Then-House Majority
Leader Eric Cantor’s meeting with representatives of the Brady Campaign on the
fifth anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings exposed his double-dealing.
According to one of
the meeting’s participants, Cantor expressed his “full support” for keeping
guns out of the hands of dangerous people. However, the Majority Leader, who
had just returned from speaking at an NRA convention, refused to sign a
Statement of Principle capturing the ideas he had just agreed to. The statement
calls for keeping guns out of the hands of those who are convicted felons,
convicted domestic abusers, terrorists, or people who are dangerously mentally
ill.
The Statement of
Principle is not a pledge, and Cantor could not say he was opposed to signing
such documents when they advance his career. He willingly signed Grover
Norquist’s pledge not to raise taxes. Apparently when it comes to the lives of
students, staff, and faculty the then-Majority Leader said no dice—there is
nothing in it for me. What a shame. Voters are crying out for politicians with
backbone and principle, and Cantor took a pass. He apparently prefers to gamble
with people’s lives rather than act responsibly.
According to one of
the attendees at Cantor’s volunteered to those gathered that you have to set
standards low around here (Congress), and then proved it. He told them he would
not allow a vote on a bill strengthening background checks in order to buy a
gun because a Democrat sponsors the bill.
Cantor lost his bid
for re-election in 2014. He lost not because he lied to the victims of school
shootings, but because he was out of touch with his electorate. Cantor was
smug, arrogant, and condescending; he epitomized the worst of the type of our
politicians. (To be continued)
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