Fred Thompson
"John McCain has obvious age issues; his charisma is flagging, he has obviously pandered and flip-flopped on several key issues, and in the process he has alienated both conservatives and Democrats from his cause.
Mitt Romney is the most transparent pandered in the current political scene. This man had the gall to call John Kerry a flip-flopper. Couple that with his Mormonism and tons of stock footage of him loudly trumpeting views he now runs against and it's very easy to see how a competent Democratic campaign would put him away.
Rudy Giuliani is more of a wild card. He could well be the Republicans' strongest candidate; or he could be their worst. How will he play south of the Mason-Dixon line, especially against a candidate like Edwards or Obama? He could well make inroads into New York and, more plausibly, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But will they be offset by losses in areas less friendly to a socially liberal, thrice-married New Yorker? Will the hard-core pro-lifers ditch him for a third party candidacy that siphons off 5-6% of the vote? And how will Rudy's combustible personality play over the course of a year-long campaign?
Fred Thompson has none of these weaknesses. He's a much more traditional Republican candidate. But he's popular with the Republican base AND has proven electoral appeal with swing voters and independents. He's friendly with the Bush administration but isn't strongly associated with them, meaning their failures rub off less on him than on the others. Though he's a consummate insider, his time spent as an actor and his years away from the Senate may allow him to pass off as an "outsider." He also has a gravelly, statesman-like charisma to him that will play well with Southerners and a lot of older, more conservative swing voters.
A recent interview with Fox News, now up on YouTube, illustrates his strengths. We may laugh him off as a crusty, old fart. But if you think objectively, he's a much more logical and plausible GOP nominee than any currently running.
Laugh his candidacy off at your own peril. Unlike Bush or many of the right's other "stars" like George Allen, he's no lightweight. (And remember, plenty of us laughed at "W" early on, too; let's not forget how that turned out). Yes, Fred Thompson is a down-the-line Republican. Yes, he favors maintaining our commitment in Iraq. But he's very intelligent, a strong speaker and an excellent debater. He's generally well-respected by members of both parties in Washington and though he has been a loyal soldier for the Bush administration, he is not known to be ultra-partisan or a crony. In fact, he first rose to fame as one of the chief investigators on the Watergate counsel.
Moreover, he would have several strengths against any of our top three candidates. He comes off to most as more likable than Hillary Clinton. Unlike McCain, Giuliani or Romney, he'll certainly out-Southern John Edwards. And he'll score well on the gravitas score against either Edwards or Obama (less so for the latter).
A Thompson-led ticket could very easily solidify the warring GOP base and wrap up the entire South save a competitive-but-Republican-leaning Florida. Pair him with Tim Pawlenty, the Republican governor of Minnesota as his running mate, and he would be in a very strong general election position.
My guess is that Obama would be the strongest opponent for Thompson. But Thompson could conceivably beat Obama at the debates and could also appear more authoritative than Obama, something that will earn him points among many suburban swing voters and many seniors. Though Obama would likely win big among younger voters, the "age gap" could tip the scales towards Thompson.
I'm not writing off our chances against Thompson; I still think that, given the political climate, we'd be slight favorites. But we'd certainly have to fight hard for it. And though I like our chances against any of the current Republican top three, I'm nowhere near as certain about those chances against Thompson.
Let's hope he doesn't run, or that if he does, all the top money and
operatives have already been snatched up and he gains no more traction
than, say, Mike Huckabee."
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I rarely post photos from my photojournalistic photographic endeavors,
but Fred just announced that he's running for US President. I was
asked to shoot at this fundraiser dinner a while back, and I had an
album printed from the shots.
Thanks for looking!
www.taylorchristianjones.com
Comments and faves
Mojo Denbow added this photo to his favorites. (58 months ago)
Mojo Denbow (58 months ago | reply)
Great portrait! I didn't realize you were at the Flickr booth this past weekend until John mentioned it. I missed an opportunity to meet a great photog.
Dallas Photographer David Kozlowski (58 months ago | reply)
I'm with Fred.
taylorchristianjones (58 months ago | reply)
Yea I stopped by for a second- on my way to a shoot actually.
I think Fred's a good guy- we'll see what happens.
Justin Hard (58 months ago | reply)
def voting for him, great shot.
bayswater97 (57 months ago | reply)
Just what America needs...another over-the-hill B-List actor with his wrinkled finger on the nuclear button.
taylorchristianjones (57 months ago | reply)
Coming from someone like you, who doesn't even take pictures (to my knowledge), that doesn't bother me. I'm fairly sure you aren't even of age to vote.
justplainscott (57 months ago | reply)
I don't usually spout off on political stuff 'cause I have no qualms about admitting how little of the machine I understand. I teach English at a local university and lean a bit to the left honestly. On the other hand I actually watch Law and Order and I really think this guy has what it takes to win. I just hope he's a little more caring of the people who live in our country (and others around the world) than the folks who've held the job in years past.
District_History_Fan [deleted] (57 months ago | reply)
I'm really turned off with the "conservatives" after they squandered their once in a lifetime chance when they held both houses of congress and the white house... Fred, on the other hand, looks very promising. I'm not sure we could weather 4 or 8 years under Klinton... The thought of it makes me sick. GO FRED!!!
Joel Cook (56 months ago | reply)
i know this is probably the dumbest, boldest statement I could possibly make about this upcoming election... but The South Will Rise Again
bayswater97 (56 months ago | reply)
Joel Cook: Yeah, that was kind of dumb...
Joel Cook (56 months ago | reply)
ohh you would just have to know me.... and taylor, keep up the photojournalistic side of your portfolio. Everyone gets caught up in taking commercial-feel photos and forget that we have the power to tell a story or document history with the release of a shutter. It's powerful and important. Photography is becoming a new form of American Literature.
hunter.. (56 months ago | reply)
Gosh, Taylor, you must be thinking for yourself or something. That's not allowed. Artistic types aren't supposed to be for anyone to the right of Dennis Kucinich. ;-)
DD89LL (56 months ago | reply)
Great Capture.
Too bad being President is harder than being a judge on a scripted television show.
ry.fernandez added this photo to their favorites. (54 months ago)
guri2007 (43 months ago | reply)
Tare bahan di
GOP2012 [deleted] (39 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Republican Party Candidates for President in 2012!, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
maruf2009 (38 months ago | reply)
J
sawiransaut added this photo to their favorites. (35 months ago)
John Althouse Cohen (31 months ago | reply)
Now here's an unimpressive individual.