Looks like McCain is floating Ridge..

and fundie heads are exploding everywhere..

McCain says abortion rights VP possible
By Steven R. Hurst | The Associated Press
12:21 PM EDT, August 14, 2008
WASHINGTON - Republican John McCain says he has not ruled out choosing Pennsylvania's popular former Gov. Tom Ridge as a running mate despite his support for abortion rights, a hot-button issue that could inflame some voters among the party's conservative base.

McCain appeared to be testing the issue -- weighing the benefits against the costs of picking Ridge, who could help the Arizona senator win Pennsylvania. The presidential election is won on a state-by-state basis with more populous states, such as Pennsylvania, carrying greater weight in the results.

McCain opposes abortion rights, while his Democratic opponent Barack Obama supports a woman's right to choose the procedure in most cases.

"And also I feel that -- and I'm not trying to equivocate here -- that Americans want us to work together," McCain added. "You know, Tom Ridge is one of the great leaders and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don't think that that would necessarily would rule Tom Ridge out."



http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-mccain0814,0,5194770.story

with such a pick and it not hurt him if he gets Penn out of the deal.

Where it would be a problem for him is Evangelicals staying at home in Misery.

they were a big boost to Bush in places like Ohio. the religious right is alreadly looking for a reason to jump ship on McCain, I think a Ridge pick would give then the ammo then need.

and if Obama picks Clark, Biden or Richardson, his Homeland Security creds would be shredded.

Despite a weak turn a DHS, Ridge is a solid moderate and can deliver votes in the Great Lakes region. He's like a Tim Pawlenty with brains. The fundies may gag on it, but in the end they'll have no place to turn. The last two elections were won & lost on the wings. This one will be decided in the ideological middleground.

McCain is making some very smart moves.

I don't think most Pennsylvanians miss him that much. And choosing a pro-choicer will cause many GOPers to stay home. The anti-choice crowd is much, MUCH more politically motivated than the pro-choice crowd.

or at least enough to ask which part of PA you are from. There are plenty of people who do miss him, at least when he's placed in context with Ed Rendell,

But, really, how awesome would that be? McCain selects ridge thinking - among other things - that it would help win PA. Then Obama picks Rendell in a brilliant knight-to-queen-four.

OK, it wouldn't happen, and Rendell would be an awful veep choice, but it would still be funny as hell.

Oh, and full disclosure, I'm from Ambler, just outside Philly (into the repub. districts) but I travel around the state a fair bit.

There's a lot of PA between Philly and Pgh. What did Carville call it? Arkansas?

People in the Philly don't miss Ridge either, but a mere 15 miles out many of the suburbanites do. Idiots.

I hope it is selfishly because I live in CT and would love to see him loose again.

It would risk a full revolution at the convention--which the Republicans are counting on to put some new lipstick on their pig selves. McCain will go for a governor, probably a southern or Great Lakes governor, someone who's a tax slasher and has a good enough environmental record to keep pollution scandals off the headlines.

Interesting!

Though it risks alienating more fundamental parts of his base.

Looks like a weak attempt to head-off Obama's stretching the electoral map - trying to make Obama spend more $ in blue states.

there's no way they can do anything without upsetting half of their own voters.

Lovely. :)

and mccain needs that right wing base

When Ridge resigned from his Homeland Security gig, he said this about the terror alerts, which he would announce:



An ad on this would shoot a point-blank cannon ball into the phony Terror Alert game, Bush, Ridge, McCain's links to Bush and would devour Ridge.

McCain/Ridge!!!!

pinned down by gunfire who holds his hat up on a stick only to see it immediately get shot to pieces by James Dobson's posse.