Bacon's Rebellion

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Quote of the Day: Eric Cantor

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James A. Bacon
in

Image credit: Wall Street Journal

Eric Cantor nailed the differences between economic liberals and conservatives in a Wall Street Journal interview published today. The “philosophical starting point” of today’s Democrats, as he sees it, is this:

“[They] believe in a welfare state before they believe in capitalism. They promote economic programs of redistribution to close the gap of the disparity between the classes. That’s what they’re about: redistributive politics. … The assumption … is that there is some kind of perpetual engine of economic prosperity in America that is going to just continue. And therefore they are able to take from those who create and give to those who don’t. We just have a fundamentally different view.”

That quote certainly captures the dialogue that takes place on this blog.

— James A. Bacon

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14 responses to “Quote of the Day: Eric Cantor”

  1. Hydra Avatar
    Hydra

    What makes Cantor think he is qualified to speak to what any liberal believes? What we have here is what he says they believe.

    To hear him and others talk, one would believe that no entrepreneur or job Creator or person with high income is also a liberal, which we know is not true.

    Conservatives believe that large powerful, centrally organized entities called business or corporations create jobs and wealth, but they dismiss government as part of that same description and liberals do not exclude it. Both government and business have advantages over the individual in economies of scale anorganizationof organization. The individual needs protection from both of them, but wealthy individuals have no real adversaries other than government.

    Populist government that protects people makes it harder for industrialists and capitalists to prey on individuals, and expects wealthy people to pay proportionate to what they own.

    No wonder wealthy conservatives hate government so. But there is a fundamental problem with thinking large private organizations can do anything and large public ones can do nothing.

    Liberals don’t have that problem because they accept a place for bussiness and government and individuals.

  2. Waldo Jaquith Avatar
    Waldo Jaquith

    I’m a Democrat, and I don’t believe that.

    Also, unlike Eric Cantor, I don’t believe in making sweeping statements about what entire classes of people believe. I’m also somewhat less of an ass, but that’s neither here nor there.

  3. Hydra Avatar
    Hydra

    Well said, Waldo.

    re mortgage interest deductions.

    Renters have a higher ratio of financial obligations to I come than homeowners.

    This is because:
    A) they are unable to manage finances.
    B) they have less income
    C) their landlords are taking them for a ride, while deducting their interest costs.
    D) You are not allowed to own a home if you have too much other debt.

    No wonder home ownership is the fastest way to wealth. Lenders have every incentive to protect their interest.

  4. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Who wrote this post? Bylines, please!

    Who cares what Eric Cantor says? He’s a fundraiser not a philosopher. He represents the monied classes of Richmond and I don’t believe Obama has ended the tax breaks for the rich. If anything Obama has not been liberal enough.

    I doubt Cantor has the depth to understand anything beyond his narrow, wealthy world.
    Peter Galuszka

  5. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    well.. I suspect that Bacon did not write it because he said he did not vote for the man.

    so that leaves Groveton.., eh?

    Unfortunately, Cantor is what passes for “statesman” these days in the Republican Party.

    Did Mr. Cantor emerge as a respected leader and participant in the recent budget talks?

    Did the man provide HIS approach to a cut-only balanced budget?

    Did the man admit that we have already spent 14+ trillion dollars and that it must be paid back?

    Did the man LEAD?

    nope.. just another bomb-throwing culture warrior….which is what passes for leadership these days in the Republican Party.

    the most amazing thing to me is that ordinary people who work hard 40-60 hours a week earning a living as a working man/woman actually BUY the ideological bat guano that Cantor excretes.

  6. James A. Bacon Avatar
    James A. Bacon

    I wrote the post, Larry… My apologies for forgetting to affix a signature. I find Cantor’s description of the differences between economic liberals and conservatives to be right on target. I spend a lot of time listening to MSNBC (my wife’s choice, not mine… I prefer CNN, never listen to FOX), and the commentary is totally focused on correcting perceived social injustices, never about creating wealth. The MSNBC punditsoffer nothing but redistributionist schemes as a remedy for our economic problems.

  7. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Hey Larry …

    If you want to misquote me, how about this:

    “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden.”.

    I didn’t write that either.

