With former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge speaking in Charleston today at the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers, and Treasures (http://bit.ly/bIHyn0, story by George Hohmann for @charleywest), I felt it was only appropriate to review some PA political history and how it could relate to the future of one West Virginia politician.
In 1992, PA Governor Robert P. Casey was quite a leading figure for the Democratic Party. He even believed he could be the keynote speaker at that year’s Democratic National Convention. Approximately three weeks prior to the convention, Planned Parenthood sued Governor Casey (Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania vs. Casey) after he signed a law requiring both a 24-hour waiting period, as well as parental consent, for those under age 18, in order to have an abortion. This law also put a ban on abortions because of gender selection.
Casey planned on delivering a pro-life speech at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, but his plans never came to fruition, as he was denied the opportunity because of his anti-abortion views. A speech like his would have been devastating for the Democratic Party.
So what’s this have to do with a certain West Virginia politician? In an earlier posting, I talked about the strategic possibilities Governor Manchin has to get the bid for Vice President (http://bit.ly/cKjKqt), but I left out one major fact: He’s pro-life. Almost every Democratic national leader is pro-choice, and the likelihood of Manchin getting the VeePee bid as a pro-lifer is nothing more than a sweet dream.
Although, Al Gore changed his stance from pro-life to pro-choice...
Ha. Ha. Ha. Can't take the heat.
ReplyDeleteI see where you're going with this but it's a little early in the game to think about potential VP candidates for 2012, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAlthough Joe Biden tends to stick his foot into his mouth frequently, no indication has been given he would be dumped from the ticket.
Even if Biden were dropped in the next election, plenty of other high profile candidates are out there other than Manchin. The smart money says he will angle for working the role as U.S. Senator for a while.
Additionally, I imagine Obama keeping someone as a VP with more political experience at the federal level than Manchin.