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Freddy's Dead, That's What I Said
The big man has waved farewell to the presidential race.
Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.
I welcomed Thompson into the race with a Bronx cheer. John Tabin was at the final Fred speeches in South Carolina, and came away a little wistful.
Here's a question for the class: What was Thompson's effect on the race? Did he reframe any debate on any issue? One thing I'm sure he didn't do was alter the way people run for president. He had a theory that the explosion of media (the "information revolution") would render (mostly) irrelevent the exhausting retail politicking of presidential races. Why should a candidate answer questions in Dubuque VFW centers when he could cut web videos or TV ads or do interviews on blogs and talk radio? I don't think he made the most of that strategy (I think he held one blogger call, early on, and that was it), but hes eliminated the chance of anyone trying it in 2012. And I think he realized its weakness, even if he didn't mean to, by shooting his ads in the kind of homey diner that he never spent more than 10-15 minutes working on the trail.
|1.22.08 @ 2:39PM|#
So thats it? The conservative savior that was supposed to save his party from ruin? What the hell happened?
Lost_In_Translation|1.22.08 @ 2:39PM|#
soooo....who does Thompson endorse? I think he goes McCain before Florida to give him the boost to smack Giuliani around.
|1.22.08 @ 2:48PM|#
He withdrew too soon. I think he would've done very well in Florida among the Very Tired.
Ali|1.22.08 @ 2:49PM|#
Is this technically a Paul thread? I guess not.
Soooo, good, no, make that GREAT, riddance!
|1.22.08 @ 2:49PM|#
OK, a little fantasizing while here at work...
McCain wins Florida with Romney a few points back. Rudy is third
and Huck fourth. Rudy and Huck aren't paying their remaining staff
this month, so their prospects are falling fast. Is it concievable
that after Florida it is just McCain, Romney and Paul, with Paul
being the benefactor of the Thompson and Huck conservative faction?
I said long ago that this is a race of attrition, but is this
scenario completely whacky?
|1.22.08 @ 2:51PM|#
I don't know, if I had a wife who looked like Fred Thompson's, I wouldn't pull out so soon.
jimmydageek|1.22.08 @ 2:51PM|#
Correct, Pro Libertate. All he had to do was promise to restore Cypress Gardens to its full glory. That would have secured a win.
Lost_In_Translation|1.22.08 @ 2:51PM|#
Who would have guessed that Paul would outlast the savior of the GOP and probably Mr. 9/11.
|1.22.08 @ 2:52PM|#
So, I guess that means that there aren't any libertarian-leaning candidates left, huh Reason?
Ali|1.22.08 @ 2:53PM|#
So, I guess that means that there aren't any
libertarian-leaning candidates left, huh Reason?
Obama? ;-)
|1.22.08 @ 2:54PM|#
Strangely, Paul's ability to hang on through the primaries paid major dividends when he defeated McCain in a duel (rapiers) during the Republican Convention. History is so intriguing--wonder what would've happened if McCain had demanded pistols, as was his right as the one challenged? Hmm.
|1.22.08 @ 2:55PM|#
I can't imagine why the electorate never got energized behind
the world's sleepiest man.
Vote for Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is always awake. Mitt Romney will
last 1,000 years with his current power cells.
Mitt Romney loves hu-mans.
Silas Stingy|1.22.08 @ 2:58PM|#
Put me down for a Rudy win in Fla. (NY south)
With a side of "Brokered GOP national convention"
Fred's campaign was a Rorschach blot of an affair. Anyone could
squint just right and picture the guy being of some utility. But,
on closer examination, he's just an pampered actor,
pretendin'.
I guess I didn't watch enough Law and Order
|1.22.08 @ 3:01PM|#
Rudy's not winning in NY itself -- a fact that should surprise no one who knows that most NYS Republicans don't live anywhere near NYC -- so why would we expect him to win in NY South?
|1.22.08 @ 3:04PM|#
"Freddy's Dead...."
Which is very similar in appearance to "Freddy's alive and
campaigning hard."
|1.22.08 @ 3:07PM|#
Fred made the secondary characters in old Speedy Gonzalez cartoons look like Tom Arnold after a "bathroom break."
|1.22.08 @ 3:13PM|#
Rudy's not winning in NY itself -- a fact that should
surprise no one who knows that most NYS Republicans don't live
anywhere near NYC -- so why would we expect him to win in NY
South?
Because most of the NYers in NY South weren't in the state when
Ghouliani was mayor to know how bad he really was.
|1.22.08 @ 3:15PM|#
And I think he realized its weakness, even if he didn't mean
to, by shooting his ads in the kind of homey diner that he never
spent more than 10-15 minutes working on the trail.
