The Republicans don’t seem very enamored of their official Presidential candidates. So, it seemed as if maybe actor Fred Thompson might be their man on a white horse. Thompson was testing the waters before throwing his hat in, but they seem a little chilly at this point. His fund raising was a bit lackluster for his first month – raising $3 million instead of the hoped for $5 million.
There have also apparently been some internal problems with his campaign. None of this knocks him out, but it certainly diminishes the aura of invincibility the GOP tends to like to see in its candidates.
Maybe they could find a Death Row prisoner to be the Republican nominee.
They’d have a better chance …
He’s lazy, and he’s too late.
That’s too bad. For awhile I guess I was projecting my hopes on him and thinking maybe he’d be a candidate I could live with.
I think in ’09, the country would be best served by a Democrat who could ferret out the garbage left behind by the current administration, an administration I think is uniquely appalling. But, all the same, I’d like to hedge my bets by having the Republican nominee be someone who is competent and sincerely wishes to do right by the country. As an added bonus, I’d like such a nominee to be more closely affiliated with the libertarian and business wings of the Republican party and a bit distant from the authoritarian and social conservative wings.
He’s lazy and stupid (forgive me, I don’t mean that as a insult, but as a generally-accepted description of his intellectual abilities) which, at this point, would make a Republican party nomination akin to Coca-Cola rolling out Invisible Coke eight years after Crystal Pepsi tanked.
Thompson peaked months ago. His staff knows that, that’s why they’re gone. It might still be theoretically possible for a late entrant to win the nomination, but not this time, when everyone is focusing on finding a replacement for what we’ve got now, toot sweet.
Personally I don’t believe in a libertarian and business wing of the GOP, or not one that wins by going to the polls. It wins by funneling money and by getting the authoritarian and social conservative types to go to the polls. I think the best you can hope for in an electable Republican is Mitt Romney taking the Oath, walking to the podium, and saying, “Okay, I just said all that crap to get elected, and now, let’s flush out the sewers.” Which is even more of a fantasy than Fred’s campaign.
He’s far from stupid; the only place that is “a generally-accepted description of his intellectual abilities” is on the left. You’d never see George W. Bush writing lengthy blog postings about the legal nuances of federalism, for example.
Candidates do not win when their campaigns are at war with themselves, as Thompson’s campaign staff has been at war with his wife. You frequently, in 2004, saw stories about internal squabbling within the Kerry campaign. You never saw any such stories about the Bush campaign.
Similarly, parties do not win when their base is at war with itself or when the base is at war with the party establishment in Washington. The former was the case for the Republicans between 1992 and 1996, excluding the 1994 anti-Clinton wave election. The latter was the case for the Democrats in 2002 and 2004. The national Republicans now have both problems to deal with at once.
Well said, Scott.
Thompson’s staff isn’t gone. One person has been shuffled, that’s it. Let’s not jump to conclusions.
Scott,
I read a lot of “left-leaning” sites but had not encountered any characterizations of Fred Thompson as lacking in intellect. Where are you getting your information?
Furthermore, I humbly suggest that when defending the intelligence of a Republican candidate, one not hold up George W. Bush as a standard of adequacy.
“I read a lot of “left-leaning†sites but had not encountered any characterizations of Fred Thompson as lacking in intellect. Where are you getting your information?”
I was replying to Doghouse Riley’s assertion in the comment above mine. Sorry if this was unclear.
Well, guys, first of all, any “left-leaning” sites taking Thompson seriously enough to bother making fun of his intellect are most likely doing it by quoting Nixon’s “give him a shiny dime and an ice-cream cone and he’ll be happy for hours”. These would be the sorts of circles where the ability to debate Ramesh Ponnuru on how many Federalists can dance of the head of an anti-tobacco bill is considered something less than an intellectual tour de force. In fact, where I come from, even reading Ramesh Ponnuru disqualifies you from being President.
He’s a lightweight. Doesn’t make you wrong for agreeing with him, but that’s a long way from redeeming the idea that continued public petulance is the best way to solve the utter disaster that’s been brought on by a continued public petulance.
doghouse riley –
Speaking of lightweights, looking at the debates seems to show a whole lot of people punching way above their weight class.
Me, I want to take all the democratic and republican contenders, form them into two tribes, and put them on the next episode of ‘Survivor’.
[We could even put extra political spin on the show by locating it in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge! (This would have the added advantage of getting the candidates a long way away from most of us.)]
Given how early the campaign has started, I think there’s time…