After being chastized by Cantor’s ‘PR flack,’ Ed Schultz challenges the congressman to a one-hour debate.
After being chastized by Cantor’s ‘PR flack,’ Ed Schultz challenges the congressman to a one-hour debate.
At a forum this past Monday, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) fielded questions from his constituents about health care reform. As ThinkProgress first reported, Cantor told a woman whose relative was diagnosed with cancer and could not get care to get “an existing government program” or turn to charity. Today, radio and television host Ed Schultz told listeners that after featuring video of the incident on his show, he received an e-mail from a “PR flack” in Cantor’s office chiding him for going after the congressman. In response, Schultz asked his listeners today to e-mail Cantor’s office and ask him to come on his show, offering him the whole hour to debate him on health care:
SCHULTZ: Call Cantor’s office or e-mail him and ask him if he’ll go head-to-head with me for a full hour on the Ed show. A full hour. I’ll give him a full hour! To explain what the Republican plan is or is she just left to die? [...]
Come on, Cantor. Don’t hide behind your press secretary. Let’s get it on.
Listen here:
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Offer him 20,000 campagn dollars and he will be there with 100,000 of hedge fund dollars in his pocket.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:44 pmI do not believe Cantor has the courage to debate Ed Shultz. Cantor Can’t! He’s a spineless wimp. Ed will have Cantor for lunch.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:46 pmHow dare you use his own words against him! Did you really expect him to actually think about what he tells his constituents and mean it?
/snark
September 24th, 2009 at 4:48 pmEric Cantor’s office #’s.
Richmond – 804-474-4073
Culpeper? – 540-825-8960
Washington D.C. – 202-225-2815
September 24th, 2009 at 4:48 pmCantor is to afraid to hes just a chickensh it coward like the rest of them.
He know that he would get his behind handed to him and it will not be on a silver plater.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:51 pmReally, though, I dont think Cantor can, without pre-fabricated talking points, put forward what the REAL republican agenda REALLY is and why I should, being an open minded person, work to support it.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:51 pmCantor will not appear at any event he cannot control. He is doing what all the Republicans are doing—staged events. The PR flack thought he was going to get smug with Schultz. This was a big mistake.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:52 pmyessssss. Call that Cantor turkey out. Let’s see if he can actually keep his shit together under pressure or if he’s just another weasel.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:52 pmBig Eddie:
Kickin’ *ss and takin’ names! HeeeeeeeeHA!!!
He’s one of the few good progressives who has grabbed ahold of the public option like a dog with a bone and won’t let it go without a real fight.
You DA MAN, Big E!!
September 24th, 2009 at 4:52 pmIf they do have a debate, I think it is prudent to set some rules beforehand.
A: No Jingoism
September 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pmB:
I wish someone would ask what it means to be ‘pro-life’ in health care and why the phrase is absent from this ‘debate’. This seems like a great place for that and a great example here of how empty the phrase really is, but I doubt he’ll accept the invite.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Wow. Would that be beautiful to watch. Almost as pleasant as watching Rachel go brain to brain with Billo the Clown and Rush….at the same time.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:56 pmGood one Bob.
Rule B: No speaking for the unborn and non-living as they cant refute their self-appointed counsel.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:58 pmAll the more reason Cantor should not be afraid of this debate
September 24th, 2009 at 4:59 pmconservative guy says:
Ed who?
Which brings up rule C: No name dropping
September 24th, 2009 at 5:00 pmGood try, but good luck with that Ed, Repuppetcans only go on shows where they can control the message, on your network or affiliates that would be the David Gregory Comedy Hour, The Morning H er Joe’s, or Cant CNBC.
RIP
September 24th, 2009 at 5:06 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
If Cantor decided to appear on Eds show, which I doubt. We will all be witness to a repub peeing on himself. And it wouldn’t take an hour.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:06 pmUh-oh. Um, hey, Eric? Something yellow and wet just ran down your leg and into your shoes…
Better mop that up there, champ….
September 24th, 2009 at 5:08 pmhe would go and debate ED>>>>>>>>>>>> in a heart beat>>>>>>>>>>
but he has to go have his nails done and Boehner has a reservation at the we are jerks country club and tanning booths.
were they will hold hands and wish that there savior rushboilbutt will come to there aid.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:09 pmXisithrus says
September 24th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Really, though, I dont think Cantor can, without pre-fabricated talking points, put forward what the REAL republican agenda REALLY is and why I should, being an open minded person, work to support it.
_____________________________________________________________
Even WITH pre-fabricated talking points, Cantor wouldn’t put forth the real GOP agenda, because the real agenda is one that doesn’t market well to the masses.
I mean — how do you sell “our agenda is to regain power and keep it because our gravy train runs richer that way” to others?
September 24th, 2009 at 5:09 pm“After being chastized by Cantor’s ‘PR flack,’ Ed Schultz challenges the congressman to a one-hour debate.”
