Current Conditions
28°F - P/CLOUDY
Will McCain select Ridge?
Rumors swirl as presidential candidate concludes swing through Pennsylvania with visits to York and Lancaster counties today.
Lancaster New Era
Published: Aug 12, 2008
11:04 EST
Lancaster
By TOM MURSE, Staff
U.S. Sen. John McCain was to wrap up his two-day swing through Pennsylvania this afternoon by greeting voters here in Lancaster County.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (right) introduces Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McC...(more)
 
1 of 2
Bonnie Bowman of Lancaster Township (left) and an unidentified member of Victory '08 prepare McCain si...(more)
 
2 of 2

And if we've learned one thing about the likely Republican presidential nominee during his stops in Erie, Harrisburg and York, it is this:

Boy, is he fond of Tom Ridge.

McCain has been nothing if not effusive in his praise of the former Pennsylvania governor — a fellow decorated Vietnam veteran with whom he entered Congress in 1983 — as they have traveled together across this battleground state.

And that, of course, is fueling speculation that McCain could pick Ridge to be his running mate, a move that would go far toward locking up this state's 21 electoral votes for a Republican candidate for the first time since 1988.

"Here we are three weeks before the Republican convention, we don't know who his choice is for vice president, and we've got one of the guys prominently mentioned on the list running around our state for two days with the presumptive Republican nominee," said Franklin & Marshall College political analyst G. Terry Madonna.

"I can understand why there's so much speculation," he said.

"McCain has said that Pennsylvania is a major state in his electoral college game plan; he has been here six times in the last eight weeks; he has spent about $6.5 million on ads — not arguably the reasons for this speculation," Madonna added.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who has been traveling with McCain, said he believes Ridge should be on the short list, but that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is perhaps the strongest choice.
Related Topics

"Romney is strong. He had a good record as governor, had a good health-care plan which is very successful," Specter said in an interview with the New Era's editorial board this morning.

Still, he said, "I'd put Tom Ridge in the mix." And Louisana governor Bobby Jindal. And Florida governor Charlie Crist.

"These issues fluctuate and there are a lot of moving parts. The fact that Gov. Ridge is pro-choice, I think, is a problem for McCain because of solidifying the conservative base.

"Now, there's a fair amount of time between now and the Republican convention, when we meet in Minneapolis on Sept. 1, and there could be a shift on that competition with respect to the conservatives, so that could open the door for Ridge," Specter continued.

Pennsylvania's senior senator downplayed McCain's response to a question in Erie on Monday in which he was asked what he'd do in his first 90 days in office. He replied: "Call Tom Ridge to Washington from whatever vacation he's taking and get him to work."

"When McCain said he's going to give Ridge a call in the first 90 days to take him away from his vacation to Washington, it sounds like he won't be down the hall in the vice president's office at the time," Specter said.

Specter went on to say, "I don't think McCain really intended in what he said to take Ridge out of it. It would be premature to do that."

At the town hall-style meeting on Monday at the General Electric Co. plant in Erie, Ridge's hometown, McCain also said he was "honored to know a person like Tom Ridge, who had every opportunity after he graduated from Harvard not to go to Vietnam.

"He could have found a doctor that would have given a certificate that he had a bad knee, but instead he went and decided to serve his country during the Vietnam War. And he came back here to Erie" and became a prosecutor, congressman, then governor.

"That's the kind of people that this part of America produces."

In an interview with The Patriot-News, Ridge said he was not lobbying to be McCain's running mate.

"I'd like to serve my country wherever I can do best," Ridge told the newspaper. "I didn't lobby for two of the best jobs I have had, assistant to the president on homeland security or to be secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. I won't lobby for this one, either.

"Obviously I'd be honored to get (the vice president job)," said Ridge. "I'm enjoying my private life, but I learned a long time ago to never say never."

McCain was speaking at a town hall-style meeting late this morning in the Toyota Center at the York Fairgrounds. He was expected to travel to an undisclosed location in Lancaster County afterward.

McCain was then expected to fly out of Lancaster Airport and to northern New Jersey for a fundraiser.

Frank Orban III, McCain's co-chairman in Lancaster County, said he believes McCain is not leaning toward one particular candidate for a running mate.

"Sen. McCain yesterday made it very clear that there were no decisions about the vice presidency. That's a subject that is very much open, and that was repeated by Ridge himself," Orban said. "Obviously, in Pennsylvania, Ridge is well known, well liked. It would be a plus, but there are a lot of other parts of the country. There are a number of people, each of whom has pluses and minuses."

Later in the day Monday, after appearing in Erie, McCain stopped at a supporter's house in Lemoyne, where he taped one-on-one interviews with local TV stations.

He then traveled to Harrisburg, where he stopped at the Bass Pro Shop and spent about half an hour shaking hands and posing for pictures with customers and store employees, according to The Patriot-News. He bought a fishing scale and a green, camouflaged jacket.

"Now all I need to do is catch a fish," McCain was quoted as saying while leaving the store.

(This report contains information from McClatchy-Tribune and The Associated Press.)


Staff writer Tom Murse can be reached at tmurse@LNPnews.com or 481-6021.

Recent Posts
Showing 5 most recent comments out of 29 total TalkBack comments about this article
View full comments | Comment on this article
QUOTE(justplainjoe @ Aug 13 2008, 07:34 AM)


so do you complain as bitterly when haliburton helped themselves to you tax dollars or do just hold the least among you accountable.

it takes guts to stand up to the bullies and it takes callousness to tell the poor to take responsibilty in some sweeping blanket statement that encompasses all the poor.

nice touch using the bible to justify your meanspiritedness.

that is unusual for a lancaster county "christian".LOL

by the way did you hand out any $20 to a homeless vet lately?

no? i am socked.LOL

poor is a relative term!

