Posted on 06/04/2007 5:54:41 AM PDT by John Galt 72
Fred Thompson: The Man from Rocky Top
by Matt Carrothers
June 4, 2007
The unwritten rules in the current GOP presidential election cycle have been:
Compare yourself often to Ronald Reagan; Avoid staking out too many specific issue positions; and Get in early.
The conventional wisdom is apparently that Republican primary voters are merely looking for the next Reagan. The problem is that the candidates themselves do not really know what the voters’ desire for another Reagan means. Thus, given the number of candidates in the race, it will take a long time to buffalo the voters into believing that a particular candidate has the ear of our 40th president’s ghost.
Now comes wily ol’ Fred Thompson, breaking all of the rules. That may seem ironic for a man who portrays a stoic, pragmatic district attorney on television. However, a close look at the issue positions, voting record and outward demeanor of this former U.S. Senator, movie and television actor suggests that he is the legitimate conservative that voters demand.
Thompson’s advisers leaked last week that he will finally form an exploratory committee, allowing him to raise money prior to a July 4 formal announcement of his candidacy. When the three leading candidates – Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney – announced their candidacies in February, Thompson kept his gunpowder dry. He eschewed the two Republican debate debacles, and chose instead to give speeches before select groups of possible supporters in California, Virginia, Illinois and Connecticut. Judging from the leading candidates’ debate performances, a political market exists for Thompson to enter the race, win the voters’ hearts and minds, rise quickly in the polls and amass the financial resources a presidential bid requires.
Fred Thompson has been quite specific on his issue positions. He delivers radio vignettes almost daily, and regularly pens opinion columns that detail his conservative views on fiscal, social and foreign policy issues. Thompson’s recent statements include:
“We’ve tried the ‘comprehensive’ route before…Twenty-two years and millions of illegal immigrants later, that comprehensive plan hasn’t done what most Americans wanted it to do – secure America’s borders. Now Washington says the new ‘comprehensive’ plan will solve the problem that the last comprehensive plan didn’t.
“A lot of folks in Washington suffer from a big misconception about our economy. They confuse the well-being of our government with the wealth of our nation….Taxes are necessary. But they don't make the country any better off.”
“Our founders established an independent federal judiciary to decide cases, not social policy. Yet more and more, that is exactly what it is doing. Roe v. Wade is a classic example.”
In addition to his political conservatism, Thompson possesses intangible qualities that will immediately distance him from the GOP pack. His coffee shop speaking style is comforting to voters in an era of cynicism toward all things politic. Thompson’s countenance is resolute, but he has an easy demeanor as sweet as soda pop that will particularly engender his candidacy to voters from the West, Midwest and his native Southeast.
Fred Thompson’s acting credits help him match Giuliani’s star power, but he is also well-versed on the issues. He has worked in Hollywood and Washington, yes, but he’s a son of the South. The impact of geography on the Republican nomination race cannot be dismissed. Republican voters like to see themselves in their presidents. Voters in 2008 will particularly seek a candidate they can trust. Candidates from New York and Massachusetts are . . . candidates from New York and Massachusetts.
Nor can one dismiss the timing of Thompson’s planned announcement date. July 4 is not just a day on the calendar. It’s The Fourth of July. Moreover, the planned location is Nashville, as in the home of country music. Picture an announcement event replete with bunting, American flags, families, barbeque, country music artists and marching bands playing a nonstop chorus of Rocky Top. Even the most rabid Gator, Bulldog or Crimson Tide Republicans will not be able to hear the Volunteers’ stirring anthem that day without tapping their toes and embracing Thompson’s candidacy. Well, at least they play college football in Tennessee.
A further example of Thompson’s likely appeal can be found in recent poll results. The latest Real Clear Politics national poll average has Thompson tied for third place with Romney at 10 percent, behind McCain at 18 percent and Giuliani at 26 percent. Not bad for a man who has yet to announce his candidacy.
