That is absurd. Representative Cantor is a coward. I love Congress because it represents the voice of the people in our government, and when an elected official can’t handle a demonstration because a group of people disagrees with him, he should step down. I’m not part of the Occupy movement but he just handed them a victory. If he had given the speech and refused to talk with them, he would have just shown that he doesn’t care about a large group of Americans. Now he’s just shown that he’s running scared. Pathetic.

Eric Cantor was right to cancel his speech. Who wants to see a bunch of union thugs shout down the Congressman? Pearls before swine are never appreciated properly.

Come on people. We all knew this was going to happen. Why would someone who is taking their time to speak to our university willingly subject himself to all the BS that he would have to deal with when the “99%” clowns start yelling and disrupting his speech. I don’t understand why the university can’t just check Penn Cards at the door and allow this to be a speech to the university members only.

Maybe he realized that defending the absurdly rich in a speech about income disparity wasn’t such a smart idea.

Thanks to all the people out on the streets screaming, I now have less of an opportunity to listen to and take part in an informative discourse. This is a win for nobody. Everybody loses. Gotta love the Occupy movement.

Eric Cantor was trying to have an intelligent dialog with the students and teachers at Penn. He doesn’t need to waste his time in a pre-planned shouting match.
Cantor can raise a million dollars for the GOP in the time he would have spent at Penn. You guyes blew it.

I’m glad he’s not speaking. I think its an embarrassment to the University to have that pro-corporate guy spout his nonsense.

Congratulations to the Penn community for exposing the cowardice of this loathesome wuss.

CAS 1984.

Eric Cantor is a coward. As an elected official, he should understand and embrace that the questioning and challenging of our government’s policies is a cornerstone of our democracy. The fact the the House Majority leader doesn’t have the guts to speak in an environment where his comments may be challenged is very sad.

We need to show more respect to prospective Penn visitors! A great opportunity to hear from an important member of our government was lost because we are too immature to express opinions civilly.

Eric Cantor had every right to back out of this speech. He thought that this was going to be attended by those who would ask questions that he submitted to them to ask. Why should he have to answer questions from those who he does not represent, i.e. the poorest 99%. Why should he answer questions that lobor unions may ask such as better pay, health benefits and safety in the workplace. Remember, if the masses receive more pay, then an Senior exec will make less. If the make less, then money cannot trickle down so the masses can make better pay.

Let’s not forget that the Wharton Business School is mainly for students who want to be part of the 1 percent.

Cantor’s a coward, plain and simple.

WHAT DO WE WANT? – DEODORANT! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? – NOW

UPENN’s staff should be embarrassed for their handling of this situation. A great opportunity to create a dialogue between the majority leader and students was lost.

While I sit here studying in Huntsman Hall, working my butt off to prepare myself best I can to one day “move up the ladder”, there are roughly 100 protestors screaming for handouts and socializing our country.

The system should be built to allow people to succeed, it is impossible to build a system where everyone is successful.

Wharton Junior… If you listen to what they are saying they aren’t calling for Socialization. Cantor is a Tea Party candidate… They are polar opposites. How are his views any better? Being on the extreme of any idea is not the best place to be. It allows no compromise. And when you finish your degree and head to Wall Street you’re going to see a lot more of this. Occupy movement or not. Also, UPENN’s staff did a great job. They allowed free speech to happen. Cantor had his chance. HE ELECTED NOT TO TAKE IT!

PS I’m not a Protester. I’m not a staff member.

This is ridiculous. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to being shouted at by people whose primary occupation seems to be protesting? Penn should have just made the speech only open to the Penn community. And to those of you who are just saying “Oh, good for us, we got him to cancel,” way to prove you’re not actually interested in having a discussion. You’re only interested in shouting until everyone’s ears are ringing and no one wants to talk.

Could not agree more with CAS Soph. and Wharton Junior, Today was a chance for open dialogue, not just “Softball” questions, and crazy, entitled liberals who only want to hear themselves talk ruined this opportunity. Quit wasting your time and ours, go back to work, or school, or probably being bums. If you have problems take care of them yourselves, work your way up the ladder, and don’t depend on the government to do it for you—99% of the time they are going to let you down. The best way to bring down the 1% is to aspire to be like them, make your self better, don’t bring people down to build yourself up. Historically America is the land of opportunity, the thing about opportunity is you, as an individual, has to go out and grasp opportunity to make it work. Entitlements and hand-outs will only hurt us more. Quit crying and get to work.

pbreau1@gmail.com, lynnbreau@gmail.com

Eric Cantor is a complete coward. Sure.

But still, we live in a DEMOCRACY, where BOTH sides have the right to be heard. The crowd, supposedly espousing views of “direct democracy” actually made this a one-sided conversation, which is VERY undemocratic.

Also, as a Penn student, I’m really disgusted with the Penn administration. This is a private institution and I don’t think that students should be deprived of the opportunity to listen to an argument from an influential politician, however much that argument may be flawed, just because Penn is all weak-kneed about free speech.
Honestly, why let the protesters onto Locust? Why let them into the Hall? Make it Penn-card only due to high-demand?

Penn should be looking out for its students, staff, and faculty … not for how its perceived by a bunch of people who wished they were alive to go to Woodstock…

@SAS Econ major

Penn administration, like the police in NYC, cannot take away the right to demonstrate or gather, whether it is on Locust Walk or not.

Also, what does “weak-kneed about free speech” mean? Not that it’s really mentioned much anymore, but I’m pretty sure freedom of speech is one of the most highly valued rights we have as Americans.

@ College 10

Are you kidding me? Locust Walk is Penn’s Campus which is PRIVATE property. No one has a right to protest on another person’s property.

It’s embarrassing that Penn handled it this way.

True no one has the right to protest on private property, but Penn is one of the most, if not the most, liberal schools in the Country, do you really think they would ever repress free speech in any circumstance?

It is odd how people dish out mistreatment to others and then run scared for their own pathetic lives.

Cantor can preach hate, but can’t hear truth…what a coward!

We here at Penn are the proud 1% of the smartest and most talented people in the world. Occupiers – as you claim to be the other 99% – please take your incomplete HS transcript, sub 2000 SAT scores, elementary reasoning ability and lack of noteworthy ambition to an institution or environment that can better relate to you.