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Eric Cantor Condemns Occupy Wall Street 'Mobs': They're 'Pitting Americans Against Americans'
WASHINGTON - Top House GOP leaders assured attendees at the 2011 Values Voter Summit Friday morning that despite all the attention on fixing the nation's economy, they remain committed to pushing the priorities of social conservatives, including defunding Planned Parenthood and defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Va. answers questions from reporters on President Obama's jobs bill, the debt reduction supercommittee and the economy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) addressed the gathering of religious conservatives in Washington, D.C., where several of the GOP presidential candidates will also be speaking.
Cantor used part of his address to attack the Occupy Wall Street protests, and he condemned political leaders who are supporting them.
"This administration's failed policies have resulted in an assault on many of our nation's bedrock principles," he said. "If you read the newspapers today, I, for one, am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across the country. And believe it or not, some in this town, have actually condoned the pitting of Americans against Americans. But you sent us here to fight for you and all Americans."
But when he spoke at the Values Voter Summit in 2009, Cantor expressed a very different sentiment toward another movement that was arguably "pitting Americans against Americans" -- the Tea Party.
At that time, Cantor praised those protesters as "fighting on the fighting lines of what we know is a battle for our democracy.”
"People are beginning to wake up and see a country they don’t really recognize," said Cantor.
At the Washington Ideas Forum on Thursday, Vice President Biden discussed the parallels between the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movement.
"The core is the American people do not think the system is fair or on the level. That is the core of what you're seeing on Wall Street," he said. "There's a lot in common with the Tea Party. The Tea Party started why? TARP. They thought it was unfair, we're bailing out the big guys. What are the people up on the other side of the spectrum saying? The same thing."
In his speech Friday, Cantor also promised the crowd that if Republicans win back the Senate and White House -- and retain control of the House -- in 2012, they will defund Planned Parenthood.
"I can tell you: After November 2012, we look forward to a Senate and a White House that will partner with us to once and for all eliminate government funding for all organizations that perform abortions," said Cantor to loud applause.
Boehner spoke about the House GOP's decision to defend DOMA, which recognizes marriage on the federal level as being between one man and one woman, after Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department would no longer defend the law in federal court.
"If the Justice Department was not going to defend this act passed by Congress, then we will," he said. "We're not only going to defend the law that Congress passed, but we're going to take the money away from the Justice Department that's supposed to [defend the law]."
Defending DOMA will not be cheap. A contract between the House and the private law firm hired to defend the law said that taxpayers will have to fork over $1.5 million. Boehner has not said where the money will come from; while he has consistently insisted he wants the Justice Department to foot the bill, the agency has given no indication it is planning to comply with that request.
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85 Comments so far
Show AllHypocrisy on parade.
Following Karl Rove's playbook, the GOP took the art of "pitting Americans against Americans" to new heights.
OWS has been the most UNIFYING FORCE the US has seen in more than 40 years.
Butt-Wad
Eric Cantor is the epitome of corruption and is the paradigm of what our Government has become in Washington De Ceit.
" I am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street". Eric.,you corrupt and crooked S.O.B.--- as one of the 99% " MOB " I am increasingly concerned about the 1% mob that really occupy Wall Street that you and your ilk represent!
"the 1% mob that really occupy Wall Street" AND Washington DC !
Let Freedom Ring The Sounds of Democracy...
It appears as if Eric Cantor is channeling his inner Ayn Rand or Louis XVI. By calling the Occupy Wall Street crowd a mob, he left unsaid a truth many habituates of this site know well: the Tea Baggers are a fraud perpetrated by political shills and peopled by dupes. Now something real has come about and Cantor and his crew are scared...and they should be. The 'polite Left' cum punching bags that his ilk had gotten used to are not their opponents now, and like any bully when confronted by an unafraid adversary that will not play by their rhetorical rules, goes immediately into bitch mode. If Occupy Wall Street can keep this up, it will quite satisfying in a schadenfreude sort of way to see Cantor cry.
Although they put on a great charade of inner party conflict, the tea party IS the Republican Party.
I think it would have been more appropriate to say Cantor was channeling his inner Louis IV (not VI), who said l'etat ces moi. Thatis how Cantor comes across.
Who said "l'Etat, c'est moi."? Louis XIV, by most accounts.
Correct.
Louis XV's: "Apres moi, le deluge..." is more what comes to mind to me.
The US right has reached psypothic levels of nihilism - but what the media organs call the "left" (Democratic Party) goes along with practiclly inaudible complaint.
Nah, the Dems shout about the Tea Party at Volume 11, for fundraising and vote getting purposes. So they're very audible, but they aren't really allowed to level a populist critique at the baggers because of the Dems' fealty to the banksters.
So mostly the Dems are stuck with an elitist sounding cultural critique that is not going all that far in 2012, and Obama will be reluctant to use even that.
Of course Obama doesn't really do anything to stop the dismantling of, for instance,the civil service, a common tbag target. But then Obama doesn't do much of anything about anything, beyond droning, warring, and handing out mega-bucks to the banks and the MIC.
