The Majority Leader: Rep. Eric Cantor

Stahl: So are you ready to compromise?

Cantor: So I have always been ready to cooperate. I mean, if you go back to the first--

Stahl: What's the difference between compromise and cooperate?

Cantor: Well, I would say cooperate is let's look to where we can move things forward where we agree. Comprising principles, you don't want to ask anybody to do that. That's who they are as their core being.

Stahl: But you know, your idol, as I've read anyway, was Ronald Reagan. And he compromised.

Cantor: He never compromised his principles.

Stahl: Well, he raised taxes and it was one of his principles not to raise taxes.

Cantor: Well, he-- he also cut taxes.

Stahl: But he did compromise--

Cantor: Well I --

[Press Secretary: That's not true. And I don't want to let that stand.]

And at that point, Cantor's press secretary interrupted, yelling from off camera that what I was saying wasn't true.

[Reagan: My fellow Americans...]

There seemed to be some difficulty accepting the fact that even though Ronald Reagan cut taxes, he also pushed through several tax increases, including one in 1982 during a recession.

[Reagan: Make no mistake about it, this whole package is a compromise.]

Cantor: We as Republicans are not going to support tax increases.

So, we've seen the two sides of Eric Cantor: the push and pull between his hard fighting style on legislation that appeals to his party's conservative wing and his warm, Southern gentleman demeanor.

Stahl: This is a nice, big office.

Cantor: Well, this is it.

In Republican circles, he's seen as an ambitious man on the rise whose goal it seems is to one day be speaker of the House. For now he's working on humanizing his image, and presenting himself as more reasonable.

Stahl: As an American, are you proud of the president?

Cantor: You know, he is my commander in chief. I respect the man. I like the president. You know, the disagreements that we have are policy-based. You know, he's got a lot on his plate. I respect that. And I want to continue to try and work with him.

Stahl: So it's not a personal animosity between the two of you?

Cantor: Certainly not. Certainly not from my perspective.

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[bjeanymary]

THIS man has a EGO problem, which will cost Americans. He is out of touch with the middleclass, working class and the poor. Hello, everybody is not as well off as you are.

[romelio07]

As a Latino Republican, yes.."Republican" I subscribe to many conservative ideals but I really believe the Republican party is really off track.. Eric Cantor is a very negative figure for the republican party. I've come to find out he is really not liked by moderate republicans and despised by independents and pretty much everyone that wants the country to succeed. he and the freshmen class he's supporting are really hurting,not only the party but the whole country! As an outsider but follower of American political science,I am very worried about the gridlock he's seem to embrace. Cantor has become the face of " Republican Inflexibility", obstructing everything and everyone. We are all Sick of this games and gimmicks. As an outsider, I'd like to say: Mr. Cantor, put your country ahead of politics.. Enough already!!

[CLavant1]

Eric's Glaring Conflicts of Interest: Eric Cantor's wife Diana F. Cantor has been a director with Edelman Financial Group since May 2011 ; a partner at Alternative Investment Management, LLC since Jan. 2010; and, since 2005, a director at Media General Inc., an independent, publicly owned communications company whose lobbyist lobbies the House Rules Committee.

Edelman Financial companies provide equity sales, trading and research to a broad array of banks, retirement funds, mutual funds, endowments, investment advisors, hedge funds and insurance companies. Alternative Investment Management, LLC is "a privately owned investment management firm based in New York City that invests in mainly hedge funds and private equity funds."

Mrs. Cantor is also director with Vistage International, the world's largest for profit chief executive membership organization, with over 14,000 members worldwide. According to their web site, "Research shows that members grow their revenues, on average, at more than twice the percentage growth rate after joining Vistage."

[noloyalisti]

This dude gives Jews and men a bad name. How does someone like this get any job at all, let alone be elected to public office. What a disgusting, radical extremist, subhuman POS. Like many other Republicons, it is clear he hate almost everyone in America.

[ThinkAboutWhoLie]

Is this the best that the Republicans can do for sincere representation?

The best man for President is in the White House right now! My President and his administration managed over 20 natural disasters in three years, managed 2 wars that someone else botched up and started, two major manmade disasters and a group of Republican thugs that's been on government welfare by taking a pay check for over 8 years and doing nothing! My President put the lights out of almost every enemy that has plagued us over the last 30 years, came to the rescue of millions who lost their jobs and homes from 2001 to 2008 and you guys wasted time looking for a birth certificate. IS THIS THE BEST YOU CAN? Stop looking at your skin color and look and listen to your brain! He put the respect back into the White House by addressing the problems that was left behind.

SAY SOMETHING THAT IS RESPECTFUL!

[TimeIsNowfor99]

If Cantor is the face of the GOP, than the GOP has turned into an elitest political party that cares nothing about serving America as a country. Rather, they see America as a playground where they can legislate the rules so that a very small % become so rich it is disgusting. Look at his policy propsals. Lower taxes on the rich, raise taxes on the middle, and starve off the poorest in our nation by cutting all safety net programs. I am first to agree that entitlement programs need reformed, but there are many hard working people who fall on bad circumstance from health issues or layoffs that need a temporary safety net to get back on their feet quicker. Cantor rather just let people like that starve and condemn the children in thos families with little opportunity (except the opportunity Newt offers for them to work as a janitor part time in their school district...). The GOP have been hi-jacked by self-srving bigots (see Santorums remark about black people and entitlements if you dispute my claim). These are the type of politicans that will be seen in the future as the group who ruined our country for good.

[nancy_naive]

As much as Nature abhors it, I do declare if they popped open that idiot Cantor's head, they'd find a perfect vacuum.

[PChunyk]

Does Leslie really try to say that she is an unbiased reporter? Leslie, get a grip and report both sides. I am a huge fan of the show but you have to one of the worst "journalists" that I have seen for a long time. At least with regards to this story.

[dcfrgb]

I was thinking the same thing as I watched this. She was reciting the Democrat sound bites like they were facts rather than political rhetoric. She should be embarrassed for calling herself a journalist - unfortunately she's not alone.

[vdon-2009]

Ms. Stahl conducted an entire interview premised on the notion that there are only Republicans in the Congress, and that there is only one house of Congress. She never mentioned the Democratic majority in the United States Senate, nor that the Senate voted 97-0 against the Obama 2011 budget, or that Senator Reid (D-Nevada), Majority Leader of the Senate, has failed to produce a budget in nearly 1000 days - since 2009. Yet Ms. Stahl implied through her questioning that the Republicans bear the sole blame for inaction by the Congress, and are the focus of an 11 percent approval rating among the voters. Shameless. And you who call yourselves journalists at CBS News have allowed that to happen. Would Edward R. Murrow be proud of you? Really?
Respectfully,
VDon

[06qwerty]

I am incredibly disappointed with such a heavily biased interview by Leslie Stahl. 60 Minutes is known for top of the line journalism, but this is simple tasteless.