Freddy T and the 2008 run for President
Well the news seems to be going about 90%+ that one Fred Thompson will “officially” get in the race for President. I will be the first to say I called this one wrong, and I am pretty sure that I did call this one wrong at this point based on the news.
I never doubted the pull Thompson would have, but I doubted that Freddy T would want the job. He seemed to have what he wanted - a career in Hollywood, a family, free time, the ability to comment if and when he wanted, etc. Add to that his recent lymphoma admission and I just did not think the had the desire to walk away from that and run. Former Posts Here, here, and here showing my thoughts at the time.
When Fred Thompson gets in the race the dynamic will change. It is never wise to bet against Mr. Thompson when he gets rolling. I think Thompson’s entry will also be a example of why it is tough to go from being a sitting Senator to the Presidency. Thompson has not been involved in the recent Congressional or White House decisions and can run on what he would do, not what he recently did. Regardless of the party it is hard to distance yourself from the current government when you are in the Senate. That has been true throughout the history of the US and that is part of the problem that Senators McCain, Clinton, and Obama all face currently.
Thompson will and does have some negatives when it comes to conservative Republicans and evangelical Christians, but I think they will have far less trouble voting for Thompson then they would candidates like Rudy and Mit who have wavered on some issues that they consider vital in the past.
Bottom line if Fred gets in I think he wins the Republican nomination as people, and money, always seem to find their way to Thompson. Thompson is not Reagan, but he is not Bush or McCain either, so I think the majority of Republicans will vote for him.
The question then will be how Thompson can do against Hillary Clinton as I don’t think Obama gets out of the Democratic primaries. John Edwards issues are all his own, he does not need to have a voting record to create problems for himself. Edwards kills his own campaign within nine months I think.
Thompson Vs Clinton (both who cut their political teeth during Watergate) will be a interesting race. I expect McCain to go third party after he loses the Republican nomination. I am not sure how many other third party candidates we get. I am not sure if McCain hurts Thompson’s or Clinton’s chances more at this point as he seems to pull from the edges of both parties.
Personally, I can’t believe Congressman Ron Paul isn’t the front-running Republican candidate. This nonsense with Rudy Giuliani during the May 15th debate was nothing short of character assassination that Giuliani should be ashamed of. Paul was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT in what he said, and he’s by no means the only one saying it. While complete isolationism isn’t something we should realistically consider, it’s simply naive to believe some of our foreign policies - both historical and current - don’t have consequences. Some people just don’t want to hear the truth when it might be painful to do so.
Paul is the TRUE conservative this election season - just look at his positions, for Pete’s sake! I can’t believe Republicans are so gaga over the likes of Giuliani, McCain, Romney, et al. Those guys will either do or say whatever they need in order to get elected, or they’re not even true social conservatives to begin with! Paul, on the other hand, believes in smaller government, states’ rights, tax limits, is pro-life, etc, etc, etc. WAKE UP, REPUBLICANS! For goodness’ sake, I’m a LIBERAL, and I’M telling you - Paul is your man! Don’t get fooled by your “celebrity” candidates - they don’t represent you! While Thompson may champion some of the values conservatives are looking for, do you really want someone who was involved in any way with Scooter Libby’s defense? Republicans need to wash their hands of all things even remotely tied to the Bush administration if they plan on winning back the hearts and minds of the American voting public.
Again, just my opinion, of course.
Comment by
Hermann the Malevolent — 5/30/2007 @ 3:39 pm
Very valid points as always Mr Hermann. Like you I am surprised that Paul has not gotten more traction within the current Republican field - which is lacking. I think it is the fact that Paul calls himself a Liberatrain that has kept conservatives from running to him. The fact that he does not have a big PR machince hurts him too. No face time equals no traction - regardless of the party.
To me the Paul candicy is sort of like the campagin Dennis Kessenich has for the democrats - he is consisent and echos many of the values that the party faithful claim to want, but he is not getting traction in the polls. I think both parties are more interested in appearance and personality then actual stands on issues.
Comment by
admin — 5/30/2007 @ 11:08 pm
“…and echos many of the values that the party faithful claim to want…”
Indeed. Truth be told, this guy is more of the Goldwater/Reagan mold than most “conservatives” realize. It’s nothing new when a political party’s core platform shifts either more right or left from its norm (for example, the Democrats turned from the “Dixiecrats” of the mid-20th century to what we see now), but the way the GOP has ruthlessly abandoned its genuine, core conservatism is baffling to me. As you’re well aware, I’m a liberal guy, but for goodness’ sake - we NEED political balance in this country! What happened to old school conservatism?!? It sure as heck can’t be found in the GOP these days!
Comment by
Hermann the Malevolent — 5/31/2007 @ 4:44 pm