Cantor / Gingrich

NYT today has a profile of new minority whip Eric Cantor, flush from his first victory, i.e. convincing House Republicans in tight districts not to vote for middle-class tax cuts, rebuilding schools, refubishing dilapidated bridges, etc.

Leaving aside the false comparison (clearly meant to keep us liberals cautiously optimistic about Democratic power, ergo, to keep the dollars flowing next election cycle) of Cantor to Gingrich, in which no one but the NYT believes, since Cantor is "more demure," "an ideas man without ADD," etc., Cantor has a harder row to hoe that Newt did. BHO has 66% approval. More white people voted for him than did for Kerry, Gore, or Clinton. Newt, contrary to his automythopoesis, was never in the "extreme minority." Cantor is. And his solution is to lead the party further into the desert.

In 2010, we'll find out if that makes any sense, electorally. Politically, there's no reason why it shouldn't work, and this is what gives me the fear. Politics is not about meeting in the middle to get short-term work accomplished; it is about staking out the position you want, and drawing mainstream thought thither. The right has mastered the art, they've done it all my life. The tighter the quasar spins, the more gravity is gains, until it collapses on itself and starts sucking in everything...

Meanwhile, can we get a list of Republicans who voted nay on stimulus, ranked by the unemployment rate in each's district?
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