- Home
- About Us
- Contributors
- Departments
- Topics
- Back Issues
- Weekly Archives
- AmSpecBlog
- Subscribe
- Newsletter
- Advertise
- Donate
- Contact Us
- Daily Digest
- Templeton Essays
AmSpecBlog
Tom Ridge Over Troubled Waters
John Avlon enthusiastically touts former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge for Senate against Arlen Specter. He naturally focuses on Ridge's strong biography and impressive electoral history. But he's troubled by conservatives who point out that Ridge has some Specter-like tendencies himself:
The Club for Growth is supposed to be a libertarian organization, devoted to fiscal issues only, remember? But when they say that Tom Ridge isn't conservative enough, they can't be talking about his military record or his tax cuts or his spending record or his national security credentials. They're not talking about support for gay marriage (Ridge doesn't.) They're talking about choice -- which without delving too deeply into a well-trod debate -- is supposedly the essence of libertarianism.
Not surprisingly, this is incorrect. The issues on which Ridge "isn't conservative enough" far exceed abortion. Take those "national security credentials": While in Congress, Ridge voted against the Strategic Defense Initiative, against the MX missile, against aid to the Contras, and for the nuclear freeze. Ridge coauthored with a Democrat a successful amendment to cut SDI funding from $4.9 billion to $3.1 billion. He was, in fact, a leading anti-SDI Republican.
On economic issues, Ridge was once one of 19 House Republicans who voted to increase the minimum wage, was a vocal opponent of the first President Bush's efforts to cut the capital gains tax, and raised the gasoline tax as governor. Between 1984 and 1988, Congressional Quarterly rated him as being more likely to oppose President Reagan's position on a given issue than support it. Finally, he voted to expand welfare eligiblity and in favor of the Fairness Doctrine.
Ridge was definitely better as governor than he was in Congress, and he has obviously since run the federal Department of Homeland Security (whether that's seen by voters as a national-security plus or a bureaucracy minus remains to be seen). He's got solid numbers. I'm not taking a position on his candidacy. But to say that Ridge's conservative critics are focused exclusively on abortion is just plain wrong.
Comments
Leave a Comment
- An American Tragedy
- Breaking Fast With Bill Safire
- The Podhoretz Method
Pingback| 5.6.09 @ 1:00PM
Tom Ridge Over Troubled Waters | But As For Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
BD57| 5.6.09 @ 1:09PM
It is, however, consistent with the "moderate" jihad against social conservatives .....
The Choice of Rafael Nadal| 11.10.09 @ 4:04AM
Rafael Nadal, arguably the most exciting player on the pro tour, uses the AeroPro Drive Cortex.The AeroPro Drive Cortex combines the benefits of an Aero designed shaft and the Pure Drive head, and the result is some serious pop and spin potential in a maneuverable package. There's plenty of power to punch volleys deep and some improved feel for touch play.
Roger Davis| 5.6.09 @ 2:09PM
Republicans, and conservatives, should rally to Tom Ridge! This is no time for any litmus test. The Obama brigade is marching at full strength, and we need bodies that can yell "Stop"! The good feelings of a Toomey thrashing will fade fast ...
chemman| 5.6.09 @ 2:56PM
Given the results of Ridge's previous sojourn in Congress why would we think he would be better than Spector or believe that he would yell stop. BTW I don't see many, if any, Republicans actually yelling stop and raising h... about the lurch left. They all seem to be keeping their heads down and out of the limelight. But what do you expect when you realize you brought a feather to a gunfight.
Real American| 5.6.09 @ 3:21PM
why trade one Specter for another?
Seeker| 5.6.09 @ 4:18PM
Half a loaf is better than none. Ridge deserves the support of Pennsylvania. Specter doesn't. Ideologically "pure" culture-war politics never has played well in that state anyway.
Red Phillips| 5.6.09 @ 4:30PM
"It is, however, consistent with the "moderate" jihad against social conservatives ....."
Amen to that! How dare those silly conservatives worry about dead babies.
Ridge was, is and will always be nothing but a moderate. There is no other way to spin it.
Peg Luksik > Toomey >> Ridge.
