Buzz on Cantor as McCain Veep
The buzz is intensifying about John McCain's consideration of Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), the only Jewish Republican in the House, as a possible running mate.
After we blogged about this last week, McCain asked Cantor to submit his personal documents (see JTA's news item here).
This week, the U.K. Telegraph takes a closer look at a McCain-Cantor ticket:
Eric Cantor, 45, would be a dramatic choice for Mr McCain, who is running almost level with Barack Obama in national polls but whose aides believe he needs to shake-up the White House race if he is to prevail in November's general election.Aides to Mr McCain revealed that Mr Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the House of Representatives, had been asked to submit documents as part of a rigorous vetting process to hunt out any closet skeletons.
He joins a shortlist believed to include Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor and Mr McCain's bitter rival during the Republican primaries, Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota governor, and Rob Portman, a former Ohio congressman and budget director in the Bush administration.
Of the four, Mr Cantor would be by far the most exciting - though potentially risky - choice. A prodigious fundraiser with a young, photogenic family, support from evangelical Christians and strong backing from hard-line conservatives, he would shore up many of Mr McCain's weaknesses.
Mr Cantor would be the first Jewish vice-president, an historic milestone that Senator Joe Lieberman just missed in 2000 when Al Gore lost to George W Bush by 567 votes.
It was probably Mr Lieberman's presence on the ticket that enabled Mr Gore to get so close in Florida, where Jewish voters are an important factor. Mr Lieberman has since left the Democratic party and joined forces with Mr McCain. Campaigning by both Mr Lieberman for a McCain-Cantor ticket in Florida could give the Republican a powerful advantage in the swing state.
Virginia has been a traditionally Republican state but is very much in play in 2008 after a steady trend towards Democrats. Mr Obama is strongly considering choosing Tim Kaine, governor of Virginia, as his running mate.
But selecting Mr Cantor, who is two years younger than Mr Obama, could undercut Mr McCain's strategy of painting his Democratic rival as too young and inexperienced to be president. It could also highlight Mr McCain's advanced age - he turns 72 this month, meaning he would be the oldest man ever to be first elected president.
The leaking of the name of Mr Cantor, who joined Mr McCain for lunch in the Hamptons on Long Island last weekend, could be an attempt to test the waters as to how the pick would be received.
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An intriguing option for Sen. McCain. There are not that many conservative Jewish Republicans out there, so Mr. Cantor is already indeed courageous.
In any event, Sen. McCain needs to do SOMETHING (anything?) to breathe life and hope into his nearly deceased campaign.
I consider any Jew embracing the conservative agenda a renegade, totally breaking with his traditional roots. Note please the deep religiousness of the good orthodox Jack Abramoff. I am ashamed that trash like that belongs to my tribe.
Gentlemen:
I think that Senator Eric Cantor would be an excellent choice notwithstanding some derogatory remarks from a Mr.Schor.The majority of the Jewish vote would go to support this ticket.This factor could well go a long way to redeem the Republican Party from discarding its conservative base. God bless,Shalom,
Dan
I think it is a terrible idea, quite apart from whatever political qualities Mr. Cantor may possess. It pits a Jewish man from one political party against a black man from the other political party. Given the already weak political relations between Jews and blacks, each side can and probably will blame the other for its candidate’s loss. No matter whether the Jewish or the black candidate wins, both groups lose.
.
Re: “I consider any Jew embracing the conservative agenda a renegade, totally breaking with his traditional roots.”
What part of Judaism (or any other religion) says to vote for someone who surrounds himself with anti-Semites (Al Sharpton, MoveOn.org), racists (Sharpton, Jeremiah Wright, and a church that gives a standing ovation to “There were a whole lot of white people crying"), and America-haters (Wright again) while sanctioning anti-Semitic hate speech on a Web site over which his campaign exercises editorial control?
One such entry at Obama’s Web site used a four letter epithet for Jews with the qualifier “filth.” Obama’s staff deleted it only when it became a public embarrassment on numerous blogs.
Re: “It pits a Jewish man from one political party against a black man from the other political party.”
If Obama and the professional bigots with whom he surrounds himself can’t stand the idea of Obama running against a Jew, Obama can do his party a favor and drop out of the race right now. This suggestion is admittedly a disservice to John McCain because, while Obama is unelectable, Hillary Clinton would probably win.
How does picking Cantor make any difference to the McCain camp? The Republican party is not the party of Jewish values. If you are single issue voter, on such hot button issues, then maybe the RePUGlicans are the party for you. But, if you truly believe in the Jewish value of tikkun olam, repairing the world, making it a better place, John McCain is not your candidate. He’s had 30 years to try and improve the status quo, but has not.
The Democratic party, has in the last 25 years emerged as the champion of causes closer to the Jewish values than the GOP. The GOP doesnt believe in helping poor people, it believes in the death penalty, which according to the talmud, should be used sparingly.
Mr. Cantor is not going to help McCain except with perhaps a few misguided souls. Besides, as a Jew, I wouldn’t want to be associated with the hawkishness of Lieberman or Cantor...whose only constituency is right wing fanatics who believe in converting Jews before the final rapture. If thats the party that you want to vote for, I’m not going to stop anyone. I’m just glad I can count on my state to vote for the correct party...gotta love Massachusetts.
Unfortunately, the Democratic party “the champion of causes closer to the Jewish values,” also supports gay marriage and unlimited abortion, running opposite to traditional Jewish belief, and a weak Israel policy. Notwithstanding those two issues, I do believe Barack Obama to be the better candidate on other issues. This is yet another case of agreeing with neither candidate’s views and having to choose the lesser of two evils.
Re: “The Republican party is not the party of Jewish values.”
How does killing (or leaving to die from neglect) babies that survive late term abortions, which Obama supports, tie in with Jewish values or indeed the values of any civilized religion?
Jerrold Nadler, one of the most liberal (and pro-choice) members of Congress, said of the Federal Born Alive Infants Protection Act, that there is no such thing as a right to a live birth abortion. Obama orchestrated the defeat of similar legislation in Illinois.
How does the promotion of racists, anti-Semites, and Catholic-haters (as I already discussed) tie in with Jewish values, or the values of any civilized religion?
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Alfred Ritter
08/04/08 06:07 PM
Intersting choice needs serious thought before selection