That's a name they aren't familiar with (mob) actually. Since the Tea Party draws fewer than a 'group ' at their respective 'mixers' of brainwashed to believe the bs, it stands to reason that a large mix of different sorts of people, even some who don't agree with each other, should scare the pettooties out of the TPers.... so of course they call it a mob. To them its really big and scary...and they should be afraid, very afraid, because a lot of the OWS people have figured out that TP is a certain mentality regardless of race politics or church (tho WASPs) that forms the totally delusioned group called the TP....and they really are dumb as frickin rocks. They actually think, all but a couple, that they are members of the group we refer to as rich, that are part of Wall St...makes me laugh at those poor soon to be's having to fight back the urge to march when their own pathetic wealth gets wasted by those uberrichies.
Amanda, Just for the record, they are not social 'conservatives'; they are regressives or reactionaries. It is time we called them what they are!
"It is time we called them what they are!"
What? Fascists?
The so-called right wing conservatives are fascists. They no longer within the context of a democracy they are determined to destroy our society with the promotion of a fascist kleptocracy that makes government a tool of the industrial corporations. The right wing intends to imprison our society and hand the keys to the 1%.
"If you read the newspapers today, I, for one, am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and the other cities across the country. And believe it or not, some in this town, have actually condoned the pitting of Americans against Americans. But you sent us here to fight for you and all Americans."
-- This is a public relations tactic the business elite have been using for a long time. Propaganda to the extreme, and propaganda that Cantor probably believes to be true. In 1935 organized labor had their first major legislative victory with the passage of the Wagner Act. After this the business community poured tons of money into the PR industry to try to find ways to make sure that this never happened again.
From Chomsky:
"The first trial was one year later, in 1937. There was a major strike, the Steel strike in western Pennsylvania at Johnstown. Business tried out a new technique of labor destruction, which worked very well. Not through goon squads and breaking knees. That wasn't working very well any more, but through the subtle and effective means of propaganda. The idea was to figure out ways to turn the public against the strikers, to present the strikers as disruptive, harmful to the public and against the common interests. The common interests are those of "us," the businessman, the worker, the housewife. That's all "us." We want to be together and have things like harmony and Americanism and working together. Then there's those bad strikers (those harmful mobs) out there who are disruptive and causing trouble and breaking harmony and violating Americanism. We've got to stop them so we can all live together. The corporate executive and the guy who cleans the floors all have the same interests. We can all work together and work for Americanism in harmony, liking each other. That was essentially the message. A huge amount of effort was put into presenting it. This is, after all, the business community, so they control the media and have massive resources. And it worked, very effectively. It was later called "scientific methods of strike-breaking," and worked very effectively mobilizing community opinion in favor of vapid, empty concepts like Americanism."
--- Here we have Cantor working the tried and true methods of turning public opinion against the 'mob'... using things like these 'mobs' are 'pitting Americans against Americans'... and we are here to save you because we are all one big happy family, and the 'mob' wants to take that away. The good news is that more and more people are beginning to see through this total BS. But one thing is for sure... there are a lot of 'think tank' people working very hard right now to counter the Occupy movement, and they have more money and resources... and they are relentless in their agenda. For once I hope We the 99% don't fall prey to the PR manufactured counter-revolution tactics that will (and are) flooding the airwaves as I write this.
In the last few decades, they have used "freedom" instead of "Americanism." Anything that benefits the 1 % and helps them to control everything is "freedom" while everything that helps the 99 % is "socialism," which decades of rhetoric have condemned as not only a failure but as atheistic and evil.
What is happening in the Occupy Wall Street movement in NYC and elsewhere scares people like that twerp Cantor to death. They saw what began in the Middle East last spring and the fact that such a rebellion could happen in Amerika leaves these craven greedy assholes a real dilemma. They don't know if they should they shit or go blind.
"What is happening in the Occupy Wall Street movement in NYC and elsewhere scares people like that twerp Cantor to death." ?
We looked behind the curtain ... and we saw things.
If Eric Cantor is afraid OWS is on the right track. I can't think of a more evil POS holding public office right now.
Easy one: Gov. Rick Scott
I hope to see Cantor found guilty of treason for spying for a foreign government (Israel) and given life imprisonment.
This POS is NUMBER ONE of all US POLITICIANS IN EXPENSE PAID TRIPS TO ISRAEL.
He had better just hope that the angry mob doesn't put a fucking noose around his scrawny fucking neck.
(It is scrawny, huh.)
What a twerp!
It's a mob of the 99%!
Four-eyed snob?
Is there anything these people aren't afraid of? Muslims, unarmed international aid ships to Israel, companies that are too big being allowed to fail, taxes, having their guns taken away, Greece, Ireland, Spain etc. defaulting on some financial crap, the debt, the deficit, unions, abortions, fat people, smokers, flag burning,...now the entire population of the US. Probably even Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. How do they live?
They're also afraid of homosexuals, organic food, bicycles, yoga, heritage seeds, trains, sail power, solar power, wind power, insulation, ground-source heat pumps, education, accurate science, genetics, biology, evolution....... the list is literally endless. They really represent a bunch of fearful old men terrified of the squirrels on their lawn or any change at all.
