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

[JeffE]

These republicans must be missing the gene that allows them to feel shame.

[SILVANUS]

He reeks of s l e a Z e.

[wave06]

Hypocritcal and Dishonest is cantor's character, devoid of common decency. No Wonder that Specter changed parties. And He is the GOP's #2 man in the House, Pathethic !

[ThinkCreeps]

Maybe his brain has put in a sprint to get ahead of his mouth?

[Eris23Skidoo]

Nah, it's just that republicans lie a lot about how they feel about a given issue.

[crablover]

High speed passenger rail would seriously damage an already heavily-subsidized mode of transportation: the airline industry. A high speed line would would create more competition on key routes. But that's a good thing. As a businessperson who travels frequently, I would gladly exchange my cramped seat on "the flying bus" for a comfortable seat on a train that would take me from downtown to downtown of major business centers, while allowing me to get some work on the way.

[24kgold]

Sounds great doesn't it.

[Eris23Skidoo]

Yeah, you could have a table to write on in front of you instead of one of those unstable trays.

[John Hopper]

What is this guy's problem? Cannot figure what side of the fence to straddle? Give up buddy!

[ladycubsfan]

Cantor is once again speaking out of both sides of his mouth? You don't say! I am SHOCKED! Shocked, I tell you.

[OttotheScourge]

"Cantor" Isn't that what a horse does?

[RJII]

Virginia, you know what to do.

[OttotheScourge]

I love his rendition of "Ida."

[tchristin]

Virginians want high speed rail and some way to alleviate traffic problems in Northern VA and in the Hampton Roads area. Eric Cantor apparently believes that economic development is "pork". Let's hope he has a short lifespan as a politician.

[ssaz]

Cantor is one of the most duplicitous Senators in Congress! This shouldn't surprise anyone, it's considered a party asset!

[caferide]

Just another example of hypocrite values from the right-wing GOP. You whine & cry about something out of one side of your mouth; and praise it out of the other! Pathetic.

[theone718]

D.I.T.T.O.

[24kgold]

I agree.....­.

[26041]

Will Brad Dayspring still be employed tomorrow?

[Mintcondition]

The fall of the reich party.