Stephen Bainbridge blogs about business, law, wine, politics and other interesting things, and today he explains why he's happy that Fred Thompson is running for president:
- The last President I really liked also was a former actor
- Lifetime 86 rating from the American Conservative Union - solid but not rigidly conservative.
- Lifetime 5 rating from Americans for Democratic Action, so he'll really annoy the far left.
- Unlike say Hillary or Romney, he hasn't been planning to run for President ever since s/he got elected President of the 9th Grade class and the senior football players ran his/her underwear up the flagpole, as illustrated by his famous comment that "After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood."
- "With iris traditional Southern values, his common-sense reform goals, and his folksy demeanor, "Ol' Fred," as the senator sometimes refers to himself, puts a populist face on a party struggling with an elitist image. Factor in Thompson's media savvy, and you have the makings of a political icon. You have, in fact, the makings of another Ronald Reagan." (Link)
- Unlike Romney or Edwards, he doesn't look like a combination of a ken Doll and a local TV weatherman. "Americans are easily starstruck, and Thompson, frankly, looks the part of a president." (link)
- He bugs James Dobson, who bugs me.
- There's the Kung Fu case for him.
- He's got a great voice, which will be perfect for things like the SOTU.
- He smokes cigars.
Bainbridge also shares with his readers the YouTube of one of Thompson's 1994 Senate race TV ads. I lived in Tennessee during both of Thompson's Senate runs. He had fantastic ads.
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