Sunday’s column: The Mudcat takes aim at Eric Cantor
Dave 'Mudcat' Saunders
My old friend Dave “Mudcat” Saunders, the renowned hunter, reformed drunk, downtown Roanoke real estate developer and nationally known political strategist, lives in a humble cabin alongside Back Creek in Roanoke County.
Sometimes he’s a humble guy — this past year, he’s been quietly spending time in Haiti working on earthquake relief.
Other times he’s not so humble. Lately, it’s tending toward the latter. Saunders is up to his old political tricks again, and he’s just getting wound up.
The target’s a big one: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican from suburban Richmond and one of the most powerful politicians in Congress.
Two weeks ago, Saunders signed on as senior political strategist with Cantor’s long-shot Democratic challenger. That’s Wayne Powell, an ex-Army colonel and Richmond lawyer who’s never run for office before.
Though six previous Cantor challengers have failed miserably, Saunders vows this campaign will be different. With him at the helm, that’s guaranteed. He’s a combustible mix of political brilliance, media savvy and attention deficit disorder. And he’s as colorful as a day-glo paint factory.
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN HERE.
June 17, 2012 - 6:00 AM
Mudcat Saunders is one of the few people who can give Cantor a run for his money … well, maybe not CANTOR’s money, but still.
Cantor lies every time he opens his mouth and gets owned every time he debates anybody about the issues. What I cannot fathom is the depth of ignorance of the voters in Cantor’s district.
Godspeed, Mr. Saunders!
Oh, this is gonna be fun!! Eric is not gonna know what hit him!
I’m sure Saunders will help give Powell a boost and probably make it a closer race than Cantor’s had in the past, but I believe Cantor will still win. Cantor will have more money to spend, and sadly that is what wins most races. I hope I am proven wrong, but I doubt I will be.
Dylan, I hope you’re proven wrong too. It’s sad that we have the best government that money can buy.
Happy Pa’s day to everyone
Believing Canter can be beat in Richmond is beyond delusional. I hope the Dems spend alot of time and money there.
Shoot, why stop there ? Lets see if we can`t get `ol Obama down to stump for Wayne !! Oh, wait…thats been done to death and with disasterous results each and every time..More power to ya, Mudcat ! You`re gonna be needed EVERYWHERE.
I have to laugh every time I hear a RWer proclaim that the election is in the bag for Romney. Read up on some Nate Silver, folks.
#3 After Cantor’s district was gerrymandered there’s little chance of a Dem winning. Cantor, like other politicians, is afraid of a fair election.
#8, I believe that’s mostly bravado talking. Obama’s leading nationally, leading in Ohio and Virginia, kicking Rmoney in the projected electoral college, and he’s an incumbent.
Barring a fabulous campaigner as an opponent (Reagan and Clinton come to mind recently) or an exceptionally poor political environment (Ford, Carter)…incumbents win. And Rmoney isn’t that great a candidate, certainly has none of the charisma of a Reagan or Clinton, and things (while not ideal) are better in the country than they were when Obama took office and it felt like we were headed for absolute disaster. Certainly, Republicans have spent the last 3.5 years trying to maintain that crisis mentality and make things as bad as possible in this country, but I think people have picked up on that (not that they’ve been subtle).
and things (while not ideal) are better in the country than they were when Obama
29% believe the country is going in the right direction. Idiot Boy’s gone.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/right_direction_or_wrong_track
Of course Cantor will win. The district was built for him by the Republican GA. But this time he’ll have to work for it and spend money. And every dollar the Republicans have to spend to keep this clown in office is a dollar they won’t have to spend somewhere else in a crucisl
district. I hopoe they make him drop a few million bucks in this election.
Believe it or not Dan, I feel the same way. I think anyone, from EITHER party, who claims the election is in the bag is dreaming. The left has been very successful in demonizing conservatives and painting them all as extremists. Meanwhile Obama has been far less than spectacular.
