Posted under Election 2008
Tommy Thompson is no friend to hard-working Americans. He (like McCain, Giuliani and Obama) supports the third-world invasion of the U.S. He supports a path to citizenship for illegals (aka amnesty) and would probably support increases in legal immigration from the third world, thus driving down American wages.
Tommy Thompson is hitching his candidacy to the idea of school vouchers, which some movement conservatives take as a panacea for all the ills with public education. This, I believe, is a very short-sighted view, as the problem runs much deeper. First, the real problem is universal education. The more people there are who go to school, the lower the standards become. End universal education. Second, most headmasters at prestigious private schools do not want school vouchers. Why? They know that once they take federal money they will forever be regulated, and the last thing they want is some School-of-Education dolt telling them how to teach children. (Private schools generally hire teachers with traditional degrees, not degrees in “Education”.)
Patroon on 10 Apr 2007 at 6:17 pm #
School vouchers is soooo 90s conservatism. If Thompson thinks he can win the GOP nomination on vouchers be my guest. I guess he needs something to run on.
Of course, besides education, the poor need also need transportation to get to jobs, why not give them vouchers to purchase cars? Or vouchers for health care at private hospitals rather than the emergency room at old county hospital? Or vouchers to get laptops? or vouchers for flat screen TVs?
Vouchers are conservatives’ answer to the welfare state. More welfare. I’m suprised George McGovern never came up with an idea to integrate ritsy private schools like Groton or Choate by giving vouchers to poor kids to attend them. If teacher’s unions were more balanced in their camapign spending, most GOP politicans would not be in favor giving handouts to poor people.
Most people in Wisconsin pretty much smirk when talking about Thompson’s presidential hopes and I doubt if Wisconsin GOP politicans are going to be supporting him as a bloc. It almost seems he’s like a yesterday’s candidate. He almost ran for President in 1996 and 2000 when he was in his prime but now he seems so dated like the vouchers he supports.
Vouchers is just one of the many contradictions to the man. He known for welfare reform in Wisconsin which he should be given credit for, but yet he supports welfare when it comes to school vouchers. He was known as Dr. No back when he was Assembly Minority Leader against the big spending and taxing Dems and yet when governor he spend hand over fist for new road projects and had the state pick up 2/3rds of all school spending (the state is covered in new school buildings or remodeled buildings). He’s against abortion but all for unfettered stem cell research. Luckily for him he was off to Washington D.C to be HHS Secretary by the time the bill came due for all his contradictions and his poor Lieutenant Governor Scott McCallum got stuck with the tab during the 2000-2002 recession and the GOP lost control of state government.
Thompson represents an older, Main St. Republicanism. Ideology means nothing to him. He does not think about his policies in the way intellectuals do, its whatever works for him, a career politican. Which means he’ll turn on a dime on an issue like immigration if he thought he had to get himself elected even though he probably supports having business having access to cheap labor. If there’s one constant to his policies, it making sure his campaign contributors are taken care of, which in this case its the Chamber of Commerce, but again that’s the kind of Republican he is. He is folksy and a good communicator, especially with middle class voters. He has a good ear for what what voters want and responds. But again, in today’s political climate, Thompson is a dated candidate.
levotb on 11 Apr 2007 at 5:51 am #
It is my opinion that a RINO (The Thompsons, McCain, Giuliani and Romney) will never win–unless Hillary or the Obamanation have “a meltdown” of some sort. The conservatives that are still left in the GOP (many have left as I did in ’96) may think we’ll all return to the fold and hold our noses for Giuliani or Romney, but they should “think again”. Some of us are disappointed that Tancredo stayed in the GOP, a party whose leaders hate him and will never support him. Why stay in a party that doesn’t support you? It’s insane. Hunter is FINALLY starting to criticize Bush on the Invasion (his “border fence” looks like it will take 100 years to finish figures Glenn Spencer), but not to strongly. Tancredo is no RINO, and neither is Ron Paul, but we’re not completely sold on Hunter. He seems like one of the GOP “good old boys”, holding to the old rule of “never say anything bad about your GOP friends”. There has been some apparent “excitement” oever Fred Thompson’s possible run, but conservatives haven’t necessaril seen his voting record, which is a D- on illegal immigration. After reading his interview with Chris Wallace where Wallace asked him pointedly about the Invasion and what to do about the millions of illegals here. Thompson says he’s more concerned “about the 20 million or so who will follow the 20 million already here (It is llikely closer to or past 30 million).
Until the GOP changes its ways, discards its Globalist CFR/NAU member-leaders and gets behind only populist true conservatives to run the Party, it will follow Bush like the Titanic–sinking fast by the stern.
Karla on 11 Apr 2007 at 11:54 am #
Yes and what about privacy…Isn’t he the one that is so sold on RFID chips that he went and let them place a chip in his right hand or forearm? Tommy is nothing but a BIG BROTHER advocate. Ron Paul is still my candidate.
Bobby on 11 Apr 2007 at 4:34 pm #
I like Dr. Paul as a candidate, but I believe that he is simply over the head of Joe/Jane Sixpack. He understands the Constitution probably better than anyone in politics, but all of this won’t translate into getting the message out to your average American that the elites are intent on destroying this country, for the sake of making a few more dollars on Wall Street.
Congressman Tancredo has been in the trenches on illegal immigration and massive legal immigration for a long time. He understands this issue and its consequences to Americans like no one else. Of course, the insane liberal Democrats who have now abandoned the working class, and the environment, will paint him as a racist and one issue candidate. But illegal immigration and massive legal immigration(two million a year, how insane is that) affect every single issue. The environment, jobs, schools, social benefits–everything. The Rino Republicans, the President, and all of the Democrats are intent on the utter ruin of our country.
Send a few bucks a week to Team Tancredo.org so the congressman can force a debate of this issue. Otherwise,there won’t be one and the massive lawbreaking and corruptiion involving this issue will continue. You would think Americans getting their identities stolen would at least awaken them!
Tommy Thompson on Immigration & School Vouchers » Candidate Positions on 24 May 2007 at 8:44 pm #
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