Richmond Tea Party » Eric Cantor

Got anything to say to Eric Cantor ?

Aha — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:41:24 +0000

Got anything to say to Eric Cantor ?

Here’s your chance…

CANTOR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

AUGUST 31, 2011

Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia’s 7th District invites his constituents to attend the next Cantor Advisory Council Meeting. (This is what he calls a Town Hall)

August 31, 2011
5:30pm
Holiday Inn Koger Conference Center,

James River Ballroom

1021 Koger Center Blvd, Richmond, VA 23235

(5:30pm drinks and hors d’oeuvres; 6pm General Meeting with Q&A).

Please RSVP by Friday, August 26^th CINDY@CANTORFORCONGRESS.COM .

S&P Downgrades U.S. Sovereign Debt

JJac — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:42:16 +0000

From Bloomberg: S&P Cuts U.S. Rating for First Time on Deficit Reduction Pact

The U.S. had its AAA credit rating downgraded for the first time by Standard & Poor’s, which slammed the nation’s political process and said lawmakers failed to cut spending enough to reduce record deficits. “The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government’s medium-term debt dynamics,” S&P said in a statement today. Washington ignored our pleas and our warnings. Anyone with 2 neurons firing could see this coming. Eric Cantor: YOU ARE A FAILURE. You have failed as a representative; you have failed as a leader; you have failed the nation; you are an embarrassment to Virginia. If you have any honor left, you will resign immediately, apologize to the citizens of Virginia and the seventh Congressional district, and then fade away. Maybe you can get a job making french fries someplace where you can’t hurt anything important. Mark Warner, Jim Webb, and the rest of you who voted for this disaster: ditto. You have personally brought the coming economic calamity down onto the heads of Virginians, in spite of our demanding you act responsibly and balance the budget. Instead of balancing the budget as the Tea Parties demanded, the establishment republicans handed Obama $2.1 Trillion taxpayer dollars to spend between now and November 2012 on his reelection campaign. You can count on his spending it. All of it. You can bet the farm that they’ll be back for another few $Trillion right after the election. Why did the republicans do this? Was it stupidity, cowardice, or malfeasance in office? How do we get rid of the republican “leadership” that bought into this farcical debt deal?

Keep the Pressure On!

LibertyJon — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:59:03 +0000

A large group of patriots gathered at Rep. Eric Cantor’s office yesterday to personally deliver the message that we do not support a raise in the debt ceiling, unless AT LEAST the Cut, Cap, and Balance approach is implemented. I was impressed at how many people came out with less than 24-hour notice in the middle of the day on a Thursday. People know this is a make-or-break issue for America and are committed to having their voices heard, no matter how much Washington politicians cover their ears and yell, “La, la, la, la, la!” I could take this opportunity to do a little self-back-patting, pointing out that in only two years the Tea Party has completely shifted the debate in Washington and won the hearts and minds of We the People so that spending cuts are now the number one priority of the nation. Polls (here and here, for example) even show that by a roughly two-to-one margin Americans oppose raising the debt ceiling. It is truly a stunning accomplishment. But none of that will matter if the GOP caves (an art form they have mastered) and raises the debt ceiling without significant and unavoidable cuts. I fear that they will. I have no idea what’s really going on behind the scenes with Mitch McConnell’s trying to cut a terrible deal, President Obama’s storming out of a meeting because that mean Eric Cantor hurt his feelings, or whatever else may be playing at the Washington Theatre this week. But I know this: we need the GOP now more than ever in recent memory. We simply cannot allow them to revert to form and fold on what is a fundamental issue of our time. If we can’t use this historic opportunity to force significant and unavoidable spending cuts now and for the future, pack it up, my friends. America’s done. So is the Republican Party. Though they haven’t collectively represented actual liberty for some time, many Tea Partiers were willing to support Republicans last November as our last and only hope to stop the insanity that is our fiscal policy. We empowered them in the House for precisely this reason. They have the votes to stop yet another raise in the debt ceiling and protect what little fiscal integrity America may still be clinging to. If they can’t hold the line, though, on something as simple and reasonable as Cut, Cap, and Balance, they probably will have squandered their final opportunity to repair the severe damage done to the trust of We the People. They need to know this. We must continue relentlessly with e-mails, calls, faxes, and personal visits so that they know that we’re still wide awake and expect them to do the right thing for America. And if they won’t, we will find someone else who will. Cross-posted at redstatevirginia.com

