The New Fire in Fred's Belly

National Review Online ^ | November 19, 2007 | Larry Kudlow

[Reagan Man]

A revitalized Thompson has an honest, clear, straightforward message of economic freedom and problem solving.

An energetic and forceful Fred Thompson sat down with me last week on Kudlow and Company to talk politics and the economy. The former Tennessee senator was in good form -- more animated than I've seen him, and definitely a different person than the one I interviewed six months ago.

I asked him about Dick Armey, the former Republican House majority leader. Armey recently predicted that Hillary Clinton will be the next president, reasoning that the GOP has departed from the first principles of limited government and lower taxes. Armey said budget overspending and the proliferating corruption of earmarks are what led to the landslide defeat of Republicans a year ago. To date, Dick Armey is unimpressed with the circa 2007 GOP message.

And Thompson agreed. He said, "If we don't tend to business we are going to be in big trouble. Pendulum's swinging against us. We are down in the polls. Independents are leaning the other way [where they] used to lean with us. So we've got to . . . adhere to the principles that made us a great party and a great nation."

That was a strong dose of honesty and self-examination. Good for Fred Thompson.

Speaking of limited government and budget overspending, I asked if a President Thompson would veto the $300 billion earmark-pocked pork-barrel farm bill now before Congress. He called this legislation "disgraceful," noted that it wouldn't even help small family farms, and that it would block the expansion of world free trade.

When I asked him about Warren Buffett, the famous investor billionaire, Thompson turned up the heat. In testimony before the Senate last week, Buffett advocated a whole series of tax hikes, such as an increase in the death tax, higher capital gains and dividend taxes, and more taxes on private partnerships, hedge funds, and private-equity buyout firms. Thompson labeled this policy dead wrong. He said Buffett is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Democratic party. He argued that the wealth of the government is the not the same thing as the wealth of nations, and that history proves lower tax rates promote economic growth.

And he said Hillary Clinton and the other Democratic candidates are blind to all this. He noted that the top 5 percent of income earners now pay 60 percent of all tax collections; that the tax code is progressive enough; that there's plenty of economic mobility in the country; that for those who have fallen behind, the problem is poor education, not tax rates; and that America is the freest, most prosperous, most powerful nation in the history of the world.

We talked about his controversial Social Security reform plan that would slow down future benefits by indexing them to inflation rather than wages, while providing for add-on private savings accounts with a government match, much like the system for 401(k)s.

Lower benefits? Isn't that the proverbial third-rail of politics? Not according to Mr. Thompson. He said big problems ought to be tackled: "If you can't do the right thing, say what you believe and what everybody really basically knows, why do it? Why bother? Life is too short for the aggravation."

Thompson wants to tell the truth about Social Security and force everyone else in the game to respond. This issue is a real character-building definer for Fred Thompson. No one else on the campaign trail, in either party, is willing to discuss Social Security in such frank terms.

But that's the revitalized Fred Thompson. The more I challenged him, the more animated he became. He simply refused to stand down.

Some people say Thompson doesn't have the fire in his belly to go the distance. I don't think that's true. And I'm not picking or endorsing any candidates here. But Thompson has an honest, clear, straightforward message of economic freedom and problem solving.

Then I brought up the CNBC/Wall Street Journal debate of a few weeks ago, when Thompson slammed Rudy Giuliani. I asked if he intended to continue to pound Giuliani on the campaign trail. He said, "I haven't pounded all day." I asked, What about yesterday? He said, "Well, we're pointing out some policy differences. [Giuliani] believes in federal funding for abortion. He went to court to stop our bill outlawing sanctuary cities. He's never met a gun-control bill he didn't like."

A sharp-edged Fred Thompson.

Can he win? His campaign strategists told me they are pouring tons of money into Iowa advertising. They see a strong opportunity for a Thompson surge in the state, undermining Romney and inflicting damage on Giuliani. Walking off the set, Thompson told me this election will be about peace and prosperity. And he intends to fight hard.

