Thompson's strategy: Get serious

When Fred Thompson enters the presidential race, the talk about his lacking substance won't last long.

His strategy will be to unleash a series of hard, realistic solutions to our nation's problems other candidates don't dare to touch.

He's not just going to be the nominee. He's going to be the next president.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Comments

Jeff D said…
"'Nobody in Congress or on either side in the presidential race wants to deal with it," Thompson said. "So we just rock along and try to maintain the status quo. Republicans say keep the tax cuts; Democrats say keep the entitlements. And we become a less unified country in the process, with a tax code that has become an unholy mess, and all we do is tinker around the edges.'"

Whatever.

It sounds to me like he is planning on running as Ron Paul Lite®. Fred Thompson can pretend "nobody" wants to deal with it for now, but someday he may have to have a debate including Ron Paul.
Don't see how being interested in dealing with the budget crisis makes him resemble Ron Paul in any way. Nor can I imagine a circumstance in which Thompson would ever have to debate a guy who could do no better than finish fifth in a straw poll in which only one of the three top contenders even bothered to participate. For anybody but a marginal candidate like Paul, his showing at Ames would justify dropping out of the race.

Of course, if Thompson ever did debate Paul, I expect he'd clean Paul's clock- just like everybody else who debates him does.
Jeff D said…
"...a guy who could do no better than finish fifth in a straw poll..."

*cough*
Jeff D said…
"Don't see how being interested in dealing with the budget crisis makes him resemble Ron Paul in any way."

Just acknowledging that there is a budget crisis sets him apart from the mainstream candidates. They all ignore it pretty successfully.

F. Thompson doesn't give details in this press release, and normally I would give him the benefit of the doubt that when he goes public with his plan that it will include details. However, I just can't believe his plan will be anything more than "tinkering around the edges" because I don't think he understands the root-causes of said crisis.

If you want to get an idea of the root-causes please, watch this video. And keep one eye on current events and one eye on your grocery bill (the Federal Reserve has been active lately and likely to be more active in the near future).
No coughing needed, Jeff. The Illinois Straw Poll- a mere walk-by survey of State Fair goers- is even more meaningless than an Iowa straw poll in which most of the major candidates didn't compete- and Paul did.

Nobody says that Paul's small cadre of supporters aren't dedicated. But face it: your guy is a marginal candidate that nobody but his own supporters even take seriously.

Actually, "marginal" is charitable. The guy's a fringe candidate at best.

Take a look at the national polls if you want an indication of the actual level of his support.

As for Paul's economics... well, I tend to consider the source.
Jeff D said…
Mr. Waters,

What are these weird straw poll things really? I've never paid any attention to them before.

Is Ron Paul breaking the straw poll system or what is going on? (The Alabama poll wasn't a walk by, they had to pay $35 as I understand.)
They're meaningless measurements of the relative strength of candidates via a whole range of unscientific means. Usually- as in Paul's case- a candidate with practically no support but whose few supporters are highly motivated do well in them. And neither walk-by affairs nor deals like Iowa (I don't know about Alabama)- in which candidates pay money to get their supporters the right to vote (very few ordinary voters cough up $35 for the privilege of participating in an essentially meaningless gimmick) are anything resembling scientific surveys.

The national polls, on the other hand, are- and Paul's support in them is microscopic. Not that his showing in Iowa would be sufficient for him to be taken seriously in any case; as I observed earlier, a fifth-place finish would be considered an embarassment by a serious candidate.
Jeff D said…
It looks to me they gauge a get-out-the-vote enthusiasm more than anything else.

The GOP threw a straw poll in Alabama and 50 people showed up to support their guy (plus 216 for some fringe candidate).
Jeff D said…
Sorry,

Meaningless or not, these straw polls are fun!

w00t!!1!

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