By J.B. Williams
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
When 50% of the voting population no longer bothers to vote at all and the other 50% wish they could find someone who truly deserves their vote for the first time in their lives, what's your next trick?
The answer seems to be, draft Fred Thompson... I'll get to why in a minute.
If you ask the 50% who quit voting years ago why they quit voting, they will be fast to tell you that their vote doesn't matter because all modern politicians, no matter what political party they attach themselves to or what principles and policies they claim to hold dear, none of them ever do what they say after the election. In fact, most do the exact opposite after elected... It's the only thing in Washington that isn't a partisan matter.
When you begin talking with the politically engaged 50%, you fast find that they are divided 50/50 between Republican and Democrat and both vote for the lesser of recognized evils in every election. Those still holding on to American principles vote (R) and those who prefer more European ways, vote (D).
But if you step off of the merry-go-round of insane American politics, sit back for a wide angle glimpse at the insanity, take a deep breath and listen to the white noise of modern day electioneering - you begin to wonder why anyone bothers to vote. Based on the "who" we have to choose from, "what" are we voting for? Fact is, we aren't voting for anyone, but against the others...
It's been said by many including me, that America is experiencing a nationwide epidemic of Attention Deficit Disorder. Not so much when it comes to keeping up with American Idol, but when keeping focused upon the constitutional duty to self-govern.
But in watching the Fred Thompson phenomenon develop, I am coming to a different opinion, one that might explain the clear political apathy of the average American voter and the current Fred Thompson fever all in one shot.
The problem may not be a general lack of interest in the future of our nation, or even a general lack of attention span for the task of self-governance. The problem is looking more like a nationwide state of extreme political boredom. A case of a nation bored into a trance, or a deep slumber by a nauseatingly boring group of over-stuffed politically correct and morally bankrupt blowhards saying nothing, constantly singing the same old tune the same old way with the same old results, election after election, while things continue to get worse no matter which we elect.
Eventually, it all just blurs together to make one big boring indistinguishable white noise and nobody is listening anymore. Why should they? Nobody's saying anything.
In short, it appears that the electorate is simply not inspired by any of the common career politicos who have been systematically ripping the people off for decades, boring them to a near suicidal state of trance, then picking their pockets clean while claiming it's all for the greater common good. The nation has been stuck in political yawnsville for so long that nothing short of a cataclysmic event can wake it up.
As a conservative, even I can't stand to hear another Republican candidate read from cue cards written forty years ago as if it were some brilliant new revelation that Democrats love higher taxes, bigger government and full control over their always faithful proletariat class in search of more gifts from the treasury.
Likewise, I'm sure the average old Democrat is equally sick and tired of hearing their new socialist candidates regurgitate the sixty year old medley of pro-Marx anti-American capitalist pig hating tunes from their bunch of career losers seeking the early retirement get rich quick scheme of elected office.
Collectively, the nation seems sick and tired of all of them and no matter the party affiliation, only a Washington outsider who is not a career politician can capture the imagination of the average American voter and inspire them to self-greatness through good old fashioned self-governance.
Only someone truly different can make a real difference - seems to be the bottom line here.
And that my friends, is what people like about former two-term, then back to the real world, plain spoken Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. I mean aside from the fact the he is a professionally trained orator capable of completing a sentence using only his own thoughts and no old cue cards from any political party campaign guru.
Yes, he's a Republican. But so is every other American who still likes America today. You have to hate America and all its founding principles to be a Democrat, so of course he's a Republican, like most, by default.
But he is no RNC/GOP golden boy, beholden to party powers and that's why the RNC is more afraid of him than the DNC, who hopes to pass a bill making it illegal for Law and Order employees to run for political office as soon as possible. The last thing Democrats want to see is a TV debate between prosecutor Fred and Mrs. Bill Clinton, or worse yet, the freshman kid from Illinois with no resume at all.
Fred Thompson is still trying to find a nice way out of running for the most thankless under-paid job in America. His problem is, when stacked along side of the other few dozen presidential wannabes seeking their turn at the political brass ring, he begins to look like the only presidential figure in the lot real fast. He's the only one smart enough to not really want the job!
But the nation can't stand to endure another fraudulent presidential white noise debate where all the questions are limited to the answers some speech writer prepared ahead of time. We are the Reality TV, I'll Google it myself generation. We need to see real people taking real questions and giving real answers without any concern for political correctness, to be inspired today.
For heavens sake, half the nation gets their news from comedians like Bill Maher and Jon Stewart just because they are the only politically engaged people on TV willing to say whatever they really think. Fairly balanced FOX is first, then the comedians. Only those in serious need of a power nap, tune into the MSM white noise channels today.
Fred Thompson stands out in the crowd like a real live candidate with a mind of his own, even when trying not to slip up and accidentally agree to run for president. And as long as he retains his traditional irreverence for Washington nonsense, he will continue to be popular among voters who can very much relate to that uncommonly outspoken irreverence.
And that's why folks all over this nation are sitting on their wallets waiting to see if Fred will answer the people's call before committing a penny to the '08 political circus already center stage and raging out of control, a year before the primaries are even supposed to begin.
Mrs. Bill Clinton was supposed to be a lock for the DNC nomination. Then all of a sudden, this kid from Illinois with no experience at anything worth noting comes along and matches her allegedly unmatchable fund raising prowess and all bets are off.
The people's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani was the clear favorite to take the RNC nomination as thanks for his leadership in New York after 9/11. Then out of nowhere, conservatives started thinking out loud, "Hey, what if we run a conservative Republican for a change? What about Fred Thompson?" and the Mayor has been in a tailspin ever since.
Republican talk show hosts and RNC leaders alike, who spent much of the first quarter pimping their favorite liberal Republican buddies, are now shaking off the shock that listeners aren't following and they are starting to look for ways to claim Fred was all their idea from the start. If Fred keeps climbing in the polls without even entering the race, he might sit it out until he's in the lead before even announcing he's in the race. Why wouldn't he?
Both sides of the aisle are trying to figure out a way to derail the campaign that seems to have a full head of steam, despite the fact that the campaign doesn't even really exist. It's like watching Abbott and Costello goes to Washington. No matter how it turns out, it sure is entertaining reality TV.
The experts say that Fred is too late already, a year before the primaries, if you can imagine. He can't catch up with those already out in front on the campaign fund raising trail. Are they not paying any attention at all to what is happening here?
The current fund raising leaders are Clinton, Obama and Romney, all at about $25 million each for the first quarter. How many true conservatives would it take to put $25 million into Fred's campaign in very average Republican $200 contributions?
It's easier than they think. 125,000 conservatives can catch Fred up at $200 a man in short order and I think many are sitting on their wallets waiting to do just that. The RNC thinks so too, since their fund raising is notably off the mark. Only time will tell though... Stay tuned.
I like Fred and if he agrees to run and will agree to not share a penny given to him for that purpose with any other political entity, I'm sure he'll have no trouble out-raising every other contender, even if he waits another three or six months to formally enter the race. Keep in mind - while the others are already raising funds, they are also spending funds, mostly to compete against a man who has not even agreed to enter the race yet... Ain't that a hoot?
Fred can raise the money. But more importantly, he seems able to inspire voters who are desperate for an inspired candidate unlike all the others. He might also get people to the polls that have not been to the polls in a very long time. And that's why Fred alone is inspiring the imagination without even being in the race.
Now that's a real "peoples" candidate.... And this is about to get really interesting.
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