Visit Rep. Eric Cantor’s Office TOMORROW! (Thursday July 14th)

EricM — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:36:09 +0000

Two Action Items: 1. Visit Congressman Cantor’s Office Tomorrow Regarding the Debt Ceiling! There are nationwide visits to Congressional offices planned for tomorrow at 12:00 Noon. Please join us with visiting Congressman Cantor’s office in Richmond to show our support for how he is currently standing firm on requiring spending cuts and resisting tax increases, and to insist that he continues to hold the line on any debt ceiling increase. The spending insanity in Washington *must* stop, and congressman Cantor is our responsibility. The rest of the country relies on US to really raise visibility and express our concerns with Rep. Cantor, and we are uniquely positioned here in the Richmond area to do so. Congressman Cantor has a seat at the table for the debt ceiling negotiations, and we must let him know that we are engaged and watching. RTP position: We not support any discussion of raising the debt ceiling without following the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” proposal. It is greatly preferential to not raise the debt ceiling whatsoever, but we feel that the CC&B proposal is the minimum requirement before negotiations can move forward. Remember: NO RAISING of the debt ceiling without Cut, Cap, and Balance! WHEN: Thursday, July 14th at 11:45 AM WHERE: Congressman Cantor’s Richmond Office (Innsbrook) 4201 Dominion Blvd. Suite 110 Glen Allen, VA 23060 (804) 747-4073 MAP 2. Additionally, Please Contact Leader Cantor’s Washington, D.C. Office Would you please take a few minutes to contact his office using ALL of these methods? 1. CALL: Call his D.C. office at (202) 225-2815 2. EMAIL: Contact page 3. FAX (if you have the capability): (202) 225-0011 If you are feeling REALLY energetic, a call to his Richmond office wouldn’t hurt, as well: (804) 747-4073 PLEASE TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY, as we only have a short time remaining for your voice to make a difference. What is the Cut, Cap, and Balance pledge? From the website:

I pledge to urge my Senators and Member of the House of Representatives to oppose any debt limit increase unless all three of the following conditions have been met: 1. Cut – Substantial cuts in spending that will reduce the deficit next year and thereafter. 2. Cap – Enforceable spending caps that will put federal spending on a path to a balanced budget. 3. Balance – Congressional passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — but only if it includes both a spending limitation and a super-majority for raising taxes, in addition to balancing revenues and expenses.

For more information, go here.

A Debt Ceiling Fold Imminent? Probably.

LibertyJon — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:48:07 +0000

I have this sinking (but totally expected) feeling that Republicans are about to sell out us and the nation yet again. Before we get to that, though, let’s begin with some good old fashioned class warfare rhetoric from a true artist:

“If we do not have revenues, that means there are a bunch of kids out there who do not have college scholarships,” Obama said. ”[It] might compromise the National Weather Services. It means we might not be funding critical medical research. It means food inspection might be compromised. I’ve said to Republican leaders, ‘You go talk to your constituents and ask them, “Are you willing to compromise your kids’ safety so some corporate-jet owner can get a tax break?” ‘ ”