Kristen, you are correct that the Republican message has tried to focus on how many things are still bad about the economy, but don’t assume that gives Dems the high ground. They are busy doing the same thing. THey did it masterfully in 2008 convincing everyone that everything that was wrong was exclusively due to failed Bush policies. Lately it seems they are trying to resurrect that campaign because we are once again starting to hear the same campaign theme used against McCain. That being, voting for anyone but Obama would be a return to Bush, which they view as synonymous with absolute disaster. These days neither side can really claim any high ground.
gdad, you are correct. BOTH parties draw the districts to their advantage whenever they have the opportunity, so neither can claim high ground here. As you note, it would appear that NO politician, whether he/she be Rwpublican or Democrat is interested in fairness.
I don’t think either side can honestly claim they believe this election is in the bag. Much of Obama’s original luster has worn off and the promises of hope and change have been exposed as just more of the same political drivel. Meanwhile, Republicans, try as they might, can’t seem to find a candidate that people can get excited about. And ever lurking in the background, pulling strings and controlling the messages the public receives, we have a mass media that is more focused on influencing than reporting. All in all, absolute disaster may not adequately describe what our political system has become.
Poor Eric Cantor, that guy’s wrist is so limp he has a hard time signing his name. How those Bubba’s out in Culpeper, Orange, Louisa, and Spotsylvania counties could vote for him is one weird thing.
LOL at the raisinettes Dan!
My Dad still tells the story of his Dad smearing a melted Hershey bar on the tip of his shoe in the factory lunchroom… Sitting there in the midst of several pals (one of them well known to have a “delicate system”), he exclaimed, “O hell, is that what I think it is? Whereupon he wiped off the tip of his shoe and took a great big whiff of his coated fingers, exclaiming, “I think it is!” At this point, Grandpa proceeded to stick his fingers in his mouth and immediately spat it out, yelling, “Dammit, it is!” Mr. Sensitive practically upchucked on the spot and everybody was soon laughing themselves to tears.
Another time, Grandpa had Grandma carefully glue a dog food label on a can of corned beef hash… In this one he set it up by lamenting financial problems, then opened the can and spooned it down, playing it deadpan the whole time.
“All in all, absolute disaster may not adequately describe what our political system has become.”
Chuck gets it.
If any seat is ripe for an unknown candidate who is not a career pol, it is this one. Cantor is the incumbent, but he is not as widely respected, liked or revered as a safe seat would be. If he wins, he will only have gerrymandering to thank, granted it is better than nothing, but it is damn close to nothing to live in a district where a cardboard cut out would win if it had the right label on it…oh wait
Chuck
The mass media may he lurking in the background, but the people really lurking in the background are the people with the money who are pouring it into the campaign anonymously to try to buy the election thanks to the Citizens United decision.I believe that we should place strict limits on campaign contributions and enforce them. But if we can’t do that, we should at least bring the money out of the shadows and require full disclosure of sll donors to campaigns, super pacs, and 501 3(c) groups.
Chuck, I wasn’t describing our political culture when I talked about “absolute disaster”…I meant our endless involvement in expensive and futile wars, an economy spiralling downwards with no sign of change in sight, how the country appeared to be terminal in every aspect. The spiralling has stopped, we’re (finally) ending the wars. Things seem to be improving.
And yes, Obama has lost some lustre, as any incumbent has. And it’s not going to be a cakewalk, and it’s not in the bag on either side. My point was only that…incumbents tend to win, statistically, barring something major to shift the paradigm. And I don’t see anything major on the horizon.
Poor Eric Cantor, that guy’s wrist is so limp he has a hard time signing his name.
Nice, William. We can always count on liberal homophobes.
I understood your point Kristen, just expanded on it a little because I very strongly believe our political culture is merely a reflection of our society. The lack of ethics, waste, name-calling and lack of accountability in politics is merely a microcosm of our larger society. I know it is convenient to malign the wars as Bush’s personal political game, but please remember, our involvement in Afghanistan was a direct response to the 9/11 attacks and, at the time, the entire country was behind it. The problem is our microwave society doesn’t have the fortitude to tolerate a war that can’t be won in 90 days. We also don’t have the stomach to do what it takes to actually win a war these days. But that is another story.
