Odd Couple: Rep. Cantor Touts Union Opposition To Baucus Bill

It's not every day that a top Republican flaunts his agreement with labor unions.  But as First Read reports, that's exactly what Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) did earlier today. 

Speaking to reporters after the GOP's weekly caucus meeting, the second-ranking House Republican attempted to put a populist spin on his opposition to the Senate Finance Committee's health care reform bill, which passed yesterday, by noting that unions also oppose the legislation: 

On a day where the GOP sought to focus on the economy, Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) delivered the party line on the recently passed Baucus bill regarding healthcare reform in the Senate.

"The Baucus Bill has passed we got groups, members of both sides of the aisle and the other body, groups such as the unions running full page ads against the bill, warning Americans that this bill will add to their healthcare cost."

What Cantor fails to note, of course, is the chief reason why many unions oppose the Baucus Bill -- it doesn't have a public option.  According to Bloomberg, the unions running the ad "want Congress to create a so-called public option, a government health plan that would compete with private insurers, and to require that almost all employers provide health care or contribute to a fund subsidizing coverage." Cantor, on the other hand, not only opposes such an option, but he continues to falsely insist that the American people don't want it. 

Furthermore, Cantor has a pretty clear anti-worker record; he's voted against raising the minimum wage, equal pay for women, and the Employee Free Choice Act in the last few years alone. So it's unlikely labor leaders are thrilled about being used to bolster Cantor's case against reform.