but there's plenty more money to oust the rest.

They're all available at a price.

[Ulysses G.]

Money did not have a lot to do with it. Eric Cantor far outspent his opponent.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I think that this article is exaggerating a LOT. A Tea party candidate beat one of the old guard. That is not exactly a revolution.

I don't know that I'd quite call Cantor part of the Republic or Congressional "old guard." He'd only been in Congress since 2001 and only in a leadership position since 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Cantor

Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is the United States Representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district, serving from 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.

His district includes most of the northern and western sections of Richmond, along with most of Richmond's western suburbs and portions of the Shenandoah Valley. Cantor is the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress in its history, and currently Congress's only Jewish Republican.^[1]

Cantor was defeated for re-election in the Republican primary in Virginia on June 10, 2014, by university professor Dave Brat, thus making Cantor the first House Majority Leader to lose his party's primary since the position was created in 1899.^[2][3][4]

[kingalfred]

Let the repub party get dragged further to the tea bagging extreme right in primaries .The best way of bombing in general elections

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[Ulysses G.]

I don't know that I'd quite call Cantor part of the Republic or Congressional "old guard." He'd only been in Congress since 2001 and only in a leadership position since 2009.

Old guard as in before the Tea Party.

[ClutchClark]

I have never understood the fascination so many conservative Americans have with Teabagging , or whatever it is they call their movement.

The entire philosophy seems to be focused on obstructionism and not in the spirit of compromise that our Nation was founded on.

I have spoken to many of these teabaggers (?) and they are all so angry about everything. There is not a topic they are not pissed off about.

[Loptr]

You folks too much credence to a label. GOP this, Dem that, Tea Party whacko... The fact is that Brat ran against Cantor specifically on an anti-immigration reform platform while Cantor was front-running the GOP charge on doing a deal this year. The people spoke loudly that they do not want amnesty nor any deal for the millions of illegals in the US. Now the administration has opened the borders the 10's of thousands on children and they are being stockpiled in southern states with no plan, just let the Dreamers in. Yet another fine mess.

[Tatsujin]

And we complain about "politics" in Thailand lol . . . every other country is a <deleted> mess too . . . I however propose an amendment to the voting laws so that people can only be eligible to vote once they've exceeded 45 on a standardised IQ test . . .

[ClutchClark]

You folks too much credence to a label. GOP this, Dem that, Tea Party whacko... The fact is that Brat ran against Cantor specifically on an anti-immigration reform platform while Cantor was front-running the GOP charge on doing a deal this year. The people spoke loudly that they do not want amnesty nor any deal for the millions of illegals in the US. Now the administration has opened the borders the 10's of thousands on children and they are being stockpiled in southern states with no plan, just let the Dreamers in. Yet another fine mess.

Buddy, everything in the US today is viewed on the partisan scale and teabaggers make conservative republicans look like Feinstein.

Personally, I had alot of respect for Ron Paul, I would like to see the country move beyond its current 2-party system stalemate, I just don't think the teabag party is the way to do it. I know several since they are mostly of my demographic--old and white and conservative but they are mostly motivated by their strong dislike that we have a black man using the front door of the White House.

There are so many better reasons to dislike the guy than the color of his skin.

[shirtless]

People are finally waking up too, two party politics is not democracy.lets face it things really cant get any worse, 17.5 trillion in the hole and the economy has not recovered.

[kamahele]

This shows how extremist the Republican party has become. I can't think of anyone more conservative than Cantor (who shouldn't be on psychological meds) and yet he was beaten in his own primary. Democrats now have a chance to take the seat one would hope. The teabaggers are genuinely nuts. So nuts that some lean towards fascism while others lean towards anarchy.

[SICHONSTEVE]

The will of the people has been shown through democratic elections.

I wonder if there will be a coup in the US now!!!

[Balance]

Let the repub party get dragged further to the tea bagging extreme right in primaries .The best way of bombing in general elections

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Agree! There were only about 65,000 people who voted and Brat won 55/45%. But what this does do is kill immigration reform and further drags the "mainstream" republicans further to the fringe right wing. Any thought of a Senate win for them is gone, and they will most likely lose a few seats in the House. Then the end will come in 2016 in a wave election for Democrats with Hilliary at the head of the ticket.