I agree that incumbents typically win, but as the Democrats were so fond of talking about, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. That is one of the reasons that the “change” everyone wanted so badly in ’08 was thought to be needed. Our political culture and practices breed career politicians, not public servants. dave, money and its influence is a huge part of this, but it is very naive to think the problem you referenced is exclusive to Republicans. Don’t think for a minute that Democrats aren’t funneling funds in exactly the same manner. I still have trouble believing you guys, who are so cynical and suspicious of every dime that comes into Republican campaign coffers are truly comfortable with anonymous internet donations that total in the hundreds of millions for your guy. Do you really believe the candidate has no idea where these monies are coming from?
Rick Santorum on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday:
“I want to help Mitt Romney get elected president, I’ll be happy to help him and advise him if he wants my advice as president.”
That’s a joke, right? Three months ago he was telling us all what a bum Romney was. And, why would anyone want advice from this guy? I guess eventually they all toe the republican party line.
Dan’s Nate Silver link in #8 is a worthwhile read, folks. Nate is a statistician who compiles ALL available data and uses the results nonpartisanly (unless facts have a liberal bias, of course). Over the last couple of cycles Silver has been incredibly accurate. If you want to act like you can tell the difference between your rear and a hole in the ground, pay very close attention to this guy’s blog. The poll compilations on Real Clear Politics is also pretty spot on but you can‘t cherry pick and take just one result like suz likes to do. Anyhoo, anybody that wants to neck puke about this election being in the bag already is delusional. It ain‘t and it‘s going to be a nail biter down to the wire according to the data available right now. It amuses me how the RW’ers derided liberals about the futility of “Hope and change” but yet are now heavily invested in the myth that Romney will win in a landslide. That clearly ain’t happening at this point.
No. 20 Suzie:
Poor Eric Cantor, that guy’s wrist is so limp he has a hard time signing his name.
Nice, William. We can always count on liberal homophobes.
Comment by Suzie — June 17, 2012 @ 5:48 pm
I never used any terms relating to what you alluded too. I just mentioned that Cantor is a little light in his loafers, you know, kind of, how would Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA say this, a “girlie-man” kinda guy.
Dan, just tell Mudcat to point out Cantor’s grin. i still believe it is his most realistic attribute.
Chuck
I have no problem with those 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 dollar donations that are pouring in over the internet. I’ve made quite a few of them myself.
And I believe ALL contributions, to Republicans or Democrats, should be public information and the contributors identfied. Then the question of where the money REALLY comes from would be right there in the open for everybody to see. It’s those 1, 2, 5, and 10 million dollar donations to shadowy groups that are anonymous that I object to. And there are no limits on them whatsoever. If a true accounting was made of all these contributions, I don’t think there is any question which side is getting the lion’s share of that kind of money. So let’s have it out in the open where everybody can see it.
RJB
Cantor’s grin is one thing. But the permanent smirk etched on the face of
maccaca man Allen is about the most arrogant , disdainful, holier than thou countenance I have ever seen on a politician. He looks like he is permanently sniffing some offensive odor. Come to think of it, with that gob of Red Man chew in his jaw, he probably is.
The election may not be a lock for either side just yet, but Obama sure tipped the scale his way this past week IMO. His little gift of work visas to nearly 1 million illegals assures that he will again receive the overwhelming majority of the latino vote and I’m sure that move definetly swayed any of those that may have been on the fence at this point. Now all that’s needed for the final nail in the Romney campaign coffin is one of those fine VP picks (see McCain chooses Palin 2008) and it’s four more years of watching this country slide further into the hole. I can’t believe all the libs aren’t dancing in the streets over this one by now. I guess in reality they all know that if Obama has to stand on his record to win this election, anything can happen.
Romney’s going to pick the most boring person who might help him win him a toss-up state. That’s probably a senator from Ohio who nobody’s heard of outside the Buckeye state.
27. dave – His smirk is stuck in place because there has never been enough behind it to generate movement in the facial muscles.
