Shuffling the Deck Chairs on the Republican Party

You might think the Republicans in the House of Representatives would be itching to appoint a Whip successor who warned the party that it was losing its way, who challenged the party when it made error after discrediting error, someone who wasn’t helping to steer the GOP into the crushing defeats of 2006 and 2008.

But while Mike Pence is a fresh and positive face for the House Republican Conference, the Minority Leader and Whip positions are remaining status quo.  Republicans are right back where they were in 2006, when a Hill headline read, "GOP Keeps Team, Promises Changes".

While many people are questioning the wisdom of Boehner remaining in the Minority leadership, though, there's been less attention given to Eric Cantor's basically unopposed elevation to the Minority Whip position.  But why?

• Cantor has been Chief Deputy Whip since he was re-elected to his second term in 2002, one of the longest serving people in the disastrous House Republican leadership. 
• He initially opposed the pork-laden Highway Bill, but came around to support it, Bridge to Nowhere and all. 
• He boosted for the massive Medicare prescription drug expansion, against the protests of Jeff Flake, Mike Pence and other solid conservatives.  
• Cantor ridiculously blamed the failure of the first compromise bailout bill on Nancy Pelos giving a partisan speech, and voted for the nationalization of the American financial sector.
• Eric Cantor had numerous connections to Abramoff; Abramoff's Signatures restaurant even named a sandwich after Eric Cantor.

There are a few possibilities.

• Cantor was ineffective at stopping the damage that the House GOP was doing to itself.
• Cantor enabled the less savory elements of the House to continue dragging down the party brand.
• Cantor actively leading the House Republicans into their current state.

Many Republicans hold Eric Cantor in high esteem, and he does have some positive qualities.   But in what sense does Cantor represent "change"?

Rep. Cantor may have many fine qualities and he may be good on many (clearly not all) issues important to the Right—at least he opposed the Farm Bill. But despite all of that, he still managed to become a striking symbol of the status quo at a time when the GOP needs serious, thorough reform.

The deck chairs are being shuffled.  At least the Titanic went down after hitting only one iceberg.  Republicans seem determined to hit as many icebergs as possible on the way down.