Posted on 03/17/2007 6:59:35 AM PDT by shrinkermd
Fred Dalton Thompson's flirtation with a presidential run has conservatives hopeful for a white knight in a field of compromise candidates in the GOP. The man whose career has spanned both Washington and Hollywood, and who has championed both conservatism and clean government, has a resumé that would make for compelling political theater. However, one issue in particular dogs every mention of his potential, and that is his support for the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, or McCain-Feingold -- the main reason conservatives distrust John McCain and have not supported his own presidential campaign.
That may be changing. John Fund interviewed Thompson for the Wall Street Journal, and Thompson acknowledged the futility of the BCRA's approach:
On issues, he addresses head-on the major complaints conservatives have about his record. He was largely stymied in his 1997 investigation of both Clinton-Gore and GOP campaign fund-raising abuses: Key witnesses declined to testify or fled the country, though evidence eventually surfaced of a Chinese plan to influence U.S. politics. He won't argue with those who say he showed "naiveté" about how he would be stonewalled in his investigation. He says he's wiser now.
Many on the right remain angry he supported the campaign finance law sponsored by his friend John McCain. "There are problems with people giving politicians large sums of money and then asking them to pass legislation," Mr. Thompson says. Still, he notes he proposed the amendment to raise the $1,000 per person "hard money" federal contribution limit.
Conceding that McCain-Feingold hasn't worked as intended, and is being riddled with new loopholes, he throws his hands open in exasperation. "I'm not prepared to go there yet, but I wonder if we shouldn't just take off the limits and have full disclosure with harsh penalties for not reporting everything on the Internet immediately."
If Thompson rejects the BCRA, the implications could be significant. None of the sponsors or supporters of the bill would have the national reach Thompson will if he runs, with the exception of McCain himself. Thompson's change of heart would put immediate pressure on McCain and perhaps even jump-start the effort to repeal the law altogether. If Thompson makes it a campaign issue, he could immediately siphon off conservative support for other campaigns. (Romney pledged to repeal the BCRA at CPAC earlier this month.)
That would not be the entirety of Thompson's attractiveness, either. He spoke with Fund about cleaning up the CIA, one topic that never seems to go away despite all of the post-9/11 efforts to reform the agency and the intel community as a whole. He wants to promote federalism, ending programs that should be handled by the states and curtailing the overreach of the national government. Thompson also supports the extension of the Bush tax cuts, telling Fund that the Kennedy, Reagan, and Bush administrations have proven that lowering taxes creates long-term economic growth, and that "millionaires serving in the Senate learned not to overly tax other people trying to get wealthy."
All of this puts Thompson squarely in the Reagan mold, along with a track record of real reform. If Thompson grabs the anti-BCRA banner, he could carry it all the way to the White House
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Welcome to one of the fastest growing lists on FR. :)
It's my pleasure to add you to the ever-growing Fred Thompson ping list. :)
There's plenty of TEETH .. just nobody with guts enough to enforce it .. like all the immigration laws.
NittanyLion wrote: "What's needed is full disclosure of contributions..."
And that's exactly the position Thompson seems to be moving to.
Holy smokes he just earned my vote...
Thanks for the info -- that's very interesting. His support of CFR is extremely troubling. However, his demonstrated support of federalism is hugely positive.
Please add me to Thompson's ping list. Thanks!
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Isn't it staggering to hear a potential candidate actually discuss federalism?!?!? Gasp!
You are now a FRedhead! :)
---"There should, however, be a limit on how much money each individual can put up.
Why? And who gets to decide? How can a $250 donation be protected by the First Amendment, while a $2500 donation is not?
What's needed is full disclosure of contributions - not prohibitions on free speech"---
I propose a compromise: Full disclosure with a donation limit of one trillion dollars per individual.
;-)
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