Letters to the Editor
-
"He's not Ronald Reagan, but he's a close second."
You know, that other actor guy who pretended to be president when I was a kid.
-
Hollywood Elites
What is it with Republicans who decry our media and Hollywood culture, then rush to elect actors and other performers? I mean really, with Sonny Bono, Regan, and now Fred Thompson, they seem to be much more attracted to Hollywood than they are willing to admit, or at least to the Potemkin candidates that come out of there.
-
Do they know he's a career lobbyist?
Reading this article, I have expect Thompson to start his sentences with, "Now I don't know nothing about no book learnin'...". Do any of the peopel at his rallies know he made his money as a lobbyist for anybody signing a check?
Yes folks, he's just like you: ignorant of the big issues of the day and electing the people best able to peddle that ignorance.
-
A recipe for 8 more years of disaster.
If American voters really choose a President again on the basis of whether he seems like a nice guy, without regard to his record or his policies, we will truly get the government we deserve, and it's terrifying to think we deserve that. Don't we ever learn anything about the "I'd like to have a beer with that guy" criterion? Well, maybe we're not completely lost; Ross Perot didn't get elected in '92, after all, despite being folksy and funny in the debates. But if in 2007 we've slid this far down the slippery slope of government by celebrity and name recognition, the media can take a lot of the blame, too. They've fed us a not-even-skin-deep approach to evaluating candidates. It's all about haircuts, clothes, aftershave! They don't even get as far as the skin. No deeper than the hair follicles, for fear you'll bore the great slack-jawed unwashed out there in front of their TV sets. This is, after all, a country in which Maureen Dowd has been mistaken for a pundit.
-
not so much
He is not like me. I am not a rich, lazy Republican. I have never lobbied for abortion. I haven't been married twice, nor do I have a trophy wife. But, my family were farmers.
Reagan sucked and if that is who Thompson aspires to be--we are in for even deeper doo-doo than this yankee Bush has gotten us into. Have a nice day.
-
Aw, shucks
Fred "Aw, Shucks" Thompson
-
Ugly? Check! Ignorant? Check! Hypocrite? Check! Cancer patient? Check!
Republican: I really like what Fred Thompson said!
Reporter: But he didn't say anything.
Republican: Exactly!
-
Aw shucks, Fast Freddie is just like you and me...except he'll keep the door open to the same corp scallywags and robber barons now plundering us
Hasn't the American voters learned yet that the "aw shuck" bit is a cover for hard line ring wingers ravaging the constitution, economy and pumping up the coffers of the rich? I'm embarrassed as an American that this scam keeps getting replayed and people buy it!
Holy hell, we've seen it with Ronald "aw shucks" Reagan and George W "folksy moron" Bush? Both racked up HUGE, GINORMUS debts and ripped at the constitution...oddly enough the stupider and yet more folksy one doing the bigger damage.
While Fast Freddie T is smarter then both, his lack of ambition (or faux) is a huge red flag that things won't just stay the same but will get worse. He'll be looking the other way the whole time. Or worse yet, policy will be run off a script like with W. except he's a better actor. If Fast Freddie gets elected -- we're f&cked.
-
Reagan redux?
There is no question that Fred Thompson poses a threat to the Democratic candidate if nominated. As a professional actor and professional politician, he knows how to lie and not answer questions in a way that will reveal his true agenda better than most.
Earlier in this thread, the failure of Ross Perot was mentioned in a hopeful tone but Perot was not a professional politician, he was a little nutty, and he didn't gain the support of a major party, which, if granted by the voters, provides a sense of re-assurance to voters that he has been properly vetted.
Nonetheless, there are three reasons why we don't have to worry too much just yet.
1) A more educated electorate, with an Internet at its fingertips, will be tougher to fool so he will have to answer issue questions, like it or not.
2) There are some pit bulls in this Republican primary who probably won't allow Thompson to get away with a "good ole boy" campaign.
3) If all else fails, his health is a real issue. While he says it isn't a barrier, so did Paul Tsongas. Sadly, Paul was not telling the truth. The fact is that Thompson looks old and gaunt and presidential campaigns can be exhausting - if he actually takes part. If he acts too laid back, he is sure to be charged with not being healthy and vigorous enough to be President.
Of course, if he does become the nominee, it would best for the Dems if John Edwards were our nominee. First, Thompson has supported the trial lawyers positions in Congress so he couldn't go after him for that. Second, given two charming Southern white guys, one old and dealing with a life-threatening medical problem, and one young, vibrant but with a wife that has a life-threatening medical problem, I think the independents would go with Edwards. Finally, after eight years of a non-substance Presidency, I think independents would pick the more substantive Edwards.
Meanwhile, matching a charming white, good ole boy, Republican against a white woman or an African American male, would risk the election for Dems - especially if Thompson could get through the primary process without seeming too extreme. If he can compete for middle of the road independents with a woman or an African American, he could capture voters who afraid of change at a time "when we are at war." You can bet that the GOP will stress that point.
Fortunately for Hillary, she will have Bill by her side to assuage those who might think electing a woman would be risky. Unfortunately for Barack, he would be on his own. His VP pick would be as critical as Cheney was to Bush but Bush had a familiar name and a father who had been President to gain the voters' trust.
Anyway, for now, the danger is still far away.