Because you have to positively reinforce, too.

Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told key aides and trusted former staffers on Wednesday that he will not try his luck with a write-in campaign after his shocking GOP primary defeat at the hands of largely unknown tea party-backed economics professor Dave Brat. “I am not going to do a write-in. I am a Republican and proud of that,” a source familiar with the Virginia Republican’s message quoted him as saying in a closed-door meeting.

So say ‘Thank you,’ allow the man a little bit of dignity* as he voluntarily moves along to the exit** – and breathe a sigh of relief that we’re not going to see a bloody internecine war in VA-07. Which was honestly the only high-probability way that we were likely to lose the seat.

Via (I think)

Cantor: I Won’t Mount a Write-In Campaign http://t.co/2GfGPbsGaY — Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) June 11, 2014



Moe Lane

*One of the most dangerous impulses in the human heart is the one to get even. It’s not always the wrong reaction, but it’s never a safe one.

**Don’t weep for him, either. He’s going to make ridiculous amounts of money in the next few years.