Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

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Thompson and Reagan

Is Fred Thompson somehow like Reagan, or parallel to Reagan? Andy Busch opines.  

Discussions - 3 Comments

I don't really enjoy paralleling politicians to each other, after all they should stand on their own merits, and there is the inevitable argument about the actual status of the past politician compared to. However, I would like to note that Thompson's campaign is less than exciting, even amongst conservatives. Novak points out the odd exclusion of political minds to Thompson's great detriment, and Will offered this wilting assessment.

Thompson benefitted for a long time from the "no-name candidate phenomenon" because until he declared and had to actually do things, conservatives could just imagine that Fred was whatever they wanted him to be. Now the dream is over, and Fred's first few flights have been rocky to say the least. He's not dead, but given the lack of political talent advising him, I doubt he can turn it around. My prediction is that in about 2 weeks Thompson will peek in the polls, and his silver coating will wear off quick if he keeps his bumbling up. Underneath we'll just have a plugged nickel.

For political winds I like to consult my dad. He's a die hard conservative, not really dedicated to any one issue so he's not led off course on specialty candidates. He always votes knowledgeably, but like most Americans does not care much about politics. Thompson's announcement was a non-issue to him; he didn't care.

The road to the GOP nomination is still wide open, and if I were a betting man, I'd say Thompson sure won't finish first.

We're looking at two different eras. 1980, by comparison to today, was a time of relatively little candidate coverage. That was certainly true during the primaries.

Also, if memory serves, wasn't it Michael Deaver who practically invented the art of "scripting" news coverage to put the candidate in the best light? Reagan benefited from this because the media didn't really catch on until after the fact. Fred Thompson is operating within a different environment, where close scrutiny is the norm and the media is far more overtly hostile to Republicans than before.

My point is that I'm not sure Ronald Reagan himself could be the "next Ronald Reagan" in today's environment. It's a different ballgame.

I'm buying runescape gold, then contributing it to Thompson's campaign. I understand he needs to bolster support among the elusive "elf base."

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