Rush Said: Yeah, But So What?

Jim Geraghty picks up something from yesterday's Limbaugh show I heard as well:

There was one candidate who did not display any moderateness or liberalism or have any of his past forays into those areas displayed, and that candidate was Fred Thompson.

Great, I might not disagree, though I might also point out that conservative icon Ronald Reagan once signed an immigration amnesty deal and raised some taxes back in California. But there's a bigger issue here.

Fred peaked before he started actively campaigning. Given his name recognition, the man had every advantage when he entered the race - every advantage. And it's been squandered. Yeah, as things stand, that's the guy I want going up against the Clinton juggernaut come 2008.

Maybe Fred turns that around. But unless or until he does, we need someone who can run and win. And several of the other Top Tier candidates have given more than enough assurances on things like taxes, our borders and judicial appointments to make Rush's comments an interesting observation and not much more.

Comments

[seekeronos]

I'm starting to get a bit worried about Fred's poll standings - he is sinking and poised to fall into the single digits and down into the unelectable second tier.

Conservatives, this is the man we should be backing. A true conservative, a federalist, and a man who will see us back on the road to growth.

Anyone else is at best a feeble compromise:

Huckabee might be good for the Christians, but he is as much of tax and spend big government liberal as any Democrat.

Rudy and Mitt both are only interested in satisfying their alpha-male urge to become top dog, and are liberals wearing a thin cloak of recently acquired conservatism to woo the right. Neither are consistently conservative on social issues.

And a distant McCain might have been a good idea at one time, if he hadn't been a Shamnesty pimp alongside Ted Kennedy.

Fred! is the only sane and consistent conservative choice for the GOP in 2008.

[edward cropper]

Fred Thompson is 65 looks 85 and has the vitality of someone 95.
He also is not a real conservative.He just sounds like one because of his southern drawl.
The only real conservative in this sorry bunch is Duncan Hunter and he has
no chance of winning.
Thompson doesn't want to win, he wants out and will get his chance as he continues to drop in the standings.
Neither party has a candidate that is even worthy of the name.

[seekeronos]

"--- Thompson doesn't want to win, he wants out and will get his chance as he continues to drop in the standings. ---"

Now this is just silly: if he didn't want to win, he would have dropped out already, and gone back to doing Hollywood stuff where he can make a LOT more money than serving as POTUS.

[IslamoLlama]

"Now this is just silly: if he didn't want to win, he would have dropped out already, and gone back to doing Hollywood stuff where he can make a LOT more money than serving as POTUS."

He got a sudden upsurge of support out of thin air. If a few million people started pounding on your front door asking you to run for President, would you say "No, go away! I'm making too much money on Law and Order"?

He got swept up in a Draft Thompson movement he didn't want to be a part of. Now he's just playing his role. As convincingly as ever.

[Scott Westerhold]

I saw a YouTube video that showed Fred asking the audience for a round of applause for himself!! When I saw that I was completely turned off. If he doesn't command the attention and respect of a future Commander-in-Chief in a small diner, he won't get it from the nation.

I like some of his tenacity against Michael Moore etc., however, he doesn't look well at all and that will work against him.

[seekeronos]

Sadly, we Americans love a good show.

Fred! _can_ give a good show... but he seems more content on trying to win by showing off the good ideas he has.

He will need to do both in order to survive Iowa, NH and SuperDuperDeLooper Tuesday.

[Carpenter]

Fred is the same now as he was 10 years ago, very level headed and conservative. Everyone likes him. he may not be their first choice, but if he gets the nomination, everyone can support him.

[tally]

i said a while back fred was doa. since, he's done nothing but constantly wipe his nose and trot his overindulged child around. (i have learned that i do like his wife however, so go figure). the fred supporters should have been behind duncan hunter, he deserved the conservative support.