Exactly! I have had to put up with derisive hate-filled shouts from SUV's and even a thrown objects when I ride my electric motor scooter in republican suburbia.
"Top House GOP leaders assured attendees at the 2011 Values Voter Summit Friday morning that despite all the attention on fixing the nation's economy, they remain committed to pushing the priorities of social conservatives, including defunding Planned Parenthood and defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court."
It's very unfortunate that Merkans must endure liberal media that is just left enough to ensure the people remain enslaved to elites. But the tide is turning and the Huffington Post's style is beginning to look fascist enough to Merkans.
As disgusting is the Repuk agenda to further confuse/distract its authoritarian followers with non-issues such as PP & DOMA, the Huffington Post reinforces the confusion of values by naming the Repuks by that diabolical label that they themselves cherish so very much: 'GOP', and further naming the lowest thugs on the pole "top leaders". You have to understand propaganda. Look at Orwell's 'newspeak'. By using elitevil's favorite labels, Huffington Post "softly" propagates elite mega-crimes against humanity/nature.
" By using elitevil's favorite labels, Huffington Post "softly" propagates elite mega-crimes against humanity/nature. .."
Huffington Post now owned by AOL doesn't "softly" propagate anything. It agressively seeks to profit.
I am no supporter of the GOP or any Republcan candidates for President or Congress. Their anti-protest agenda and plain anti-job stance is despicable. There is actually no GOP Candidate who actually has the qualifications to be President.
The President has not in any way caused the financial mess we are in.
In 2012 I will vote for the person who actually wants this country to succeed and I hope he or she is on the ballot.
"The President has not in any way caused the financial mess we are in"
Wrong
1. He voted for TARP. In fact he left the campaign trail to do so
2. He appointed Geithner and Summers and many GS and other Wall St insiders to top economic posts. IOW, he tapped the neo-liberals who laid the groundwork under Clinton for the 2008 Crash.
3. He re-appointed Benarke, who has been funnelling money to the banksters by the TRILLIONS.
4. He has done nothing to aid underwater homeowners and everything to ais the zombie banks.
Nuff said
Sorry to say, but TARP by itself had nothing to do with the crisis, in fact it prevented the crisis from getting worse by preventing a panic and run on the banks. The problem with TARP is that it wasn't coupled with major concessions from the banks and new regulations.
I agree with the rest of your points.
He did F up when he picked Summers and Geitner, otherwise he's doing the most anyone could in his position. And yes without TARP unemployment would have topped 30% according to economists. I have respect for any person that can withstand the BS propaganda Obama has to deal with and still go to work each day while trying to get things fixed. If nothing else about the man, people that value duty should respect that aspect.
What a dumb clown Cantor is! 'Pitting Americans against Americans'? Like that is not already Eric Cantor's basic agenda? It is though.
Worse yet still. This twerp wants to pit powerful corporate institutions (like Wall Street) run by the rich against ordinary Americans who have no such behemoths working on their behalf. Cantor is a total hypocrite and deserves to be removed from political office. Unfortunately, the people who elected him no doubt did it due to a blitz of propaganda paid for by Big Corporations, so that he could be mouthpiece of the super rich and not for his own electoral constituency. He doesn't care if the Big Corporations kill the rest of us, or not?
Geez, what a surprise!
A base reactionary demagogue furiously denouncing an activity that it perceives as a distraction and threat to its own ill-gotten political security.
And cloaking itself in the most high-minded and disinterested rhetoric while doing so.Why, I never!
Remember: you can't spell "Cantor" without spelling "cant"*.
__________________
* http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cant
♫...For reason in revolt now thunders,
and at last ends the age of cant!...♪
- from the Internationale, British verison.
As if calling the Occupy USA movement a mob is not a case of pitting Americans against Americans!
"This administration's failed policies have resulted in an assault on many of our nation's bedrock principles..........." Eric Cantor.
Yeah, right Eric. Your bedrock Principle # One - Fleecing the 99% so that the 1% can engorge itself even more. Get a life.
I agree with the sentiment of the message board regarding Eric Cantor's comments regarding OWS.
There is some humor to find in the article though. The global economy is on its way to an entire meltdown, and this guy wants to talk about Planned Parenthood? I'm glad everyone's priorities are in order.
Who are "THEY" as in "They're pitting Americans against Americans"? Oh Americans that would like their voice heard. The 99%
If Eric Cantor says that, the Eric Cantor are an ass.
Eric Cantor is just as full of "stuff" as a Thanksgiving turkey.
Do you (who read this) really want to vote for such a turkey -- or not vote
against him, and so let him retain a position of putative authority and trust --
when he condemns what he calls " ... mobs occupying Wall Street ..."?
It is simply the RIGHT of Occupy Wall Street "to peacefully assemble
and petition for redress of grievances."
DON'T TELL ME IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER YOU VOTE, OR
THAT EACH PERSON IN POWER IS JUST AS BAD AS ANY OTHER
PERSON IN POWER!
Eric Cantor is not concerned: he is afraid.
Hypocritic Tool.
Shame little eric...Shame!