  8. Andrea Epps Avatar
    Andrea Epps

    Eric Cantor should have never been elected to start with. I was hoping to be taken out of his disrtict…no such luck. One Half of the problem we have today is Eric Cantor and others like him.
    As of this morning, Meet the Press: 82% believe Congress is failing. Says it all.

  9. TMT Avatar
    TMT

    Cantor is a great counterweight to Obama.

  10. Hydra Avatar
    Hydra

    Neighbor came by today lookking for her dog. Asked me how things were. I said- great except for the economy. She said – Hey, I did not vote for him.

    Simplistic thinking. I do not give the president either credit or blame for the economy. Either party.

  11. Andrea Epps Avatar
    Andrea Epps

    One of the comments posted on the WSJ article makes a good point.
    There is no longer any expectation of civility or respect for the President. I don’t care who he is, or what he stands for. A congressman (or anyone else for that matter) owes the office a certian degree of respect.
    Likewise, members of Congress have no respect for each other anymore, and they have no respect for those they are supposed to represent.
    This is a big problem. I say recall them all and start over.

  12. Andrea Epps Avatar
    Andrea Epps

    One of the comments posted on the WSJ article makes a good point.
    There is no longer any expectation of civility or respect for the President. I don’t care who he is, or what he stands for. A congressman (or anyone else for that matter) owes the office a certian degree of respect.
    Likewise, members of Congress have no respect for each other anymore, and they have no respect for those they are supposed to represent.
    This is a big problem. I say recall them all and start over.

  13. Andrea Epps Avatar
    Andrea Epps

    And by the way… a point to ponder.
    “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare…”
    1. WE
    2. Union
    3. Tranquility
    4. general Welfare
    Makes me think, Why is all of this fussing necessary?

  14. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    geeze Jim…. MSNBC is the Democratic base and FOX is the Republican base…

    I actually AGREE with the premise that, as a nation, many… from the poor, to the middle class.. to the rich feel “entitled” with respect to their treatment from the govt.

    Can we both AGREE on that?

    Let me give an example (which I have before).

    Many folks – more than should… BELIEVE that Medicare Part B is an ENTITLEMENT ….LIKE Medicare Part A is.

    But it’s not.

    If you never apply for Medicare Part B – you’ll not be covered by it when you go to the Doctor.

    But most Seniors THINK that THEY ARE ENTITLED to it – for the bargain price of $100 a month ( for many…it IS ..SOMEWHAT means-tested)…

    but think about this. 75% of Medicare Part B is paid for with taxpayer subsidies – NOT premiums.

    The people who pay $100 a month often own two, three cars… a primary residence and a vacation home.. and have income and assets that can exceed half a million dollars – yet they think they are ENTITLED to dirt-cheap health insurance because they pay for it.

    Now.. in the bigger scheme of things – right now – Medicare Part B is “only” 210 billion of the 1.5 trillion annual deficit.

    For myself, I advocate taking away the taxpayer subsidy for everyone but the destitute – who are, in reality, covered anyhow by MedicAid which… guess what – ALSO pays the 100 a month Medicare Part B premium.

    Medicare Part B is PROJECTED to double, triple, then quadruple in costs because it’s costs pretty much track health care costs in general…..

    but my larger point is that many/most seniors feel that the govt “owes” them Medicare Part B and to be precise – I think this group thinks this way no matter what their political leanings are and I’m betting that the sons and daughters of these seniors ALSO are GLAD that the govt is subsidizing their parents health care – and not them personally.

    This is the middle class “entitlement” that many… who subscribe to the Republican/Conservative mantra that we are expecting the govt to take care of us but those middle class (and higher) folks do not think it is THEM that is the problem …but instead those below their income level… the “leeches”.

    It is ALL of us in my view and instead of ALL of us admitting that things like Medicare Part B, mortgage insurance, the nursing home situation with MedicAid, etc… ARE …THE PROBLEM… we are engaging in the proverbial blame game… with whatever class of people that is not the class we are part of.

    we are getting nowhere because virtually everyone thinks it’s the other guy that is “leeching” off of the government instead of ourselves.

    In that regard – Boomergeddon has some truly scary prophesies.

    It’s not that we cannot fix the problems. It’s that, as a nation of individuals, very few are willing to shoulder their share of responsibility for the problem.

    it’s always the “other” guy.

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