Home
In this issue
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 30, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: Secret to Immortality
Caroline B. Glick Silencing dissent in America
Oct. 29, 2009
Lini S. Kadaba: Do tactics avert flu or reduce humanity?
JWisdom.com We Must Revamp our Religious Vocabulary With Gavriel Aryeh Sanders ( 10 minutes)
Oct. 28, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Atheists in Bubbleland
JWisdom.com Why what we wear impacts who we are With Rabbis Mordechai Becher, Menachem Golberger and Aliza Bulow ( 10 minutes)
Oct. 27, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The United Nations Is Outraged Again, Or: Department of Mideast Static
JWisdom.com The Science of Love With Rabbi Jonathan Rietti ( 7 minutes)
Oct. 26, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Damaging disclosures with a twist
JWisdom.com Wisdom and Wonks With Rabbi Eytan Feiner ( 7 minutes)
Oct. 23, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: Are you ready for the ultimate pleasure?
JWisdom.com Watermark and oneness with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 4 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick Stop using limited powers in a way that expands our enemies' advantages over us
Oct. 22, 2009
Steven Emerson: Terror Cases Share Desire to Kill Americans
JWisdom.com No More More Family Fights --- Really? By Sarah Chana Radcliffe ( 5 minutes)
Oct. 21, 2009
Tonya Alanez: Holocaust denier sues survivor, calling Auschwitz memoir 'vicious lies'
JWisdom.com Meditating Jewishly: A Panacea for Success by Sarah Yoheved Rigler ( 7 minutes)
Oct. 20, 2009
Dennis Prager: Obama and Dalai Lama: Why Israel Worries about U.S. President
JWisdom.com Abraham was not religious By Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer ( 6 minutes)
Oct. 19, 2009
JWisdom.comWhy Good People Do Bad Things By Rabbi Eytan Feiner ( 7 minutes)
Oct. 16, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Perfect Number
JWisdom.com Hearing Voices By Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 5 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick How Turkey was lost
Oct. 15, 2009
Jeff Jacoby: Peace vs. the 'peace process'
JWisdom.com: Former MTV producer and stand-up comedian Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff: Taming a Control Freak (A VERY fast 15 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review April 26, 2007 / 8 Iyar, 5767

Fred Thompson as GOP Obama?

By Alicia Colon

Printer Friendly Version
Email this article

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Are the Republicans being as silly about Fred Dalton Thompson as the Democrats are about Barack Obama? According to some headlines, the GOP is salivating about the idea of having Sen. Thompson jump in the race because none of the other candidates seem to be igniting the entire party. Yet it is the height of madness for the Democrats to think that Obama has any chance with his left of center record and inexperience to capture the presidency. Given Thompson's own lack of administrative experience, are the Republicans being just as unrealistic? I don't think so.


My family has always voted Democrat and I recently polled the New Yorkers here who voted for Sen. Clinton to inquire what they thought about the upcoming presidential election and their answers were rather surprising. None of them found Hillary Clinton appealing because, as one relative told me, "she hasn't done very much for us as senator." As for Obama, they felt he sounded all right, said the right things but they admitted they knew little about him. Juanita, my sister who lives in Dobbs Ferry, said she might vote for McCain. Rose in Queens, however, says it's too early, but she also concurred that Obama had little chance of winning a national election. She thinks America isn't ready for a black president. I happen to disagree but Obama is not the one and his recent photo op taken with Al Sharpton is just one of the reasons.


My family out west in California was similarly uninspired by any of the Dem frontrunners and I strongly suspect they are tempted to sit this one out. I don't blame them because the Democratic Party seems to have lost its collective mind. Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Kucinich? Is that the very best it can do? Are there no Zell Millers or Joe Liebermans left? Now the latest rumors have Al Gore assembling a campaign team in secret and if this isn't a sign of desperation, I don't know what is.


The Republicans have a much stronger field of candidates- any one of whom is suitable for the job and likely to carry on with the war in Iraq until the job is done. This should be the most important issue with Americans. Never in recent history has there been more of a division between the two party platforms.


