Rep. Eric Cantor, Self-Described 'Young Gun,' Insists He's Not Naive About Washington, DC

Imus’s first question today to Rep. Eric Cantor, one of the authors of the new book Young Guns, was fairly straightforward: “What's this all about?”

Cantor, along with fellow Republican Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan, realized a few years ago, in the wake of their Party being walloped in 2006 and 2008, that they were tired of losing and wanted to do something about it.

“Two years later, 75 candidates around the country are operating under this program,” he said, referring to their effort, dubbed, “The Young Guns Program,” where candidates hoping to change the culture in Washington, DC are enlisted to run for office.

“They’re actually going to try and make sure that government starts to work for the people paying for it,” he said. “It’s that simple.”

While the Young Guns’ goal is noble, Imus doubts it can be implemented, a notion Cantor tried to refute by pointing to Governor Bob McDonnell in his home state of Virginia, and Governor Chris Christie in New Jersey, both of whom he said have tried to cut government spending; rein in its size; and recalibrate the relationship between government and the private sector. 

In doing so, he believes they have allowed the American people to hope again. “That’s what we’re lacking right now,” Cantor said. “People have no sense that we can once again grab onto this opportunity and dream that we seem to have lost.”

The sense that nobody has a fair shot at the American dream anymore is pervasive, and Cantor sees it in his district, throughout his state, and across the country. “That’s what Young Guns tried to respond to,” he said. “We try to tell the story of the realization that we’ve got to be contrite in our ways from the past, and look toward the future, and a lot of it has to do with leveling the playing field.”

Everyone—from investors and small business people to working moms and retired seniors—should be afforded the same opportunities, Cantor said, and then claimed that success in America has nothing to do with having the right connections.

Using his immigrant grandmother as an example, he said, “She was a widow early on, had two sons, but owned a grocery store, raised her kids on top of that grocery store. It wasn’t the government that came in and did anything for her. She didn’t know anybody, she didn’t have any education. She just wanted to work hard and make it better for her kids.”

Cantor stressed the need for transparency in government, particularly in the campaign process. “The way the system has evolved is a joke,” he said. “We’ve moved so far from transparency now, you don’t know who is helping whom, and these voices in radio and TV ads now are paid for by some group that no one even knows what it is.”

Though he hopes to see a cultural shift away from this approach, Imus informed him that it’s wishful thinking. But what choice does the Congressman really have?

“Either you come to the table with the belief that what’s made America great is the ability to set out a goal or a dream for yourself an achieve it,” he said. “Or you believe it is much more about having a government in place that can correct some alleged inequity or unfairness that is inherent in our society.”

Before saying goodbye, Cantor assured Imus that Newt Gingrich is not, despite John Batchelor’s claim to the contrary, the Fat Elvis of the Republican Party, and that, in fact, he has learned a lot about energy and passion from the former Speaker of the House.

“Another thing you could learn from Newt is not to cheat on your wife,” Imus said. “Particularly if you’re hounding Bill Clinton out of office for cheating on his.”

-Julie Kanfer