Eric Cantor on Limbaugh and on Washington overreacting to the economy
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor warned Thursday that the budget House and Senate Democrats are poised to pass is a 鈥渞adical departure from what most Americans think鈥� government spending should be and risks overreacting to the nation鈥檚 economic crisis.
When word of Cantor鈥檚 comments at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast were posted on Politico.com, the Democratic Party responded immediately. 鈥淥n the day we learned that jobless claims rose to their highest levels in 26 years, Eric Cantor鈥檚 charge that anyone is 鈥榦verreacting鈥� to this economic crisis typifies the Republican just say 鈥楴o鈥� approach,鈥� said Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan in a statement.
Rush's role
Mr. Cantor, the second-ranking Republican in the House, spoke of overreacting in response to a question about Rush Limbaugh鈥檚 role in the GOP. 鈥淩ush has got ideas. He鈥檚 got following. He believes in the conservative principles that many of us believe in -- of lower taxes, or making sure that we turn back towards a focus on entrepreneurialism in this country, to promoting innovation and not stamping that out by overreacting, if you will, which this town often does, to crisis,鈥� Cantor said.
He then went on to paraphrase President Obama鈥檚 chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, as saying, 鈥渨e are not going to miss the opportunity to take advantage of this crisis because we are going to do all the things we couldn鈥檛 get done before.鈥�
Obama's grade: incomplete
When asked to rate Mr. Obama鈥檚 job performance, Cantor replied in quite a measured way for a top political spokesman. 鈥淎s a personality, he is very engaging, he is very smart. He is historic,鈥� Cantor began. The Virginia Republican noted that the president had not yet been in office 100 days. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that everyone would give him good grades. Obviously the selection of cabinet nominees has been very, very rocky. I think on the issue of most import -- the economy -- the jury is still out. Some of the moves have not been effective. I think the markets and the investing public are really sitting there wondering what is going on.鈥�
Those who were looking to Tuesday鈥檚 congressional election in upstate New York for a sense of what the public is thinking about Obama鈥檚 policies did not get clarity. The election was for the House seat vacated when New York Gov. David Paterson appointed Kirsten Gillibrand to the Senate to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton. Democratic political newcomer Scott Murphy, a major supporter of Obama鈥檚 policies, was locked in a tight race with longtime Republican state legislator Jim Tedisco, an Obama critic. Republicans have a 75,000 voter advantage in the district. The results were so close the race will be decided by absentee ballots.
鈥淚 think it is a tremendous showing,鈥� Cantor said of the outcome, given 鈥渢he enormous amount funding that the other side put into this race.鈥� He claimed the results to date showed, 鈥渢he middle-of-the-road folks who determine elections ... are not embracing this out-of-control spending, this increased borrowing and the prescriptions coming from Washington.鈥�
Cantor said he was 鈥渧ery confident鈥� that Republicans will pick up House seats in 2010, and he did not rule out the prospect of regaining a majority.
