May 19, 2008
The New Buzz on the GOP VP (John Feehery)
The latest buzz about in the vice presidential derby is that Eric Cantor, the House Republican chief deputy whip, is being seriously considered. If he isn’t, he should be.
Cantor is the James Brown of politics. He is the hardest-working man in show business (or the politics business, if you will). He is the go-to guy in putting together coalitions and getting votes.
Unlike Washington, D.C., which John Kennedy once said combines Southern efficiency with Northern charm, Cantor has all the Southern graces, but he is brutally efficient in getting the job done.
Cantor understands that raising money is all part of the game, and because of that fact, he is a prodigious fundraiser.
But he also has good policy ideas on how to make the government work better for the people.
Cantor, as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, has seen all the big policy battles up close and personal, from healthcare and Social Security to trade and taxes. When I was working for Speaker Hastert, he was the first to take an especially difficult assignment to win a vote. And there were a lot of assignments.
Cantor has a very attractive family. His wife, Diana, is a politically astute former executive director of the Virginia College Savings Plan, the state's 529 college savings program, and he has three kids.
Cantor’s youth and enthusiasm will help add some spark to the McCain ticket. His conservative philosophy will help ease the persistent concerns of some conservatives that McCain is not conservative enough. If selected and then elected, Cantor would be the first Jewish American to be vice president, a historical footnote in an election year full of firsts.
If Cantor is not selected vice president by McCain, still keep an eye on him. If not vice president, he may have the Speaker’s gavel in his future.
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Sounds so much better than the suddenly ubiquitous Huckabee, I hope either Cantor or Romney are selected.
Comment by Igor R. — May 19, 2008 @ 4:20 pm
John–
How is Cantor going to have a Speaker's gavel in the future if he's in the minority party for the rest of his career? The only speaker he's even going to get near will be on his stereo.
Sorry.
Comment by PR — May 19, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
PR, when voters realize this do-nothing Democratic Congress let them down and broke promises again, and again, and again, Queen Pelosi will be gone, gone gone.
Comment by John Simmons — May 19, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Picking another Washington insider would be a mistake. IMHO.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — May 19, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Cantor is an interesting idea. He is a a candidate who could keep VA red and gets you votes in FL, OH, PA, NJ, NY, CT and MO? Oh and he is good on the economy, immigration-young and southern. He must have something wrong with him if he isnt already being talked about by McCAin.
Speaker . .I dont know–long road back for us there!
Comment by Thomas in Dayton — May 19, 2008 @ 6:28 pm
Thomas - How do you know he isn't being talked about by McCain? He hasn't talked publicly about any of his potential choices. Just said that he has a list.
For all you know, Cantor is on that list for all the reasons you listed and more.
Comment by Hey Thomas — May 19, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
Cantor would be a great candidate. He has perfected the art of looking and talking sincerely, while lying through his teeth. If that's all it takes to be a national candidate, why stop at Mr. Cantor? There are lots of House GOP members to choose from.
Comment by Dee in Alaska — May 20, 2008 @ 4:32 am
Cantor will negate one of GOP's strongest arguments–that Obama's youth and inexperience makes him unelectable. All the Obama camp would need to do is to cast doubt about McCain's health and start questioning Cantor's readiness to lead.
Comment by Theard — May 20, 2008 @ 10:28 am
Theard, Obama's main weakness is not his "youth and inexperience", but his anti-American and appeasement tendencies. His tax plan is no great gift to humanity either.
Comment by Igor R. — May 20, 2008 @ 6:44 pm