That’s an intelligent suggestion, Ed, however, Britney Cantor doesn’t have the guts to come on the show to debate and at least have a intelligent conversation. We are talking the GOP party: The party of mental illness. Besides,Cantor is too pre-occupied with texting on his blackberry and spewing the usual garbage out from the Party of No.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:10 pmconservative guy says:
Ed who? What’s going on? Where am I?
Wow, what a stinging rebuttal.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:10 pmConGuy is just such a chunk.
why does he bother?
September 24th, 2009 at 5:11 pmOlbermann called out Hannity and he ran away. Maddow has called out many conservative people on various topics and they ran away. Schultz called out Cantor and he ran away. See a pattern?
September 24th, 2009 at 5:11 pmcantor will run and hide just as our aaronk and tracy5.
tracy is hiding in a corner on this thread right now:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/24/franken-patriot-act/comment-page-7/#comment-5817002
September 24th, 2009 at 5:11 pmBob says
September 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I wish someone would ask what it means to be ‘pro-life’ in health care and why the phrase is absent from this ‘debate’.
_____________________________________________________________
It would be interesting to watch a guy like Cantor twist himself into a pretzel attempting to justify how their definition of “pro-life” means they will do everything they have to in order to prevent taxpayer money from funding abortions, but they have absolutely no problem allowing people who are already born to die prematurely for lack of health insurance.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:13 pmfor the trolls this could be funnier then putting the trolls in a round room and have there masters tell them to pee in the corner
September 24th, 2009 at 5:15 pmmisscoleopteramolly says:
It would be interesting to watch a guy like Cantor twist himself into a pretzel attempting to justify how their definition of “pro-life” means they will do everything they have to in order to prevent taxpayer money from funding abortions, but they have absolutely no problem allowing people who are already born to die prematurely for lack of health insurance.
That is the same cognitive dissonance of the people who are in favor of capital punishment and against abortion because you are taking a life.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:17 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Today, radio and television host Ed Schultz told listeners that after featuring video of the incident on his show, he received an e-mail from a “PR flack” in Cantor’s office chiding him for going after the congressman.
oh, he did more that feature video last night – did anyone see that???!
my daughter called at the same time, so i couldn’t hear everything, but i’ve never seen ed so pissed off!!!
see it here: http://wegoted.com/
September 24th, 2009 at 5:25 pmSometimes all you need is the truth.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:26 pmShhh!
September 24th, 2009 at 5:28 pmStrange how doublespeak rejects the third speak
September 24th, 2009 at 5:31 pmtokin librul says:
In a fair debate (without the cut-off switch), fat Eddy’d be a muffin with a butter-knife against a thug with a zip-gun in intellectual combat with Cantor.
Cantor obviously ain’t that smart or he wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:35 pmnope. that wasn’t the video i was hoping for…
still looking, but have to split… if anyone finds it, please post!
later…
September 24th, 2009 at 5:35 pmSchultz’s heart is in the right place but I think we could do a lot better than Schultz. Any elected DEM but not Schultz. He’s not all that great at making a point even though we all know what he means.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:35 pmeyes,
i think that’s because Ed’s not trying to talk to “us”, he’s trying to talk to people who would otherwise be suceptible to the fox message.
he’s the anti-rush. something long overdue in the discourse.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:39 pmElBruce is correct. Cantor is not that smart nor is Schultz stupid. The Republican memes are not a substitute for logic. Cantor loses hands down.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:40 pmbut CANTOR is??
puhh-leeeeeeeeze.
i think your elitism just made itself perfectly clear, mr. tokin.
it looks icky.
i’m sorry.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:41 pmso in one corner we have Erik milk toast canter and in the other we have ED the muffin grander Schultz.
is that the way you see it tokin?
cause my money would be on the muffin, as poor Erik and friends would just come to a debate totally unarmed. but we know it takes at lease 5 repugs to make up on lie. and they can not even get the right.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:42 pmI really don’t think that Cantor has the stones to put himself in an element he cannot control. But it sure would be nice to watch Ed eat his lunch for him.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:46 pmWe got Ed giving Cantor a full hour to come and debate the health care reform issue. We got Rachel, two nights in a row, literally begging Mike Ross to come and explain why he’s not in the anti-reform bed (after selling a $243,000 pharmacy for a total of $1.6 mill (after all the kickbacks)).
Keep up the heat.
September 24th, 2009 at 6:00 pmAddendum to #43, make that blue dog Mike Ross (Alabama maybe?)
September 24th, 2009 at 6:01 pmSkyler says:
Addendum to #43, make that blue dog Mike Ross (Alabama maybe?)
Arkansas
September 24th, 2009 at 6:11 pm#38, tombaker,
I agree — I am in awe of Rachel Maddow, I enjoy Olbermann, but my admiration for Ed has grown because I see him as unflinching when he talks to repugs. He can be very polite and diplomatic when interviewing some of righties, but when they piss him off, he lets them have it — and the left has needed someone like him for a long, long time.
Years ago, before any of us heard his name, he was featured in a Newsweek article and was thought he might be the antidote to Rush.
