Tea Party Coup in Washington - Shahid Buttar

Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, was defeated in a primary election on June 10th, by a political novice. He quickly resigned his post as majority leader in the House, leaving a political vacuum for the GOP.

But, was this victory the result of social conservatives, or was this a wake-up call, expressing anger by Americans over spying?

The victor, Dave Brat, did not have the large campaign budget of the incumbent, nor did he have the connections most observers believed would be needed to win. Still, buoyed by support from the TEA Party, Brat beat his opponent by 10 points. Many media outlets attributed Cantor’s loss to social conservatives, upset over immigration and other issues.

But, Cantor was a staunch supporters of domestic spying programs by the National Security and other government agencies. Many political observers believe his loss can be attributed, at least in part, to his position on surveillance.

Shahid Buttar is the executive director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. He is also a journalist, civil rights lawyer and community organizer. In 2004, he organized litigation to bring marriage equality to the state of New York, and worked against racial and religious profiling in San Francisco four years later.

Buttar is our guest on the show today. He is here to talk to us about the loss by Eric Cantor, and what it could mean to the upcoming elections. We will discuss domestic spying programs by the NSA and other groups, and the role private corporations play in providing personal data.