Is Cantor Gingrich lite?

NY Times:

The last time Congressional Republicans were this out of power, they turned to a college professor from Georgia, Newt Gingrich, to lead the opposition, first against President Bill Clinton in a budget battle in 1993, and then back into the majority the following year.

As Republicans confronted President Obama in another budget battle last week, their leadership included another new face: Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, who as the party’s chief vote wrangler is as responsible as anyone for the tough line the party has taken in this first legislative standoff with Mr. Obama. This battle has vaulted Mr. Cantor to the front lines of his party as it tries to recover from the losses of November.

As Republican whip, Mr. Cantor succeeded again on Friday in denying the White House the support of a single House Republican on the stimulus bill. That was a calculated challenge to the president who, in his weekly address on Saturday, hailed the bill as “an ambitious plan at a time we badly need it.”

Mr. Cantor said he had studied Mr. Gingrich’s years in power and had been in regular touch with him as he sought to help his party find the right tone and message. Indeed, one of Mr. Gingrich’s leading victories in unifying his caucus against Mr. Clinton’s package of tax increases to balance the budget in 1993 has been echoed in the events of the last few weeks.

“I talk to Newt on a regular basis because he was in the position that we are in: in the extreme minority,” he said.

The Republicans can certainly count some victories, although symbolic ones. Even White House aides said Mr. Cantor and his team had been successful in seizing on spending items in the stimulus bill to sow doubts about it with the public.

The fact that House Republicans have stood firm against Mr. Obama suggests just how unified the caucus is, though Mr. Gingrich, in an interview, said Democratic leaders like Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Representative David R. Obey of Wisconsin, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, did more to unify Republicans than anything Republicans did.

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Obey and Pelosi put together a bill that is going to be a continuing source of embarrassment to Democrats for years. While the Democrats are planning on running adds against Republicans who voted against this bill, they are very likely to backfire and remind voters who was on their side against this monstrosity. Since the Democrats did not give members time to review the huge bill, I am sure there are still embarrassing pieces that can be used against Democrats.

Gingrich was the subject of a vicious demonization campaign by Clinton and other Democrats. They were unable to match him in an intellectual debate so the decided to personally destroy him. Cantor appears to have a likable charm, but I am sure that if he becomes successful the Democrats will attack him the way they did Gingrich, Bush and Palin. It is interesting that he and other Republicans have gone out of their way not to personlize their differences with Obama and Democrats are already getting ready to do that with Cantor and other Republicans. The vicious attacks on President Bush demonstrate the Democrat style of meanness.