It also offers an clear path for the Democrats to nationalize local races in the upcoming midterms using the argument that even if there are "reasonable" republicans running against Democrats, voting for any republican means more gridlock by people who don't think that the United States needs a government. Just let everyone carry an machine gun on the streets and things will get themselves sorted out. The lunacy of this thinking will eventually sink into the more of the electorate and shortly the only races they can win will be for dog catcher.

It is unfortunate that the U.S. is fast losing it's two party system. But you can't have a political party that wants to destroy any ability to govern the country. The need to really find a dark closet and rethink their commitment to majority democracy and the democratic process because right now they are on the wrong side of history.

[Chicog]

Money did not have a lot to do with it. Eric Cantor far outspent his opponent.

And how much have Citizens United, Americans for Democracy and all the other Koch vehicles quietly spent plugging the tea bag mantra?

Very difficult to tell these days, they seem quite adept at hiding it.

[snarky66]

Those darn Koch brothers.

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[chuckd]

You progressive liberals had your wish during the first two years of the Obama administration. Democratic controlled Congress and White House.

That got you Obamacare, Dodd/Frank and thousands upon thousands of new government regulations.

How's that working out for you now?

[Suradit69]

I have never understood the fascination so many conservative Americans have with Teabagging , or whatever it is they call their movement.

The entire philosophy seems to be focused on obstructionism and not in the spirit of compromise that our Nation was founded on.

I have spoken to many of these teabaggers (?) and they are all so angry about everything. There is not a topic they are not pissed off about.

"There is not a topic they are not pissed off about. "

It started when they heard that the schools had started teaching that the world was a spheroid and other controversial things.

The name has nothing to do with the tea bagging sex position , but rather a pivotal event in the American saga held dear by tea-bagger historians and used as a programming template at Faux News.

[Frank James]

The GOP is eating itself.

[Pinot]

Bwahahahaha... I just love it when the wingnuts start eating their own. Here is another good one....President Ted Cruz, bwahhahahaha.

[Docno]

Nothing could be better for the Democrats than the GOP veering even farther toward looney land...

[Pinot]

Nothing could be better for the Democrats than the GOP veering even farther toward looney land...

Veering even farther???? Benghazi!!!!

[wwest5829]

Now it will be the Looney-left liberals that are going to have to start buying guns to protect themselves from the Tea Party.

Ha! I have always told my right wing friends that I am their worst fear...a gun owning, Democrat with a license for carrying a concealed weapon. You know, as entertaining as Thai politics are, the U.S. Has become quite fascinating to watch. I understand the frustration on many fronts but thus far, I can only see the flailing of arms and movement toward an even more critical political period as we go into the 2016 elections.

[Neurath]

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You progressive liberals had your wish during the first two years of the Obama administration. Democratic controlled Congress and White House.

That got you Obamacare, Dodd/Frank and thousands upon thousands of new government regulations.

How's that working out for you now?

A whole lot better than it's working out for Eric Cantor by the looks of it. Looks to me like the Republican Party will have to consider "reform before Primary voting". What's that? I think I can hear Pat Buchannan ejaculating.

[Ulysses G.]

old and white and conservative but they are mostly motivated by their strong dislike that we have a black man using the front door of the White House.

There are so many better reasons to dislike the guy than the color of his skin.

I know plenty of conservatives that detest Obama and the color of his skin is not a factor. His lame policies, dishonestly and hypocrisy are the problem.

I am not big on the Tea Party either, but mostly because they are too rigid in their ideology and poor at picking candidates that can win.

[kingstonkid]

This is the biggest pile of crap yet in the media. I watched it and it turns out that yes a few of the local tea party people supported him BUT he got absolutely no support from the national Tea party or any of the groups.

It was a reallly crappy turn out.

People were pissed at Cantor for his flip flops and wanted a new person that was not a professional politician.

Funny thing is both the Dem candidate and him are professors at the same university.

As for the tea party being great the guy that everyone thought would lose was Linsay Grahm and he anihilated the other candidates.