What Is Eric Cantor Smoking?

Whatever it is, it must be some pretty powerful shit. Y'know, the kind of stuff that has you standing on a ledge on the 56th floor preparing to prove that while your hallucinations say you can fly, gravity and anatomy say otherwise.

Here we see him at a press conference in January 2008, bouncing on his toes, warming up for the leap:

Eric Cantor makes it clear that he is no friend to those Americans who are suffering:

Well, you know, there are some people in this economy who are really hurting. And if we're going to enhance their unemployment benefits, if we're going to increase their food stamp benefits, then let's call that what it is. That is enhancing the safety net in this country. That is not something that I think we should look to, to grow our economy and to secure the job prospects and the economic future for the American families.

Here he is, flapping his arms on Hannity and Colmes four days after the election:

Cantor also made this little slip on HANNITY & colmes:

MR. COLMES: Yeah. Wouldn't it be wise to hold your fire and stop looking for a reason to be critical until he actually takes office so you can actually work together before you criticize an administration which hasn't even taken hold yet, hasn't even entered office yet?

REP. CANTOR: Alan, Alan, Alan, I'm not criticizing. All I'm saying is we've had no indication that they're reaching across the aisle, taking some of our suggestions to try and make this thing real rather than some payoff to some workers that they feel that they need to provide some assistance to.

And on January 12th, we see his knees bending and his arms windmilling as he gets ready to take flight [h/t]:

Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the Republican whip, said Republicans had concerns about expanding the [SCHIP] program, to immigrants or any other group, before the original purpose of the program was achieved. [emphasis added by moi]

“The program has not fulfilled its initial mission, to serve children of the working poor,” Mr. Cantor said in an interview.

Houston, we have lift-off:

Well, the new Newt Gingrich is at it again. Virginia Representative Eric Cantor, who takes "credit" for leading the House Republicans to unanimous opposition to the Obama Jobs Bill, now is "opposing" the plan to help prevent foreclosures:

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that the Obama administration's yet-to-be-announced $50 billion plan to stem home foreclosures may only add to the country's fiscal and housing problems.

snip

"Homeowners, right now, are suffering under skyrocketing property taxes. And if we put the bill for $50 billion plus on top of all the bills that families have right now, you may very well be set to encourage more foreclosures," said Cantor.

The Hill: Cantor offers early criticism of Obama mortgage aid

If you don't have a home, you can't pay property taxes. And property taxes don't go to the federal government. Cantor knows that. Clearly he is being disingenuous.

That's one way to put it. I think I prefer the term "suicidally delusional," meself. Because, you see, it turns out that man really wasn't meant to fly:

The GOP senses an opening to attack Obama and the Democrats on the stimulus and future legislation as spending our nation cannot afford, which is of course ironic given that the Republicans signed off on President Bush’s doubling of our national deficit.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) previewed this line of attack today when criticized the upcoming mortage legislation on CBS today: "At some point, I think the people of this country are beginning to understand, who is going to pay for all of this?"

Do the numbers indicate that Americans are beginning to subscribe to Cantor’s philosophy?

No.

More Americans approved of former President Bush before he left office than of Congressional Republicans’ efforts regarding the passage of the stimulus bill, according to a Gallup poll conducted a week ago. [emphasis most emphatically added]

Poor Eric. That's gonna be a long, hard fall, with a rather messy landing at the end.