GOP Primaries – House Majority Leader Cantor defeated
Leader Eric Cantor and William J. Murray
On the morning of June 11th Democrats not only in Virginia but across the nation celebrated the defeat by Tea Party activists in Virginia of the most conservative member of the House leadership. With Republicans now in disarray, socialist President Barack Obama has an almost completely free hand at ruling by executive fiat.
Barack Obama’s most powerful critic has been defeated by the Tea Party. Congressman Eric Cantor – the only man ever to criticize President Obama face to face inside the White House, has been defeated by a libertarian college professor supported by the Tea Party.
I am not anti-Tea Party. Even good people can make mistakes while trying to prove a point. The Virginia Tea Party defeat of Eric Cantor is already causing such upheaval as to set back the conservative movement by years and has paralyzed the House leadership.
The House bill to replace ObamaCare is now dead. The bill which Eric Cantor spearheaded kept the most popular parts of the current plan including pre-existing condition care, and got rid of those portions that do the most damage. The GOP leadership has acknowledged, according to the Washington Times, that the bill cannot be passed without Cantor for fear it would be seen as a “compromise.”
Our southern border is wide open and thousands of children are being dumped there daily by their parents in hopes of a free ride to America. The Border Service now has tens of thousands of children caged up, some held in military camps in horrid, unsanitary conditions that are a shame to our nation. What happens next is in the hands of President Obama. Again the GOP leadership has admitted that no bill can be passed in the House to change the situation after the defeat of Eric Cantor, because any new law would be seen as a “compromise.”
Legislation to extend the Import-Export bank’s existence is about to expire, and again the Washington Times is reporting that now that Eric Cantor is not the majority leader the bill to extend it cannot pass. The result will be the loss of tens of thousands of jobs from companies such as Caterpillar who rely on the loans to export equipment to third world nations.
It gets worse: Cantor’s replacement, David Brat, believes that government should pass no laws concerning morality. “Can Christians force others to follow their ethical teachings on social issues?” he asks rhetorically, then writes: “The political Right likes to champion individual rights and individual liberty, but it has also worked to enforce morality in relation to abortion, gambling and homosexuality.”
Brat, who received a degree in theology from Princeton (that says something right there) also writes: “Jesus was a great man. Jesus said he was the Son of God. Jesus made things happen. Jesus had faith. Jesus actually made people better. Then came the Christians. What happened? What went wrong?” Note that he wrote “Jesus said he was the Son of God.”
Joe Farah, editor of WND.COM, made this retort to David Brat’s libertarian ramblings the day after Brat won the GOP nomination: “Every law passed is, in effect, an expression of a moral viewpoint – be it a speed limit or taxing legislation. It all comes down to opinions on what is right and wrong. It’s no different with abortion, gambling and homosexuality. But it sounds like Brat, the new hero of the tea-party movement, would place those issues in a separate libertarian classification that inexplicably places them outside or above the law.”
The Tea Party attack on Eric Cantor was not about substance, but more about being anti-establishment. The anti-Cantor campaign took on the appearance almost of Occupy Wall Street, with a mentality of “out with the establishment” regardless of the cost. The cost turns out to be greater than anyone could envision. When a real leader is lost, there is true damage to the cause.
GING-PAC did its best to reelect Eric Cantor because of his powerful pro-life and pro-traditional family positions. I authored several columns and opinion-editorials favorable to Leader Eric Cantor that were published nationally and in 7th district newspapers including the Free Lance Star in Fredericksburg, Virginia and the Hampton Roads Pilot. Nationally, WND.COM published a column I authored which was favorable to Eric Cantor and pointing out the dangers for social conservatives if a Libertarian were to replace him.
In various outlets I pointed out that Eric Cantor had a 100% rating from the Right to Life Committee. He has a zero rating from the pro-abortion group NARAL. He also has a zero rating from the homosexual activist group Human Rights Campaign. Cantor has consistently voted against special privileges for gays, and for pro-traditional family legislation. I worked hard to warn everyone that David Brat is a true libertarian academic college professor who does not understand the practical aspects of governance and who cares little or nothing about pro-life and pro-family causes.
What happens in the general election in November? David Brat has no endorsements from any pro-life or pro-family groups. He has no political experience and no record. He basically pledged to go to Washington and vote “no.” His Democrat opponent is also an academic, actually a professor at the same university.
Yes … you read that right. The Democrat, Jack Trammell, and Republican David Brat are both full time professors at Randolph-Macon College. One is a socialist and the other a libertarian. Neither man has ever worked in private enterprise, ever owned a business, and ever had to write a paycheck to anyone. Neither man is a job creator. In fact, both have held government jobs for most of their adult lives.
The Cantor loss affects my work on Capitol Hill – As chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, I am constantly in contact with members of the House and Senate in a variety of different ways. Last year the Chick-fil-A Foundation contacted me and asked me to arrange a meeting on Capitol Hill for their Christian Leadership trainees. Working through Eric Cantor’s office I was able to obtain a large hearing room inside the Rayburn House Office building with catering service for more than 200 young adults. In addition, permission was obtained to enter the main Capitol Building with the group at night for a tour.
The above is just one example of many. Eric Cantor’s office has arranged the use of facilities on Capitol Hill not only for the Religious Freedom Coalition but for other social conservative groups as well. He also facilitated the addition of pro-life and pro-family amendments to budget bills, even though they were often killed in the Democrat controlled Senate. Eric Cantor was one of the few congressmen on Capitol Hill who appointed a full time staff person to work with outside conservative groups such as the Religious Freedom Coalition.
He also added prestige to the pro-life movement by addressing the Right to Life march in Washington, DC every year that he held a leadership position.
Of all those mentioned to replace Eric Cantor as Majority Leader, I have a working relationship with only one — Jim Jordan of Ohio. The others who might get the Leadership role, including Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan, may vote well on social conservative issues, but none are social conservative activists. As of the writing of this update it appears that the current GOP Whip, Kevin McCarthy will be the new House Majority Leader. I have never met McCarthy
GING-PAC is involved in additional elections in June, some as late as the 24th. We have several candidates in Florida elections including Steve Southerland who is in a Democrat leaning district and only wins there because of his social conservative views. The one I am most concerned about is Congressman Lankford, a proven conservative, who is running for the GOP Senate nomination in Oklahoma. A libertarian receiving support from several “anti-establishment” groups is doing well after the defeat of Eric Cantor in Virginia. We need more social conservatives in the Senate, not libertarians. Please continue to support our efforts in June to elect social conservatives who stand with the family and not with the socialist utopian commune that is championed by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
William J. Murray, Chairman
Government Is Not God – PAC P.O. Box 77237, Washington, DC 20013
WWW.GINGPAC.ORG