Tea Party vs. the GOP Establishment

[tschu]

Figured there should be a catch-all thread for this, since it's obviously been the story of a lot of primaries this spring and will have a big impact on the presidential race in two years. Plus it's just a big ongoing political topic.

 

Anyhow, the huge news of the day: establishment House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his primary to a tea party candidate. That is a pretty huge blow to the Republican Party, and to be honest, is downright hilarious. But here we are. The people have spoken.

 

http://www.vox.com/2014/6/10/5798458/eric-cantor-defeated-in-shocking-primary-upset/in/5562623

 

 

 

All general discussion on this broad topic is welcome.

[Abdullah the Butcher]

Term limits are needed for all of em, about time someone got knocked out.

[strigori]

They picked someone to the right of him..... I don't know VA politics, but I really hope there is someone viable running against the teabagger in Nov.

[JJ Husker]

That's the scary/concerning part of this. Cantor was pretty far right and darned conservative the way it was. He wasn't ignoring the teabaggers but he still lost his primary. I mean it is Virginia but wow.

[Mavric]

They picked someone to the right of him..... I don't know VA politics, but I really hope there is someone viable running against the teabagger in Nov.

That's the scary/concerning part of this. Cantor was pretty far right and darned conservative the way it was. He wasn't ignoring the teabaggers but he still lost his primary. I mean it is Virginia but wow.

 

Don't know anything about his opposition but It would seem to be a fairly solidly Republican district. His support - as judged by percentage of the votes he gets - has generally trended downward since he was first elected in 2000. He still won the election in 2012 by a 58-41 margin but that was down a ways from the mid- to upper-60% he was getting early on.

[carlfense]

Welp, good news for Hillary.

[strigori]

Just from little bits have have read, the teabagger ran with the mentality that Cantor was too willing to work with Dems, and wasn't anti-immigration enough. He also will not vote to raise the debt limit, and is a 'free market' supporter, which translates to 'get rid of all the rules and let business do whatever the F it wants, and somehow it will all work out'

[It'sNotAFakeID]

The fact that Tea Party candidates are winning is scary because that means there are enough idiots in our country who are voting for them.

[JJ Husker]

Just something funny that I noticed- Some of the same people who claim Reagan was a terrible president because he ran up our debt, also complain whenever a tea party person vows to hold the line on increasing the debt. IDK, strikes me as funny.

[Whistlebritches]

I've read that it was an open primary and some Democrats used this as an opportunity to get rid of Cantor and end up with a more beatable opponent.

[zoogs]

Just something funny that I noticed- Some of the same people who claim Reagan was a terrible president because he ran up our debt, also complain whenever a tea party person vows to hold the line on increasing the debt. IDK, strikes me as funny.

I don't think it's a matter of being pro-debt or anti-debt. I don't know much about the Reagan era but it would be consistent to be opposed to gratuitous spending (which I'm not sure Reagan did) and also be opposed to stifling budget cuts that cripple our investment in our own future, in the name of holding the line.

[tschu]

Just something funny that I noticed- Some of the same people who claim Reagan was a terrible president because he ran up our debt, also complain whenever a tea party person vows to hold the line on increasing the debt. IDK, strikes me as funny.

 

That's not why he was a terrible president. No, that's why it's hilarious that Republicans think that he was a great president.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I've read that it was an open primary and some Democrats used this as an opportunity to get rid of Cantor and end up with a more beatable opponent.

Possibly, but the 7th district in Virginia is pretty conservative. Chances are this guy will win in a low turn-out race. Traditional Republicans may not vote for him, while Tea Party supporters will come out in large numbers in support. There just aren't enough Democrats in that particular district for them to flip it.

[strigori]

Just something funny that I noticed- Some of the same people who claim Reagan was a terrible president because he ran up our debt, also complain whenever a tea party person vows to hold the line on increasing the debt. IDK, strikes me as funny.

When they talk about not raising the debt limit, that is abject stupidity. All it is doing is agreeing to pay the bills the Gov has already run up. Its essentially going out, buying a bunch of stuff on your credit card, and then not paying the bill when it shows up in the mail. And teabaggers are not really about cutting spending, just cutting spending to things they dont like.

[carlfense]

Just something funny that I noticed- Some of the same people who claim Reagan was a terrible president because he ran up our debt, also complain whenever a tea party person vows to hold the line on increasing the debt. IDK, strikes me as funny.

Is that more or less funny than those tea party people simultaneously mythologizing Reagan while claiming that running a deficit is ruining America's future?