Jack Spillane gets the award for voicing the post-Thompson victory Conventional Wisdom first.
After Fred Thompson wins the Presidency, all of the Liberals are going to be running around wondering how it could have happened. In 2006, they blamed the Evangelicals. But Hillary! made token moves to pander to Evangelicals, thus that factor must be neutralized (Liberals really do think like this). Therefore, there must be some other explaination.
So they are going to posit a "Toughness Gap", and chalk it up to the fact that the American voter is just too simplesme to understand that Democrat positions are just as tough, but in a squishy feckless way, or (quel horror!) they were afraid of strong women.
Thus, they can continue to lie to themselves, and tell themselves that Americans support their positions on wanting to lose the war in Iraq, or nationaling health care, or expanding Social Security or putting government price controls on oil. So, instead of admitting that most Americans are Pro-Victory/Pro-Free Market/Pro-Small Government, they will just say we wanted somebody "tough".
Usually I disdain a politician who changes his name. I figure it is hard to trust any man who has to temporize when you ask “what is your name?”
But I am going to forgive Fred Thompson for dropping the “Freddie”.
We could have had the spectacle of the Democrats spending all their money and tearing each other to shreds all Spring and Summer, but "Tough Guys" like Giuliani, McCain and Rommey stampeded to announce last January, instead of waiting for the traditional Labor Day, because they were afraid of being left behind.
Sounds to me like Jack Spillane is having his own gay fantasy about “tough guys” and projecting it on to others.
This English reporter writes with such dripping, condescending haughtiness that we, in this century, have an idea of how George III came across.
Blimey, so many words to say so little. So much bias and bile, his predictions are not worth reading. No offense Second Div. Vet.
At least, he didn't say he dropped the "die" from his given name.
Two thoughts:
1.) We’ll see “Freddie” in print way, way more than we’ll see “Hussain” Obama, and;
2.) This guy from the Seagull Times in New Bedford, MA is used to writing about the Sodomite pols from that town - Jailbird George Rogers, George Leontire, etc. A real man like “Freddie” is a new concept for him.
another report-in-print from the “castrati generation”
Hillary is the toughest guy in the race. Just ask Vince Foster, or any of the other victims of “Arkan-cide”.
Fred really socked it to the Clintons for all that illegal campaign financing they received from the Chinese in 1997. Wonder when Bill and Hillary are getting out of the big house as a result of his investigations?
Being a tough guy is also the key to Rudy Giuliani's popularity.
Oh puh-leaze. Rooty is a 'tough guy' like I'm the King of Siam who does heart transplants in my spare time.
Rooty is an effete, limp wristed, lisping, nancy boy, draft dodger. He's also a power mad liberal control freak BULLY (Just like all liberals).
That's not 'toughness' it's fascism.
Most men with boyish sounding names change them to the short version when they grow up, I.E.: Freddy(freddie), Bobby, Tommy all these are usually shortened to sound more adult. I don’t blame him one bit for changing it. It’s not like he changed it since he announced, he changed in back in the 1960s. Dems are obviously terrified of Fred, the hit pieces just keep rolling in.
The talking points get around don't they.......
FredEx: When we absolutely, positively have to reform America overnight
FredEx: Why vote liberal, when you don’t have to?
Be Absolutely Sure. FredEx.
Here’s a prediction: The 2008 presidential election is not going to be decided by who’s right or wrong about the war in Iraq. And it’s not going to be decided by debates about national health care or Social Security or the price of oil or any other of any of the other very important issues.
It’s going to be decided by who Americans decide is the toughest, tough guy or tough gal.