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Eric Cantor Projects a Large GOP Freshman Class in 2009

Submitted by Patrick Ruffini on Thu, 09/04/2008 - 20:37
in

I just had the chance to catch up with GOP chief deputy whip and recent Veepstakes contender Eric Cantor here on the Press level of the Xcel Center. Win or lose, I get the sense that one trend that will continue is a younger, more reformist cohort of House Republicans. Cantor projected a large GOP freshman class in 2009 -- after what Kevin McCarthy reminded us yesterday was the smallest freshman class since 1914 to come in this Congress.

Our top opportunities to knock off Dem incumbents? TX-22 with Pete Olson, WI-8 with John Gard (Steve Kagen is certifiable), PA-10 with Chris Hackett (full disclosure: I consult for Hackett), and CA-11 with Dean Andal.

I asked him about blue state pickup opportunities. One of the big frustrations currently is that when a blue seat comes open, it's automatically assumed that it will stay blue, while a conservative district becomes a tossup and the Democrat is allowed to redefine themselves as in step with the district. This is a problem. Cantor is hopeful that Carol Shea-Porter can be knocked off in NH-1.

He's not willing to take Virginia out the swing state column, but thinks that John McCain wins a competitive race in a state with a large military presence.

For more: GOPYoungGuns.com.

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KS-02

Submitted by gopcommguy on Thu, 09/04/2008 - 21:38.

What about KS-02?!? That is probably THE TOP chance we have to beat an incumbent Democrat!

Please stop the childish cheerleading

Submitted by superdestroyer on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 08:30.

there is nothing worse than a politicain sounding like an out of touch fool who refuses to face reality.   If the Bush Adminsitraiton and the Republicans in Congress had done their jobs from 2001 to 200, the GOP would not face the prospects of more loses in 2008.  Of course, as long as the Republicans support open borders and unlimited immigration, they must not care about winning elections in the future.

stop childish and non-fact-based negativity

Submitted by Freedoms Truth on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 15:52.

Message for super-whiner-destroyer: Such negativity is niether realism, nor cogent, nor fact-based, nor useful.

Not cogent: This is an article about pickups in the House. He is right that we can and will pick these seats up in all likelihood. Your response is not even relevent.

Not fact-based: why are you whining about "open borders" without bothering to study and discuss the specific immigration positions of these specific candidates that Eric Cantor mentioned. Is Eric Cantor pro-amnesty? if not, why are you bashing his probably correct comment that we will see quite a few GOP freshmen?

Not useful: Making an out-of-date general-bashing comment is nothing new. Its so-o-o-o 2006. It's just stupid childish whining "Cant we all just sit on our ass and suck our thumbs because I want to vent?" Get over yourself,  you are the one who's out of touch. Pelosi and Reid have trashed things far worse in the last 2 years than any previous Congress in history. Worst. Congress. Ever.  We have the opportunity in this election cycle to bring new blood into the Congress and help move the right kind of change foward. And all you want to do is bash the Republican minority?

Puleeeze. If you are going to be that out-of-touch with 2008 reality, you'd be wise not to ignorantly bleat about smarter people being 'out-of-touch'.

 

Republicans are expected to lose house eats, not gain

Submitted by superdestroyer on Sat, 09/06/2008 - 04:32.

The estimates are that the Repubicans are going to lose between 20 and 30 seats in the House in 2008.  Of course, since Patrick is a Karl Rove wannabe, he believes that internet gimmicks and niche campagins are prevent this.  I believe that until the Repubicans find leaders that will lead, the loses will continue.

It is hard to take wannabes like Patrick seriously when they believe that with the right gimmick, blacks and Hispanics will vote for Repubicans.  The leadership in the Repubican Party needs to decide whether keep workers for Tysons and cheap dry wall are so important that they are willing to destroy the long term prospects for the Repulbican Party.  Rep Cantor, as shown through his actions, is the type to believe that leadership is not important and that sounding like a high school cheerleader is all that is needed.

 

As a public service. . .

Submitted by Walt Gilbert on Sat, 09/06/2008 - 05:34.

. . .I ran superdestroyer's post through the Dictionary.com translator.  Here's the translation:

"Incest isn't always a bad thing.  I am living proof that it produces the occasional genius."

I guess insults is what goes for ideas in the Repulbican Party

Submitted by superdestroyer on Sat, 09/06/2008 - 06:40.

Walt,

People like Rep. Cantor and Senator McCain talk about lowering taxes and reducing the size of government. How does adding twenty million future Hispanics voters who will automatically vote for a Democrat ensure that taxes will stay low and that government will not grow. 

Instead of getting excited about a couple of pointless House races, the Republican leadership should be ensuring that the pork barreling, big spending, big government proponents of the Republican Party are shown the door.  But I guess cheerleading and insults is what passes for leadership in the Repubican Party.

Patrick is convinced that the Repubican Party can exist as the big spending, big government party and can attract black and Hispanic voters with the proper election gimmicks and the proper targeted issues.  I would guess that the 95% of the black vote and 80% of the Hispanic for Obama will not be enough to convince Karl Rove wannabes like Patrick that blacks and Hispanics will always be Democratic voters. 

I wonder what kind of foolish, idiotic spin Repubicans like Rep. Cantor will use after the Democrats eliminate another 30 Repubican House seats with redistricting in 2010?  Will he find the one or two Republican seats and cheer them on?

Mouthbreathing monomaniacs. . .

Submitted by Walt Gilbert on Sat, 09/06/2008 - 14:41.

. . .like yourself got their heads handed to them in 2006.  It seems to me that rather than sitting in the stands and yelling rat shit at everyone who's trying to actually get Republicans elected, you might want to get to work on maybe starting your own little weekend warrior militia group to see if you can gin up more hatred among the upright walking segment of American society toward Hispanics.  If you can do that, you might have a little success with your grand ethnic cleansing scheme.

In the meantime, the rest of us will be going about the business of getting Republicans BACK into the seats that folks like J.D. Hayworth lost by paying too much attention to political howler monkeys like yourself.

 

Repulbicans lost in 2006 because they stop being conservative

Submitted by superdestroyer on Sun, 09/07/2008 - 06:08.

It is hard to blame the loses in 2006 on people wanting the Republican party to act as the conservative party.

In reality, the Repulbicans lose because Bush, Frist, Hastert, and Rove believed that the Republicans could become the second big government big spending, pork barreling entitlement expanding party.  And after they massively increased the size of the government and ran up massive debts, they proposed to formalize the open borders and unlimited immigraiton politices that benefit Tysons's chicken and lower the quality of life of the middle class.

The Republicans deserved to be voted out of office. If anyone wants big spending, big government pols, they will always vote for the Democrats.

the Repubicans Party needs to decided that it is more than a brand name build around the single issue of Abortion.  Until that time comes, it will continue to lose and will quickly become irrelevant to the political process