Why 'lazy' Fred Thompson may have a shot (A "positive" hit piece)

Fortune ^ | October 11 2007 | David Whitford

[Politicalmom]

[carjic]

I was referring to Reagan’s ability to excite the audience with enthusiasm and great ideas. Not his God like obituary. As I said I will vote for whoever gets the nod but just as I did with Bush, i will have to hold my nose. At least Bush gave me a nice surprise with the great way he handled 9-11.

[HundredDollars]

Well, since we wish that Hillary was lazy and unmotivated into trying to be a dictator by any other name, and you wish that Bush was lazy and unmotivated in his protection of America from Islamic Fascist, maybe we can reach middle ground on Fred.

Can we count on your vote for Fred who is too lazy and unmotivated to be a dictator but not so much so that he won't protect America from Islamic Fascist?

"Give a lazy man a hard job and he'll find an easy way to do it." - Unknown

[b9]

"it occurred to me basically how simple this business is of running for president. How people talk about it's so hard, it's so complex, so many issues and all that. It's really pretty simple. And it has to do with what's good for America." People are nodding now. Two keys in the coming election, he says: One is "to adhere to the principles we have always believed in as a nation;" two is "to nominate somebody who is a commonsense conservative who can win in November, and I submit to you I am that man."

Losing weight is "simple" too ~ just eat less. ";^)

Fred is elegantly, humbly, profoundly simple and deep, instead of complex and shallow.

[AnAmericanMother]

Rommel may have been fighting for the wrong side, but he sure was a perceptive dude.

[bethtopaz]

You cannot count on my vote for Fred Thompson.

The man is not only lazy, he is out of touch.

So he’s for federalism. So he has his “first principles” talking points down.

I wouldn’t trust him to run the corner drugstore.

Sorry. Just my opinion.

I am highly unimpressed with your Fred Thompson.

[John Leland 1789]

Maybe Mr. Thompson would do much less in Washington, like the Congress should do much less. The more they do, the deeper we sink into socialism. All of Washington should go home more often and quit trying to sit up there and figure things out for us, as if they are smarter than us.

[ejonesie22]

I’m shocked...

[Finny]

Yes. Rommel didn't like Hitler and if I remember correctly, was murdered by Hitler (or forced to commit suicide) when he joined in the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. My husband has had the pleasure of meeting some of Germany's finest WWII fighter pilots. Same thing -- they were fighting for the wrong side, but were excellent men. The movie Das Boot also gets this across. I believe that on balance, the Germans have more in the plus column than the minus as far as the betterment of Western Civilization. They certainly have been profound leaders in aviation, engineering, and science, and until only about two generations ago, made up the single largest group of immigrants to our beloved United States -- Texas is what it is because of Germans. Hitler was a fluke who turned the Germans' biggest asset -- discipline and orgnung -- into its biggest weakness.

As compared to Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao, Kim Jong Il, Hillary Clinton -- they were not and are not flukes. The first four were murderers on a scale far exceeding Hitler at his worst, and they were not flukes. They murdered in the name of pursuing an ideal of "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

[Finny]

Oops. Make that ordnung -- order.

[DungeonMaster]

“It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?” ~ Ronald Reagan

I was too young when Reagan was president to realize how much I miss him now.

[AnAmericanMother]

Ja-wohl!

Rommel knew about the conspiracy (although he wasn't an active participant) and didn't rat anybody out. That was enough for Hitler to order him to commit suicide or be publicly arrested and tried. He chose the former, to spare his family.

Plenty of good Germans out there (I studied German for 10 years in jr. high, high school, and college). Even my dad acknowledges that, and he spent four years getting shot at by the Krauts (and shooting back). Without the strong American tradition of a democratic republic, though, they are sometimes prey for demagogues and tyrants. The Weimar Republic, given Germany's history of fragmented authoritarian states, was doomed almost from the start.

We have had our share of demagogues (Huey Long, Wm Jennings Bryan, Aaron Burr) but they just don't get as far under our system. Hopefully that trend will continue . . . .

[AnAmericanMother]

Ja-wohl!

Rommel knew about the conspiracy (although he wasn't an active participant) and didn't rat anybody out. That was enough for Hitler to order him to commit suicide or be publicly arrested and tried. He chose the former, to spare his family.

Plenty of good Germans out there (I studied German for 10 years in jr. high, high school, and college). Even my dad acknowledges that, and he spent four years getting shot at by the Krauts (and shooting back). Without the strong American tradition of a democratic republic, though, they are sometimes prey for demagogues and tyrants. The Weimar Republic, given Germany's history of fragmented authoritarian states, was doomed almost from the start.

We have had our share of demagogues (Huey Long, Wm Jennings Bryan, Aaron Burr) but they just don't get as far under our system. Hopefully that trend will continue . . . .

[AnAmericanMother]

I guess that “TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE” message on a blank screen means, “DON’T push “post” again!”

[Finny]

Yep! Wow, you studied German for THAT long? I've only dabbled in it in a very surface way with computer language programs, but to me, it is a surprisingly beautiful, lyrical language. We have the subtitled version of Das Boot and I love just listening to the language.

I'm afraid I'm a closet admirer of the Germans (especially their accomplishments in aviation), though from what I hear of their country, I would NEVER fit in. I'm not big on following orders.

[lolhelp]

He dosen’t claim to be, he is his own man.

[carjic]

He doesnt but his fans do and ram it down my throat at every opprotunity. If he wins the GOP, I will vote for him but I am just saying he may be a nice guy but we could have done better.

[AnAmericanMother]

Yeah, I had the opportunity to live in Germany, so I took the language throughout secondary school -- and then I stuck with it in college because after all it was easier than starting a new language!

The Germans are a great people - great for good, and great for evil. Remember also that they (along with the Norman French, who were originally also a Germanic people) are the foundation of English -- and hence our -- entire system of law and government.

I'm not very obedient myself, I admire the Germans but I sure do stand outside their system!

[lolhelp]

so you take your mad at his fans out by attacting him, sounds very grade school IQ to me.

[AnAmericanMother]

P.S. -- if you want to learn German properly (and more easily), find the nearest Goethe Institute and sign up for classes. It is absolutely crucial that you learn from a native speaker, via total immersion.

We were fortunate in our high school to have for our lead German instructor a lady who was highly educated (doctorate in chemistry from the University of Graz, Austria) and very dedicated to the best of German literature and culture. Our German V class used to go to the State German Contest over in Athens and win the top spots every year. The order changed all around among us, but we were always the top five. I think she was the only native German teaching on the high school level in Georgia at that time. We made straight 800s on the German achievement test, too!

I am told that I still have a rather pronounced Austrian accent in my speech -- which is funny, because people take me for a native speaker (nobody would learn to talk like that on purpose, would they?) It's sort of like learning English from an instructor from the Deep South . . . . :-)