Tom Ridge, the former GOP governor of Pennsylvania, seems to want to be John McCain's running mate. Today on Fox News Sunday (as reported here by the Associated Press), Ridge stated his opinion that Republicans would accept a pro-abortion vice presidential candidate like Ridge. "At the end of the day," he said, "I think the Republican Party will be comfortable with whatever choice John [McCain] makes."Ridge is wrong. Very wrong.
John McCain is 71 years old. If elected, he would be the oldest man to take office as President of the United States. The possibility of his selected V.P. taking over the presidency is significant - so significant that Ridge's assurances that any vice president would defer to the president's opinion is insufficient.
Because of the very real possibility that McCain's vice president could assume the presidency, McCain cannot name a pro-"choice" running mate. Not without turning off a huge chunk of the Republican voting base (me included) and giving the election to Barack Obama anyway.
4 comments:
Baldwin for President!
The VP pick is going to be crucial for McCain. But he may not have to worry about conservatives too much, because of the far left democratic alternative. His problem there might be that they stay home on election day.
Unfortunately, a pro-abortion VP might be his best bet to gather some left leaning moderates.
This would be a good time for a real conservative third party to get a lot of press.
McCain should worry about conservatives staying home. Staying home pushes Obama into the White House.
And, it would be a good time for a real conservative party - if that party was viable and had a chance to win in 2008. Any third party simply doesn't have that chance - whatever its views.
I agree, no chance on '08, or probably even '12. But if they want to be a contender at some point, press coverage is essential, and it's got to start ASAP.
Probably and easier tast to turn the GOP around and get them back on track - but I don't know - they seem too far gone. The politics of the last 30-40 years are too engrained.
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