Posted on 03/04/2010 8:32:42 AM PST by pkajj
By Bruce Walker
If Republicans could, surely they would nominate Ronald Reagan for president in 2012. As it appears increasingly likely that Republicans -- conservative Republicans -- will control Congress after the 2012 elections, the only missing element in the political equation is a strong, conservative president like Ronald Reagan. In the mix of possible candidates for 2012, there are some potentially promising people.
Sarah Palin, rightly beloved by nearly all conservatives for her honesty, her advocacy, and her spunk, will figure into any list of candidates. Mitt Romney, who decently withdrew from the race before he lost in 2008, ought to be on the short list as well. Mike Huckabee will be some conservatives' favorite as well. Tim Pawlenty has decided that America really needs him to be president, and other Republicans will too.
With deepest respect for Sarah, none of these candidates is another Reagan. Many people have decided that we simply will not find another Reagan for a long time. I think otherwise. During the 2008 nomination season, I wrote several articles proposing a Republican not yet in the race as the Next Reagan. The stars were not aligned right then for him, but all that may be different in 2012. What do we want in our Next Reagan?
First, we want someone whose conservatism is beyond question -- someone who campaigned hard for Doug Hoffman, for example, even while the RNC was supporting the RINO. Second, we want someone of absolute integrity -- someone who is willing to stand all alone if he thinks he is right.
Third, we want someone who does not "need" politics -- someone who was a great success in life before entering politics. Fourth, we want someone disassociated from the failures of Obama and also of Bush -- someone who grasped America's disgust with Washington long before the Beltway insiders. Fifth, we want a "grownup" -- someone who is in every sense of the word mature, sober, and serious.
Sixth, we want a great communicator -- someone, like Reagan, who works well in every medium of communication. Seventh, we want someone who is universally perceived as a good man -- just like Reagan. One Republican in 2008 met all those criteria, and in 2012, he stands out at least as clearly as anyone as our Next Reagan: Fred Thompson.
(1) When conservatives began to despair of any true conservative in 2008, gradually, many began deducing that Thompson was the only one who fit the bill. Across the board, in a very thoughtful way, Fred Thompson represents conservative values. When Doug Hoffman ran for Congress, Thompson went to upstate New York to help.
(2) No one questions Thompson's integrity. His career was founded on a willingness to fearlessly confront corruption in Tennessee. As a young Republican Senate staffer, Thompson boldly opposed the crimes of Nixon. And as pundits have noted, there are many Senate votes of 99 to 1 in which Fred was that single "no."
(3) Thompson, a star of film and television and a retired senator, does not "need" political power. He is famous, rich, and popular without it. He has a beautiful, loving wife and delightful children. His only reason for seeking the presidency would be his love of America.
(4) Thompson gave up his Senate seat soon after Bush began as president. He has not held elective office since 2002. He left Washington in disgust for its machinations, Republican as well as Democrat.
(5) Thompson, like Reagan, is not young. He would be just about as old on inauguration day in 2013 as Reagan when he was sworn into office. Thompson, like Reagan, grew up poor in a small town and worked many jobs and lived in the real world. Thompson is learned in the best sense of the word: He knows exactly why be believes what he believes, but he is also an excellent listener. He is a grownup.
(6) Thompson is not only a star of film and television, but Paul Harvey chose Thompson to stand in on his radio show -- a great compliment to Thompson's voice. He has spent decades in all areas of communication and mastered them well.
(7) No one, including his ex-wife, has a bad word to say about Thompson. The left can criticize him only as being "too old, too conservative, and too dumb." This, recall, is precisely what they said about Reagan.
There is a remarkable similarity in the lives of these two men. Both rose from poverty to success in film and then in television. Both men ran for the White House and lost to RINO candidates who were whipped by newcomer Democrats. But there is more historical similarity.
Carter won in 1976 because of Ford fatigue and because he was a born-again Christian from the Deep South: Huge numbers of voters pulled the lever for Carter, once, because of regional pride or hope in a religiously serious man. Carter was young, smiling, pleasant, and new -- just like Obama. Millions of Americans voted for Obama as our first black president, as a nice family man, as someone who -- like Carter -- promised to transcend politics as usual.
Four years later, Americans raced to embrace an experienced, honorable, and wise leader, rejecting flashy smiles for real sincerity. Why? Carter took a bad economy and made it a basket case. Carter ignored the profound national security threats, trying to be nice to evil enemies, and warned us that our best years were behind us.
This is where America may be in 2012. We will need someone whose aim is not to bring manufactured "hope," but rather that real hope which is America. We will need a man who is his own and not anyone else's. We will need a serious, brave, kind, and decent man. The world's greatest leaders -- Reagan and Churchill are perfect examples -- have been older men. We will need in 2012 another Reagan, another Churchill. Fred Thompson fits that role perfectly, and we should get behind him now.
As far as Sarah Palin is concerned, her phenomenon calls to mind not Ronald Reagan, but Pierre Poujade (anyone with a cursory knowledge of post war French politics knows who I am talking about).
I would do so again.
