Originally published June 11 2014
Chemical industry front man Eric Cantor goes down in defeat against unknown economics professor
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) The House's No. 2 man - Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican and friend of big pharma, big chemical, big corporations, and big donors - has lost his party's primary to a political unknown who is currently teaching courses at a small local college, despite the fact that the American Chemistry Council spent $300,000 in advertising support money to try to keep him in office.
"Cantor has been a consistent leader on issues that support economic growth and job creation which are critical to manufacturers," Anne Kolton, a spokeswoman for the American Chemistry Council, told Politico. "We think it's important to highlight strong leadership."
The ACC, formerly known as the Manufacturing Chemists' Association and then as the Chemical Manufacturers' Association, is an industry trade association for American chemical companies. The pro-chemical group produced TV ads on Cantor's behalf.
Just 24 hours ago Cantor, who is currently the House majority leader and plans to remain so for the time being, was thought to be a shoo-in for reelection to his eighth term; he first took office in 2000, the same year George W. Bush was elected and Republicans took control of both the House and Senate.
But in closing weeks before Tuesday's primary, David Brat, a Tea Party favorite who spent less on his campaign than Cantor spends on steakhouses for a month, erased a substantial gap in the polls.
Arrogance, ties to corporations, amnesty to blame for loss
It was thought that Cantor, who was all for "immigration reform" that amounted to amnesty for the country and a sell-out to Corporate America and the Chamber of Commerce - each of which are clamoring for access to tens of millions of low-skilled, low-paid workers - would eventually succeed Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, as Speaker of the House. It was thought that Cantor might one day run for, and be elected, president, becoming the first Jew in U.S. history to attain the country's highest office.
However, a confluence of arrogance, elitism and dismissiveness - amnesty for illegal aliens is far from the top concern of most Americans - has now cost him his job. That is, of course, unless he doubles down on his arrogance and runs this fall as a write-in candidate, which would take votes from Brat and demonstrate clearly that power is more important to him than good government.
"This is the grass roots flexing its muscle and reminding members of the Republican leadership - and reminding all Republicans - that this is a very conservative party at the grass roots and they're angry," Stuart Rothenberg, who analyzes campaigns nationwide for his nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report, told the Los Angeles Times.
But he added this: "And they care more about their anger and expressing their anger and electing someone who will express their anger than they care about electing someone who gets the best deal in negotiations with the White House or the Senate."
Typical inside-the-Beltway establishment claptrap. Rothenberg - and Cantor, and the rest of the establishment apparatuses of both major parties - don't get that the American people are simple tired of a political class that is so out-of-touch it tolerates the "rights" of big business and corporations over those of the individual (otherwise, we'd have a GMO labeling law, for example, and several big bankers would be in jail).
'Populist revolution?'
Ron Fournier at National Journal gets it. He's been out among the people, polling them specifically about political views and, importantly, how they view Washington. What he sees is a brewing populist revolution:
Let this be the lesson taken from Cantor's loss. He is not the only political leader to lose touch with voters. In fact, according to every indication, the entire political class has lost touch. There is ample polling to suggest that a majority of Americans voters don't feel rooted in, or represented by, either the Republican or Democratic parties. Change or lose power, folks.
Washington, for years, has been more representative of the special interests that deprive the people of land use rights, raw milk, organic fruits and vegetables, access to information and treatment regarding alternative medicines and healthcare, complete labeling of our foods and a dozen other choices that we, as supposedly free people, should be entitled to make.
Politicians like Cantor have routinely stood in the way of our right to choose our own paths, our own destinies.
Only time will tell if Brat becomes coopted by the same Big Chemical and Big Business interests that hijacked Cantor. Brat has said that Cantor had developed a "crony capitalist mentality" which meant he took care of the corporate sector over the interests of the small entrepreneurs, business people and individuals. We'll see if he winds up being the same kind of politician. If that happens, then he should be replaced too.
Sources:
http://www.latimes.com
http://www.nationaljournal.com
http://abcnews.go.com
http://www.politico.com
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