A couple of weeks ago I came across an article on Time.com that asked the question, “Is Fred Thompson the G.O.P.’s Savior?” Now I know certain segments of the media have been falling all over themselves in an attempt to anoint Fred Thompson as the second coming of Ronald Reagan because of how dismally uninspiring the Republican Party’s presidential candidates are, but I’ve seen or heard nothing from Fred Thompson that would lead me to believe he can solve all that ails the Republican Party in the lead-up to the 2008 election.
Sure, he’s got solid conservative credentials – notwithstanding his work on behalf of an abortion rights group – and he does have a certain charisma, folksiness, and sense of humor when he speaks, but I don’t believe that puts him ahead of any other Republican in the race. Thompson’s “virtual” campaign has already hit some bumps, from the small hit he took for his aforementioned lobbying on behalf of an abortion rights group to disappointing fund raising numbers and staff defections. Thompson’s campaign is reported to have raised a little over $3 million in June, a figure that certainly doesn’t seem in line with that you’d expect to see from the GOP’s “savior.”
The problem with many of the the Republicans vying for the White House aren’t the skeletons in their closets or their shortcomings as candidates – their problems can be traced directly to the fact that they’re Republicans. The political climate here in America being what it is, I don’t think any one Republican candidate can cure all that ails the GOP, and 2008 promises to be another bad year for Republican candidates all across America, from the presidential field on down. Republicans will have a hard time winning much of anything in 2008, Fred Thompson or not.
Recent Comments