He hasn’t even
declared his candidacy, yet he’s running dead even with the
front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination. He hasn’t raised
any money to speak of, while they’ve raised over $50 million, yet
more people are talking about Fred Thompson than Romney, McCain and
Guiliani. Naturally, the handlers and spin-meisters of the other
Republican candidates are frustrated, bothered and upset at such a
turn of events.
What the other
GOP candidates and their handlers clearly just don’t get, however,
is that Fred Thompson’s appeal to the inherently Conservative voters
who make up the majority of the American electorate isn’t as much
about Fred Thompson as it is about...them. Right now, Thompson
represents the “Anybody But Those Guys!” option. To be sure, he is
certainly much more than that, but most people have little knowledge
of his philosophy, beliefs or political stance. What they do know,
though, is that none of the media-proclaimed “front-runners” for the
GOP nomination have what it takes to lead this nation. Thompson,
plain-spoken, folksy, authentically Conservative, unashamedly open
about his moral grounding and the necessity for America to return to
ours...he may just be the real thing. Right now, though, he’s the
unknown “possible” that’s much preferable to the known alternatives.
That the rest
of the Republicans don’t understand that reveals just how far their
thinking is, and their political positions are, from those of
mainstream American voters. As Reagan used to say, “They just don’t
get it.” They apparently believe that they can dictate to the
electorate what to believe, based on the isolated, narrow and
self-interested perspective that comes from serving too long in
elected office.
Once upon a
time such long service wouldn’t have necessarily been a hindrance,
but that was when incumbents actually listened to their
constituents, actually cared what they thought and what they wanted.
Today, with over 90% of incumbents re-elected term after term, based
on nothing but sound bytes and contrived public images spawned from
media consultants and PR professionals, politicians know they can do
what they want as long as they say the things that are palatable to
their voters. Even when the false campaign images are clearly at
odds with voting records, public and private behavior and verifiable
past performance, most incumbents are easily re-elected. So why
should they bother with the nuisance of public opinion or the will
of the people? Mostly...they don’t.
It has worked,
too. For example, Ted Kennedy and John Conyers, notoriously liberal
Democrats, have each been in the Senate for over forty years, during
which time they have done enormous damage to the fabric and
foundation of this republic. Yet voters re-elect them again and
again, based on the made-up-from-thin-air campaign rhetoric and
photo-ops cranked out by professional image-makers. Shame on the
voters for being so easily gulled.
With the
traditionally more conservative voters that constitute the majority
of the American electorate, however, such fallacies can be swallowed
for only so long. That’s why a basically unknown (to the electorate)
Fred Thompson can be so appealing, even against those who’ve spent
money like drunken sailors to convince the public that they’re
something they are not, and that their public records demonstrate
they are not. For now, until he officially enters the fray and the
media begin to drag out every single bit of information about him,
especially the negative stuff, Thompson is simply the best
alternative to the pack of unsavory, primped-and-packaged usual
suspects.
Is he more
than that? Oh, I think so, given just what we know about him so far.
After all, he was in the Senate, so he has a record he must defend.
But he doesn’t dodge hard questions, and actually appears to have
thought about issues himself, rather than relying on his memory of
policy positions written by aides. Also, and this is a huge plus for
him, he isn’t afraid to stake out firm positions on controversial
issues, instead of trying to be all things to all people, like the
rest of the candidates do, which just makes them appear desperately
greedy for the power of the presidency. It’s as if he’s saying,
“Yes, I do have firm beliefs on everything from the moral foundation
of this nation to what we need to do about terrorists, immigration,
et al, and if you don’t agree with me, then vote for somebody else.”
How
refreshing. We all instinctively know that no candidate can honestly
reflect the widely divergent opinions and beliefs of all 300 million
Americans, yet they almost universally try to convince all of us
that they do, in fact, believe exactly as we do. Thompson, bless his
heart, simply says here is what I believe...if you believe this,
too, then... Well, he’s not saying it yet, but pretty soon he’ll be
saying “...then vote for me.”
I know I
wouldn’t vote for Romney (the only thing Al Sharpton has ever said
that I know for sure is true is his comment about Mormons not being
Christian...and he later backed off and apologized for that). I
wouldn’t let the scurrilous, malignant and amoral hypocrite John
McCain throw me a life preserver if I was drowning, so no, I won’t
vote for him. Rudy? Oh, c’mon, let’s talk like serious grown-ups,
OK?
So having Fred
Thompson enter the race is a breath of fresh air. Is he perfect? I’m
betting absolutely not, but then, I recognize that no human is. Does
he have the moral fiber, the solid political grounding in our
Founding principles and the guts to do what’s right for this nation
even in the face of the incessant assaults of media and the
anti-Americanism of the Democrats? It appears so, and I’ll be
actively finding out all I can about him in the months to come.
Right now,
though, Thompson is the “anybody BUT...” candidate who still looks
far more appealing to many (most?) American than the rat-pack of GOP
wannabes. They don’t get that...and that’s reason enough to not vote
for any of them.
Formerly a liberal and an atheist, Paul E. Scates served as a Marine
in Vietnam and is a lifelong student of American history, politics and
culture. A former contributor to national website TooGoodReports.com, he
writes his staunchly independent Conservative and informed Christian
commentary for his fellow ordinary, working Americans, the “we, the
people” who are ultimately responsible for preserving our Constitutional
liberties. He welcomes your
, pro or con.