BJC| 5.6.09 @ 4:30PM
I don't know much about Pennsylvania, other than what a good friend hailing from the state describes and what I can glean from news reports. But it seems to me there are two obvious observations about the upcoming Senate elections, which should be readily apparent to anybody starting from evidence instead of from a political agenda.
First, if Arlen Specter has polled the Republican primary voters and concluded he can't win a contest against a more Republican challenger, why is Tom Ridge -- who's on many issue points further toward the political Left than Specter, as Jim Antle catalogs -- considered a better candidate than the man Specter conceded would best him? (It seems to me that any positive polling results for Ridge have more to do with general name recognition and residual image factors than being reliably predictive of election success.) Only if you start from the unproven (indeed unprovable) political premise that Pennsylvania needs a more Leftward GOP contender, would you accept that Ridge is a better candidate than Pat Toomey.
Second, any resources dumped into a Ridge primary contest against Toomey are highly likely to hand the general election over to the Democrat candidate -- whether that's Specter or a longer-term Democrat who primaries Specter. Once a GOP primary Ridge-Toomey is joined, how's that going to fare no matter who prevails? Not well, I'm convinced. Again, Specter's probably top-notch polling -- which caused him to move between the political parties -- demonstrates Toomey is poised to win the Republican primary. Why intentionally damage Toomey during the primary by setting up Ridge to run, when the Pyrrhic victory "winner" would likely be so bloodied as to hand the general election over to the Democrats? Again, only an anti-conservative bias in the GOP can explain this.
Eric Dondero| 5.6.09 @ 8:31PM
The guy's a decorated Vietnam War Veteran. He's not perfect from either a Conservative or Libertarian perspective. But his Vet status over-rides his failings in my book.
And incidentally, VFW/American Legion credentials play big in PA.
Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
Eric Dondero, Publisher
Libertarian Republican
USN Veteran, 1981-85
Your Majesty| 5.6.09 @ 9:11PM
I prefer Toomey to Ridge -- if I must choose. Let's clarify some things about PA:
(1) Ridge won 2 terms as governor having been an obscure congressman from Erie -- which is redundant. (Erie is 2 hrs from Pgh and 7 hrs from PHL) His first victory was shortly after the death of the popular Democrat Bob Casey, Sr.
As governor, Ridge opened utility markets; today PA residents can choose their electric, telephone, and cable providers. Economically, we could do a lot worse than his record as governor (which is admittedly better than his congressional record).
PA was also in far better shape economically under Ridge than it is today under Rendell.
(2) It's not clear that, outside his Allentown congressional district, Toomey has an identity other than "not Specter" in PA. His work with the Club for Growth may be a negative if he's seen as not a PA resident. (Casey Jr. creamed Santorum as a "Virginia resident," as Santorum did 12 years earlier to Wofford.)
(3) Suburban PHL congressman Sestak will almost certainly challenge Specter in the Democrat primary. That would be a bloodbath: Sestak is a darling of the far left, Specter has never before had to defend his home PHL turf, and the rest of the state hates Philly.
All that said, my preference would be Toomey in 2012 against the empty suit Casey Jr, and Ridge in 2010 against the empty soul Specter. Why not have both?
Jim| 5.6.09 @ 11:50PM
Sorry Eric, Ridge was a loser as a governor. Being a veteran is no reason to elect someone of questionable ability, McCain, Murtha and Kerry come to mind.
USN Veteran 1968-2000
Pingback| 5.7.09 @ 9:06PM
A look at Tom Ridge’s non-(economically)-conservative record | The Kansas Progress links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
jordan| 8.19.09 @ 10:06PM
air jordan 8
air jordan 9
air jordan 10
air jordan 11
air jordan 12
air jordan 13
air jordan 14
Nfl jerseys| 8.26.09 @ 11:37PM
It is a wonderful article: NFL jerseys,Photoshop CS2,ghd Hair Straightener,Adobe Photoshop CS4.
abercrombie and fitch| 9.3.09 @ 3:29AM
good post!abercrombie and fitch on Sale, Hoodies, Jeans, T-Shirts, Pants, Polos abercrombie and fitch abercrombie fitch abercrombie cheap
abercrombie and fitch Abercrombie Men Tee abercrombie womens polos
abercrombie and fitch Men, women, and children's clothing
ugg boots| 9.3.09 @ 5:45AM
ugg boots
classic ugg boots