Immigration issues defeated Eric Cantor

Letter date: 
Friday, June 13, 2014
Letter publisher: 
OregonLive.com
Letter author: 
Rich Lowry
Letter body: 

The seeds of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's shocking primary loss may have been sown in January.

That's when House Republican leaders insisted on floating a set of immigration principles ...

His offense was speaking in favor of an unspecified version of the DREAM Act....

...The message of the district's primary voters on immigration was, "We don't trust you."...

The insurgent candidate's opposition to amnesty was part of a larger anti-Washington and anti-Wall Street working-class message. Brat constantly linked immigration to jobs and wages. In his closing argument, he said, "Cantor continues to work with multinational corporations to boost the inflow of low-wage guest workers to reduce Virginians' wages and employment opportunities." ... He tweeted out a picture of Cantor posing with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg - an enthusiast for the importation of more foreign workers - with the caption "Eric Cantor doesn't represent you."...

The Brat message is one that all Republicans should heed....

If he and other members of the leadership had unmistakably slammed the door on the Gang of Eight bill or any permutations of it, he would probably still be on his way to the speakership. Now, the bill is dead, and so is his House career.