One of the most unsettling bits of news out of Washington DC lately concerns House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and his support for Indiana Senator Dick Lugar.
Normally, we wouldn’t get too concerned over Cantor or any Republican supporting a fellow Republican incumbent. It is understandable that the decision to support Lugar is not popular to the more Conservative set, but he is a Republican and if Cantor believes he is more of an asset to him, then it is a logical decision for Eric Cantor, albeit
And in the interest of full disclosure, Virginia Right! has endorsed Lugar’s opponent, Richard Mourdock. But that is not important here. (Also, while we are on the subject of full disclosure, Virginia Right! is based in Eric Cantor’s 7th Congressional District. And that is somewhat important here.)
While Cantor does have a primary challenger for the Republican nomination this year, losing his seat in the primary or the general election is considered by most to be highly unlikely.
So, personally, Cantor need not worry about losing his seat, it is safe.
But the dynamics in Virginia this year are unlike any other. The threat from the Progressives is substantial. Defeating these Democrats is the highest priority if the country is to survive.
We will need all hands on deck to defeat Barack Obama and Tim Kaine. Both of these races are dead heats according to the polls. And it is hard to argue with the fact that these are close races, or that Barack Obama will pull out all the stops to elect Tim Kaine who would be an Obama rubber stamp.
But on the ground in Virginia, a number of TEA Party groups stand ready to pitch in and make calls and knock on doors to help persuade voters to vote out Obama and prevent Tim Kaine from becoming Virginia’s Junior Senator.
And despite the mainstream media’s claim that the TEA Party has taken over the Republican Party, which is not even close to the truth, both camps realize that they have a mutual enemy in 2012 – the Progressives. And only by working together can Virginia and the country begin to recover from the loss of liberty and federal power grab by the Obama Administration.
But the TEA Party and Republicans have, in many areas of Virginia, formed a tenuous and fragile alliance for 2012. Without this alliance, Obama and Kaine will most likely win.
Whether deserved or not, Cantor’s recent actions to support candidates like Lugar, Adam Kinzinger in Illinois and Richard Hudson in North Carolina have been perceived by the TEA Party as an effort to keep the more conservative candidates out of government and a direct affront to the TEA Party.
But the thing that TEA Party groups are finding most egregious was a mailing from Cantor’s Super PAC Young Guns that encouraged Democrats to vote for Lugar in the Republican Primary.
According to Politico:
A lit piece that the YG Network dropped focuses, as they’d said it would, on energy policy – but it is targeted to non-Republicans, as it reminds voters that Indiana’s GOP primary is an open one in which Democrats and independents can vote.
“Indiana does not have party registration,” the mail piece says over a picture of a smiling child giving a thumbs-up sign. “You simply need to show up at your polling location on May 8, 2012 to vote for Senator Dick Lugar in the Republican Primary.”
In case anyone didn’t get the point, the piece adds, “You can vote in the May 8th Republican Primary election! The May 8th Election is open to all voters.”
Back home in Virginia, that is not playing well. The Republican Party of Virginia is quite fond of using a “loyalty oath” to prevent crossover votes by Democrats in primary elections. Yet we have Cantor’s PAC pushing Democrats to invade the Republican primary and support Lugar in Indiana.
That has enraged a number of TEA Party members who are now telling me that they are reconsidering knocking on doors and manning Republican phone banks to aid Mitt Romney and presumptive Senate candidate George Allen to a Virginia victory in November.
There may well be few, if any, repercussions to Cantor’s actions in his own reelection bid, but Virginia will need every vote they can muster to keep Tim Kaine and Barack Obama from power. Alienating a large group of grassroots activists who stand ready to help, even if some feel the necessity to hold their nose while doing so, is not particularly helpful, especially in the 2012 election.
And it is hard to imagine that many Virginia Republicans would be willing to accept the election of Dick Lugar if it costs Republicans the Virginia Senate seat. Or worse, the presidency.
On the surface, Cantor’s support of Dick Lugar may seem inconsequential to the elections in Virginia, but there are substantial consequences.
If Tim Kaine and Barack Obama are to be defeated in Virginia, Republicans will need all the help they can get. Independents are important, but the TEA Party and more Libertarian minded voters are the key to victory for Republicans.
The Young Guns are shooting George Allen and Mitt Romney in the foot in Virginia.
Article written by: Tom White
About Tom White
Tom is a US Navy Veteran, owns an Insurance Agency and is currently an IT Manager for a Virginia Distributor. He has been published in American Thinker, currently writes for the Richmond Examiner as well as Virginia Right! Blog. Tom lives in Hanover County, Va and is involved in politics at every level and is a Recovering Republican who has finally had enough of the War on Conservatives in progress with the Leadership of the GOP on a National Level.
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