Virginians and Americans can all rest easy now that Rep.
Eric Cantor (7th-VA) exonerated New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on
Sunday for the governor’s heinous political crime, praise of President Barack
Obama’s response to Hurricane Sandy.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday morning, Cantor commented
that “Governor Christie was doing what he had to do.”[1]
Could Cantor’s restrained response be an indication that Christie will be a
serious candidate for the next presidential election cycle? At the very least,
Cantor’s muted response demonstrates Christie’s standing in the Republican
Party.
Cantor added, “This goes beyond politics right now, and this
is really an issue of human compassion,” two words I didn’t think Virginia’s
representative from the 7th District had in his vocabulary, “human
compassion.” This is of course the same Eric Cantor who voted against President
Obama’s health care reform and offered no alternative to helping vulnerable
Americans receive affordable health insurance coverage.[2]
Talk about compassion!
After Christie’s praise of President Obama’s response to
Hurricane Sandy, some windbag Republicans were upset that the governor publicly
showed support for the president.[3]
Cantor, on the other hand, appears to be playing the “this guy’s too
politically valuable for our party to criticize” card, at least publicly. And it
wouldn’t be surprising if Gov. Christie calculated that his popularity would
shield him from public bashings by other Republicans who believe non-GOP group-think
is a heresy.
This event provides Americans with another case study of who
Eric Cantor is as a politician, an opportunist whose ambition to climb the ladder
of Republican leadership far outweighs any ideological baggage that the
congressman carries with him. Winning is Cantor’s goal, not “ripping” a fellow
Republican Party member that may ultimately backfire in Cantor’s face.
Christie deserves praise for his willingness to eschew
partisan politics. Unfortunately in our own times, Christie is the exception
that proves the rule.
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