Oct 16, 2011
FACT CHECK: Eric Cantor Falsely Claims He Wants to “Work Together”
On Fox News Sunday this morning, Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor repeatedly claimed he wanted to work with Democrats to find common ground to create jobs and improve the economy. Cantor claimed he wanted to “work together” and “set aside” differences.
In reality, Cantor has been the House Republicans’ chief obstructionist on job creation and deficit reduction since the start of this Congress. Cantor quit bipartisan negotiations with Vice President Biden on reducing the deficit and pushed Speaker John Boehner to break off discussions with President Obama and Democrats for a grand bargain to reduce the deficit and strengthen our economy. Cantor has refused to bring to the floor President Obama’s jobs plan and Republicans have refused to pass a single bill to create jobs. It was Cantor’s brinkmanship that nearly forced the U.S. to default on its credit and helped cause the nation’s credit downgrade. Last month Cantor led the Republican effort to block disaster relief and nearly sent the government to the brink of government shutdown.
FACT CHECK
New York Times: Budget Talks Near Collapse as G.O.P. Leader Quits. “Congressional Republicans on Thursday abandoned budget talks aimed at clearing the way for a federal debt limit increase, leaving the outcome in doubt as they vowed not to give in to a Democratic push for new tax revenues as part of any compromise. The breakdown was set off by the surprise decision of Representative Eric of Virginia, the House majority leader and one of two Republicans participating in sessions led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., to quit the negotiations. This week’s talks were considered to be crucial as the Aug. 2 deadline for an increase in federal borrowing authority nears.” [New York Times, 6/23/11]
Cantor’s Refusal To Compromise Helped Kill the “Grand Bargain” on Deficit Reduction. “Speaker John Boehner’s decision not to ‘go big’ on a debt limit deal is the starkest demonstration yet of the limits of the Ohio Republican’s power. The internal GOP backlash against his efforts to secure a package of $4 trillion in spending cuts and revenue-raisers revealed that Boehner sometimes is little more than the first among equals — capable of synthesizing Republican sentiments but unwilling to drive them. Tax hikes, by any name, are a non-starter for a party that forged its brand on the mantra of lower taxes and less government, and Boehner’s willingness to talk rates with President Barack Obama — particularly in the context of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s refusal to do so — raised eyebrows within his conference. The uproar among Republicans, on and off Capitol Hill, forced Boehner to back away from the ‘grand bargain.’” [Politico, 7/11/11]
Milbank: What Eric Cantor Wants is Power — and He is Prepared to Risk the Full Faith and Credit of the United States to Get It. “What Cantor wants now is power — and he is prepared to risk the full faith and credit of the United States to get it. In a primacy struggle with House Speaker John Boehner, he has done a deft job of aligning himself with Tea Party House members in opposition to any meaningful deal to resolve the debt. If the U.S. government defaults, it will have much to do with Cantor. He pulled out of debt-limit talks with Vice President Biden. He shot down the outline of a compromise that Boehner attempted to negotiate. Now Cantor has essentially taken over talks with the White House, and he has tamped down any hint of conciliation.” [Washington Post Column, 7/12/11]
Washington Post: Young Guns Directly Responsible for Bringing the Nation to the Brink of Default. The frantic showdown that brought “the nation to the brink of default, looked like the haphazard escalation of a typical partisan standoff. It wasn’t. It was the natural outgrowth of a years-long effort by GOP recruiters to build a new majority and reverse the party’s fortunes. That effort began before the economy collapsed in 2008, before the government bailouts that followed, before the tea party rose in response to push its anti-tax, anti-spending message. With the backing of the GOP establishment, Cantor and two colleagues banded together as the “Young Guns,” drawing their nickname from a magazine feature anointing them rising stars. They scoured the country for like-minded conservatives who shared their uncompromising commitment to shrinking the federal government. They showered these Young Gun recruits with money and support and exhorted them to maintain a laser-like fiscal focus.” [Washington Post, 8/6/11]
National Journal Said Standard & Poor’s Downgrade Explanation was a “Blast at Republicans.” In reaction to the Standard & Poor’s decision to downgrade U.S. treasury rating from AAA to AA+, on August 7, 2011 National Journal reported that “it’s hard to read the S&P analysis as anything other than a blast at Republicans. In denouncing the threat of default as a ‘bargaining chip,’ the agency was saying that the GOP strategy had shaken its confidence.” [National Journal, 8/7/11]
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