Cantor Admits: Too Few Have Too Much

By Julian Pecquet, The Hill

16 October 11

ouse Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said repeatedly Sunday that Republicans agree that too few people control too much wealth in America.

"We know in this country right now that there is a complaint about folks at the top end of the income scales, that they make too much and too many don't make enough," Cantor said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, toning down his earlier criticism of the Occupy Wall Street protests.

"We need to encourage folks at the top of the income scale to actually put their money their work to create more jobs so we can see a closing of the gap," he added.

Cantor's change of tone comes as protests against Wall Street are gaining in popularity and the White House seeks to ride the latest wave of populist anger.

Republicans "are about income mobility," Cantor said as he tried to make the case that the GOP was best equipped to spread the wealth. "And that's what we should be focused on to take care of the income disparities."

Cantor fell short of apologizing for calling the protesters "angry mobs" last week. Still, he did not accept host Chris Wallace's challenge to stand by his comment against a movement that 54 percent of Americans rate positively according to a recent Time poll.

"I think more important than my use of that word is the fact that there is a growing frustration out there across this country (that) too many people are out of work," he said. "But ... we have elected leaders in this town who frankly are joining in an effort to blame others rather than focusing on the [Democratic] policies that have brought the current situation."

Republicans want to "promote income mobility and not excoriate some who have been successful," Cantor said. "We want success for everybody."