Cantor's Conundrum

July 6, 2011
Blog Post
Nearly two weeks after walking out on deficit reduction talks with Vice President Biden and Congressional leaders to protect tax breaks for Big Oil and companies that ship American jobs overseas, Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor is desperately trying to spin his way out of a public relations nightmare. From Politico's Huddle:

COMING ATTRACTION: CANTOR PUSHBACK -- Expect House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to push back hard on Democratic allegations that he walked away from the negotiating table to protect oil and gas subsidies and prevent tax hikes on the manufacturers of corporate jets. Cantor has a pen-and-pad session with reporters, and Huddle is led to believe that will be a central part of the discussion.

Good luck, here's what happened:

New York Times Editorial - Their Temper Tantrum:

Congressional Republicans, who played a major role in piling up the government's unsustainable debt in the first place, have thrown a tantrum and walked out of the debt limit talks. This bit of grandstanding has brought the nation closer to the financial crisis that Republicans have been threatening for weeks. But, at least now, their real goals are in sharp focus.

The two Republicans in the talks, Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, and Senator Jon Kyl, the minority whip, had no intention of actually negotiating. [6/23]

USA Today Editorial - GOP rigidity on taxes threatens debt deal:

Two weeks ago, closed-door negotiations seemed to be making progress; the parties were closing in on some $2 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years. Then Republicans abruptly walked out, insisting they couldn't even talk about taxes… [7/5]

Las Vegas Sun Editorial - A failure of leadership:

…House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Republican Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona quit bipartisan budget negotiations last week because they refused to make a compromise that would benefit the American people… [6/30]

Republicans can try to "message" their way out of a mess – but they can't change the facts. The GOP's political gamesmanship is putting our economy and our middle class at risk.