Posted on 01/18/2008 5:58:15 PM PST by Jim Robinson
Commentators are citing the unpredictability of the Republican primary contests as proof that Reagan conservatism is dead when precisely the opposite conclusion is warranted.
The main reason the conventional wisdom is being shattered in the primaries is that conservative voters, so far, have not been persuaded there is an electable, reliable conservative in the race.
But as I've stated before, I believe Fred Thompson is a reliable, consistent conservative. There are others in the field I could support, but not without some reservations. The more I learn about Fred and observe him in action, the more convinced I become that he's the right choice.
I was among those who urged Fred to step up and prove to the people he wanted the job. Regardless of whether Fred actually had "fire in his belly," the unmistakable perception out there was that he did not, so I encouraged him to add a little spring to his step.
But I've also appreciated Fred's unwillingness to be somebody he is not. He will not respond like a puppet when a debate moderator tells him to raise his hand to signify a childishly simplistic approval or disapproval of a certain policy. He will not be goaded by interviewers into saying things he doesn't feel comfortable saying. He won't divide us with class envy or pretend we can be friends with rogue regimes or terrorists.
He does not promise a chicken in every pot or pander to liberals on global warming.
He will not otherwise tailor his positions to suit the demands of particular constituencies. For example, he has the courage to preach that Social Security is in trouble, but unlike most others, he doesn't surrender to the oppressive populist seduction to urge government fixes for it or for healthcare. Instead, he courageously tells us — if we'll listen — that the answers lie in greater market forces. (Listen up, conservatives.)
Fred does not run from his record; more to the point, he doesn't need to. He shoots straight without the constant self-serving reminders that he does, as in telling us he's driving the "Straight Talk Express."
More importantly, Fred is right on the issues, and there's little doubt his positions are firm. Research his stances; read his position papers. You'll find he's very strong in all areas important to mainstream conservatives, including national defense, taxes, spending, life, immigration, federalism, appointing originalist judges, healthcare, and education.
I'm not drooling over Fred or saying his record is flawless, but I am saying he's the real deal, and it's a bit disappointing that more haven't taken a closer look.
I think this is due partly to his laid-back personality and partly to his timing. He peaked about the time he was contemplating entering the race but not acting on it. By the time he jumped in, it was anticlimactic, and he still hasn't recovered from that reversal.
There has also been a negative momentum hovering over his already-stalled campaign, acting as a psychological barrier to his catching fire among conservative voters.
There is simply too much herd mentality among us about electability. We tell ourselves a candidate is not inspiring, then pretty soon we're convinced he's unelectable, and, voila, he almost becomes so. Yet, at that very moment, he's proving to us that he is quite presidential, quite electable and quite motivated for the job — if we can only shed our predispositions against his "electability."
Since electability is often a matter of collective perception, it can turn on a dime, as with the reversal of the respective fortunes of screaming Howard Dean and somniferous John Kerry in 2004.
This primary season, relatively speaking, has just begun. But Fred is now up against the wall. How can we expect him to have done much better than he has to date with everyone prattling on about the overwhelming odds against him? The "experts" continue to be wrong at almost every turn, so why can't they be wrong about Fred, too?
It's time to quit empowering them by following their dictatorial doom-prophecies. It’s encouraging that John Zogby's latest South Carolina poll shows that while levels of support for McCain and Huckabee "have remained static," Fred is starting to move up.
Supporters have asked Fred to step up, and he has — he has shone brilliantly in the last month, setting himself head and shoulders above the pack in many cases. Now it's time for conservative voters to step up and quit placing artificial limitations on Fred, and on themselves.
Fred has answered the conservatives' call. Shouldn't we answer his?
David Limbaugh is a writer, author, and attorney. His book "Bankrupt: The Intellectual and Moral Bankruptcy of Today's Democratic Party" (Regnery) was recently released in paperback. To find out more about David Limbaugh, please visit his Web site at www.davidlimbaugh.com
Great! I think Fred Thompson if elected has the potential not to equal Reagan, but exceed him.
That can change in a hurry. I remember how not long ago people assumed it would be impossible for Obama to whip Hillary. And, now he's doing it.
Fred is winning people over. It may be one person at a time, but once he gets them, he won't lose them like the others will.
Go Fred!
“Fred has answered the conservatives’ call. Shouldn’t we answer his? “
SC... We need you. Fred needs you.
IGNORE the polls. Fred needs the votes and the delegates so he can continue on in this race.
Don’t let us down.
Ditto’s. Fred his heads and shoulders above the rest of the candidates.
Yup. And it wasn't that long ago that everyone was saying that Rudy Giuliani was the ONLY Republican that could defeat Hillary and win the war on terror. And, now he's all but gone. Thank God!
Oh, and I do have some opinions about Rudy, too. Someday, maybe I'll get a chance to share some of them. ;-)
H&C just had on huckabee AGAIN! Gave the Huck an opportunity to respond to Fred’s comments on Huck’s remarks about a “living and breathing document” when referring to the constitution. Sad, but I don’t expect H&C to have Fred on the air to discuss his own comments. It’s a crying shame that the media plays such games in these primaries and elections...and FNC has become one of the biggest game players of all.
How did Huck spin his way out of it?
I am proud to say, I voted for him this week :).
Glad I got the chance to.
By back-tracking of course, without much comment in return from hannity.
That’s great. I appreciate that you did.
"With Fred, we know we're getting a solid, no-nonsense, commonsense pro life and liberty conservative who will defend the nation, secure the borders, defend the constitution, appoint originalist judges, defend the Bush tax cuts, work to simplify and flatten the tax code, keep social security solvent while providing alternative private accounts, reduce government and spending, and work to return states issues to the states." - Jim Robinson, Free Republic
Jim, I'm not reposting this just to score points with you. I simply feel that it is one of most succinct paragraphs I've seen written about Fred here on FR. For that matter, I quoted this paragraph at our precinct caucus as Fred's representative. (With full attribution, of course.)
Fred is the only True Conservative in the Race besided Hunter, the rest are all either liberals like Rudy and McCain, Christian Socialists and extremely recent converts (re Unsubstantiated Campaign Rhetoric) to conservatism like the Huckster, or just plain extremely recent converts(re Unsubstantiated Campaign Rhetoric) to conservatism like Mitt
Fred (except for Hunter) is the only consistently Conservative Candidate as shown by his current campaign positions backed up by his record.
Vote at your own peril, if you pull the lever for any of the other front runners, you will regret the decision.
It’s early.
Thank you very much!!
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