Let’s ignore that the corporate-jet owner tax break was acutally part of President Obama’s stimulus package, and instead focus on his default rhetorical tactic of demonizing the rich (except for him and his friends, of course–they’re totally cool). He frames every economic policy in terms of rich vs. poor to sell his legislation. I’ve already shared my thoughts on the importance of smacking down this insidious approch wherever we find it, so I won’t belabor the point in this post. Instead, I go back to my original statement to prepare you for the coming Republican fold on this issue. Few things scare them more than being perceived as the “party of the rich.” This fear causes them to do foolish things, like agree to raising the debt ceiling while getting nothing in return. Oh, they’ll tell you they’re hanging tough and won’t accept any raise without significant spending cuts. But these are Washington politicians. That means that (a) their definition of “significant” and ours aren’t found in the same dictionary, and (b) they (wrongly) assume that you’ll be too ignorant, stupid, or lazy to figure out the game they’re playing. What exatly is that game? JJac has the details, but the short version is that the proposed cuts–while sounding large as a total dollar figure–would happen over a period of many years, basically reducing them to meaningless in terms of our annual deficit, ensuring that it’ll still continue to skyrocket year after year, until we finally come too close to the economic black hole to pull away (if we’re not there already). I can confirm that this is the likely approach. RTP has communicated directly with Rep. Eric Cantor’s office on this issue (as he is a crucial player in the negotiations), asking for his position on the debt ceiling and specifically if the cuts would be stretched over a number of years. Their response was very general and completely ignored the years-stretching part of the question. They simply said there would be significant cuts, possibly on a 1:1 ratio with the amount of the ceiling raise. That may qualify as “significant” in the eyes of Republican career politicians (and “unpatriotic” in the eyes of Democrat career politicians), but that is decidedly INsignificant to those of us who are tired of the political games and are starving for SOMEONE to stand up and actually address the deep fiscal crisis we are in. We need to shut down Rep. Cantor’s office with calls, e-mails, faxes, and visits, letting him know that we expect him to stand strong in the class warfare battle and win it for the American people by rejecting meaningless cuts and refusing to raise the debt ceiling without AT LEAST the Cut, Cap, and Balance approach. If he’s not willing to do that, then he shouldn’t expect much–if any–support from Tea Partiers (and many non-Tea Partiers, I would bet) in next year’s primary. In fact, with his poor record, it may be too late for him already with Tea Partiers, but perhaps standing strong on this issue might earn back some good will. Cross-posted at redstatevirginia.com

If This Is The “Deal,” I Have two Words: Bite Me

JJac — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:01:40 +0000

Budget negotiations are reportedly closing in on a deal to cut the federal deficit and then raise the debt ceiling. Bloomberg focuses on a big number and then, later, tells you that the cuts will happen over ten years. In other words, the dealmakers are going to cut a few hundred $Billion per year from the $1,600 Billion federal deficit. This will be the big agreement that will allow the repubs to boast their credz as “fiscal conservatives” and then go about the important business of adding a few $Trillion to the debt ceiling and deepening the American public’s debt slavery to the banks. This agreement will have been brought to you by none other than that stalwart friend of the banks, Mr. Eric Cantor, the lead Republican negotiator. According to Heidi Przybyla and Margaret Talev in “Obama, Republicans Focus on Narrower Deal on U.S. Debt as Deadline Nears” (28 June 2011),

President Barack Obama and Republicans are narrowing the debate on a deficit-cutting plan to a reduction of $1 trillion to $2 trillion, though whether that would settle the issue through the 2012 presidential election remains in doubt, according to budget and debt experts. … “The big boys are doing the negotiating now,” said Marc Goldwein, former associate director of the debt commission. “Even if they wanted a $4 trillion deal, there isn’t time in a two- to three-week period to write it legislatively,” said Goldwein, now policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington-based organization that examines fiscal policy. “The important thing is the biggest down payment as possible with at least a symbolic first step on entitlements.” Hey, it’s a symbolic first step! Woo Hoo! The “Big Boys” are gonna need some new Underoos when the voters get through with them.

Republicans Shouldn’t Take Tea Party for Granted

EricM — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:11:24 +0000

Here’s an interesting story from BigGovernment.com. Of course, “anonymous sources” are always suspect, but this is extremely troubling if there’s a sliver of truth in here. Let’s hope….no, rather INSIST that the Republican leadership act with conservative principles and take ACTION, rather than just offering fake platitudes and kicking the can down the (very long) street.

“What is it about the November election that Republican leadership doesn’t understand?” That is the first question I ask any Republican elected official who works in Washington. Each response from the numerous conservative Congressmen has been some variation of “they just don’t get it.” The Congressman who I met with said basically what I already knew, “House leadership has no plan to cut spending, repeal ObamaCare and is not conservative.”

If there was ever a tme for conservative politicians to feel that the American people are behind them, now is that time. Don’t squander your opportunity! The American people are waking up…now how about we also expect that from our citizen-servant leaders?

