Fred Thompson -- Exit stage right
January 23rd 2008 02:30
In this case, life will not imitate art. Fred Thompson, an actor who has played the role of the US president in a number of movies, has dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Normally, I wouldn't make a special post about someone dropping out. However, I was a Fredhead. I felt he was the most consistent across-the-board conservative in the race. He was a fiscal, social, and defense conservative. He was big into federalism (or "Frederalism", as I called it). Those are positions that resonate with me. I didn't idolize the man, but he was a good choice for me during a time of turmoil for the GOP. Needless to say, I'm disappointed that he has dropped out.
What happened to Fred? Well, he never showed a strong desire for the job. Personally, I liked that. Raw, naked, no-holds-barred ambition reeks of megalomania and desperation to me. I liked the idea of having a candidate who was running just to help the country and not for personal aggrandizement. Unfortunately, his lack of "hunger" for the job did not sit well with folks.
Also, Fred was tagged with the label of being "lazy". I do not think it was true. The same thing was said of Ronald Reagan. However, Reagan found time to rescue the country from the doldrums of stagflation in the late 70's and he was also instrumental in shepherding us through the end of the Cold War. Still, the "lazy" tag was affixed to Thompson and it stuck enough to hurt him in the eyes of some potential supporters.
Finally, Fred had a great deal of disdain for our election process. He tried to run a different kind of campaign. He got in late and ran with a fairly small budget. Also, he disliked the "debates". He didn't feel that they were debates at all. Again, I agreed with him on these views. Our election process is a mess. We shouldn't have a presidential election season that lasts for two years. We shouldn't have elections that require so much money. That is just a recipe for corruption and influence-peddling. Still, you have to be in the game to win the game. Fred's initial delays in getting his campaign started kept him from hopping on a potential wave of enthusiasm and just left supporters feeling stranded.
So that's it. Fred is done. I'll have to look at the remaining candidates and see where to turn next. This election was already going to be a huge uphill battle for the GOP and conservatives. With the exit of Fred, that battle just got a lot tougher.
What happened to Fred? Well, he never showed a strong desire for the job. Personally, I liked that. Raw, naked, no-holds-barred ambition reeks of megalomania and desperation to me. I liked the idea of having a candidate who was running just to help the country and not for personal aggrandizement. Unfortunately, his lack of "hunger" for the job did not sit well with folks.
Also, Fred was tagged with the label of being "lazy". I do not think it was true. The same thing was said of Ronald Reagan. However, Reagan found time to rescue the country from the doldrums of stagflation in the late 70's and he was also instrumental in shepherding us through the end of the Cold War. Still, the "lazy" tag was affixed to Thompson and it stuck enough to hurt him in the eyes of some potential supporters.
Finally, Fred had a great deal of disdain for our election process. He tried to run a different kind of campaign. He got in late and ran with a fairly small budget. Also, he disliked the "debates". He didn't feel that they were debates at all. Again, I agreed with him on these views. Our election process is a mess. We shouldn't have a presidential election season that lasts for two years. We shouldn't have elections that require so much money. That is just a recipe for corruption and influence-peddling. Still, you have to be in the game to win the game. Fred's initial delays in getting his campaign started kept him from hopping on a potential wave of enthusiasm and just left supporters feeling stranded.
So that's it. Fred is done. I'll have to look at the remaining candidates and see where to turn next. This election was already going to be a huge uphill battle for the GOP and conservatives. With the exit of Fred, that battle just got a lot tougher.
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Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
I was sorry to see Fred drop out as well, I like mike, but Fred was my second choice. I don't feel that Huckabee has a chance now of winning, and he may drop out soon as well.
In my opinion there is not much left to choose from, just a few democrats calling themselves republicans. I predict a dem win in Nov. I feel like I should go and wash my mouth out with soap for saying that.
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
I think Mitt may be my next choice (followed by Huckabee). I view MItt as the next most conservative across the three parts of the Reagan coalition. However, Mitt is a flip-flopper. That's not appealing or comforting. Like you, I don't think Huckabee can win (although I like him). He doesn't have appeal to fiscons or defcons.
Ironically, my least favorite GOP candidate is the one who seems strongest against the Dems -- and that's McCain. I don't think I could vote for McCain. He's almost an anti-conservative in that he enjoys poking the party faithful in the eye. If he gets the nom and even if he wins, it could be very damaging to the GOP.
I take some comfort that the Dems are going at each other. They claim to like their choices, but Hillary and Obama seem eager to eat each other alive. If nothing else, I can cook some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy watching the fisticuffs.