Posted on 04/13/2007 8:39:38 AM PDT by meg88
In the case of the Republican presidential primary, there are two men who aren’t there: former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.). But their presence — or absence — haunts the GOP primary nonetheless. Until they make their respective moves to enter or foreswear entering the primaries, they will freeze a critical segment of conservative Republicans who are withholding their affections from other suitors, waiting for Mr. Right to arrive.
In fact, most polls indicate that these two gents account for between 15 and 20 percent of the vote in trial Republican primary heats. Not since Gen. Colin Powell froze the action in 1996 (as he sold books and pondered running) has a non-entrant so paralyzed the active crop of candidates.
Conservatives find themselves facing an unpalatable choice of Giuliani, socially liberal but conservative on everything else, or McCain, socially conservative but liberal on everything else (except Iraq, where he is merely stubborn). Some even are voting for Mitt Romney, but most seem turned off by his Mormon faith. While this artifact of bigotry is obscene, it appears to be freezing the former Massachusetts governor below 10 percent in the polls. (His recent fundraising success might backfire if a large proportion of his donations are from his co-religionists, stoking the paranoia of some voters).
And, even worse, real conservatives like Huckabee, Brownback, Tancredo, Hunter, Gilmore and Tommy Thompson can’t get their campaigns untracked because Newt and Fred are sitting on their potential voter base.
Thompson, at least, seems to realize that he is tying up traffic and appears committed to a reasonably prompt evaluation of his prospects and a decision on running. Newt apparently hasn’t read the new calendar of primary elections and fancies that he can stay out until September before making a decision.
If Gingrich were to run, he would make an excellent sparring partner for Giuliani. Tough on terror and socially conservative, Newt’s marital history is no more checkered than Rudy’s. The big difference between them is that Rudy can beat Hillary and Newt can’t. But his entry into the race, apart from making Hillary’s day, would at least create a real choice among Republicans.
Thompson, who conceivably could defeat Hillary — he is a blank slate at the moment — would also be a strong candidate. He would immediately eclipse Romney and drive the anti-Giuliani social conservatives who are now backing McCain to his candidacy. It would be the classic media match-up: America’s Mayor against the “Law & Order” prosecutor. Thompson’s solid record of exposing corruption in Tennessee and prosecuting campaign-finance violations by the Clintons in Washington would be very attractive to voters.
But they each have an obligation to clarify their intentions. It is not fair or reasonable to palsy the process, as they are now doing, by having one foot in and the other one out of the circle. Beyond appeals to their sense of decency, always awkward in politics, they must consider that the ongoing speculation is not doing their ratings for decisiveness and strength any good. As Hillary marches toward the nomination, Republicans want a clear alternative.
In the meantime, their lack of decisiveness is making it impossible for any alternative to Giuliani to emerge as a conservative challenger. How long will social conservatives let these two men block the emergence of a right-wing alternative? How much patience are they supposed to have? If the right wants a Mr. Right to run, it needs to tell Newt and Fred: Either run or get off the pot.
I think Fred can wait as long as he wants. He’s is the best candidate IMHO!!
JFC to Dick Morris.. SHUT UP!
That's some revisionist history. Thompson let John Glenn walk all over him in the investigations of the Chinese contributions to the Clintons and it accomplished nothing. The Rats won that one.
Dick Morris is now in the Fred Thompson camp?
Didn’t Thompson also back McCain-Feingold— the Soros sponsored “Freedom of Speech for me but not for thee” solution in serach of a problem?
Candidates need to declare for these races soon or the field will be full up.
And as you well know he has since admitted that CFR is a failure and he is leaning toward unlimited donations with complete and instantaneous disclosure.
Newt has already said Sept 29 I think
Dick is in the camp of who will do the best in the General election. He is obsessed with Hillary.
Correctamundo. Nothing quite like a malleable conservative as far as the leftists are concerned. Thompson, like Bush, will put up a good front, but when the music stops it won't look like progress.
If they won’t declare before summer, we should consider them out of the race. The other candidates are soaking up money, building organization. I think they can still enter and win up until mid-summer. But after that, there won’t be time to run a real campaign in the big states.
What? Exposing campaign finance Chinagate violations by the Clintoooons?
Yeah, I remember that. Fred sitting in the Chairman's Seat. And John Glenn to his left, blocking everything that might point to the Clintoooooooons or prove useful in the investigations.
And Fred sitting there looking constipated, but letting Glenn run all over him.
I'm sorry. I'll vote for him if he is the Republican candidate. But I sure can't get excited about it.
Heck, I'd even cut McCain a little slack if he called for repeal of this Soros-sponsored monstrosity.
He said the following on Fox News Sunday a few weeks ago. He admits that CFR is a failure, and he is almost ready to throw in the towel.
Fred Thompson on Taxes, McCain-Feingold, Iraq
Many on the right remain angry Mr. Thompson 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.”
And the polls do not adequately measure his support.
I think he is going to do it.
Thanks for the link. But if government was operating at its proper role, it would be hard to sell influence because influence would have to be earned rather than bought and sold.
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