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Sunday, April 22, 2007

The Case for a Fred Thompson Candidacy

Washington, DC (TLS). As they say in politics, things can change overnight. But in these days of instantaneous coverage on the Internet and the primaries moving up to February of 2008, things can change on a dime.

We still have some time to go before we can make any definitive commitment to THE one candidate who can unite libertarians, conservatives, and others who adhere to the principles of the U.S. Constitution. We still like Duncan Hunter, but as the days go by, unless Hunter can begin to amass a war chest that will make him competitive, the likelihood of his being the Republican nominee slowly fades.

Despite Newt Gingrich's popularity with conservatives, and despite his obvious gifts and grasp of the issues, he nonetheless has some negatives that make me nervous...particularly if he is in a showdown with Hillary Clinton. I am not certain that the general population would go for Newt.

This bring us to Fred Thompson. As we have reported on The Liberty Sphere, Thompson's immediate popularity after the mere hint he may run has given conservatives reason to hope again. There are many reasons why Fred Thompson should throw his hat into the ring.

First, Thompson has instant name and face recognition. With that comes free coverage that all the money in the world can't buy. Wherever he goes there is an entourage of admirers and news reporters. The man simply creates a sense of excitement wherever he goes.

This means the campaign cash will most definitely come rolling in.

Second, Thompson has all the right qualities libertarians, conservatives, and independents are looking for--populist appeal, charisma, the quiet but firm resolve of a strong leader, great communication skills, and a very public and no-nonsense support for gun rights, border security, immigration reform, tax cuts, a strong military presence in a dangerous world, and an intent to appoint judges who demonstrate that they have reverence for and are restrained by the U.S. Constitution.

And that means that original intent is the primary guiding principle in interpreting the Constitution.

Third, Thompson doesn't need to be President. This is more important than most people realize. When one reads the writings of the great American statesmen of the past, one gets the strong notion that these men did not enter the public arena because they had some burning personal or selfish desire to be 'career politicians.' They were constrained to enter politics because of the burning issues of the day that had to be addressed.

We have been stung far too many times by career politicians who have had a selfish desire their entire lives to either be President or serve in the Congress. These offices should never be occupied by the power-hungry, but sometimes they are. Ambition can be a good thing, but only to a degree. Selfish ambition in politics is dangerous.

Fred Thompson is not driven by some overriding personal and selfish need to be President. He has had a very successful career both as an attorney and as an actor. One gets the sense from Thompson that he is considering entering the race because of a great need, and because citizens who love liberty and freedom--and who believe in the ultimate wisdom of the Constitution--sincerely want him to run.

In this manner he is more like Ronald Reagan than anyone in the field of candidates in either Party. Reagan did not live to be President. He did not crave the power and attention. He had already made his mark and was quite successful--and wealthy--when he entered politics.

But the burning issues of the day beckoned to him. The people who love liberty called to him. And he answered that call magnificently.

It is hoped that Fred Thompson will hear that same call, that same beckoning.

Political pundit and campaign guru Dick Morris has a stunning article on Thompson this week at Townhall.com. Morris says that Thompson needs to jump in the race NOW rather than later, or else it may be too late. Read how Morris makes the case for an immediate Thompson candidacy, and how an announcement now will more than likely catapult him to front-runner status:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2007/04/20/run_fred,_runnow!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is nothing tough or folksy about Fred Thompson. He is but an actor—a con man—who has spent years honing both his tough-guy and down-home demeanor to fool the public. Thompson is the ultimate faker—a flimflammer with a red pickup truck that is being brought out by the GOP for his next scam on the political stage.

Here’s what the mainstream media won't tell you about Snake Oil: He’s spent a good part of his political career in craven endeavors. From 1975 to 1992 Thompson was a lobbyist for corporations such as Westinghouse and General Electric, and most notoriously, the Tennessee Savings and Loan League.

Actors make good con men and con men make good actors. And in 1982, Thompson was vigorously lobbying for legislation to deregulate the Savings and Loan industry although he knew it could destroy the foundations of the institution. The deregulation that ensued gave the thrifts the freedom to invest in risky speculations and gamble away the savings of U.S. consumers.

The Savings and Loan debacle was the crowning moment of the Bush Oligarchy. Over one thousand thrift institutions collapsed and hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their life savings. The ultimate cost of the crisis was $150 billion and George H.W. Bush bailed out the thrifts to the tune of $125 billion, which contributed greatly to the largest budget deficits this country had ever seen to that point. These deficits heralded the 1990-91 recession, one of the lowest points of our nation’s economic viability since the Great Depression.

John Kenneth Galbraith called the Savings and Loan Scandal, “the largest and costliest venture in public misfeasance, malfeasance, and larceny of all time.”

It was Thompson who hoodwinked this country into compromising the original mission and values of the Savings and Loan. Thompson was the shill who called for the industry to change from one that provided low-interest mortgages and secure savings to a large venture capitalist network—one that failed, in part, due to the ham-handed handling of the Bush Family and the first Bush Administration.

In March 2003, Thompson did the bidding of the Bush Family once again and linked Saddam Hussein to the root cause of terrorism and advocated preemptive war. Thompson appeared in a national television commercial by the conservative group, Citizens United, which called for the invasion of Iraq. In the commercial, Thompson persuasively stated: “When people ask what has Saddam done to us, I ask, what had the 9/11 hijackers done to us—before 9/11.” We are now in the midst of a quagmire, a war with no end. Thompson is, in part, responsible, being the salesman of this war.

Thompson worked his con on this country and fleeced it twice before, and let’s not let him do it again. Another con perpetuated by Thompson can once again devastate this great nation.

I urge everyone out there to remind their voting friends of Thompson’s role in two of America’s greatest scandals and also to remind them that the red pickup is only being brought out only to sell us even more snake oil.

Welshman said...

Paine,

The only reason I am allowing you to post this horrid fiction, other than my taking leave of my senses, is to highlight the utter baselessness of your charges.

These accusations are entirely unsubstantiated and fall into the realm of a smear campaign carried by malicious rumor.

But get set. There are plenty of Fred Thompson supporters who will take you on, point by point, and carefully refute everything you say.

Better buckle your seat-belt.

Martyn