I still don’t think Tom Ridge will become John McCain’s running mate despite what McCain told the Weekly Standard today (see previous blog post), but let’s assume Ridge has made the cut and is among the final three choices. What advantages would Ridge bring?
In no particular order:
- While he may be associated with duct tape and color coded terrorist alerts, Ridge’s time as the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security remained scandal free compared to President Bush’s Justice Department, the Pentagon, the Office of the Vice President and the Environmental Protection Agency (what some consider a contradiction in term during the Bush years). There hasn’t been another terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11, and Ridge served as DHS secretary during our time of heightened alert (2001-03), something that gives him solid credentials.
- He has vast executive experience. Ridge served as governor of one of the largest states from 1995 until 2001, and he’s been a part of large corporations like Home Depot and the Hershey Trust Co. One of the knocks against McCain is how he’s never served as an executive the way a governor would, and having Ridge as his No. 2 would patch up any bleeding from that opening. Plus, there’d be little question about his ability to assume the duties of President.
- Ridge is well-known. More than Bobby Jindal or Tom Pawlenty, Ridge has national name recognition, something McCain talked to local reporters about during our bus ride yesterday.
- He’s pro-choice. I know, I know, I know … I frequently cite this as a reason McCain won’t pick Ridge, but since this is a piece about why he would pick him for veep, hear me out on this. Ridge twice won gubernatorial elections in Pennsylvania as a pro-choice candidate; in 1998, he won 57 percent of the vote in the Keystone State during a four-way race. And his pro-choice stance would appeal to moderate Republicans and Democrats in the Philly ‘burbs, which is likely to sway the results in PA to McCain. While McCain certainly doesn’t want to pick a running mate for the sole purpose of winning one battleground state, Pennsylvania would definitely be in play with Ridge on the ticket, and McCain during the last two weeks has been indefatigable about making Pennsylvania the pivotal state.
- He’s a Vietnam veteran, but McCain doesn’t need any help on that front.
- While governor, he supported the death penalty and pushed through the three-strikes crime legislation.
