Who is Eric Cantor's intellectual mentor? Ayn Rand? Milton Friedman? Nope. It's the Queen of mean, Ann Coulter.
by digby
In my piece at Salon today I took a look at Eric Cantor's shift on immigration reform. And I look at why he might have done it:
If you are curious as to whom the Republican leadership truly respects and listens to about the proper policies for the party to follow, the answer might surprise you. Certainly one would expect that they’d listen to their strategists and pollsters. And it’s well known that they grant their donors the kind of fidelity one would normally only expect of 12th century knights of the realm. But if one is to judge by their approach to immigration, they are following the advice of the great oracle of wingnuttia, Ann Coulter.
Yesterday Democrats lamented the fact that the Senate immigration bill, passed over a year ago, still languishes in the House. The president made a mild comment suggesting that the American people are “ahead of the House Republicans” in this matter and would like to move ahead. He later called House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and they had a discussion of the issue after which Cantor released a pouty press release whining that the president is a big meanie.
Read on to see Ann Coulter's counterintuitive take on immigration reform ---echoed by other right wing commentators like Laura Ingraham --- which says that the Republicans will forever be in the minority if they pass it. It's quite interesting. Whether Cantor is literally following her advice is unknown. But the effect is the same. He's using the "a" word (amnesty) again. Which is exactly what Coulter ordered.
You be the judge.
.