INSIDE GOP / Eric Cantor, l'uomo nuovo dei Repubblicani

[Florian]

Eric Cantor




Potrebbe essere Eric Cantor, Deputato Repubblicano della Virginia, una delle novità più promettenti per il futuro del Partito guidato da Michael Steele. Capogruppo dei deputati del Grand Old Party alla Camera dei Rappresentanti, Cantor si è fatto notare per l'intraprendenza e le capacità politiche, doti che associate alla giovane età e ad un alto appeal mediatico potrebbero consentirgli una folgorante carriera non solo tra le file del suo Partito ma ancor più sulla scena politica federale.

Cantor, unico deputato repubblicano di origine ebrea, potrebbe godere dell'appoggio delle potenti lobby ebraiche del paese ed il ruolo che ricopre, è attualmente l'House Minority Whip, gli consente di poter mettere in mostra le sue capacità nella gestione degli uomini del Partito e nel tracciare la linea politica su alcuni temi chiave come la decisa opposizione all'apertura dell'amministrazione Obama riguardo alla ricerca sulle cellule staminali. La legittimazione del suo ruolo di leader del Partito Repubblicano è dovuta per buona parte all'attenzione che molti esponenti Democratici hanno dedicato alle sue parole e alla sua figura. Alcune delle figure più importanti del gruppo di maggioranza alla Camera e lo stesso Presidente Obama hanno infatto indicato in Cantor uno degli interlocutori di maggior peso trai i Repubblicani e non è da escludere la possibilità che il giovane deputato della Virginia diventi nel corso dei prossimi anni uno dei candidati di maggior peso nella sfida per l'elezione alla Casa Bianca.


Simone Comi

Equilibri.net (11 marzo 2009)


http://www.equilibri.net/articolo/11...2week_-_9_2009

[Florian]

Di Eric Cantor si era già parlato un anno fa come possibile vice-McCain.



McCain, un ebreo come vice?
In pole position il giovane Cantor

Repubblica — 04 agosto 2008


Potrebbe essere un ebreo il candidato vicepresidente del repubblicano John McCain nella corsa alla Casa Bianca, è Eric Cantor, 45 anni, deputato della Virginia, e sarebbe in pole position davanti ad altri volti noti: l' ex governatore del Massachusetts Mitt Romney, il governatore del Minnesota Tim Pawlenty e l' ex deputato Rob Portman.

Anche il democratico Barack Obama sta valutando seriamente chi scegliere per diventare il candidato alla vicepresidenza: l' attenzione si sta concentrando sul numero due della Virginia, il governatore Tim Kaine. La Virginia, infatti, è considerato uno dei campi di battaglia incerti nel voto di novembre. Il settimanale Newsweek, però, ha reintrodotto tra i papabili vice il governatore del New Mexico Bill Richardson, che fece infuriare i clintoniani appoggiando Obama, e puntato i riflettori su Chet Edwards, un deputato texano sponsorizzato dalla speaker della Camera Nancy Pelosi e il cui collegio elettorale include il ranch di George W. Bush a Crawford.

Sul fronte repubblicano Cantor potrebbe servire a McCain per alzare una diga sulla linea Mason-Dixon (il simbolico confine culturale tra Nord e Sud) e impedire che lo stato di Richmond, primo baluardo di un Sud in grande trasformazione, passi al campo avversario. Cantor parla con l' accento dei Sud, ha una famiglia fotogenica e un tocco magico quanto a raccolta fondi: nonostante l' età è considerato uno dei più influenti leader repubblicani di fede ebraica e potrebbe consolidare l' ascendente del senatore sugli ebrei americani, tradizionalmente democratici ma timorosi che Obama, a conti fatti, non sia poi troppo amico di Israele.

http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubbl...e-in-pole.html

[Florian]

Eric Cantor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is the Republican representative of Virginia's 7th congressional district. The district includes most of the northern and western sections of Richmond, along with most of Richmond's western suburbs and portions of the Shenandoah Valley.

