This article is not as bad as many others, but the theme toward Fred “Tommy Gun” Thompson in the media has been either:
“What does an actor know about politics”, whereby they discount his entire 8 years in the Senate, or...
“Look at these liberal votes he cast as a Senator,” whereby they discount the 9 in 10 conservative votes he cast, discount his no-nonsense character, his ability to rise above mere political considerations, and his tendency to back his words with actions and remain true to his political convictions and not whore himself out to the prevailing whims or public opinion polls.
Thompson has more or less already me that he is either the best candidate in the Republican field or the lesser of evils in it. Either way, I have no choice but to vote for him in the primary.
I feel like I know what I am getting with Thompson, and I can see the lies and disinformation in trying to frame him as just an actor (like Arnold Schwarzenneger) or frame him as not being very conservative.
It won’t work with me, because I was a political junky during the time he served in the Senate and I very much like what I recall from his performance as a Senator.
What boggles my mind is how the good people of Tennessee could fill the same Senate seat one year with Al Gore and the very next with Fred Thompson.
Go Tommy Gun in 2008!!!!
Because the Gore family is very strong in Tennessee..
Not enough to make him President, though. Remember, Thompson didn't seek reelection.