Before I leave you lovely people to your Sunday, here are two quotes from this morning’s “Meet the Press”:
* “We’ve got to be talking about helping folks.”
* “[T]he federal government has got a role in research and basic medical research trying to find cures for disease.”
The lawmaker spouting those liberal talking points was not, as you might imagine, Nancy Pelosi but Eric Cantor. It’s the first leg of Cantor’s effort to “rebrand” the GOP. Seems the makers/takers dichotomy the party was so fond of during the election cycle is not the best way to broaden the appeal of a national political machine. Who knew?
I mention this only so that, from here on out, you can ignore it. (Thinkprogress has done a marvelous job making Swiss cheese of Cantor’s reboot.) This is selective liberalism. As Chris Christie showed, Republican governors have no qualms about demanding FEMA money. And of course, any time the military budget is up for review, Republicans are perfectly willing to embrace big government. They would be loath to admit it, but like everyone else, Republicans are willing to toss their staunchly-held principles out the window when they’re frightened. If Cantor and his colleagues read this morning’s Tanenhaus — which gave an awfully bleak glimpse of the GOP’s future — they have every right to be.
Until next time, you can reach my at the e-mail below or on Twitter (@elongreen).
