what's your opinion of Christine Todd Whitman?

I worked at a newspaper in New Jersey during her tenure and know that, for some time, at least, she was considered to be preparing for a move to the national stage. Her stint at the EPA ended rather unhappily, as I recall. She's moved to an "outsider" role, to a degree, in regard to the GOP.

Again, no agenda here and I have no allegiance to either party. Just interested in hearing some opinions. If nothing else, it's a diversion from the current election personalities.

I come from Fort Lee, NJ but left long before she was governor. From what I've heard from friends still living there Whitman was better than the democrats NJ had before and after. Anyway, she had the balls to go on the Howard Stern Show and I heard she held her ground with him.

BGSUalum1987 Wrote:what's your opinion of Christine Todd Whitman?
I worked at a newspaper in New Jersey during her tenure and know that, for some time, at least, she was considered to be preparing for a move to the national stage. Her stint at the EPA ended rather unhappily, as I recall. She's moved to an "outsider" role, to a degree, in regard to the GOP.
Again, no agenda here and I have no allegiance to either party. Just interested in hearing some opinions. If nothing else, it's a diversion from the current election personalities.

I thought W should have picked her instead of Cheney as his running mate.

If he had, I don't think we'd have been up late waiting for Florida to give him the electoral votes he needed. Face it, the number of people who voted for W because Cheney was on the ticket can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand, and they all live in Wyoming. With any help at all attracting centrists, W would have won a whole lot quicker and easier.

And I think the last 8 years would have been a whole lot better for everyone involved. And finally, I don't think we'd be looking at the train wreck that I believe the next four years will be, because people wouldn't be so angry with Bush that they'd vote for anything, just so long as it was different.

There were a few rumors and innuendos, both as NJ governor and EPA head, but I get the impression that none of them really ever went anywhere, and they were more bureaucratic backstabbing than anything else.

She wrote a fairly decent, if not very heavy, book entitled, "It's My Party Too," or something like that, basically calling for the republicans to move back into the mainstream. It's not a bad read if you are really interested in her.

She's a classic Rockefeller republican, and I'd be pleased to see her back in the forefront of republican politics.

I thought she was 1 of the 5 highly qualified women that McCain should have picked for VP. NJ and PA would have been more competitive. My others were

1.) Condi Rice
2.) Kay Bailey Hutchinson
3.) Olympia Snowe
4.) Susan Collins
All 5 would have reved up the base, been a surprise to America, and less of a liability than Palin. That's why I could not vote for McCain, even though I donated to his campaign.

Rice would have been worse with independents and seen as a continuation of Bush. McCain needed a candidate who was not involved in the Bush Administration. Otherwise, well qualified. Hutchinson would have energized the base, but is an old lady herself. Whitman, Olympia Snow and Susan Collins are you kidding? The right wing of the party would have sat out a McCain/Whitman, McCain/Snow or McCain/Collins ticket. If he had picked either one of them, there would be no safe states for McCain now. Palin was the best female choice he had and she did what she was needed to do, energize the base of the party which really likes her. The idea was the McCain could woo independents on his own and he hasn't made that case to them. At this point McCain has a "safe" 150 electoral votes. Obama has a safe 222. Palin will help McCain in the western battlegrounds and in the southern battlegrounds.

I have a signed picture of myself, CTW and Speaker Hastert at a campaign event.

So my opinion is of CTW........ favorable.

For no other reason than she signed the picture as "Dear (real name) it was nice to meet you and best of luck with the Speaker."

I never understood what her fallout at the EPA was...but I got the feeling she ended up wanting to support the bureaucracy, whereas W wanted major reform.
However, I don't think the EPA ever got its reform.

In short, I think she did a lousy job in what could have been a huge deal, but the current administration didn't help matters.

However, I don't have specifics to cite. That was my sense from the discussions that were being reported.

firmbizzle Wrote:I thought she was 1 of the 5 highly qualified women that McCain should have picked for VP. NJ and PA would have been more competitive. My others were

1.) Condi Rice
2.) Kay Bailey Hutchinson
3.) Olympia Snowe
4.) Susan Collins
All 5 would have reved up the base, been a surprise to America, and less of a liability than Palin. That's why I could not vote for McCain, even though I donated to his campaign.

Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Snowe and Collins are all pro-choice.. which pretty much disqualifies them for VP.

Besides Kay Bailey Hutchinson is coming back to Texas in 2010 to run for Governor and save Texas from the moron Rick Perry.

Hutchinson if from Texas. Too close to Arizona. Snowe is a RINO from Maine. Collins? Don't know much about her.

Rebel Wrote:Hutchinson if from Texas. Too close to Arizona. Snowe is a RINO from Maine. Collins? Don't know much about her.

You need to get rid of this RINO crap and expand the party.

firmbizzle Wrote:

Rebel Wrote:Hutchinson if from Texas. Too close to Arizona. Snowe is a RINO from Maine. Collins? Don't know much about her.

You need to get rid of this RINO crap and expand the party.

You need to suck my sweaty balls and learn to pick one f'n team from your state.

DrTorch Wrote:I never understood what her fallout at the EPA was...but I got the feeling she ended up wanting to support the bureaucracy, whereas W wanted major reform.
However, I don't think the EPA ever got its reform.

In short, I think she did a lousy job in what could have been a huge deal, but the current administration didn't help matters.

However, I don't have specifics to cite. That was my sense from the discussions that were being reported.

Torch: Initially, I believe her exit was for "personal reasons," but later it seems that the truth was more that she didn't see eye-to-eye with the administration.

In that light, I wonder if she would be able to label herself as an "outsider" to Washington business as usual.

BGSUalum1987 Wrote:Torch: Initially, I believe her exit was for "personal reasons," but later it seems that the truth was more that she didn't see eye-to-eye with the administration.

In that light, I wonder if she would be able to label herself as an "outsider" to Washington business as usual.

I was pretty sure from the beginning of her exit that she didn't see eye-to-eye w/ the admin. Lots of subtle cues.

However, I don't think she could be an outsider b/c I think she supported too much of the EPA bureaucratic mindset

I believe she bought into the EPA's worst chicken little mentality and heavy regulatory approach, while not sticking to the task of reformation. Honestly, I don't think she was qualified to do that. She didn't know the science well enough to separate the good of the EPA from the bad.

firmbizzle Wrote:I thought she was 1 of the 5 highly qualified women that McCain should have picked for VP. NJ and PA would have been more competitive. My others were

1.) Condi Rice
2.) Kay Bailey Hutchinson
3.) Olympia Snowe
4.) Susan Collins
All 5 would have reved up the base, been a surprise to America, and less of a liability than Palin. That's why I could not vote for McCain, even though I donated to his campaign.

I agree with everything except for your last sentence.

BTW, I felt from the moment that he selected Palin that it was a condescending and insulting selection. It rang very shallow and hollow, and I sincerely hope that the Republican party does NOT make the same mistake again, because I believe that we need a healthy discourse in this country in order to advance.

Rebel Wrote:

firmbizzle Wrote:

Rebel Wrote:Hutchinson if from Texas. Too close to Arizona. Snowe is a RINO from Maine. Collins? Don't know much about her.

You need to get rid of this RINO crap and expand the party.

You need to suck my sweaty balls and learn to pick one f'n team from your state.

You need to drop dead or move to conservatania.