The reality is that Obama’s record is not nearly as bad as some people pretend it is and he can indeed run on what he has tried, what he has accomplished and what has improved. The truth remains the truth, whether you want to hear it or not. His record is not what some portray and America will see that. Also, America is not going to elect a Wall Street tycoon after what Wall Street did to America. The TP/GOP chose badly…again. The bonuses, the closed businesses, the lost pensions, the lost homes, those are all vote deciding issues and they are not in Romney’s favor. America knows Obama has worked hard and has had some success in the face of a terrible economic crash not of his making. They just do.
Of course “our political culture is merely a reflection of our society. There are jerks in Washington and in Roanoke. Increasingly, doing the right thing takes a back seat to getting what you want, what makes you happy, what makes you feel good. From Rural Route 1 to 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, sacrifice, hard work, caring for others, empathy, honesty, integrity and truth have been in short supply for decades because we accept it. We chose sides, we decided social issues trump economic issues trump humanitarian issues trumps political chicanery and away we went on this downward spiral. No honest man or woman can ever want to serve in government in any capacity and our lack of respect for them is palpable even when they are doing their best.
We are absolutely to blame for what we get from pols and their puppetmasters.
There are problems that are very “exclusive to Republicans” and there are problems exclusive to Democrats. They are not the same problems beyond the general but they both have them, there is no denying that fact either. Of course everyone plays the game the same way, the difference is that there are no people giving money to the Dems who will profit mightily from their agenda. THAT is a very significant difference IMO.
There is no such thing as a truly “anonymous internet donations”. That is a TP/GOP meme. If that is true, prove it.
#34 Latinos were already at least 65 percent in favor of Obama. As for doing something that might sway a few votes in his favor, Obama has now joined the long list of every single president who’s run for re-election. Every one of them.
I am kind of in favor of the DREAM act. Some look at it as amnesty, I look at it as a way to separate those who came here for this country and those who came here simply to better their life or fatten their wallet.
I can think of nothing more appropriate to do to show how serious you are about staying here than to enlist in the military or to obtain a college degree, which are the main ways you obtain residency. The checks and balances set up in there to weed out the bad seeds seem good…
It’s just a shame that senate republicans who pledged support for this piece of legislation backed out because they were not guaranteed more money for their home states to “combat illegal immigration”. Way to hold your country for ransom. You’re setting a brilliant example for those who wish to work hard for citizenship.
27. dave – the days of the good ole boy approach ended in 2008 with the GOP now into a stammering nerdy businessman that reads his handlers speeches that say what each group what they want to hear. He does not even have the courage to insist on a consistent message.
This George from California pretending to be a good ole VA boy with Southern roots has always been a hoot to me. He has not matured from his frat boy days. Howdyshell should love his Greek demeanor.
Huntersdad, if W can get elected twice, truly anything is possible.
“The reality is that Obama’s record is not nearly as bad… ”
you’re right. it’s much worse.
Richard@34
Mitt has got me so confused with his messages that I have absolutely no idea what he stands for. Massachusetts Mitt seems pretty reasonable and capable. Campaigning for President Mitt seems to cater completely to extreme right wing of his party. Which Mitt actually shows up to govern in anyone’s guess.. but I thinking the Tea Party would pretty each his lunch for him at this point. It’s also complicated by his habit of excluding the press from statements he makes to groups on the campaign tour, which I find interesting. This does not bode well for the man when he is inevitability forced to voice an opinion in debate with Obama.
I think the President is gonna have his way with him.
Suzie…”Homophobe”…
Really?
Your fears escape you once again.
One can certainly act weak and or
effeminate without being as you might suggest.
There are broader meanings than the limitations
of that microbic space between your ears may be able to
comprehend.
Its ok…we understand.
And Im quite sure that the only time Cantor would
go into the closet would be to marvel at his
Right Wingtip shoe collection.
“the difference is that there are no people giving money to the Dems who will profit mightily from their agenda.”
And you are certain if this how? How about you prove this?