September 24th, 2009 at 6:36 pmEd blusters. And, he hits back. He’s a bulldog. That’s why I like him. The left usually doesn’t have blusterers. He’s not the most liberal man in the world but he’s very populist and labor-oriented.
Of course Cantor is hiding under the bed rather than face Ed.
September 24th, 2009 at 6:40 pmSen. Conrad argued against putting the bill on the internet for 72hrs…
by actually READING a couple paragraphs of the proposed legislation.
Good Grief! To say the language is ARCANE would be an Understatement. It is the language of lobbyists and lawyers…
Incomprehensible to the average Voter.
How can Anyone make the case for a Health Care Reform Bill that is NOT even Finalized.
Obama, and his allies need to Agree on a Bill, and then translate it for the American People.
And, as always, the proof of the pudding is in the Eating….in other words…does the Bill Fix the Problem?
If it doesn’t…the Dems will be Blamed. It’s their Bill.
September 24th, 2009 at 6:41 pmit’ll never happen because cantor is too much of a puuusssaaayyyyyy
September 24th, 2009 at 7:32 pmthen why are you so afraid of him, mr. fear?
September 24th, 2009 at 7:42 pmWould it make any difference if a shitload of people signed up for Cantor’s Email list and marked whatever showed up in their mailbox as ’spam’? Not that I would or ever have done such a thing. Just asking.
And here’s the address to leave a comment on his blog. And they show up right away. http://republicanwhip.house.gov/blog/2009/09/the-morning-whip-up-1.html#idc-container
September 24th, 2009 at 7:52 pm12 minutes and counting. I don’t think they’re watching. Tell all your friends.
here’s the address to leave a comment on his blog. And they show up right away. http://republicanwhip.house.gov/blog/2009/09/the-morning-whip-up-1.html#idc-container
September 24th, 2009 at 8:04 pmNow Ed could keep a ticker, kind of like Olbermann, “Day 48 since Eric Cantor refused to come on this show and have a debate.”
September 24th, 2009 at 8:09 pm25 minutes and counting. They haven’t a clue.
here’s the address to leave a comment on Cantor’s blog. And they show up right away. http://republicanwhip.house.gov/blog/2009/09/the-morning-whip-up-1.html#idc-container
September 24th, 2009 at 8:18 pmOnly in America do you have to hold a bake sale for yourself to pay your medical bills. AN ABOMINATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 24th, 2009 at 8:26 pmNinerFan says:
Ed blusters. And, he hits back. He’s a bulldog. That’s why I like him. The left usually doesn’t have blusterers. He’s not the most liberal man in the world but he’s very populist and labor-oriented.
Yeah, he’s not my favorite either, but it’s a good niche to have filled. At least FAUX News doesn’t have the market completely cornered on big, square-headed guys who break things down into small words.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:29 pmToday, radio and television host Ed Schultz told listeners that after featuring video of the incident on his show, he received an e-mail from a “PR flack” in Cantor’s office chiding him for going after the congressman.
Wow, I can’t decide if that “PR flack” should be fired for being a complete moron, or promoted for actually doing something that PR’s his client. After all, bad PR is *still* PR, right?
Odd that Cantor would think that’s the way to go, though.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:12 pmYou hit the nail squarely on the head with your answer. Nothing could be more clear.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:40 pmwell, darn… i still can’t find the clip from last night’s show…
maybe msnbc thought it was too volatile… he sure was pissed…
i’m the only one who saw it?
and i missed tonight’s show, but found the clip of his challenge to cantor…
September 24th, 2009 at 10:58 pmFound the video…
September 25th, 2009 at 1:54 amHey Ed, be sure to ask Cantor to bring along a copy of the Republican Party’s Health Care Reform plan. It won’t take any time to read blank pages.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:13 amConservaTROLL
Kill yourself
September 25th, 2009 at 8:20 amfearnads
You ignorant disgusting pile of garbage. What do you get out of being such a stupid punkass troll?
September 25th, 2009 at 8:23 amThis will never happen. Republofascists are only interested in events in which follow up questions are not allowed, once they have given their lame explanation to the first question.
By the way, Ed. The word is ’scourge’ not ’scrooge.’ LOL
September 25th, 2009 at 8:31 amDon’t hurt him, Ed!
September 25th, 2009 at 8:49 amCharity? Charity can help with your rent that month or maybe get you some food but cancer surgery? I work for a restaurant that is run by a retired politician (D) and we do charity nights twice a week where we donate 25% of our gross to a charity. A few weeks ago we did one for the family of a woman who was pregnant and died from complications due to swine flu. The baby was saved thankfully but her husband is swamped with bills and is grieving the loss of his wife. That night we were so busy we could barely handle it. Do you know how much we raised? $3000. That’s a lot to help out a grieving family who needs time off work due to bereavement etc. but how much will $3000 go towards cancer surgery? Not a whole lot. That won’t even pay for the anesthesia. As a person who engages in charity work twice a week I can say that we cannot afford to raise money for anyone’s surgery.
September 26th, 2009 at 10:24 pm