The New Buzz on the GOP VP

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.