Imus Explains to Rep. Eric Cantor the Way Things Work Around Here

Imus had no idea Rep. Eric Cantor would be live in his studio this morning, but he was still very pleased to see the well-dressed Republican from Virginia, who is likely to be the next Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.
 
“You know who that’s good for?” Imus asked his guest. “That’s good for us. Because we’ve ingratiated ourselves with you, or tried to. And it just makes me look good, and this program look good, if we backed a winner and not some loser.”
 
Cantor wasn’t the only winner in last week’s election; come January, more than 60 new Republicans will join him in the House, and he insisted his Party has learned from the errors of the Democrats.
 
“We really want to set this country on a new path,” he said. “We went out to seek people to join us in Washington for the right reasons, to make the tough decisions that we’re going to have to make to get this economy going again, and actually get something done.”
 
The Tea Party, in his view, is “at the tip of the spear of the frustration” in America. “People are tired of seeing Washington balloon, and the federal government grow in almost every aspect of our lives,” Cantor said. “Enough is enough, and that’s what this election was about—a rejection of the stimulus bill, of the cap-and-trade bill, of the Obama-care bill.”
 
While they’ll “absolutely” share in the newfound power of the Republican Party, Cantor believes the Tea Party’s primary goal is results. “They’re looking for cutting spending, they’re looking for a return to a focus on a constitutionally limited government, and they’re looking for, along with everybody else, an economy that can start to move again,” he said.
 
BachmannThe very outspoken Rep. Michele Bachmann from Minnesota, a big Tea Party supporter, is running for the position of conference chair in the soon-to-be Republican House. Cantor is supporting her opponent, Rep. Jeb Hensarling from Texas, because he’s a friend with whom Cantor has worked many times over the years.
 
“No matter which candidate comes out on top, we’re going to be served by good Conservatives,” Cantor said. He complimented Bachmann for bringing “a tremendous amount of smarts and savvy to the table,” and smartly resisted Imus’s attempts to make him say something mean about her.
 
Cantor was also loathe to say anything negative about the President, though he agreed with Imus that perhaps Indonesia was not the right setting from which to criticize Israel, the U.S.’s strongest ally in the Middle East.
 
“I think most Americans understand that Israel’s security is synonymous with America’s security,” Cantor said.
 
Kind of like how Cantor’s success is synonymous with Imus’s. “Let me say this in all sincerity,” Imus said. “I’m very happy for me that you succeeded.”
 
-Julie Kanfer