AFTER THE CANTOR ROUT….SEE NOTE PLEASE
http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-cantor-defeat-1402483545?mod=Opinion_newsreel_1
THIS BLIP ON THE RADAR OF THE 2014 CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS IS CAUSING HIVES AMONG STATUS QUO REPUBLICANS….CANTOR LOST AND BRAT WON FAIR AND SQUARE. YOU CAN’T BE A CROSS DRESSING REPUBLICAN WHO VOTES FOR AND SUPPORTS POLICIES INIMICAL TO CONSERVATIVES. THERE ARE PLENTY OF BRILLIANT, ENERGETIC, PRINCIPLED GOP INCUMBENTS WHO CAN FILL CANTOR’S SLIPPERS AND DO BETTER…RSK
The best candidates for GOP leader are Paul Ryan and Jeb Hensarling.
The rout of Majority Leader Eric Cantor means a period of turmoil for House Republicans, but also a chance for some new and invigorating leadership. Mr. Cantor announced Wednesday he’ll resign as leader by the end of July, and various Members are considering a run to replace him. This is a chance to fix what has too often been a dysfunctional majority.
One place to start is not by panicking into a false conclusion about the reasons for defeat. David Brat, the economics professor who beat Mr. Cantor 56% to 45%, rode a wave of popular frustration with Washington and an incumbent who had lost touch with his district. Considering the unpopularity of Congress, the surprise this year is that we haven’t seen more such upsets.
Far from being a radical, Mr. Brat sounded traditional free-market themes and assailed the House GOP for getting too close to big business. He ran against Fannie Mae FNMA Freddie Mac, , as well as the farm and flood insurance bills that Mr. Cantor guided through the House this year. To the extent his victory warns the GOP to disavow crony capitalism, Mr. Brat has done a public service. Let’s hope he joins the GOP’s growth wing, and maybe now the Export-Import Bank will finally be allowed to expire.
Mr. Cantor also suffered from having to govern in a polarized Washington. That fault lies more with President Obama and the Republican kamikazes who hurt the GOP image by shutting down the government, but many grass-roots activists wanted someone to pay for that political failure. Mr. Cantor’s national travels also took him away from his district and he rarely engaged with grass-roots activists.
Immigration opponents are claiming their issue made the difference, and Mr. Bart’s rhetoric on the issue was the main departure from his pro-growth themes. Mr. Cantor favored a legislative compromise to allow illegal children or young adults who were brought here by their parents to gain a path to citizenship. Mr. Brat took the unfortunate line that somehow this is “amnesty,” even for kids brought here illegally through no act of their own.
Yet immigration hasn’t hurt other GOP incumbents this year, notably South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. His support for last year’s Senate immigration reform made him a conservative target, yet he stuck to his principles and won easily on Tuesday. GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers (N.C.), another reform supporter, was challenged by an immigration hardliner and also won easily. Ed Gillespie favors reform and won the GOP nomination for Senate in Virginia with only token opposition.
Part of Mr. Cantor’s problem is that his campaign mail in his district took a harder anti-immigration line than he did in Washington, and Mr. Brat pounded at the contradiction. The lesson for House Speaker John Boehner and other reformers is that they can’t please both sides in this immigration debate. The talk-radio opponents care mainly about their media market share and they won’t support any reform, ever, that makes it easier to enter the U.S.
The reformers need to make their case unapologetically and stick with it. Most Americans support immigration reform (see below), and a Republican Party that wants to deport children will never build a majority coalition. Some 65,000 votes in a single Virginia district should not dictate GOP immigration policy.
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With Mr. Cantor’s resignation, the race is now on for a new Majority Leader and ultimately to succeed Mr. Boehner, who may decide not to seek another term as Speaker. The best candidate and leader would be Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who combines policy conviction with political judgment. The GOP needs a leader who is trusted enough across the conference for his principles that he can credibly make the compromises that are inevitable in a divided government. Mr. Ryan has credibility everywhere except the anti-immigration fever swamps.
If Mr. Ryan prefers to be Ways and Means Chairman, Jeb Hensarling would be the most plausible alternative as GOP leader. The Texan was an aide to former Senator Phil Gramm and he has combined both free-market principle and political pragmatism while chairing the Financial Services Committee. Many in the House rank-and-file were already urging Mr. Hensarling to challenge Mr. Cantor before his defeat.
California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the current House whip, is likely to run with the support of Mr. Cantor. Mr. McCarthy is known more for his political than policy chops, however, and thus he might struggle the way Mr. Boehner has with keeping his fractious coalition in line on difficult votes. Some of the other names lack the experience or standing to unite the conference.
The biggest mistake would be for the House and party to descend into recriminations and undercut their promising chances to gain seats in November. No seat in Congress should be a sinecure, and Mr. Brat won fairly and with little money. The GOP should pick the right leader, see if it’s possible to find a majority to compromise on immigration reform for the good of the country, and then unite for the election run.
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