If the donations are anonymous, how can you possibly know the donors won’t profit from them? That the candidate can’t possibly know to whom he owes his fealty because the donation is anonymous is the tired old liberal meme. It presupposes that the candidate doesn’t know who is making the donations and that the thousands of untraceable small donations are actually individual donors and not special interests playing a shell game.
“There is no such thing as a truly “anonymous internet donations”. ”
Really?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/28/AR2008102803413.html
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/13/poll-nearly-half-bothered-by-anonymous-donations/
http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/Obama-fundraising-illegal/2008/09/29/id/325630
http://news.yahoo.com/fraud-found-obama-online-donations-160403189.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53445.html
If there are truly no such thing as anonymous donations, why would Obama want to limit them after the 2010 midterms? The fact is, whether you want to hear it or not, is that democrats are fine with all donations, anonymous or known, from ANY source, as long the donations are for the democrat. However, if the anonymous donation is for a Republican it’s viewed as if it came directly from Darth Vader’s personal bank account with all the accompanying accusations of influence peddling and election-buying. My point to you is that BOTH sides do it. Both sides try to hide money and the sources of money and both deny that the donor will see any profit.
I don’t think it is a good system for the citizens when either side does it. The only thing that sickens me more is the smug hypocrisy that liberals show in their own, “Look how corrupt the Republicans are” attitude when they know they do exactly the same thing. It is laughable how anonymous donations to Republicans are the evil influence of Wall Street, but anonymous donations to the Democrats are grass roots movements from the citizens.” Yeah, they’re a movement alright. Smell like one too!
Kristen, admittedly you make a good point. If W could get a second term after the mess he made with the first, then Obama certainly still stands a chance to do the same even with his failures to help the economy much. I think what our economy needs the most is an influx of REAL money, money that isn’t the american taxpayers or borrowed from China or wherever, but investment from big companies and corperations who are holding on to every dollar of cash they can right now. With the Obama administration in charge right now and if it continues through November, I don’t see those 1%ers investing a single dime in the american economy for fear of losing it all to a big government that Obama seems intent on making bigger and more detrimental to investors. The more the President beats the drum for taxing these companies and individuals even more, the tighter they are gonna hold on to what they have and that doesn’t help the other 99%ers at all. The guys with all the money are still doing fine, it’s the rest of us who will continue to suffer.
And Gdad you are right, Obama all ready had the big majority of the latino vote last election and with the work visa handout that percentage probably jumped up to 85 to 90%. Even those Fox News pundents that are so loved here on Dan’s humble blog proclaimed it a brilliant political move on the part of the president. The only way it could backfire on Obama is if it lights a fire under the millions of unemployed Americans that now have to compete with those visa holders for what few jobs are out there. And even if every one of those PO’ed Americans voted, I’m not sure it would bounce Obama out of office. Only time will tell if that dog turns around and bites him.
#41 Might want to check with those unemployed folks about how they feel about the big American companies that have sent jobs overseas under incentives established under Bush and the Repub Congress of the early 2000s.
Since there isn’t an open thread, im just going to post it here:
Yet another death in southern VA, of a man who failed to wear his seat belt. And this time, was running from the state police for running a stop sign. What an idiot.
With the exception of possible favors for the diminishing unions, what would any business, or wealthy patron have to gain from having Democrats in control? You tell me that and I will talk about how bad the crooked, anonymous, untraceable money on the Dem side is. I just do not see the connection or the gain. Other than the donations made to both sides to hopefully mitigate any hard feelings or punitive legislation, I fail to see how the Dems agenda is what the control freaks are looking for in governance.
There is a great poster making the rounds on FB about how people are “outraged” over those immigrants coming and taking “their” jobs (which is not even true) but no one says a word about the American companies that took their entire business overseas to hire foreigners: GE, Caterpillar, Microsoft, Wal-mart, Chevron, Cisco, Intel, and others cut their workforce here by 2.9 million jobs that went overseas… It IS something to think about.
American workers can compete when given a chance.
37. Mike Scott – Mitt doesn’t seem to make it from one day to the next without changing his mind does he?
Willard Romney is not simply a “flip-flopper”, he is literally a weather-vane. He swings like a man in a storm.
