Posted on 07/12/2011 4:36:10 PM PDT by Maelstorm
Tim Pawlenty isn’t the only Republican blasting Rep. Michele Bachmann as unqualified for the presidency. Former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge bluntly told the Washington Times today that Bachmann has little chance of winning a national election and compared her lack of experience to President Obama’s when he first took office:
“We have a pretty inexperienced president right now,” Mr. Ridge said. “You see the range of issues in the 21st century world: We are interconnected, we are integrated. Our ability to connect for both security and prosperity reasons now and forever more, I think, requires a set of experiences that she just doesn’t have in her portfolio.” …
But Mr. Ridge said he thought she could not win a national election and warned his fellow Republicans against sacrificing a White House victory on the altar of ideological purity.
“We have to say to ourselves as a party: Consistent with principles that we have, do we want to win or are we into Pyrrhic victories?” he said. “Do we want to appoint Supreme Court justices? Do we want to appoint a Cabinet? Do we want to set a domestic and foreign policy agenda? If the answer is yes, then I think we’re going to have to be a little more tolerant of differences in the party.
As if that wasn’t enough evidence Ridge thinks Bachmann is unserious, when Washington Times reporter Ben Birnbaum asked Ridge if he thought it was unfair to compare the congresswoman with Sarah Palin, he “chuckled” and said, “I think she compares quite well.”
In defense of Bachmann, the current frontrunner in the race — Mitt Romney — isn’t particularly seasoned in foreign policy either. But Romney campaign has also amassed a strong team of advisers to educate him on the issues. It’s still unclear who is assisting Bachmann in this area, though her judgment seems to be on-target so far.
It was obvious from the beginning that establishment Republicans weren’t going to jump onboard with Bachmann, but her campaign will still need to fight back against this “lack of experience” narrative before it becomes too pervasive.
Just forget this @$$hole. Idiot bush hired him for the completely unnecessary DHS!
Tom Ridge needs to get butt-raped by TSA (Ridge’s legacy).
Yeah this is one of the remember me ‘moments’. Why anyone is consulting his opinion doesn’t make much sense to me.
Yeah this is one of the remember me ‘moments’. Why anyone is consulting his opinion doesn’t make much sense to me.
Or maybe just to female?
WHAT AN ENDORCEMENT!!! THANKS TOM!
He looks terrible.
But that aside, forget Tom Ridge..he didn’t do so hot in either of his posts as Pa. governor or Homeland Security
CAIN / BACHMANN
And I can't WAIT for WEST...simply the best!
Incompetent LOSER Ridge giving us his incompetent LOSER opinion.
PREeeetty sure that’s a photoshop pic, SR ;-)
Another raging rino heard from. Gah! They’re everywhere! They’re everywhere!
Best combo any FReeper has come up with. Either way, conservatives retake the WH.
Gee, I wonder why he said that??? ;-)
Anyone else at least so far is a RINO combo.
Go back to your video games useless RINO. That is about all you are good for.
What game is he playing? How to “Beat Al Qaeda Color Code Challenge”?
Exactly! She is. She has never been a community organizer in Chicago which makes her ineligible for any government position. So there.
While generally, I prefer executive experience vs legislative, the primary problem with Obama is not inexperience. It is radical leftist philosophy, untested by real world experience. notice how Hillary, a college radical and leftist into the 90s took on more moderated views after joining the senate. Sure, some of that was political posturing, but she clearly gained a different world view after a period of time. Obama is essentially still living the wacky theories expounded in college classrooms, and refuses to realize all these ideas are a failure.
You know, I don’t normally subscribe to the whole Bilderberger, Masonic, New-World Order, Opus Dei, Secret Cabal line of thinking...
...but when I see stuff like this I wonder....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.