"U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia lost to a Tea Party challenger on Tuesday in a stunning Republican primary upset that sent shockwaves through Congress and gave the conservative movement a landmark victory.
"Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, was easily beaten by college economics professor David Brat, who accused Cantor of betraying conservative principles on spending, debt and immigration.
"The result could halt efforts to craft a House immigration reform bill, as nervous Republicans hustle to protect themselves against future challenges from the right ahead of the Nov. 4 midterm elections.
"It could also make Republicans even more hesitant to cooperate with President Barack Obama and Democrats for fear of being labeled a compromiser.
"Cantor had been seen by many as an eventual successor to House Speaker John Boehner, and his defeat will mean a shake-up in the Republican leadership at the end of the year among House members nervous about the depth of public anger toward Congress.
"A seven-term congressman with ties to the financial industry, Cantor had spent more than $5 million to head off the challenge from Brat, a political newcomer who teaches at Randolph-Macon College.
"Brat spent only about $122,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, and was not seen in the media or national Republican circles as a danger to Cantor.
"The victory also emboldened conservative leaders, and could encourage a challenge to Boehner when the new leadership team is chosen.
"'Eric Cantor's loss tonight is an apocalyptic moment for the GOP establishment. The grassroots is in revolt and marching,' said Brent Bozell, a veteran conservative activist and founder of the Media Research Center and For America.
The rest of this article is here.
The conservative movement is certainly in revolt and marching. Each time an establishment congressional incumbent that goes down to a conservative two things happen. First, conservatives in real number increase. Second, the remaining incumbents become more conservative out of fear of a primary. We are nearly $18 trillion in debt. Increased regulation has put a wet blanket on our economy. We need leaders who do what they say and mean what they say.
Some say that this race was good for liberals. My response is that which a friend of mine uses. "Politics follows culture." As the generational pendulum swings, our culture is currently changing towards fiscal responsibility and personal responsibility. We have seen generations of leaders attempting to control everything from the people to the economy altruistically trying to help all people - certainly a laudable goal. The evidence over the past 50 years is that we are no better off with government intervention and in far greater debt. The culture is becoming fed up, and Mark Levin sums it up well below.
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