Whitman says she won't back Independent White House candidate
By EditorFormer Gov. Christine Todd Whitman says that her attendance at a bi-partisan meeting in Oklahoma this month should not be misinterpreted as playing a role in the founding of a third party or in urging New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to mount an independent bid for President this year. Whitman, a PolitickerNJ.com columnist, said she would not leave the GOP.
"Unfortunately, what has been planned as a bipartisan effort to address the crippling divisiveness of our current political atmosphere is being reported as the potential beginning of a third party. That was never the intent," Whitman said in a statement released today. “Nor is this a campaign to draft Mayor Michael Bloomberg into the presidential race. Next week's meeting is purely an effort to shatter the political gridlock that prevents the passage of legislation that is good for America."
“While other attendees may assert their personal interest in a third party, I am a Republican and will remain one. I will, however, work to return my party to its traditional fiscal conservatism. I am also interested in working with those who care about getting both parties back to a place where party loyalty does not trump good policy," said Whitman. “This renewal of America's political dialogue is the goal of next week's meeting."
Whitman served as Governor from 1994 to 2001, and as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2001 to 2003. He daughter, Kate Whitman, is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in the seventh district and is a supporter of Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign.
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Christie Whitman is not a true Republican and is a thorn in the side of the GOP.I wish she would leave the party and go away. She has become irrelevant
Do you expect anything different from Whitman ?
Christie Whitman single handedly decimated the Republican Party in New Jersey.
She was never a real Republican at all.
She was responsible for the horrific gerrymandering of legislative districts after the 1990 census, while the GOP was in control! If you recall, the lady that Whitman appointed as State Supreme Court Chief Justice (the one who looked like she belonged on a muffin box) designated that ultra liberal professor from Rutgers as her (tie breaking) proxy to the Legislative Redistricting Committee.
As a result, many bright, dedicated Republican legislators were gerrymandered out of their seats. The Democrats are still laughing about that one.
Whitman then proceeded to start the process of bringing the State of New Jersey to its knees financially with her genious idea to invest governmental employee pension funds into the stock market. Part of that plan called for allowing our municipalities to defer pension contributions. Now the chickens have come home to roost as the municipalities will begin paying back that deferred debt starting this year. If you thought your property taxes were already high enough, wait until you see how they go through the roof over the next 5 years, due to this mandatory repayment plan.
Whitman should have found a property around DC while she was EPA Commissioner and stayed there. She was the worst governor we have ever had.
If Whitman doesn't endorse Bloomberg, I will
Whitman had to come out and distance herself from a Bloomberg run. Her daughter is running for a Republican nomination to Congress. I'm stunned that she would even agree to attend the meeting.
For myself, I have never had a party affiliation, and I do support Bloomberg for President, even if Christine Todd Whitman does not.
I support Michael Bloomberg for President because he will be the most effective executive.
In our competitive society, the most talented among us do not often pursue positions in government, they pursue fortune in the private sector. To get the best of what is available to us, I wish to see a seasoned executive manager from the private sector in the White House.
Here is my take— It is rare that anyone finds a candidate that agrees with themon everything. But when all is said-and-done, the president is the executive manager of the world's most powerful enterprise, the United States government. I believe most voter's underestimate the value of competence and management experience. What is most important to me is— Does the candidate have the competence and the experience to manage such an enterprise? Will they keep the economy strong? Will they make sound judgement in a crisis? Will they hire competent people, or just give valuable positions to unqualified individuals because they either have party connects or "owe" someone because of a campaign contribution?
This makes Bloomberg the right man at the right time.
His money buys him independence of a sort no other candidate can claim.
He doesn't look at decisions from an ideological point of view. As mayor of New York, he governs by results.
He is the only candidate guaranteed to keep the economy strong.
When the economy is strong. When everyone has a job. People tend to be less concerned about the differences among us. When the economy is bad, and people are unemployed, everyone looks for someone to point the finger at, and politicians look for divisive wedge issues to distract their constituents from the real problems at hand.
The economy is shaping up to be THE big issue in the election. That plays to Bloomberg's strengths.
The fact is, presidents rarely get to implement even a fraction of the so-called promises and policy positions they campaign on. A president's term in office is most largely shaped by events of the day. And a president's successes and failures in dealing with crisis that emerge define most president's term in office more so that any specific piece of legislation that gets passed on their clock.
But I digress. I understand that Whitman has to put her daughter's career ahead of Bloomberg. So be it. I will be voting for Bloomberg.