National poll results should always be viewed suspiciously, since the U.S. does not hold national elections. This presidential election cycle is different, though, with delegate-heavy states such as New York, California, Georgia, Illinois and at least 15 others slated to hold their presidential primaries on February 5, 2008, just two weeks after the January 21 Iowa caucuses. Thompson’s likely appeal among voters across a wide ideological spectrum, including conservative Republicans, independents and moderate Democrats, will surely steal support from both the leading Republican and Democratic contenders.
Fred Thompson will not have to invoke Ronald Reagan’s name on the campaign trail to attract attention. His own political conservatism and personality will appeal to primary voters hungry for common sense leadership in the White House. As the late Buck Owens once sang, all he has to do is act naturally.
© 2007 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.
I’ve heard Mary Matalin is expected to sign on to the Thompson campaign. I’ve been very impressed with some of the heavyweights he’s lining up. So much for all the staff being taken.
“And no Republican from the northeast is conservative, not one.”
Huh. I didn’t know that.
Odd that my dad, a conservative Republican, held office in northeastern NY for over 30 years.
I read the entire Company Overview, Historical Timeline, The Team, Press Center, Work at CafePress.com, and Contact Us and still don’t see it (forgive me if I’m too dumb to see it). They’re out of California, but I’m not going to hold that against them.
There are alot of us in “Northeastern NY”
trust me...
Is Fred really from Rocky Top? That piece of music has been one of my favorites all my life. How fitting.
The problem for Thompson will be that he looks and acts like an old southern fart. This fact will be painfully clear when he stands alongside someone young and vibrant, like Romney.
Thompson’s drawling style works great in the context of his weekly radio broadcasts, but there’s no way it can carry a quick moving, “30-seconds-to-respond” debate. Mark my words.
Further, Fred does not need to beat Mitt in a debate, he just needs to be Fred. He can probably win the nomination without saying much of anything about his opponents. His campaign will probably say things like:
“Fred Thompson’s record is solid. He does not waffle. He knows where he stands because he is sure of what he believes.”
(From the official draft Fred website fred08.com)
On your own profile page you say....
" Experiences so far in this wretched state [New Jersey] are that folks around here are generally rude and ill manered."
If you don't like northeasterners, why should we?
There will never be another Reagan. A clone or reincarnation of RR is not what the voters are looking for. They are looking for someone who is honest about their views, plain speaking, and a candidate who fits the “what you see is what you get” mold. They want someone who understands the real problems that the war on terror, winning in Iraq, closing the border with no amnesty and keeping taxes low bring to this country. Finally they want someone who will stick to and uphold the constitution as written and who is not afraid to thumb his nose at the dems and take an unpopular stand that is the right thing to do. I think that Fred Thompson fills that bill. He is not Reagan and I would not want him to be. I want him to be himself and up front about who he is.
Actually, I'll be unmarking your words as I don't agree with them. Ronald Reagan didn't have a lightening fast speech syntax and look how effective he was.
I'll take this opportunity to post birthdates with approximate ages for thread information since you are concerned with age and appearances.
McCain born 8/29/36 current age approximately 71
Giuliani born 5/28/44 current age approximately 63
Romney born 3/12/47 current age approximately 60
Fred Thompson born 8/19/42 current age approx. 65
Ronald Reagan born 2/6/11 age at first election: 69
IOW, negligible differences, except perhaps for McCain.
Fred will be effective at debates as well as TV spots. Consider how he reduced MoonBat Moore to stunned silence with a well placed 20 second spot.
Carolyn
Carolyn
You betcha. Most of Upstate is made up of red counties, including mine. What Upstate needs is its own state :)
The band Trout Fishing in America has their own version of Dueling Banjos that could be the theme song of the current three frontrunners. They call it Dueling Morons.
That will be the first, and only time, I won't mind hearing that song.
But I like my version better:
Rocky Top
You'll always be
Second in the SEC!!!!
Can we keep “misunderestimate”?
That will be very nice. Matalin is a good talking head and will get Fred good publicity on the Sunday talk shows. I think Fred will get most of the conservatives congressmen and senators (what few there are) as well.
It's apparent that, no matter how low some expectations were, as it turns out no one actually "misunderestimated" the President.
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