Subtext: You people disgust me and God forbid I actually encounter
you, but I want you to vote for me.
|1.22.08 @ 3:19PM|#
Rudy's not winning in NY itself -- a fact that should
surprise no one who knows that most NYS Republicans don't live
anywhere near NYC -- so why would we expect him to win in NY
South?
Bingo!
No wait, we'd expect Huckabee or McCain to win in NY South because
of Bingo...
Silas Stingy|1.22.08 @ 3:21PM|#
The NY contingent in Fla is built on rich retirees, the primary
votin' motivated ones, anyhow, and Rudy's their boy. He solved
crime and heroically led NY outta the 9/11 fog.
Throw in that the voter rewards for dissing Castro are
flagging...as the welfare doled Batistaites die off and their
children get jobs and ignore politics (like good Americans)...I
think Rudy will make a show of it by winning Fla.
I'm sure his camp is motivated. If he doesn't show real strong in
the delegate count out of Fla, he'll be joining Fred on the
sidelines no later than Super Tuesday Hangover Wednesday.
|1.22.08 @ 3:22PM|#
Does Rudy have the gas to keep going if he doesn't win in
Fla?
Huckabee flatlined after SC, but I think the body has to reach room
temperature for three days before they'll declare him dead.
That could leave only Romney, McCain, and Paul, (and McCain still
in the red) come tsunami Tues.
|1.22.08 @ 3:25PM|#
Regarding his wife, he looks patently ridiculous next to her. She looks like his granddaughter.
|1.22.08 @ 3:29PM|#
Sadly,
Thompson had the most consistent low tax low government platform of
any candidate running absent Paul. As an added bonus, he wasn't
nuts just kind of old and with a trophy wife. If you look at the
remaining candidates you have McCain with his warmed over ah hell
lets just raise taxes because I don't have the courage to offend
the media plans, Romeny who beleives whatever is convienent, the
Reverened Huckabe and his plan to tax and spend our money so he can
get to heaven, and HIllary and Obama who routinely accuse each
other of not wanting to spend enough or raise taxes enough. I am
frankly sorry to see old Fred go.
|1.22.08 @ 3:32PM|#
It's hard to understand
That there's love in this man
I'm sure all would agree
That his misery was his
Woman and things
|1.22.08 @ 3:33PM|#
John it was nice to hear him talk about federalism sure but kind of incosistent since he wouldnt end the drug war.
From The Keystrokes of John Q.|1.22.08 @ 3:36PM|#
Fred Thompson did not change the debate in any way, shape or form. He did suck up a sizable portion of the NRA/Southern/Fiscal Conservative vote. He won't be missed...
|1.22.08 @ 3:38PM|#
Thompson's effect on the race was that, realizing that he was at his last debate, he tried to take Mike Huckabee down with him.
Brandybuck|1.22.08 @ 3:39PM|#
Obama? ;-
Of course! Everyone is the True Libertarian in the race, except for
Ron Paul. If the congressman from Texas were the only man left in
the race, then Reason would take a dump and then proceed to call
the resulting turd the Last Great Libertarian Hope!
This campaign reminds me of second grade. The teacher asks what the
capital of North Dakota is, and only Jimmy has his hand raised. The
teacher asks again, "Does anyone know what the capital of North
Dakota is? Anyone besides Jimmy? Anyone at all?"
|1.22.08 @ 3:39PM|#
"John it was nice to hear him talk about federalism sure but
kind of incosistent since he wouldnt end the drug war."
No one outside of a few black militants and libertarians wants to
end the drug war. I think it is nuts to but the fact is that people
have bought into the idea that drugs are poison and destroy
anyone's life who touchs the stuff and so forth. Everyone loves the
drug war except for the people who are stuck in jail over it and
they ain't voting anytime soon. If you are judging candidates over
the drug war, you might as well not vote. I would love to believe
that some day we will embrace personal responsibility and let
people use whatever drugs they want and treat anyone who is an
addict or commits a crime on drugs like the reprobate criminal that
they are, but I don't think that will ever happen.
Silas Stingy|1.22.08 @ 3:43PM|#
And he worked Iowa soooo hard.
Spend millions in Iowa, pull a 13% 3rd place finish, only to fold a
month later?
Grandpa used to make a big deal about "Good money after bad"
Sean W. Malone|1.22.08 @ 3:46PM|#
Anybody got a good reason we can't just move the general
election up to say... March or April?
