Before we get to those, a couple of observations. First, haha! Good riddance. I never liked the guy. Second, how shocking is this? The majority leader gets shellacked in a primary? The only polls taken before the voting showed him way, way ahead of his challenger. Cantor spent five million dollars defending his seat, and his opponent spent $125,000. All the reactions I saw last night were complete shock; the phrase "holy crap" pretty much sums it up. I think Daily Kos actually used that precise phrase. Amazing.
Now on to those lessons...
1. Republicans are over-the-top, loony tunes, batshit nutso crazy
This is the equivalent of Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid losing in a primary because they were not liberal enough. As a Democrat, I have seen Eric Cantor at work, and I always thought he was a pain in the ass. He presided over one of the most partisan, conservative, useless, uncompromising Congresses ever. Progressives certainly did not see him as someone they could work with. He was (is) an obstructionist jerk. Apparently that was not enough for the Republicans in his district. They want someone even more uncompromising. If you are a Democrat, the message is clear: Be afraid of these people. Republicans are crazy. If you are a Republican, the message is slightly different: You are crazy.
2. Eric Cantor is Jewish, a rare Jewish Republican
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Not that that could have possibly had anything to do with his defeat.
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