Seeing Red…and Blue

Congeniality may be lacking in Washington DC these days, but it was on display at the American Cleaning Institute’s Annual Meeting and Industry Convention when former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge (R) and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) discussed the issues facing the US, the recent Presidential Election and even likely candidates for 2016.

Ridge lamented the state of politics, noting that back in the 1980s, both political parties worked together. “Problem solving was part of the environment,” he recalled. And while he said President Obama must reach out to Republicans, he also called for more moderate Republicans to emerge in Congress and he hoped that the recent agreements over immigration reform signal a new beginning in the nation’s Capital.

Richardson noted that George W. Bush captured 44% of the Hispanic vote during the 2004 Presidential election, but those votes vanished in the past two elections as Republicans refused to compromise on immigration and other issues of importance to Hispanic Americans.

“I was afraid (Florida Senator Marco) Rubio would be on the (Republican Presidential) ticket. That would have been trouble (for Democrats),” said Richardson. “Now Republicans realize that the Hispanic vote is growing and they need a sensible view on immigration.”