memeorandum: Cantor Loses, and Washington Goes Ape (John Cassidy/Rational Irrationality)

12:25 PM ET, June 11, 2014

Top Items:

Erick Erickson / RedState:

Why Eric Cantor Lost — The death of the tea party has been greatly exaggerated. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his primary tonight to David Brat, a man who was significantly outspent. Cantor spent $5 million to Brat's $122,000.00. — The media will play up Cantor's loss by claiming it was about immigration.

Discussion: New York Times, The Huffington Post, BREITBART.COM, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Naked Politics, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post, NBC News, The Daily Caller, American Thinker, National Review and The PJ Tatler

New York Times:

Cantor's Loss a Bad Omen for Moderates — WASHINGTON — The House Republican leadership, so solid in its opposition to President Obama, was torn apart Tuesday by the defeat of its most influential conservative voice, Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader …

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller, Right Wing Watch, Religion Dispatches, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Business Insider, Political Insider blog, The Hill, The Dish, PoliticusUSA, Prairie Weather, The Week and Talking Points Memo

Reid J. Epstein / Wall Street Journal:

David Brat's Writings: Hitler's Rise ‘Could All Happen Again’ — David Brat, the Virginia Republican who shocked House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) Tuesday, wrote in 2011 that Hitler's rise “could all happen again, quite easily.” — Mr. Brat's remarks, in a 2011 issue of Interpretation …

Discussion: Vox, Liberaland, Althouse, The PJ Tatler, Gawker and Taegan Goddard's …

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

Eric Cantor succumbs to tea party challenger Tuesday — In a stunning upset propelled by tea party activists, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) was defeated in Tuesday's congressional primary, with insurgent David Brat delivering an unpredicted and devastating loss to the second …

Laura Vozzella / Washington Post:

Chaos erupts at Cantor's election night headquarters after his departure — RICHMOND — As if the political drama were not powerful enough, chaos erupted at election night headquarters shortly after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor conceded his stunning defeat to tea party-backed conservative David Brat.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, WTVR-TV, The Gateway Pundit and The Raw Story

Jake Sherman / Politico:

CANTOR LOSES — RICHMOND, Va. — It wasn't enough that Eric Cantor spent $1 million in the weeks leading up to the election, when his conservative foe hardly had $100,000 in his campaign coffers. — It didn't matter that the House majority leader, 51, branded Dave Brat a liberal hack …

Discussion: The Hill, The New Republic, ABC News, The Other McCain, The Federalist, NPR, The Reality-Based Community, his vorpal sword, Associated Press, ABC News, CNN, RedState, Philly.com and Trail Blazers Blog

Shane Goldmacher / NationalJournal.com:

Eric Cantor's Pollster Tries to Explain Why His Survey Showed Cantor Up 34 Points — This was not the first time Cantor pollster John McLaughlin has been wrong. — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's own polling showed him with a wide lead before he lost his primary. (Liz Lynch)

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Hit & Run, Washington Post, Gawker, American Spectator, Taegan Goddard's …, Guardian, The Week, Independent Journal Review, Los Angeles Times and National Review

Reid J. Epstein / Wall Street Journal:

Who Is David Brat? Meet the Economics Professor Who Defeated Eric Cantor — College professor David Brat knocked off House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) Tuesday in the biggest congressional upset in years. — Mr. Brat ran an underfunded campaign based in part on Mr. Cantor's supposed support …

Discussion: Bloomberg View, No More Mister Nice Blog, NBC News, Daily Kos, Washington Post, Blazing Cat Fur and Business Insider

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

House Republicans up late weighing strategy in wake of Cantor's shocking defeat — House Speaker John Boehner, left, (R-Ohio), stands with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) during a news conference at the Capitol June 10, 2014 in Washington. Boehner and Cantor spoke to the media …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Dish

Ezra Klein / Vox:

11 political lessons from Eric Cantor's loss — Eric Cantor's shocking defeat at the hands of David Brat is that rarest of things in American politics: a genuine earthquake. And like with real earthquakes, the damage will be much greater because so few were prepared. A few provisional thoughts:

Discussion: The Federalist, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Alas, a Blog, Guardian, Washington Post and Business Insider

Jonathan Chait Follow / New York Magazine:

Eric Cantor's Shocking, Richly Deserved Primary Defeat — In Republican country, Tea Party always finds you. — Since Republicans won control of the House in the 2010 elections, the political future of Eric Cantor has been the subject of ceaseless speculation.

Discussion: Washington Post, CBS DC, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg View, Guardian, Business Insider, Real Clear Politics, National Review and Ed Driscoll

Todd S. Purdum / Politico:

The GOP's habit of eating its own — Eric Cantor's defeat in Virginia's GOP primary stunned the Washington political world. — But in historical terms, it should not have come as a shock. House Republicans have been eating their young since the Eisenhower era, and the race has been always to the right.