[Reagan Man]

Fred ping

[MaestroLC]

FRed is the only one I feel comfortable with so far.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

FRED PING!!!

[ASA Vet]

Yesterdays Duplicate

[big'ol_freeper]

Fred really needs to contrast his record against the liberal troika: Romney, McCain, Guiliani. The closer conservatives look at those three the more terrified they will become.

[ejonesie22]

Can he win?

If it were anyone else but Fred Thompson, I’d say no.

This is Fred Thompson’s game right now.

The best part is few seem to realize it.

[Reagan Man]

Didn’t show up in search.

What are you, the posting police? ;^)

[rhombus]

I was pretty sure it was a duplicate too but it strangely didn’t show up in the search.

[ASA Vet]

try a one word search on “fire”

[sageb1]

See my post here please.

Ron Paul's Campaign Against Fred Thompson

[mtbopfuyn]

Buffett advocated a whole series of tax hikes, such as an increase in the death tax

It's not as if he's leaving that burden to his kids so why concern himself with the rest of us.

[sageb1]

More on Paul's Campaign Against Fred Thompson

[jellybean]

Yesterdays Duplicate

On a related note:

Fred Thompson -- Picking The Right Time To Peak

Much has been made since Fred Thompson entered the presidential race about Fred being lazy, not having the heart for the job, disappointing, etc. But perhaps that's all part of Fred's plan. Keeping expectations low and then exceeding them would generate a tremendous amount of momentum. Before he formally entered the race, Fred was viewed as the saviour of the conservatives. Everybody was hyped up and Fred was the buzz everywhere. And then he formally entered and by everyone's account he fell flat. His poll numbers have slowly drifted down. But it may all be by design.

Fred must pick the right time to peak. If he peaks too early, then there will be others who have time to pass him. Peak to late and the momentum will have passed him by. But keep expectations low; let everyone talk about him being lazy, not wanting the job, etc.; and then pick up steam at just the right time might just be the game plan for Fred.

Larry Kudlow likes Fred. He interviewed Fred recently and wrote about the fire in Fred's belly that is beginning to show.

In the Real Clear Politics Blog this morning Tom Bevan asked whether Fred is dead or just resting. I suspect the latter. I know some of Fred's campaign people. They've got a strategy. And just when everyone has pushed Fred to the curb he'll do something to gain the momentum. And could that something be an endorsement from James Dobson? If you recall, earlier this year Dobson said that Fred Thompson was not a Christian and that he didn't have the "want to" to be president. Could that position be changing? Fred picked up the National Right to Life Committee's endorsement last week. Could other conservative Christian leaders' endorsements be far behind? I think there is a lot of wisdom in Fred reaching out to evangelical Christians.

I don't think Fred is being lazy. I think Fred is doing things the way he wants to. And I think he's lying in wait for just the right time to peak and steal the momentum away from the other candidates.

Jerome

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[Rick.Donaldson]

Didn’t show in my search. In FACT a LOT of things do not show up in search even though they are there.

[rhombus]

Well maybe it’s a NEW...new fire in Fred’s belly.

[PAR35]

My current evaluation of the serious campaigns. Huck’s campaign is functioning the best right now. Fred’s finally gotten on track. Mitt and McCain are treading water, Rudy’s campaign is losing ground.

[dblshot]

He probably got that fire in his belly at the diner in his last ad.

[ejonesie22]

Gee that sounds familiar....

It’s Fred’s game, let the man play it...

[Reagan Man]

American politics isn’t for the faint of heart or the thin skinned. Running for POTUS is no walk in the park. All presidential candidates in the last 50 years have learned, you better have a solid organization across the board or you can’t win.

That includes a tough crew to get your message out and keep the other guys honest in the propaganda process. In the 21st century that includes a smart and savvy group to run your internet operations.

Go Fred go!