Friday, August 15, 2008

Does McCain think he can get away with picking Tom Ridge as VP?

I'm actually pretty surprised by this whole episode...clearly he does, and I don't think it's entirely because he used to be Governor of Pennsylvania or Homeland Security Chief. I think he thinks that his position, thanks to the Britney ads and whatnot, is much stronger than it used to be. I'm beginning to think that he thinks he can get away with picking Ridge. I'm pretty sure he's wrong. Not just about Ridge, mind you, but also about his position: as of this printing, Obama's advantage in the RCP Poll Average is a modest but real 4.0 points.

I tend to agree with Andrew Sullivan here, though one should be fair and note that McCain obviously meant that Bloomberg was pro-gay rights in addition to being pro-choice, and that that was one step too far for the base. I think this is right:
"...[T]his may all be a tortuous way of asking if he can select Tom Ridge for his veep."
Posted by at

The Man, The Myth, The Bio

East Bay, California, United States
Problem: I have lots of opinions on politics and culture that I need to vent. If I do not do this I will wind up muttering to myself, and that's only like one or two steps away from being a hobo. Solution: I write two blogs. A political blog that has some evident sympathies (pro-Obama, mostly liberal though I dissent on some issues, like guns and trade) and a culture blog that does, well, cultural essays in a more long-form manner. My particular thing is taking overrated things (movies, mostly, but other things too) down a peg and putting underrated things up a peg. I'm sort of the court of last resort, and I tend to focus on more obscure cultural phenomena.