Republicans Invite Bad Press Coverage
By Cliff Kincaid
November 18, 2008
The Washington Times has a front-page story about House Republican Eric Cantor, who charges that "the Republican Party in Washington is no longer 'relevant' to voters and must stop simply espousing principles..." The story seems designed to help Cantor capture the number two position in the House Republican leadership. But deep inside the article we learn that Cantor "ended up voting for the Democrats' [Wall Street bailout] bill."
Voting for the Wall Street bailout was completely inconsistent with Republican principles, as outlined in the 2008 Republican national platform. That document flatly opposed bailouts and urged the preservation of free markets.
The problem in Washington is not espousing principles, it's living by them.
Cantor was out-of-step with the majority of members of his own party in the House, who voted against the bailout. But he still wants to be promoted to the number two position in the House, right behind Rep. John Boehner, the Republican leader who also supported the bailout. Boehner wants to remain in that post.
Some Republicans like Boehner and Cantor now want to show they mean business when it comes to bailouts by taking a stand against $25 billion for the auto industry. The Times reports, "He [Cantor] said Republicans have to be able to draw lines on future votes such as an automobile manufacturers' bailout, even if it means losing some of their members' support."
After having voted to bail out bankers on Wall Street, how will it look to deny federal aid to American car companies employing ordinary Americans? Calling these Americans "union members" doesn't change the fact that they are people and have families, too. Indeed, a significant number of them are Republicans, like Boehner and Cantor.
This is another public relations disaster in the making for Congressional Republican leaders. All of a sudden they are going to rediscover their principles when jobs in the auto industry are at stake?
As the debate unfolds over the next few days, Boehner, Cantor & Company will come across looking like Scrooge on the matter of saving Americans jobs but Las Vegas high rollers using taxpayer money when it comes to protecting Wall Street interests. And that coverage will be based on their records and rhetoric.
To get an idea of the kind of drubbing they will take, watch the Fox News Sunday show with Republican Senator Jon Kyl and Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan or read the transcript. (web site) Kyl said the car companies should go bankrupt because they have a "bad business model." However, Kyl voted to use taxpayer money to save Wall Street firms with bad business models.
In talking about Wall Street and the financial services industry, Dorgan countered that "Between two and $3 trillion has now been offered up to those folks, $700 billion in a bailout...my point is how about one small fraction of that, 1 or 2 percent maybe, to help a significant part of our economy preserve some jobs? How about speaking up for working people for a change?"
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