On November 19, 2008, he was unanimously elected Republican Whip for the 111th United States Congress after serving as chief deputy whip for the previous six years. As Norm Coleman lost his Senate seat and Arlen Specter switched party affiliation, Cantor is currently the only Jewish Republican in the United States Congress.

Early life and education

Cantor was born in Richmond, Virginia. He graduated high school from Collegiate School in 1981. He earned a B.A. at George Washington University (1985) where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, received his Juris Doctor from The College of William & Mary Law School (1988), and received an M.S. in real estate development from Columbia University (1989).

Cantor met Diana Marcy Fine on a blind date; they were married in 1989.

Early career

As a freshman at George Washington University in 1981, Cantor worked as an intern for House Republican Tom Bliley of Virginia and was Bliley's driver in the 1982 campaign.

Cantor worked for over a decade with his family's small business doing legal work and real estate development.

He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992– January 1, 2001. At various times he was a member of committees on Science and Technology, Corporation Insurance and Banking, General Laws, Courts of Justice, (co-chairman) Claims.

Congress

Cantor was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, filling the seat from which Tom Bliley was retiring.

During his first term, Cantor was Chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. He has also served on the House Financial Services Committee and on the House International Relations Committee and the very powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

In 2002 Roy Blunt appointed him chief deputy Republican whip, the highest appointed position in the Republican caucus.

In the 2002 election, Cantor defeated Democratic challenger Ben "Cooter" Jones, who starred on the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.

In the 2006 election, Cantor defeated Jim Nachman, the Democratic nominee, and Independent candidate Dr. Brad Blanton. Cantor received 63.85% of the votes.

On September 29, 2008 Cantor blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the initial failure of the $700 billion economic bailout bill. He noted that 94 Democrats voted against the measure, as well as 133 Republicans. He referred to Pelosi's proposal to appoint a Car czar to run the U.S. Automobile Industry Bailout as bureaucratic.

In November 2008, Cantor was re-elected to Congress. On November 19, 2008, he was unanimously elected Republican Whip for the 111th United States Congress.

In February 2009, Cantor led Republicans in the House of Representatives in voting against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and was a prominent spokesman in voicing the many issues he and his fellow Republicans had with the legislation; however, Cantor voted in favor of a 90% marginal tax rate increase on bonuses in opposition to Republican leader John Boehner, despite receiving campaign contributions from TARP recipient Citigroup.

Position on Israel

Cantor supports strong United States-Israel relations. He cosponsored legislation to cut off all U.S. taxpayer aid to the Palestinian Authority and another bill calling for an end to taxpayer aid to the Palestinians until they stop unauthorized excavations on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Responding to a claim by the State Department that the United States provides no direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, Cantor claimed that United States sends about US$75 million in aid annually to the Palestinian Authority, which is administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Cantor has also claimed that Congress approved a three-year package of US$400 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority in 2000. He has also introduced legislation to end aid to Palestinians.

In May 2008, Cantor said that the relationship America has with Israel is "a constant reminder of the greatness of America."

In November 2008, following Barack Obama's election as President, Cantor stated that a “stronger U.S.-Israel relationship” remains a top priority for him and that he would be “very outspoken” if Obama "did anything to undermine those ties."

Personal life

The Cantor children (Evan, Jenna, Michael) were born in approximately 1989, 1991, 1993. Mrs. Cantor's mother, Barbara Fine, lives and manages the cooking and shopping in the Cantor household, which is kosher.

Mrs. Cantor is a lawyer and certified public accountant. She founded, and from 1996 until 2008 was executive director of, the Virginia College Savings Plan (an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia.) She was also chairman of the board of the College Savings Plans Network.
Mrs. Cantor is a Managing Director in a division of Emigrant Bank a subsidiary of New York Private Bank & Trust Corp. which was one of 47 private banks to receive bailout cash in exchange for preferred shares.

2008 Elections

In August 2008 Cantor was being considered as John McCain's Vice Presidential running mate, with McCain's representatives seeking documents from Cantor as part of its vetting process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Cantor