For more on this topic and links to all the facts and figures below, go here and here.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's primary loss isn't just historic, it illustrates why the Republican Party is in big trouble if it doesn't get serious about its legislative agenda.
Here are three reasons Eric Cantor lost—and why Republicans will continue to lose unless they change their wicked wicked ways.
1. The Party of Big Government
Despite rhetoric in favor of small and limited government, George W. Bush and the Republicans increased spending by more than 50 percent in inflation-adjusted terms and spending on regulations by even more than that. Cantor, who took office in 2001, voted for No Child Left Behind, Medicare expansion, the creation of the Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security, Troubled Assets Relief Program, and the auto bailouts. None of that reflects fiscal responsibility.
2. The Party of Intolerance
With a few exceptions, the Republican party is opposed to marriage equality and pot legalization, both of which are supported by large and growing majorities. Despite attempts to paint him as soft on immigration, Cantor wanted a militarized border with Mexico and had a 100 percent rating from a leading anti-immigration group. Sixty-four percent of Republicans—and even higher percentages of independents—support immigration reform.
3. The Party of the Status Quo
As Majority Leader, Cantor pushed a GOP budget plan that would grow annual spending from $3.7 trillion to $5 trillion over the next decade. He supported increasing military spending and a hawkish foreign policy. He pushed crony-capitalist institutions like the Export-Import Bank, which subsidizes purchases of U.S. goods and services.
Cantor stood for a status quo that Americans find increasingly intolerable. He lost because he personified all that is bad and hypocritical about the Republican Party. And until the GOP demonstrates it is serious about limiting the size, scope, and spending of government, they will keep losing elections.
About 2 minutes.
Written by Nick Gillespie. Produced by Joshua Swain.
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For more on Cantor's loss and links to all the facts and figures mentioned above, go here and here.