Mary Poppins
http://gov.state.ak.us/bio.php

Governor Sarah Palin made history on Dec. 4, 2006, when she took office. As the 11th governor of Alaska, she is the first woman to hold the office.

Since taking office, her top priorities have been resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.

Under her leadership, Alaska invested $5 billion in state savings, overhauled education funding, and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. She created Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and the Climate Change Subcabinet to prepare a climate change strategy for Alaska.

During her first legislative session, Governor Palin’s administration passed two major pieces of legislation – an overhaul of the state’s ethics laws and a competitive process to construct a gas pipeline.

Governor Palin is chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multi-state government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment. She was recently named chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) Natural Resources Committee, which is charged with pursuing legislation to ensure state needs are considered as federal policy is formulated in the areas of agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management. Prior to being named to this position, she served as co-chair of this committee.

Prior to her election as governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor/manager of Wasilla. During her tenure, she reduced property tax levels while increasing services and made Wasilla a business friendly environment, drawing in new industry.


She has served as chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's most valuable non-renewable resources: oil and gas. She was elected by her peers to serve as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. In this role, she worked with local, state and federal officials to promote solutions to the needs of Alaska's communities.
Sarah Heath Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school in Skagway. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin, who graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla.

She is married to Todd Palin, who is a lifelong Alaskan, a production operator on the North Slope and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world's longest snowmachine race.

Todd and Sarah fish in Bristol Bay with their children – Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. Through Todd’s Yup'ik grandmother, Alaska’s Native heritage plays an important role in their family. Track enlisted in the U.S. Army on Sept. 11, 2007.

Prior to taking office, Palin served on numerous boards and commissions throughout the state. She was active in her family’s pursuits – including serving as a sports team mom and school volunteer. She also runs marathons.

Palin is a lifetime member of the NRA and enjoys hunting, fishing, Alaska history, and all that Alaska's great outdoors has to offer.
Kate
QUOTE(orion3591 @ Aug 13 2008, 01:18 AM)


getting "a job that provides insurance" doesn't happen by being thankful, or lucky. it happens because the person has skills and intelligence AND has worked hard, both in school and on the job AND has commited no crimes AND has not become addicted to drugs or alcohol AND has not become pregnant by one or more men and given birth to one or more children whom they have no means to support.

i've recently been looking at buying a 2-3 unit apartment building in lancaster city. almost all of the existing tenants in these buildings don't have jobs that provide insurance (ie: they're poor). but every tenant whose apartment i've toured with my realtor, even the most disgusting, vermin infested, run down slums, had a big screen HDTV perched proudly amidst the filth. most also sported one or more tattoos (which ain't cheap), one or more expensive gaming systems AND top of the line cell phones, no doubt with expensive calling/texting plans too. and they all looked able-bodied to me, but they were sitting around smoking cigarettes and watching TV and/or sleeping in the middle of the day (they all work nights, you say? riiiiiiight...). these people can't work, can't pay their utility or medical bills, but they can somehow afford all these non-essential toys and luxuries.

i have a master's degree and a good job, but i have an analog TV with base programming package, no game system, an old cell phone with the lowest priced calling plan. oh, by the way, i also pay ALL my bills on time.

they aren't poor, unemployed or uninsured by some cosmic roll of the dice. they're poor because they're dumb, lazy or both. why should the hard-working smart people pay for dumb lazy people's luxuries? that's flat-out socialism and i refuse to participate.

HOW NOT TO BE POOR (or How to Get "a Job that Provides Insurance" in Four Not-So-Easy Steps):

1. work hard in school and graduate, even if your parent(s) don't care what grades you get. FIND A WAY to continue your education in some fashion. work hard at whatever job you have.

2. don't do drugs, sell drugs, commit crimes, or join a gang. EVER!

3. don't become an alcoholic; use alcohol in moderation

4. don't engage in casual sex, so unplanned pregnancies don't result. or at least, use birth control responsibly.

if you disagree, go find a "poor" person, invite them to live with you -- all expenses paid by you of course -- and see how long you socialists can tolerate THAT situation.
who are you? mary's son? Save your speech writing for some other fool. You da man! Your mom must be proud. So you just want to leach of the poor filthy slobs by collecting rent and then tell them how they should live? You're awesome. Everything is so simplistic and black and white for you people. I never knew that you just made a choice. Nothing unexpected ever happens to people to damage their way of life huh? You are either very dumb or very young with no life lessons or hardships in your resume. Come back in 20 years and try again. As for mary poppins, not even worth responding to. Hasn't a clue about any topic on here yet.The bible told me so.
jetscott
QUOTE(jetscott @ Aug 12 2008, 06:17 PM)
what a P.O.S. Just be thankful you have a job that provides insurance. I'm sure the bible preaches to be so cold hearted as you are.You'll get yours one day lady. Loser


QUOTE(justplainjoe @ Aug 12 2008, 06:52 PM)


you tell em lady. why should your hard earned money pay to keep a poor person in america alive when the same money can be used to kill several people in iraq?LOL

i bet you got o church every sunday and your pastror is even meaner than you are.

please name that church i want to drive by and !profanity! on it.LOL



QUOTE(Artie See @ Aug 12 2008, 06:59 PM)


Perhaps if you actually KNEW quite a number of people who live and work in Canada, you wouldn't be spreading such utter nonsense.

I love how you guys just love hearing other points of view.
bigstew
QUOTE(bigstew @ Aug 13 2008, 07:48 PM)

I love how you guys just love hearing other points of view.
I love how you can't mind your own business.
jetscott
Top Ads