The Conservative Principles are intact. Sarah should read Fred's Budget and Waste in Government book that he wrote for his campaign. Let's all get on the right page-literally and figuratively speaking.
Right now it is:
Palin in 2012
###
Fred was my choice, next Hunter. The next Reagan — is Mike running? There IS another young woman I admire, as well. Her name is Liz Cheney. The more I see her, the more I like her. She’s grown up with this crazy game we call politics. She’s a natural.
Yes... And we don't understand exactly what happened to the Fred we originally sent to Washington, D.C.
Don't get me wrong... I don't hate the man... I don't dislike the man... In fact I really admired the "old" Fred that we saw when he first ran for office. I'm just confused by his actions as of late. I would like to know "Why the change?"
I spent a good deal of time talking to him one day at a small airport, just before his first election that sent him to D.C. (I live just up the road from his hometown of Lawrenceburg, TN.) He, at that time, was almost Reagan-like. Not a "middle of the road" or "moderate" statement came out of him at that time. He got elected, went to Washington, and made the people that voted for him very happy... The principles on which he ran for office were still with him in D.C.
I will never forget his common sense approach during the "Ruby Ridge" hearings: "We are all here, and all of this time and money is being spent, because an old boy sat under a tree with a hacksaw and cut an inch and a half off of a shotgun barrel..." He then proceded to take the bureaucrats to task.
I regularly spoke with his son up in Nashville, and was one of the people urging him to run for president... But something changed... I don't know if he just got tired of the political game or just got tired, period. I was never so disheartened in my life as I was to see the sorry way he ran his presidential campaign. Left the starting gate too late, and then never really broke from a canter into a full run. Why did he even bother?
Regards,
Raven6
I love Fred, but I don’t see it happening. Palin, DeMint, Liz Cheney perhaps?
The 2012 ticket will be
Perry/Palin
I have said so for years now.
We can't help it... Down here in the southern part of Middle Tennessee, we all speak that way. :-)
Regards,
Raven6
That is exactly it. When Barry doesn't know something (often) he hires another Marxist. You don't have to know everything to be smart enough to put the right people in the right places.
I admire Thompson, but Palin is the future.
We need to start preparing for the fight ahead while at the same time, recognize our conservative ideals from the past given to us by great men like Goldwater and Reagan.
So, why not nominate and elect the best conservative we can for 2012 and not 1980. Hopefully, the conservative will run...because, in the end, we can only vote for those conservatives that take up the challenge and run for office.
I love Fred, and supported his candidacy for the nanosecond it lasted; but, you are correct, i.e., his time has passed. Alas, Fred, we hardly knew you.
Good post. I think Fred always had a great sense of duty. He was always very willing to serve his constituents and his country. When there was a groundswell of support for him in ‘08, I think he felt compelled to run, and then just discovered his heart wasn’t in it. You can’t fault the man, if he doesn’t have it, then he can’t fake it, and I certainly can’t blame him for tiring of the political game.
I ~yawn~ like Fred Thompson ~zzzzz~ and hoped to see him catch fire and campaign ~yawn~ energetically in 2008. He might be a good president ~zzzzz~ or maybe not,but he’s a terrible candidate so we would never find out.
Nap time. ~zzzzZZzzzzzzzzZZZZzz~
How sad is that thinking.
Boring? Did you see him in the GOP debates in 2008? He was delightful, totally commanding, tougher than any of the moderators. Presidential.
Why should Palin be at the bottom of the ticket? She’s got fire in her belly and has NO qualms taking anyone on.
Cindie
Fred Thompson was a great candidate in 2008. And the idea that he was lazy was basically a media lie. He actually did more campaigning than McCain, but the media had agreed on its propaganda meme: Fred is lazy and boring.
If you had the chance to watch him on YouTube, he was very impressive, warm, and amusing. You didn’t have an opportunity to watch him in the media, because they never gave him the chance. They were busy pushing Mitt and Huck and other spoilers, in the hopes that either McCain or Rudy would win the primary.
So, yes, I think Thompson’s a good man. But he had his chance and now that’s over. There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that he can get nominated next time around. Too bad, but there it is.
This is merely another “block Sarah” article. Mitt and Huck are just as conservative as she is? You can stop believing that he’s telling the truth right there.
Thompson a great communicator? Hah! He is as great a communicator as McCain and we saw how that worked out. Thompson would drag a ticket down just like McCain and Dole did.
Another thing...
Thompson in 2008 was age 66 - old but okay.
Thompson in 2012 will be 70.
Too many people showed they will not again vote for somebody who will be over 70 (Dole or McCain) due to concerns about their health and mental ability.
Due to HUBRIS the Republican Party is very likely to nominate somebody so old or so far right or so unknown that we will again clutch defeat from the jaws of victory.
If not Palin, then surely somebody more electable -- and that ain't Romney, Pawlenty, Huckabee, Thompson or even Hunter.
I'm still looking for that alternative, but meanwhile still keep coming back to Sarah Palin.
A Thompson/Palin ticket I'm afraid would suffer the same fate as a McCain/Palin ticket.
If 0bama is replaced by Hillary Clinton as the Democrat nominee then maybe Palin/Petraeus?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.