Posted on 05/07/2007 1:41:41 AM PDT by Doofer
As the collection of announced presidential candidates participate in a campaign-athon that is occasionally so stomach turning that it should be sponsored by Pepto Bismol, actor and former Senator Fred Thompson waits it out – smartly. Should he run, Fred's already earned my vote, and I'll tell you why.
First of all, I have to admit, I'm tired and borderline nauseated by this particular race for the Oval Office that seemingly started during Bush's first term – and I mean George H.W. Bush. Normally I enjoy campaign season, as it's terrific fodder for those of us who like a good Coney Island Circus Sideshow disguised as a Gilligan's Island Circus Sideshow. But, alas, it is possible to have too much fun.
I believe this race for the presidency has finally crossed the line where the campaign is longer than the term in the office that is being sought. Even the producers of Super Bowl pregame shows are calling it overkill.
Fred Thompson, who may well join the fray, deserves our serious attention, at the very least as having the good manners to not want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary exposing us to another political campaign. Brevity is not only the soul of wit, but it's also a trait that tends to be found among the honest, as they don't need all the extra time to keep changing their position.
The potential for a Fred Thompson candidacy is like a tsunami that hasn't reached shore yet. There has been a bit of seismic activity, generating an enormous wall of energy that isn't yet detectable from the surface, but it's there.
Read Thompson's speech to the Lincoln Club annual dinner and tell me he wouldn't excite the Republican base while reeling in many others. Reagan comparisons are overused and often wrongly applied, but in this case the comparisons are very valid.
Here is a brief example from Thompson's speech:
Let's talk about the issues here at home, first. A lot of folks in Washington suffer from a big misconception about our economy. They confuse the well-being of our government with the wealth of our nation. Adam Smith pointed out the same problem in his day, when many governments mixed up how much money the king had with how well-off the country was.
Taxes are necessary. But they don't make the country any better off. At best they simply move money from the private sector to the government. But taxes are also a burden on production, because they discourage people from working, saving, investing, and taking risks. Some economists have calculated that today each additional dollar collected by the government, by raising income-tax rates, makes the private sector as much as two dollars worse off.
To me this means one simple thing: tax rates should be as low as possible. This isn't anything ideological, and it really isn't some great insight. It's common sense arithmetic.
''Common sense arithmetic,'' in a world where all too often 2 + 2 = 1,637, is as refreshing as the first time you open your windows in the springtime. Reagan gave us that feeling, and the potential for a ''morning in America II'' is very real in Thompson.
Thompson believes in low taxes, secure borders, term limits, states rights and, most importantly, in the American people. True, plenty of folks say these things, but as near as I can tell, Fred Thompson is one of the few people with a reasonable chance of winning who isn't merely lip syncing to Reagan's music, but actually singing his own tune.
Also, Fred Thompson has something I prefer in a candidate: a federal record – and I'm talking political and not legal. Candidates can lie, but their voting records can't.
Who will support Fred Thompson? Anybody who enjoys a dose of common sense not wrapped in doublespeak. I believe most Americans will choose a truthful person they might disagree with on a few issues, over a liar who agrees with them on everything time after time. Is that naïve optimism? If it is, it's all the more reason we could use a guy like Fred Thompson to help bring us back around.
For now, the phenomena that could turn into the Fred Thompson candidacy is rumbling along, but still far offshore – a barely detectable ripple on the surface. I believe that if it reaches land, the rest of the candidates will be washed away by a tidal wave named Fred.
ping.
It’s a shame he wasn’t interested in 2000.
If Fred doesn’t jump in the race, I can’t imagine who the nominee would be.
The same people who are attacking Bush now would have said he was their candidate because of his religious beliefs, and Thompson would have been trashed as if he were Giuliani (remember when Republicans LOVED Giuliani?).
He’ll excite conservatives, but will he excite anyone else?
Yes, but he’s a full-fledged member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Isn’t it possible to have a president that is NOT a member of CFR? I suppose not. That would probably be against the rules that are being made for us elsewhere.
Not once the facts began emerging and his charade stood exposed.
He'll never capture the hearts of NARAL and NAMBLA away from Giuliani.
More to the point, I wouldn’t want to imagine who the nominee will be, given the Felliniesque field we have now.
If he can excite conservatives, he will have the opportunity to sell the conservative message to everyone else. I cannot think of somebody who could do a better job of it.
If he can sell conservatism and wins on that basis, they I want him to win. If it is another Republican who tries to win by being almost-but-not-quite as bad as the Democrats, I do not know why we want to win in the first place.
To me, a speech is just words. What has he ever done? Nothing. He was a lack luster senator and has no executive experience. We have better qualified candidates.
He didn't dress in flamboyant drag?
That right there sums up why I think Fred will take the Pub nomination and, hopefully, all the marbles.
I doubt the far left will be interested. But conservatives most certainly should be, along with lots of middle of the roaders and Independents as well.
The writer of the article raises an excellent point about the length of our political campaigns. Ever since Clinton’s team decided on the endless campaign as their modus operandi, that is exactly what we have been subjected to. A President is no sooner elected than the hordes who want the job start up again. The problems of the nation rarely get addressed with the depth and the seriousness they deserve as the contenders try to “position” themselves for the next election. The first tactic is to tear down the incumbent - to try to undermine his/her ability to govern. If nothing else, it divides the time and attention of the President’s team.
Changing gears: I like Fred Thompson and I’d like to mention one other quality/accomplishment that he has that many of the other candidates don’t have: he knows Washington DC inside and out. He has been in Washington, in one capacity or another, for most of his adult life. In most cases, it was not as an elected official (Watergate counsel, lobbyist), so he had the chance to learn exactly how Washington works. I believe he could put together a strong team, should he win election.
Fred also has the advantage of having been through a Presidential campaign before, acting as Howard Baker’s campaign manager in 1972.
His record as an attorney is of fighting on the side of justice.
The one major blot on his copybook (in my estimation) is his support of savings and loan deregulation. I’d like to hear from him on that subject.
i’ve studied on the subject, and my conclusion is now clear
fred is formidable
he is a man of strength, character, consistency, and with his own internal locus of control
this is no northeastern republican in name only
unlike president bush unfortunately, who is also good person, thompson has a thoroughly-integrated theme and vision of america that deeply reinforces our identity as a nation
the only bi-partisanship fred will care to achieve is through his very nature - he is hard not to like as a person despite differing views
fred is articulate, confident but not cocky, intelligent but guided by experienced common sense
no other candidate on either side has such an appreciation of the fundamental issues that will affect america in the years to come
like jesus in the garden of gethsemane, thompson is taking the time now to savor the last moments of a private quiet life of comfort - sacrifice awaits
a towering man (6’6”) that only seems amplified by soaring ideals
remember this moment - world history in the making
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LOL! Thank goodness.
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