Tell Rep. Cantor to stop waffling on ObamaCare

LibertyJon — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:59:49 +0000

Unlike many Republicans, including our own Eric Cantor, Reps Michele Bachmann and Steve King are actually doing all they can to fulfill their pledge to defund ObamaCare. On RedState, Bachmann writes:

Last night my colleague Rep. Steve King (IA-05) and I drafted a letter to Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor and Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers urging them to include language to defund ObamaCare and rescind the $105,464,000,000 in funds already appropriated to implementing the health care law. Next Wednesday the House will consider another Continuing Resolution. Including language to defund ObamaCare is our opportunity to stop the flow of funds to ObamaCare once and for all. Our suggested language is, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available by this or any previous Act with respect to any fiscal year may be used to carry out the provisions of Public Law 111-148, Public Law 111-152, or any amendment made by either such Public Law. ” All members of Congress are encouraged to contact my office to join us in the effort to prevent taxpayers’ money from going to the implementation of this unconstitutional program.

Read the entire letter here. Then contact Cantor.

We’re in BIG trouble … which we already knew

LibertyJon — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:36:39 +0000

As you probably know by now, our own Eric Cantor couldn’t muster the will to cut the full $100 billion from the budget he and other Republicans promised during the 2010 campaign. While this is disappointing, it’s certainly not unexpected and highlights just how much work we have left to do. Because even if he and they had actually cut that $100 billion … so what? With a $14 trillion debt, $112 trillion in unfunded liabilities, and massive deficits projected by even Obama’s Fantasyland calculations for the next ten years, $100 billion does virtually nothing to address the overall budgetary black hole that’s sucking our nation in faster every day. And soon we’ll reach a point where we won’t be able to free ourselves from the pull – if we’re not there already. Democrats are now fighting Republicans over the paltry $61 billion in cuts they found the courage to commit to. If the parties don’t together pass a resolution soon to continue temporarily funding the government, it will shut down. Which brings us to the second feel-bad, unsurprising item of this post, also related to Rep. Cantor:

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, made his own push for bipartisan talks. “A government shutdown is not an acceptable outcome, and I call upon Leader Reid to commit to a good-faith effort to work with us and take that threat off the table,” Cantor said in a statement.

In other words, Republicans aren’t even committed to holding firm on the irrelevant $61 billion in cuts they proposed. If they can’t stomach even this proverbial drop in the bucket, how can we ever count on them to drain the ocean of debt our nation is drowning in? Like I said, we have a TON of work to do.

Krauthammer unimpressed with tax compromise

LibertyJon — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 14:57:51 +0000

Here’s the always-insightful Charles Krauthammer slamming Republicans for helping pass Obama’s tax deal last night:

Remember the question after Election Day: Can Obama move to the center to win back the independents who had abandoned the party in November? And if so, how long would it take? Answer: Five weeks. An indoor record, although an asterisk should denote that he had help – Republicans clearing his path and sprinkling it with rose petals. … And Obama pulled this off at his lowest political ebb. After the shambles of the election and with no bargaining power – the Republicans could have gotten everything they wanted on the Bush tax cuts retroactively in January without fear of an Obama veto – he walks away with what even Paul Ryan admits was $313 billion in superfluous spending. Including a $6 billion subsidy for ethanol. Why, just a few weeks ago Al Gore, the Earth King, finally confessed that ethanol subsidies were a mistake. There is not a single economic or environmental rationale left for this boondoggle that has induced American farmers to dedicate an amazing 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop – for burning! And the Republicans have just revived it. Even as they were near unanimously voting for this monstrosity, Republicans began righteously protesting $8.3 billion of earmarks in Harry Reid’s omnibus spending bill. They seem not to understand how ridiculous this looks after having agreed to a Stimulus II that even by their own generous reckoning has 38 times as much spending as all these earmarks combined.

Be sure to read the entire piece. A quick note: I thought you might be interested to know that among those voting YES were Reps. Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Ron Paul, and Dennis Kucinich. Now that’s a team I NEVER expected to form. And I’d rather not see it step on the field again in the future.