Republicans should focus on energizing the economy, because rallying around their opposition to Obamacare and immigration would be a "disservice to the American people," former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says.
In a commentary
posted on CNBC.com Monday, the Virginia Republican — who suffered a
shocking primary loss last year — says American politics "is too consumed by short-termism."
"Rather than accepting the reality of divided government and focusing on what can be accomplished today to create more long-term growth and opportunity, both sides focus on short-term tactics designed to exacerbate differences in hopes of gaining advantage for the next election — which is always less than two years away," he writes.
"It would be a disservice to the American people if the next two years are spent simply relitigating these differences."
The first priority, he writes, "is a growing economy," adding President Barack Obama and Congress need to concentrate on areas on which they agree, including finalizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership and a new agreement with Europe, updating patent laws, making permanent and expanding a research and development tax credit and streamlining the approval process for new domestic pipelines.
He also called for bipartisan action to support charter schools.
"Our children shouldn't have to wait another year for Washington to get its act together," he writes.
The Hill notes Cantor
has not ruled out a return to politics after his fall from power in 2014.