If I have to sit through 6 months of Giant Douche vs. Turd
Sandwich, I'm gonna go nuts. The only saving grace (for me) is that
I'll be out of the US for half the year.
|1.22.08 @ 3:49PM|#
"If I have to sit through 6 months of Giant Douche vs. Turd
Sandwich, I'm gonna go nuts. The only saving grace (for me) is that
I'll be out of the US for half the year."
It is called the off button. Every TV has one. Try it sometime.
Geotpf|1.22.08 @ 3:52PM|#
It looks like it is, in fact, going to be Giant Douche vs. Turd Sandwich. More specifically, John McCain vs. Hillary Clinton. Now, I'm still hoping for Obama to pull it out, and Thompson's dropping out will boost Huckabee, but the odds of a McCain vs. Clinton contest are still probably above 50% at this point. The only question remaining is: Are Bloomberg and/or Paul going to run third party campaigns?
From The Keystrokes of John Q.|1.22.08 @ 3:53PM|#
I would love to believe that some day we will embrace personal
responsibility and let people use whatever drugs they want and
treat anyone who is an addict or commits a crime on drugs like the
reprobate criminal that they are, but I don't think that will ever
happen.
From 1776 to 1914 it did happen. The idea that prohibition works
requires more faith than evidence. Congress debated 2 years before
passing The Harrison Act. Why? It was Unconstitional. The fact that
Racism fueled aspects of the Harrison Act, particularly Cocaine,
makes the idea of it being morally justified laughable. Once the
boomers die off, things will change...
Ha... there I said it...
|1.22.08 @ 3:55PM|#
I think there are a lot of "Closet" pot smokers out there that would like to end the drug war but are too afraid to just come out and say it.
Kolohe|1.22.08 @ 3:57PM|#
If I were the Jeri in question, Fred would've won
already.
Ms Ryan-
You realize that you are partly responsible for Obama's electoral
success, don't ya?
jackanapestarian|1.22.08 @ 3:57PM|#
People underestimate the power of hair.
Thompson? No hair.
Giuliani? Ditto.
McCain? Don't make me laugh.
Romney? Hair, and lots of it!
That's why Mitt will be the candidate.
|1.22.08 @ 3:58PM|#
In the race to the Whitehouse, you can't look lazy. I think
Rudy's numbers in FL are going down for that reason. Rudy's betting
that all he needs to do is pander and work the big states, and it
will probably backfire on him. Half-ass is half-ass, so far Rudy
looks like a half-asser. Does anyone really want that?
""""So thats it? The conservative savior that was supposed to save
his party from ruin? What the hell happened?""""
This savior wasn't up to the job.
Jeri Ryan|1.22.08 @ 4:02PM|#
I am aware of many things. For instance, it doesn't take a Collective to bring down an ex-husband.
|1.22.08 @ 4:04PM|#
"Once the boomers die off, things will change..."
I hope so. But we have a multi billion dollar rehap industry based
on the idea that anyone who so much as touches drugs loses all
sense of individual choice and is doomed to use drugs uncontrolably
until they are saved by the rehab industry. As long as people are
fed that myth, they will never agree to legalize drugs. Further, it
is a convienent myth. Who wants to beleive your brother Jonny is a
reprobate criminal? No, he wasn't a criminal when he robbed mom and
dad's house, he was just an addict crying for help.
|1.22.08 @ 4:05PM|#
"""I think there are a lot of "Closet" pot smokers out there
that would like to end the drug war but are too afraid to just come
out and say it."""
Of all past Presidents, I thought Clinton would be the one to relax
it, but he knows the drug war is a cash cow.
|1.22.08 @ 4:09PM|#
"Of all past Presidents, I thought Clinton would be the one to
relax it, but he knows the drug war is a cash cow."
Clinton jailed more people over the drug war than any president
before him. If Lincoln was the great emmancipater, Clinton was the
great jailer.
|1.22.08 @ 4:10PM|#
""Further, it is a convienent myth. Who wants to beleive your
brother Jonny is a reprobate criminal? No, he wasn't a criminal
when he robbed mom and dad's house, he was just an addict crying
for help."""
Exactly. It applies to self also. I made the bad choices in life
because I was high.
Tom Walls|1.22.08 @ 4:10PM|#
I heard Fred just made some kind of a deal with McCain - no
details as of yet.
With the field less divided, Ron will have less of a chance of
coming in second again, but he will up his average results
somewhat.
|1.22.08 @ 4:12PM|#
"""Clinton jailed more people over the drug war than any
president before him. If Lincoln was the great emmancipater,
Clinton was the great jailer."""
