Cantor Caught Celebrating High-Speed Rail After Ridiculing It

While the stimulus was being debated in January, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor called a group of reporters into his office to outline the GOP's objections. As we filed in, we walked past a giant poster ridiculing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for allegedly pushing for high-speed rail connecting Disneyland and Las Vegas.

On NBC's "Meet the Press," Cantor called that project an example of "waste and pork-barrel spending."

Yet one man's pork is another man's prudent investment in transit -- and sometimes the same man's.

Asked about high-speed rail at a recent local event in Virginia, Cantor was all thumbs up. "If there is one thing that I think all of us here on both sides of the political aisle from all parts of the region agree with, it's that we need to do all we can to promote jobs here in the Richmond area," Cantor said of the high-speed rail.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch goes on to report that Cantor "said bringing high-speed rail to the region could further spur economic development, creating as many as 185,000 jobs and bringing $21.2 billion to a region already home to about a half-dozen Fortune 500 companies and 20,000 small businesses."

For Cantor, however, not all high-speed rail is equal, and the Richmond-D.C. project is distinct from Reid's because it is on a list of Department of Transportation-planned corridor projects.

"I'm shocked that that the DNC Chairman, Governor Tim Kaine, would order or tolerate these kind of attacks against the Virginia high speed rail and Democrat Bobby Scott. This is the same old Washington that people have grown sick of and the President campaigned against," said Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring.

He offered the map below of proposed high-speed rail lines to make the case. The map was produced during the stimulus debate by the White House to back up its push for high-speed rail.

Rail - Free Legal Forms

Ryan Grim is the author of the forthcoming book This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America

Become a fan of HuffPost Politics on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Comments

[eplebneesta]

All high-speed rail projects are created equal. Some are just more equal than others.
-- G. O. Pig

E Pleb Neesta
GODISNOWHERE

[PainTrain614]

You mean Cantor was not allowed to object to Harry's rail-line being in a *stimulus* bill?

As I read this article, it doesn't sound like Cantor is opposed to high-speed rail anywhere. It sounds like he just opposed it in the stimulus bill and not in a correct appropriations bill where it can be debated.

[ReasonableBill]

Gays have an expression that would seem quite timely concerning Cantor- "she's a mess".

[WhatDaBleep]

Just one word - HYPOCRITE!

[petphotos]

You got it!

[byyou]

Divisive, there is no red america or blue america, there is the United States of America.(Obama 2004). The problem with the GOP is that they suck, no new ideas and not receptive of good ideas like let us say money set a side for pandemic outbreak, and now steele is saying they didn't know there will be a pandemic outbreak (swine flu). and same is true for Jindal about the volcano monotring. Good ideas prevail over bad ones, and the GOP can't figure out this. having said that welcome sen spector and will also look forward to welcome sen susan collins and olympia snow, it is just a matter of time before they defect.

[PainTrain614]

No money was to be set aside in the *stimulus* bill.

[polybius]

Why build these in red states? They want big guberment of their backs, don't they? Let them build them themselves.

wtf, look at all the proposed rail lines in Texas?? Those noobs are going to secede, aren't they?
*fingers crossed* pls pls pls secede.

NO RAIL $$ FOR RED STATE LOSERS
ty

[quadgemini]

Please keep in mind....Virginia is no longer a red state! Woo-Hoo! Or, Wa-hoo, whatever the heck that is (snicker snicker).

[nylibgrrl]

And also that every "red" state contains "blue" voters. And vice versa.

[PainTrain614]

Nice of you to proclaim that no red states should not get any rail. Will you also be ensuring that only the blue states are taxed for the rail?

[Prakosh]

Are any of these Republicans capable of consistency? It appears that they are not. This seems to be particularly troubling since the Republicans have for the last few years touted their principles and insisted that their "principles" have been the main thing that separates them from the Democrats. Now apparently the Republicans are having a difficult time maintaining any consistency at all.

[KarateKid]

At such a young age.....a clown already.

[kats]

That sucker was born a clown! He prpbably popped out with a tri colored wig on.

[sherifffruitfly]

republicans are such fail. There's just nothing to say.

[thundermummy]

Anybody catch the CBS Sunday Morning fluff piece they did on this tool? The man is one brain donor away from being human.

[Ranta]

I actually heard Cantor refer to the Democrat(ic) Party as the Democratic party the other day. Maybe their is a sliver of good in him.

[envyme]

God, I hope Cantor doesn't switch parties. God, please!!! Please!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!

[BigAl72]

John Kerry makes him look like a goat.

[RJII]

his hair dye is penetrating his peanut size brain

[ChiGuy]

Eric "Party-Bef­ore-Countr­y" Cantor.