Here’s what you should know about David Brat, the Tea Party radical who blindsided House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) in a primary challenge on Tuesday: He is a right-wing candidate who opposes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, supports radically reshaping our heath care system, and event wants to scale back the regulatory powers of the FDA.
Don’t take our word for it? See the research below.
1. Brat supported radically altering the American health care system.
Brat Supported Radically Altering The American Health Care System, Said “‘We Need To Also Scrap Employer-Based Health Insurance.” According to Culpeper Star-Exponent “Of course, the first question I asked him was what should be done with Obamacare? ‘It needs to be scrapped,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘Completely.’ So I asked him what should take Obamacare’s place, and to understand his answer, you have to know some history… When I asked him what should take Obamacare’s place, his answer was, ‘We need to also scrap employer-based health insurance, and give those incentives to individuals to carry their own portable health insurance.’ He went on to say, ‘If we did that, the issue of pre-existing conditions largely goes away.’” [Culpeper Star-Exponent, 3/31/14]
2. Brat called bankers “the solution, not the problem” in regards to the financial crisis.
Brat On The Financial Crisis: ‘Bankers Are The Solution, Not The Problem,’ According to The News & Advance “David Brat says that’s the state of today’s economy, and says everything we know about what is being termed a recession is wrong… The global economy is overleveraged. Ultimately, he said, pointing to the European debt crisis, the country’s economy is headed for disaster if changes aren’t quickly made. And the answer, he said, is not in economics, but ethics. ‘Bankers are the solution, not the problem,’ he said, adding, ‘[Washington] D.C. knows this.’” [The News & Advance, 1/25/13]
3. Brat is radical on immigration.
Brat Opposed Any Kind Of Immigration Reform; Ran To The Right On Eric Cantor On Border Security. According to Watchdog.org, “Cantor, in Brat’s view, is flunking badly on border security. Indeed, the congressman even applauded President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address outlining a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. On Friday, Cantor said on the House floor that ‘immigration reform could be an economic boon to this country.’ Brat is having none of it. He calls the imminent GOP cave-in on immigration an exercise in ‘crony capitalism.’” [Watchdog.org, 2/6/14]
- Brat: “A Change In Immigration Policy Means Amnesty.” According to Watchdog.org “‘At every turn, the GOP establishment is favoring the elites,’ Brat declares. ‘A change in immigration policy means amnesty.’” [Watchdog.org, 2/6/14]
4. Brat is endorsed by Ann Coulter.
Radical Republican Ann Coulter Endorsed David Brat, Said Brat Is A Candidate “True Patriots Should Support With Everything They Have.” “According to Ann Coulter.com, “Dave Brat, an economics professor like Roche, is challenging Rep. Eric Cantor: Maniacal Amnesty Supporter. Cantor says ‘immigration reform could be an economic boon to this country.’ You don’t have to be an economics professor to know that bringing in millions of workers is not ‘an economic boon’ to the workers already here. (If only we could bring in millions of workers to compete for Cantor’s job.) Brat responded to Cantor’s baby-talk, saying immigration ‘lowers wages, adds to unemployment, and the taxpayer pays the tab for any benefits to folks coming in.’ Republicans aren’t at much risk of losing any of these seats, with or without primary fights. But we’ll lose them all within a decade if Republicans like Tillis, Ellmers and Cantor aren’t stopped. Brannon, Roche and Brat are the candidates true patriots should support with everything they have.” [Ann Coulter.com, 4/16/14]
5. Brat sought to remove the federal government from food safety, leave it to the states.
Brat Opposed The Food Safety Modernization Act; Sought To Remove The Federal Government From Farm Food Safety Entirely According to Culpeper Star-Exponent “Since this column is principally about locally grown food, I asked Dr. Brat about the FDA’s food safety czar Michael Taylor and the Food Safety Modernization Act… Dr. Brat points out that government regulation now costs businesses $2 trillion annually, and that regulatory burden falls disproportionally on small businesses. This is a very big problem, not just for us, but for all small businesses. Dr. Brat is in favor of getting rid of the federal role in farm regulation. Farm regulation is a state matter and should be left to the states.” [Culpeper Star-Exponent, 2/7/14]
6. Brat was affiliated with the Koch-funded Cato Institute.
Brat Heads Randolph-Macon’s Moral Foundations of Capitalism Program; Program Funded By BB&T CEO Who Now Runs The Koch-Founded Cato Institute. According to National Review: “He chairs the department of economics and business at Randolph-Macon College and heads its BB&T Moral Foundations of Capitalism program. The funding for the program came from John Allison, the former CEO of BB&T (a financial-services company) who now heads the Cato Institute.” [National Review, 1/6/2014]
2012: David Brat Attended The CATO University Seminar On Free Markets In Washington D.C. On July 30, 2012. [David Brat’s Curriculum Vitae, 2012]
2012: David Brat attended the CATO Monetary Conference With John Allison And Fed Presidents In November 2012. [David Brat’s Curriculum Vitae, 2012]
7. Brat devoted academic efforts to radical objectivist Ayn Rand.
David Brat Published A Paper On “The Moral Foundations In Ayn Rand.” According to David Brat’s curriculum vitae, in 2010, he co-authored a paper entitled “‘An Analysis of the Moral Foundations in Ayn Rand’ by Katy Holland and David Brat, presented and published in the proceedings of Southeast Informs, Myrtle Beach, SC, October 6, 2010.” [David Brat’s Curriculum Vitae, 10/6/10]
Published: Jun 11, 2014