Didn't you mean the great inhaler? lol.
He had to look tough, he was involved in the distribution.
|1.22.08 @ 4:18PM|#
I thought Clinton would be the one to relax it
Making people think that without ever saying it, and then always
expanding the drug war, is a strategy Democrats have adopted get
squishy quasi-libertarians' votes.
Works on suckers.
|1.22.08 @ 4:22PM|#
Sometimes former drug users are the most hard-core drug war
supporters. Thats why I bet Obama would beat even Clinton in
stepping up the drug war.
John, did Clinton really jail more people than Reagan/Bush I? I
thought they were the team that really turned up the heat on drug
users. Well, poor ones anyway.
Ali|1.22.08 @ 4:25PM|#
Bismarck!! Bismarck!! Goddammit, why won't you call on
me?!!
Which side of the stage did FOX put you on, Jimmy? Or, based on
which letter you wrote did reason decide to
slaughter you?
R C Dean|1.22.08 @ 4:27PM|#
Thompson had a weak launch, but what really killed him was
Huckabee, who mostly peeled off supporters from Thompson.
And Huckabee is done as well, leaving the field to a crazy man, an
android, and, a thug.
Oh, and Ron Paul.
|1.22.08 @ 4:30PM|#
I heard Fred just made some kind of a deal with McCain - no
details as of yet.
My initial take is that Thompson (establishment-type GOP) voters
would gravitate to Romney if he were still the front-runner, but
are now more likely to break to McCain since he is perceived to be
the frontrunner and electable. They're not gonna be happy about it,
but they'll pull the lever in November and maybe even in
February.
Republicans are gonna be Al Davis-style voters ths cycle echoing
the Democrats in 2004.
|1.22.08 @ 4:34PM|#
"""Making people think that without ever saying it, and then
always expanding the drug war, is a strategy Democrats have adopted
get squishy quasi-libertarians' votes."""
When does this happen? Cite some examples?
I thought Clinton might, simply because of his past indulgence, not
his politics.
|1.22.08 @ 4:38PM|#
"I heard Fred just made some kind of a deal with McCain - no
details as of yet."
To star in Weekend at Bernie's III?
From The Keystrokes of John Q.|1.22.08 @ 4:47PM|#
Ya Clinton's Legacy is he doubled the amount of prisons in the
country and crime dropped in half. As for the legalization of
drugs. I think there would be no shortage of rehab clinics, I think
drugs would hurt the bloated law enforcement budget. It would also
generate huge revenues in sin taxes that the government could then
squander elsewhere.
It's not that far off. Nurses are injecting herione in the arms of
addicts in San Francisco.. Hey a licensed "Shaman" or Holistic
Healer can prescribe you 500 lbs a year of marijuana in my home
state of Oregon. (I miss that state) Marijuana is becoming
decriminalized all over the Western United States. In Colorado the
measure to legalize medicinal marijuana failed in a 49 to 51%
margin.
I don't even wanna do drugs. Okay so maybe a nice line of corporate
perfected Cocaine after dinner for a nice desert. Since it's a
stimulant and not a narcotic, I can drive!
And I don't do
Sean W. Malone|1.22.08 @ 6:00PM|#
"It is called the off button. Every TV has one. Try it
sometime."
Yeah... too bad it's not 1967 and TV isn't the only possible way
I'd ever have to hear about anything.
Perhaps you missed the point man, my hope is to *not* have to stick
my fingers in my ears and shout like a 5-year-old to avoid being
made dumber by an asinine "battle" between two statist asshats
who's only real difference is a debate on which orifice they will
be sticking the "long arm" of the law into first, and never a
debate on whether or not they should just zip it back up.
No... I think a much more preferable goal is to have fewer
douchebags.
Tom Walls|1.22.08 @ 6:04PM|#
If Fred doesn't endorse McCain by Super Tuesday, you can assume they didn't make a deal. McCain could use what's left of Fred's supporters to give him that oh-so-slight extra boost.
|1.22.08 @ 7:53PM|#
Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton could run on a third-party ticket for the Polls Are My Cynical Overlords party.
paulie|1.22.08 @ 10:04PM|#
1.
Romneycare deconstructed
2.
The age of Man is over. The age of the Orc has begun! Manchurian
Candidate McCain as Orc
3.
How will Giuliani tie 9/11 into the economic crisis? omg
wow
|1.22.08 @ 10:50PM|#
Paulie, I like how she says "that was actually funny" as if everything on the Daily Show isn't funnier than everything they've ever done on Fox News.
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