May 31, 2007
A Squeaky-Clean GOP Contender (A.B. Stoddard)
Yes, it had been a good week for Mitt Romney, and that poll showing social conservatives choosing to stick with Rudy Giuliani despite his rejection of their principles must have had America's Mayor bouncing all over the Big Apple.
But that was then, and this is now. Now that Big Fred is here, the whole game has changed. And if you're a Republican running for president and you're not Fred Thompson, you're running scared. No, he is not the second coming of Ronald Reagan. But beyond his star power, his Southern drawl, his commanding 6-foot-6 frame, is Thompson's ace in the hole: there is nothing wrong with him. Big Fred sprints virtually clean onto a field of negatives — Romney's a Mormon flip-flopper, Rudy's a social liberal protested by 9/11 firefighters and their families wherever he goes with ethically challenged associates like Bernard Kerik, and after six years of courting them, the base just doesn't like poor John McCain. So Thompson may have had an active bachelor career? It hardly stacks up.
What's more, it sounds like Team Thompson is a force to be reckoned with, given their shrewd plan to come out strong from the starting gate — time the dropping of the bomb to ruin the next GOP debate and plot the collection of a boffo war chest before a formal announcement.
This can't be good for the top three who have worked so hard for months.
Thompson will likely dampen Romney's charm and Rudy's swagger with his own.
For his friend McCain, whom Thompson backed for president in 2000 and whose voting record is very similar, it will probably hurt the most. But I imagine there are happy Republicans everywhere. Men have found the tough guy they prayed for, and at least some women are swooning.
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Eventually someone somewhere will almost certainly come up with something "wrong with him", but you're right A.B., he would come into the race without perceived negatives like the current top 3 Republicans have. It would also set up a good situation, if he and Sen. Obama were the eventual candidates: He's supposed to be a strong supporter of campaign finance reform, so he would likely match Obama's proposal for the race's campaign money.
Comment by Derek D. — May 31, 2007 @ 11:04 am
Like I've been saying for a long time, Fred can beat all of them easily because of exactly what you're saying: he's as close to a perfect Republican candidate as any real person can be. The only chance for anyone else is something going wrong with his health.
Comment by Igor R. — May 31, 2007 @ 11:09 am
Heheh well I sincerely hope he does run Igor, both for the reason I mentioned and to see what happens with another one of your predictions.
Comment by Derek D. — May 31, 2007 @ 1:06 pm
Derek, my predictions are good. We might as well cancel the primaries and the elections, Fred has won.
Comment by Igor R. — May 31, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
A.B. your a smart young lady and so are most of the people who vote Republican. Although, I agree that Mr. Thompson is a blessing for the hard right of the party I don't believe he is
Rudy.
More than anything else the Republicans want to control the White House and the surest ticket to win that contest will be Rudy. The perfect example and representation of this thinking is me. I'm an Independant that will vote for Rudy. The Republicans need to get away from some of its ultra right thinking and understand that their are a lot of us out in the voting public.
Comment by David Hamlin — June 1, 2007 @ 7:23 am
They're certainly good for making me money; I wonder where I can get good odds..
Comment by Derek D. — June 1, 2007 @ 10:12 am
Every candidate looks good before they take the plunge, but Thompson, as does the Dems unannounced heart-throb Al Gore, has a history as a politician that will attract the fine-tooth combs of his rivals for the nomination.
Why Tennessee Fred would want to give up a lucrative and comfortable life as a TV actor to chow down on rubber chicken in Iowa and try to think of something to talk about with bored coffee shop denizens in New Hampshire is beyond me, but the quest for power does strange things to people's minds.
It's been said 'the fire' is absent from Thompson's abdomen — the kind of intestinal conflagration that would propel a reasonable person to want to shake the sweaty hands of thousands of strangers and deliver the same speech day-after-day — and the lack of that ego-driven blaze will finally prevent him from ever giving Fireside Chats from the Oval Office.
From my perspective, they're right. I don't think he'll run, but the national notoriety from dallying with a presidential bid will certainly be good for his acting career. Much better than entering rehab, at any rate.
Comment by RS Janes — June 2, 2007 @ 5:49 am
RS Janes, he will run and win. He's already given up quite a bit. When you get to be old enough and rich enough, running for Prez is a lot more satisfying than making a few more dollars doing the same old stuff.
Comment by Igor R. — June 2, 2007 @ 4:59 pm
If you want Amnesty for 12-20 million illegals; VOTE FRED!
"We should scrap this “comprehensive” immigration bill and the whole debate until the government can show the American people that we have secured the borders — or at least made great headway. That would give proponents of the bill a chance to explain why putting illegals in a more favorable position than those who play by the rules is not really amnesty."
Comment by Donald — June 3, 2007 @ 9:34 am
RS, it's been said that Washington is the Hollywood for ugly people, so perhaps Fred just sees this as an audition for a new role. He's not likely to be offered the part as the new James Bond, so he may see this as his ticket, if nothing else, to playing president in a future film.
Comment by Derek D. — June 3, 2007 @ 11:51 am
A.B.
I can't believe you're singing the praises os s guy who "cahed in" is Senate experience as a Washington lobbyist. representing God knows what special (and foreign)interests. Can you think of one U.S. President who was a Washington lobbyist? How can you possibly ignore such an obvious disqualifier? Is he a benefactor or did he receive a n honorary degree from Connecticut College? Me thinks…your singing of his praises SMELLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by David Erlichman — June 3, 2007 @ 10:00 pm
Donals, your conclusion doesn't follow from the quote you yourself provided, so it's not clear what you're trying to do.
Comment by Igor R. — June 4, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
I've read that Fred didn't much enjoy his tenure in the Senate — it interrupted his naptime and he wasn't getting the kind of 'perks' that actors on movie sets habitually receive. Plus he had to deal with the Great Unwashed — excuse me, The Public — which I understand he wasn't real keen on either.
Perhaps he'll run if begged to do so but, otherwise, I think this is just a bit of toying around for vanity's sake. Nice to know you're invited, even if you don't want to attend the party and, Derek, I think you're on to something — this kind of national celebrity may lead to better acting roles.
Comment by RS Janes — June 8, 2007 @ 6:03 am