The Democrat leaders including all the current presidential candidates are for an Iraq pullout before total victory is secured. Majority leader Harry Reid said last week the war is lost. The Democrats tried to stop the tax cuts which have fueled the economic boom and are now trying to cap them; they've tried to repeal the Patriotic Act which has helped prevent numerous terrorist acts here; they are for gay marriage and gun control; they support funding for embryonic stem cell research and are pro choice when it comes to abortion on demand. They have halted all efforts to reform social security even though they admit the system will be unable to handle the upcoming influx of baby boomers.


The Republicans with a few exceptions are for none of the above. While the mainstream press is deliberately trying to depict the party as one that is in disarray, Republicans actually have an abundance of candidates preferable to any potential Democrat nominee which now brings us to Sen. Thompson.


In my column, "Giuliani Can Win," I had noted that many conservatives were now willing to vote for the former New York City mayor because they viewed him as the only candidate who could beat Hillary Clinton. They would do so in spite of his position on abortion. But two things have occurred that explain why Giuliani's poll numbers are dropping- the possibility that a viable conservative with name recognition, Fred Thompson, might enter the race and Giuliani's statement that he's for government funding of abortion.


Like many journalists I have been waiting for the opportunity to interview Thompson but I certainly do not begrudge him biding his time. Some critics say that he does not have the fire in the belly because he doesn't like to campaign. I view that as evidence of a high intelligence. As for his announcement that he has non Hodgkin's lymphoma, this only makes his choice of vice president of extreme importance but is not a hindrance to a presidency.


Republicans have done well with former actors and many conservatives are ready-check in hand-to support Fred Dalton Thompson, a man whose voting record as Senator has been consistently conservative. Pursuing Thompson is definitely not silly.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

Alicia Colon is a columnist for the New York Sun. Comment by clicking here.

© 2007, Alicia Colon

Insight (Our Columnists)

 Arnold Ahlert
 Mitch Albom
 Michael Barone
  Dave Barry
 Tony Blankley
 Andy Borowitz
 David Broder
 Stratfor Briefing
 Mona Charen
 Linda Chavez
 Ann Coulter
 Greg Crosby
 Larry Elder
 Suzanne Fields
 John Fund
 Frank J. Gaffney
 Lloyd Garver
 Jonah Goldberg
 Julia Gorin
 Jonathan Gurwitz
 Paul Greenberg
 Lewis Grossberger
 Victor Davis Hanson
 Betsy Hart
 Nat Hentoff
 David Horowitz
 Laura Ingraham
 Cheri Jacobus
Jeff Jacoby
 Paul Johnson
 Jack Kelly
 Ed Koch
 Ch. Krauthammer
 Michael Ledeen
 John Leo
 David Limbaugh
 Kathryn Lopez
 Rich Lowry
 Michelle Malkin
 Jackie Mason
 Dick Morris
 Bill O'Reilly
 Jim Mullen
 Clarence Page
 Kathleen Parker
 Dennis Prager
 Wesley Pruden
 Tom Purcell
 Jonathan Rauch
 Celia Rivenbark
 Robert Robb
 Cokie & Steve Roberts
 Pat Sajak
 Debra J. Saunders
 Culture Shlock
 Roger Simon
 Michael Smerconish
 Thomas Sowell
 Mark Steyn
 John Stossel
 Cal Thomas
 Bob Tyrrell
 Diana West
 Dave Weinbaum
 George Will
 Walter Williams
 Byron York
 Mort Zuckerman

'Toons
 Robert Arial
 Chuck Asay
 Baloo
 Chip Bok
 Dry Bones
  Lisa Benson
 John Branch
 Gary Brookins
 John Cole
 J. D. Crowe
 John Deering
 Brian Duffy
 Everything's Relative
 Mallard Fillmore
 Jake Fuller
 Bob Gorrel
 Joe Heller
 David Hitch
 Jerry Holber
 Steve Kelley
 Jeff Koterba
 Dick Locher
 Chan Lowe
 Ranan R. Lurie
 Jimmy Margulies
 Rick McKee
 Michael Ramirez
 Kevin Siers
 Jeff Stahler
 Ed Stein
 Danna Summers
 John Trever
 Gary Varvel
 Kirk Walters

Lifestyles
 How 2
 Lori Borgman
 The Savvy Consumer
 Elder matters
 Fixit
 Dr. Peter Gott
 GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
 Richard Lederer
 Tech Maven
 Every Monday Matters
 Nutrition Myths
 Bookmark These
 Bruce Williams
 How Stuff Works