Liveblogging Eric Cantor at the IOP: The Sequel

8:58 Cantor was respectable, engaging, and interesting. His visit certainly provoked an interesting discussion at a liberal academic bastion. – Priyanka Menon
8:58 Cantor gave some pretty intelligent responses and was a great guest. While I don’t think much of the crowd agreed with him much, he made some pretty moderate opinions and honestly could find common group across the spectrum if given the chance. Great Forum, as always. – Zak Lutz
8:56 Cantor is really well-versed on government research, both scientifically and economically. He’s pin-pointed that the government needs to do what private companies won’t, yet still has a benefit for our quality of life (or economy). Seems to be a pretty reasonable line to draw. – Zak Lutz
8:56 Cantor seems pretty focused on narrowing government funding to just focusing on scientific research that has a straight forward, tangible benefit. Not too much love for the humanities or arts expressed here. – Priyanka Menon
8:52 “Our party has a lot of appeal to a lot of different types of people…we’re the party of individual freedom and personal empowerment.” The Republican Party is here to stay, everyone. His talk on soul-searching to connect with more of the country seems like a healthy way to recover in later elections. – Zak Lutz
8:52 Cantor: “Our party is the party of opportunity and individual empowerment.” Cantor does not address empowering homosexual individuals and giving them the opportunity not to be discriminated against or to marry. – Priyanka Menon
8:50 HPR Writer and Circulation Director Matthew Disler is sitting all alone where the AIDS people used to be. So lonely. – Zak Lutz
8:50 Cantor cleverly skirts question about gun control by focusing on mental illness. Also, meeting with the Connecticut families was “no fun.” A little flippant, don’t you think? – Priyanka Menon
8:48 Obama can’t help with compromise because he refuses to forge connections with the other side. Considering the ongoing campaigning, makes a lot of sense. You’re not going to cooperate with the guy who just slammed you for defending the wealthy. – Zak Lutz
8:48 Cantor: The President could have gotten our votes on the stimulus package if he had a relationship with Republicans. – Priyanka Menon
8:47 HKS Student: “From my vantage point, it appears that Democrats and Republicans are pretty partisan right now.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXvv5sTqNa4 – Zak Lutz
8:46 Cantor says no new revenue because new revenue doesn’t reduce the deficit, it just gets collected by the government. I don’t agree with the economics here. – Zak Lutz
8:44 Eric Cantor talks about how we look to find some common ground in Washington to get things done. The Majority Leader’s assertions sound somewhat suspect, given the long-term partisanship we’ve seen from the Republican party. The rhetoric on “coming together” sounds good, but doesn’t follow. – Zak Lutz
8:43 There was going to be that guy asking about the liberal media’s demagoguery. OK, maybe the AIDS people weren’t the most ridiculous in the crowd. – Zak Lutz
8:41 “I really, am, like, a normal person.” What’s happened to your life when you have to say that? I feel sorry for politicians. – Zak Lutz
8:40 Cantor’s biggest regret  – The inability to resolve a lot of issues that both sides knows are a problem. Respect. Also, “I really am a normal person.” I believe you Representative, but don’t try to get a Democrat to admit Obama’s one too. – Priyanka Menon
8:37 Questions on Boehner-Cantor disagreements on the tax deal could get a little awkward, but he’s definitely downplaying this quite a bit. No doubt that the rhetoric could come back when the 2014 Speaker vote comes up. Also, if he comes back as Speaker Cantor the AIDS people would be even louder; that’d be an entertaining Forum. – Zak Lutz
8:35 A definitely more moderate voice on immigration now. Considering he’s the grandson of immigrants, I want to think he genuinely believes this, but there’s definitely a lot of maneuvering to sound good on the issue. – Zak Lutz
8:33 I can still hear the AIDS people outside. That’s dedication. It’s cold, real cold. – Zak Lutz
8:31 “It wouldn’t be Harvard without that, and we respect robust debate and differences.” Nothing better than a little passion for your beliefs, and it’s not hard to be passionate when the funding literally saves people’s lives. – Zak Lutz
8:31 Cantor plays off the AIDS demonstration with grace and ease. Reminded of why he’s a politician. – Priyanka Menon
8:30 As the AIDS people were thrown out, Cantor: “Gotta love democracy.” Class-act. – Zak Lutz
8:30 AIDS people: “LIFT THE BAN” x28…. well, it got attention, but got them thrown out. There’s a time and place for this, and I’m not sure if it’s here at a  Forum; the Majority Leader graciously agreed to come and we should be willing to listen and debate. – Zak Lutz
8:27 Natural Gas question… Yes, it’s good that we have a new way of getting energy, but back to the question we’ve always had–is it environmentally sustainable? If we can figure that out, that’d be nice. – Zak Lutz
8:26 Trey Grayson says sit down, AIDS people. Probably a good thing for a healthy discussion on the issue. – Zak Lutz
8:26 Sign: “If it weren’t for HIV/AIDS funding I would’ve died 7 years ago.” – Zak Lutz
8:24 Question about fixing failing public schools for all students. Cantor: We have to do it one student at a time. What happened to “No Child Left Behind”? – Priyanka Menon
8:23 OK, the AIDS people standing up with signs is a little awkward. Trade-offs, for sure, but is AIDS worth giving up on? – Zak Lutz
8:21 First mention of making “life work again.” It’s an endearing slogan. – Priyanka Menon
8:19 Cantor Thesis: ‘The problem is that the government needs to help people, but at the same time become fiscally sustainable. Solution? Cut the government in an efficient way, so we’re cheaper and better.’ I don’t want to say that’s a pipe-dream, but… – Zak Lutz
8:16 “What kind of duties do universities have on limiting student debt?” What role does the *government* have, Representative? – Zak Lutz
8:14 Cantor: Curing diseases should be the first priority of scientists – Priyanka Menon
8:13 After meeting with President Faust this morning, Cantor’s taking a pretty pro-research position… “… but the federal situation requires we make smart decisions.” – Zak Lutz
8:08 “Kids shouldn’t been held back in school.” Race to the Top instead of NCLB? Sounds like there could be some compromise on education. – Zak Lutz
8:07 “It’s not always about spending money.” Words of wisdom from a Congressman, everyone. – Priyanka Menon
8:03 Cantor-Grayson 2016, anyone? – Zak Lutz
8:01 They’re introducing the introducer, Trey Grayson. He’s an impressive man. Also, nice job starting on time, Forum Committee! – Priyanka Menon
 
Photo Credit: Wikimedia