And there is our whole problem in a nutshell... we are content to have an “acceptable” candidate... And don’t get me wrong, I like Fred, and honestly, if Hunter is not the candidate, then the only other one I see myself supporting is Fred. But why do we insist on cutting our legs out from under ourselves time after time?
All a person has to do is hang out here on FR and read post after post about how we need a solid conservative candidate for a change (and I don’t mean that false doctrine of “compassionate-conservative”). We continue to preach to the choir, and then when the time comes to put up or shut up, we say - ok, an acceptable candidate...
We harp how we want change, then vote for the same-old thing.
What the heck? We need a conservative. Fred kind of plays that roll - kind of. He is likeable, which is a plus. But that does not mean he will be a great president. Better than ObiminaHitlery - sure. Better than RudiMcRomney - probably - but why do we not look towards trying to elect a truly great candidate? One that might actually make a tangible POSITIVE difference? Because we are afraid to go out on a limb.
Fred talks a big game about wanting to come in to make a change - and that is great. But if he were honest about his reasons - he would look at someone like Hunter first - and then, if that candidate didn’t look to be able to deliver, then sure - jump in. Maybe that is what Fred is waiting for - or maybe he has an alternative motive...
But if we continue to settle for less than what we really want and believe in, then we have lost the right to complain when we get another turkey in office. Just think about how great most here on FR thought about GW - and now it isn’t hare to find anger, frustration, and even a desire for him to be out of office sooner rather than later. Heck, I have even heard (and written a few) suggestions that he should be impeached over his attempt to give away US sovereignty... Such a far cry from suggesting his face be on Mt. Rushmore...
I understand your lament.
However, as I just posted to someone else, politics is the art of the possible.
” Just think about how great most here on FR thought about GW...”
I never thought that Mr. Bush, the son, was all that great. However, I did believe, and I still do believe, that he was as good as we were going to get. You won't hear any cries for impeachment from my direction. I’m quite grateful that he has been president these last few years rather than either Mr. Gore or Sen. Kerry. I also am grateful that he was president instead of Sen. McCain, or Mr. Bauer, or many of the other candidates against whom he ran in 2000.
I’m not under any illusions that Mr. Thompson is the Second Coming of Ronald Reagan.
But neither is Mr. Hunter. Although he may be ideologically more conservative, he just doesn’t have the force of personality, the charisma, the easy likability, the ability to charm the socks of one’s adversaries of Mr. Reagan.
Although some folks may view these as superficial qualities (and they may well be), nonetheless, I think that they’re important to getting elected, and then having a successful presidency. I think that the current President Bush lacks a bit of the force of personality, a bit of the charisma, and a whole bunch of the ability to communicate easily and well that Mr. Reagan had, and I think that this has been a real hindrance to President Bush.
My own take is that Mr. Thompson is perhaps somewhat more conservative than President Bush, but a ton more capable at communicating well the message he needs to get across, and has a greater force of personality, charisma than Mr. Bush. I can see Mr. Thompson charming the socks off Democrat congresscritters, just as Mr. Reagan charmed the socks off Tip O’Neil, et. al. I can see Mr. Thompson exuding the personal affability to the public that Mr. Reagan had.
Thus, I expect that he will have an easier time getting elected, be moderately more successful as president, and pursue a modestly-more conservative agenda than Mr. Bush.
In that I found (and still find) Mr. Bush a satisfactory president, I think that it’s likely that I’ll find Mr. Thompson even more so.
On the other hand, I don’t sense from Mr. Hunter the ability to charm his adversaries, I don't sense that the public at large will find him difficult to resist, and I think that if the next president is a Republican, these will be important attributes.
sitetest
You, TheBattman, have clearly "pulled the covers" of our FRiendly FReepers who don't want to WORK for the RIGHT candidate because they're consumed by the self-fulfilling prophecy of FEAR of possibly not winning by a wide margin!!!
Then they come around our committed conservative threads, trying to weaken our resolve to actually strengthen our American leadership with something other than another mediocre moderate RINO CONservative that we're all so blasted SICK OF!!! (I've barfed so much there's nothing left but BILE!!!)