Posted on 11/06/2007 7:05:11 AM PST by Calpernia
U. S. Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, has spent the better part of the last decade running for president. He actively sought the office in 2000 and lost handily to George W. Bush. Since that time, he has done everything he could think of to antagonize the base of his own party.
Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-TN, acts as if the thought of running for president just occurred to him five minutes ago. Some days he acts as though it still hasn't occurred to him.
For very different reasons, these two men, with their totally different approaches to politics, have probably slammed the door on their chances for winning the Republican presidential nomination.
In 2000, McCain was the darling of the mainstream media. Back in those days, he was the anti-Bush, which appealed to them. This year his worldview is anathema to theirs because he has unapologetically defended "Bush's war."
But McCain's unpopularity within his party stems from two other issues: illegal immigration and campaign finance reform.
On immigration, McCain seems to have learned his lesson. In what radio host and bestselling author Laura Ingraham would call a "Power to the People moment," McCain (along with a lot of other members of Congress), has gotten the message loud and clear: border enforcement first.
"I understand why you would call it a, quote, shift," McCain said to reporters after being grilled by voters in South Carolina. "I say it is a lesson learned about what the American people's priorities are. And their priority is to secure the borders."
Too bad it took a meltdown of the congressional phone lines last June to convince the senator of the common sense of the American people. Until he saw his poll numbers sink to single digits, McCain seemed absolutely oblivious to - nay, defiant of - the people's will. Nevertheless, those of us who have been incredulous to the deafness of the president and far too many members of Congress on this issue welcome Sen. McCain into the bright light of reason on this issue.
While "comprehensive immigration reform" (better known as "amnesty"), is dead, the legislation for which John McCain is best known is still alive and festering within our political system. The McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the president will be haunting us for years, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has struck down certain provisions of the law. For that reason, it has left the base of the Republican Party with a permanent bad taste for McCain's brand of politics.
Fred Thompson's alienation from the GOP activists who comprise the nominating block of the party is much more recent. In fact, it unfolds like a wet blanket of sad disappointment day by day. Desperately seeking a candidate to rally around, social conservatives keep waiting for Fred Thompson to show them p something.
His recent underwhelming performance on "Meet the Press" did not help. Asked about his positions on abortion and same-sex marriage, Thompson, who has a respectable record on both issues, managed to flub his answer. He told host Tim Russert he opposes to an amendment to the U.S. Constitution on either issue, preferring to leave these two crucial social issues to the individual states. As Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family has pointed out, Thompson endorses the idea of fifty different definitions of marriage. The same is true, it seems, on the definition of life, since Thompson simply wants to see Roe v. Wade overturned and the issue returned to the states.
In addition, Thompson seemed muddled and indecisive about his opinion on water boarding as a technique for dealing with terrorist detainees.
With less than two months remaining until the Iowa caucuses, it is likely that Fred Thompson and John McCain will both continue to decline in the polls, while former Governors Mitt Romney (Massachusetts) and Mike Huckabee (Arkansas) will continue to gain on the current frontrunner, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. So be it.
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Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and public policy advisor. His weekly columns are published in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet web sites, including Human Events Online, TheConservativeVoice.com and GOPUSA.com, where he is a senior writer and state editor.
I’d like to see Hunter as VP...but at the same time he sure is good in the House.
I think the first couple of primaries are going to produce a ton of ‘how did we get it so wrong’ columns afterwards, ala the Dean stuff in 04.
I’m more stuck on the Vietnam embargo being lifted then the amnesty. I’ve still not been able to look past that.
You're comment is in itself nothing but an ad hominem attack.
All it takes is a quick glance at the polls in which Thompson is still in second place to see the author is either overtly biased, and idiot, or both.
There's little need to make baseless attacks when the facts are clearly in opposition to what the author is saying.
So what's your reason for the ad hominem attack? Just trolling?
These so called activists are blue blood Country Club elitist liberals... the likes of Rockefeller and Specter.
LLS
Did you post it to boost Fred? If not, then you’re doing it to REDUCE his standing, among the readers of the editorial, and by extension, EXPAND that of your own candidate, no matter who he may be.
When he was chairing McCain's committee, in the 2000 election, the 'amnesty' bill was even in the cards. Fred has made his standing on illegal immigration very clear; he's against it.
This is what concerns me most about Fred supporters--their unwillingness to look at facts. It took me mere moments to check out this writer and peruse his columns. In that time, I found this:
"Let me say again that even though Giuliani is tough on crime and terrorism, I don’t like his domestic agenda at all. As a pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage, pro-Second Amendment Republican, I find him far too liberal on most social issues. As my son said to me recently, “Rudy Giuliani is a just Democrat who’s willing to blow stuff up.”
And this:
"I also find Giuliani’s personal life to be downright offensive. In some ways, he makes Bill Clinton look stable. At least Clinton never had Monica Lewinsky move into the White House and openly live with him like then-Mayor Giuliani did when he had his girlfriend (now his wife) move into Gracie Mansion while he was still married to the mother of his children."
And this:
"Those of us who were looking to Fred Thompson as the fiscal and social conservative who could wrestle the GOP mantle away from hizzonor are becoming increasingly alarmed by the efficiency of the Giuliani campaign.
And this:
Giuliani is leading in most polls largely due to his record as a tough mayor who cleaned up America’s biggest, dirtiest city and because of his leadership in the aftermath of 9/11. The war against Islamist fanaticism demands an alternative to Hillary Clinton. Rudy Giuliani firmly believes he is that alternative. An alarming number of Republicans seem to agree with him.
I can see you’re definitely an UNTRAINED skeptic. You’re version of skepticism is to jump headfirst to your desired conclusion, and use (LOL) polls to support you. My approach is to google the author, check out his recent work, and draw a reasoned conclusion based on facts.
My statement regarding the RNC and Beltway GOP establishment stands, though. The most recent comments by Dan Bartlett buttress my opinion.
I post because I post. I like reading Patton’s columns. And if you notice, he has not written one about my candidate. Some of us use FR outside of campaign activisms.
Would you rather have Hillary?
I will say anything I want about McCain and fully ignore your tagline, thank you.
Would you go third party?
Like Tom Hayden said of Don Corleone: "Mr. Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news immediately."
It's a good policy.
Me, either.
Ok, so comment on Patton’s article. What part of it is wrong?
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