Sandi…
You are correct as usual..
He cant get his toes in the flip before he flops.
It must be driving the Repub power brokers insane.
He couldnt talk his way out of a silent movie.
Obama may show up drunk at the debate just to keep
ratings from tanking.
I know people will be waiting for the meltdown..
or freeze-up if you will.
Gdad, here’s another possible chance to help fix some of my ignorance…didn’t Bill Clinton help get those encentives started that made it easier for american companies to move overseas? I’m probably wrong on that, most likely some right wing nonsense I read somewhere.
Admittedly so many american companies have moved jobs off our shores to fatten their pocketbooks and increase the bottom line, but with 8.5% unemployment and an already super competitive job market we have a President that sees this flood of nearly one million illegals into that market as the “right thing to do.” How does that help this country? How can anyone not be bothered by that? We can blame Clinton, Bush, the republican Congress of the past or anyone else, but how does that move help the situation presently?
#47 Here’s a racket Romney is like a weather vane on — “carried interest,” which saves the some of the super wealthy zillions by treating what is actually salary like it’s capital gains.
He’s going to get rid of it …. no, wait, he’s not … no, wait, he might or he might not.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/18/news/economy/romney-carried-interest/
#49 Many of those illegals are already working so it’s not like all of them will suddenly take jobs they don’t already have. But maybe they’d pay taxes. The folks Obama wants to allow to stay at least for a while are generally productive and a bonus for our country.
As for when the incentives to move overseas started, I admit that I’m not sure, but I do know it accelerated under Bush and the Repub Congress.
Gdad I guess what’s got me in twist over the whole thing is that “right thing to do” statement. I just find it impossible to buy that. Maybe I should try to find a silver lining in this cloud….maybe it will allow some of those 800,000 to go to work and become part of the solution instead of remaining part of the problem. This country has alot of big problems with no easy answers doesn’t it? God help us all and this country that we love.
Huntersdad, it strikes me more as the pragmatic thing to do, vs the “right” thing. And to me, Obama is neither right nor leftwing….he’s a pragmatist, which doesn’t thrill me much, but he seems to practice politics as “the art of the possible”.
Huntersdad, the negotiations for the NAFTA started back in 1986 and was first signed into agreement on December 17, 1992. I will let you figure out who was leading the nation when those floodgates that only went one way, started. Since then, the manufacturers who were more about money than America have closed shops here and opened them in other very welcoming countries. It has decimated the American worker and it has not helped America in any way that matters. We are making money but losing ground because those profits are all at the top. There is no “trickle down” here when the jobs are in another country. I cannot fathom when we will learn, but it does not appear to be soon.
Huntersdad, the “right thing to do” is indeed sometimes hard and there is no doubt that some American workers might be displaced or not hired because of these kids, Executive Order or not. I have heard many a business person speak of how much better immigrant workers are. For a generation or two, that is correct. It is a hard and bitter pill, but punishing kids who have pretty much always been here and know nothing of their country is also a hard and bitter pill for those who recognize and admit our own melting pot heritage. The failures from the past always haunt the future. We should have dealt with immigration in the right way 30-40 years ago and we would be over it by now. It is a wound that is self-inflicted and it has festered.
#14 Bova, Cantor looks like Conan the Barbarian compared to the sissy Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.Saw Warner run once at a parade, it was obvious that he was the kid who never played outside.What a dork.Everything about Kaine screams “wimp.”Most Democrats are sissy looking as one would expect of a party whose campaign is always about “vote for me and I’ll steal the achievers money and give you a little bit and keep the rest for myself.”
Eric “can;t not and will not” Cantor and John “hell no!) Boehner are all that is good and “positive” about the Republican Party.. When the word yes was added to the dictionary, they were temporarily disabled due to the wax buildup in their ears. As a result, neither of them has been able to live a normal life with a positive outlook. When someone says yes in their presence, they think they’re hearing Farsi and get this stupid blank expression on their faces. C ome to think of it, they always have that stupid blank expression on their faces.