FRED HAS FIRST PRINCIPLES!
PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL.... for sure!
Posted on 09/03/2007 2:48:46 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Conservative Republicans disenchanted with their presidential options dream that Fred Dalton Thompson is the Great Right Hope for 2008.
Fans of the 65-year-old actor and former Tennessee senator call him a Southern-fried Ronald Reagan clone with impressive name recognition and a folksy appeal who can unite the party - and beat Hillary Clinton.
It won't be a cakewalk for Thompson, who, after several false starts, will launch his candidacy Thursday via his I'mWithFred Web site. He's starting unusually late, has had trouble raising cash and has been soporific in recent testing-the-water outings.
"The wow factor is gone," a Republican operative who isn't supporting any candidate said. "His window of opportunity may have closed."
Yet a GOP mandarin and Bush official who's also neutral thinks Thompson's the winning formula for the party - and for a country craving plain-spoken leadership.
"He's the best bet for us," the official told the Daily News. "He's ideologically and culturally suited to our base, and he's been away from Washington long enough that he's not perceived as part of the mess."
The possibility that Thompson might run instantly catapulted him past John McCain and Mitt Romney in the GOP rankings, behind Rudy Giuliani. That's a good tipoff that many Republicans are uneasy about the rest of the field and willing to give Thompson a serious look.
"The best thing going for him is he's not McCain, Romney or Giuliani," a former White House aide noted.
Thompson is seen by many GOP strategists as a particular threat to Giuliani. Like Rudy, he exudes star quality because of his movie and television roles. His orthodox conservatism attracts party activists fearful Giuliani is soft on social issues.
"Thompson is an authentic, credible conservative," said Curt Smith, a former speechwriter for former President George H.W. Bush. "Giuliani is not."
The lanky, slow-talking actor-pol who played District Attorney Arthur Branch on "Law & Order" supports the Iraq war and opposes abortion and gun control. He wants a smaller federal government and says vice presidential aide Lewis (Scooter) Libby should be pardoned.
Like Reagan, Thompson couches his red-meat ideology in soothing, crowd-pleasing homilies.
"How do people follow when people don't have any confidence in what is said and who is saying it?" he likes to say. Another favorite: "I'm tired of people feeling like they've got to apologize for America."
Aides say that's not just rhetorical fluff. Thompson believes the leadership void in Washington has reached critical mass, and he is determined to overhaul Social Security, Medicare and other cherished entitlement programs.
"For the first time in our history, we have a government that can't do all the basic things we expect our government to do," he says. Backers call Thompson's belated entry a genuine draft and argue his late start can be overcome by his down-home populism and personal magnetism.
"We have a guy with a message that resonates, which is why he'll surprise," a senior adviser said.
“He’s the best bet for us”
Worth repeating: Fred Dalton Thompson is the best bet for the future of our country.
(’Personal magnetism’, oh, that’s what Fred has. Whatever it is, voters will love him.) Come Sept. 6, the rest of the field is toast.
He's definitely right on this point.
"For the first time in our history, we have a government that can't do all the basic things we expect our government to do," he says.
I was just saying this to a buddy of mine the other day. I can't believe how much more incompetent the government is than it used to be. Before, they just did lousy work ("Good enough for government work"). Now the government just doesn't work at all (reference our illegal alien problem as one example).
FRED HAS FIRST PRINCIPLES!
PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL.... for sure!
Agree. Fred speaks to our inner being that recognizes truthfulness and sincerity. No better man to lead us during these dangerous times.
This sounds like wishfull thinking from a campaign manager who can't understand why his guy can't get any traction.
[...supports the Iraq war and opposes abortion and gun control. He wants a smaller federal government and says vice presidential aide Lewis (Scooter) Libby should be pardoned.]
As a Christian conservative who is tired of rinos and liberals destroying our country and disappointed with the left leaning Bush family, I would vote for a real conservative like Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter.
I think a credible conservative who campaigns as such will win and carry much of the field on his coat tails. If I'm wrong, it will be time to face up to the fact that I am part of a minority and reconcile to it.
Actually Fred isn’t the best choice. He has the name recognition fron his movies and tv shows to override the media’s candidates.
Duncan Hunter is our best choice but the media won’t give him the time of day.
You got that right. I think they would make a good team.
Hunter’s message is limited to just a few issues. Fred is the best choice on a range of issues and he isn’t an obscure congressman.
A candidate really needs to be able to win in his own state at least.
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