John Cassidy / Rational Irrationality:

Cantor Loses, and Washington Goes Ape — Shortly after eight on Tuesday night, Twitter went a little nuts, and so, presumably, did Eric Cantor, the second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives. The Associated Press, CNN, and other news organizations had just called …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, American Spectator, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Guardian, NPR, Washington Post and Business Insider

Scott Clement / Washington Post:

Did Democratic votes doom Eric Cantor? — Rep. Eric Cantor's unexpected Republican primary loss Tuesday kicked off rapid speculation on how the House majority leader lost to a poorly-funded opponent in a Virginia district whose primary Cantor won with 79 percent support in 2012.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Week, Mediaite and The Raw Story

Dave Brat for Congress:
About Dave — Dave Brat presents a major problem for liberals …

Discussion: New York Times, NPR, American Spectator and National Review

Politico:
The GOP leadership scramble

Discussion: Trail Blazers Blog, Washington Post, Business Insider, Fox News and Balloon Juice

Mickey Kaus / The Daily Caller:
Notes on Cantormageddon — You knew Majority Leader Eric Cantor …

Discussion: Power Line, CNN and Pat Dollard

Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
Eric Cantor's Primary Loss Is a Political Earthquake. And It's Awful.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and The Dish

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Poll: Immigration didn't doom Eric Cantor

Discussion: CBS DC, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Week, The Huffington Post and RealClearPolicy

Jim Newell / Salon:
Drudge's new fixation: Eric Cantor and the right's frenzied paranoia

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Belmont Club, Business Insider, The Dish and Balloon Juice

John B. Judis / The New Republic:
Dave Brat and the Triumph of Rightwing Populism

Discussion: The Dish, Talking Points Memo and The Daily Caller

David Weigel / Slate:
How did the leader of the GOP opposition become a Tea Party trophy?

Discussion: Washington Monthly, TIME, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Grist, The Mahablog and Talking Points Memo

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico: For Barack Obama, Eric Cantor loss comes with a price

Alan Suderman / Associated Press:
House Majority Leader Cantor Defeated in Primary

Discussion: Firedoglake, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Twitchy, Hot Air, CNN, Conservatives4Palin, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Vox Popoli and The Mahablog

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Eric Cantor Defeated by David Brat, Tea Party Challenger, in G.O.P. Primary Upset

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Washington Post, Weekly Standard, FiveThirtyEight, The Daily Beast, RedState, The Week, Crooked Timber, The Dish and Prairie Weather

John Parkinson / ABC News:
Meet the Tea Party Challenger Who Took Down Eric Cantor

Discussion: ABC News, Associated Press, Yahoo! News, BuzzFeed, NewsBusters, The PJ Tatler and susiemadrak.com

Emily Cahn / Roll Call:
Eric Cantor Loses Primary in Massive Upset (Video)

Discussion: The Daily Signal, Daily Kos, Political Insider blog, POTUS Operandi and The Raw Story

CNN:
Cantor ‘earthquake’ rattles Capitol Hill

Discussion: WTVR-TV, Liberaland, Talking Points Memo and Hit & Run

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Cantor out in Tea Party shocker

Discussion: Politico, Independent Journal Review, Scared Monkeys and CNN

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Obama, not Hagel, responsible for Bergdahl, says White House — President Obama was responsible for the decision to swap five Taliban militants for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the White House said Tuesday. — The White House sought to deflect charges from congressional Republicans …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN and The Daily Caller

CNN: White House ‘energetically’ working on transferring Gitmo detainees

CNN:
Hagel in the hot seat over Bergdahl deal

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Russell Berman / The Hill:
GOP takes steps to rein in Obama

Discussion: Hot Air

New York Times:

After Capture of Mosul, Militants Extend Control in Iraq — BAGHDAD — Sunni militants who overran the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, striking a major strategic blow against the government in Baghdad, have advanced around 110 miles south toward the Iraqi capital and have arrived …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Long War Journal, US Department of State and Hullabaloo

Dan Murphy / Reuters:
Why Mosul's fall is a signature moment in Iraq (+video)

Discussion: BBC, NPR, Washington Post, The Dish, The Agonist, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Business Insider, Gawker, The PJ Tatler and Hit & Run

Michael Martinez / CNN:

U.S. schools chief calls California ruling ‘a mandate’ to fix tenure, firing laws — Los Angeles (CNN) — A California judge ruled as unconstitutional Tuesday the state's teacher tenure, dismissal and layoff laws, saying they keep bad teachers in the classroom and force out promising good ones.

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Bloomberg, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Gawker, Washington Post and Hit & Run