Posted by
Wes Fowler on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 2:19:55 PM
Everyone is on pins and needles waiting for Fred to announce. Supposedly, all of the candidates who have no chance of winning (Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, Hunter, Paul, etc.) will finally throw in the towel. We will be left with watching Fred mop up the floor with "moderate" (ahem liberal) Rudy McRomney. People keep telling me that Fred is Reagan reincarnated. I have to admit, I don't know much about him except that he is a Republican and an actor. I also know he was a Senator from Tennessee. What I don't know is a lot of his views. I am told by friends "But he's an actor! Just like Reagan!!! He's a Republican! Just like Reagan!!" The IMAO website has a lot of
good things to say about Fred (Did you know he drinks coffee without cream, sugar, or water??)
What isn't sitting well with me is that Fred hasn't announced and seems to be revelling in the media attention, not surprising for an actor. I have heard he
WILL announce on the 4th of July. I think that'd be fantastic and a great setup to a successful campaign. I have also heard that he
WILL NOT announce on July 4th. I really wish he would decide. The deadline for petitions in many primaries is coming soon. (In Illinois , the deadline is the end of October.)
There's more at stake here than just satisfying the curiosity of the masses, though. Fred is displaying what I call Jim Edgar syndrome.
In Illinois, we had a former governor who
hemmed and hawed over running for governor again in 2006. He basked in all of the attention by the media and the IL GOP, only in the end to decide against running. This really crippled the IL GOP's chances at winning the governor's race. It left us scrambling for a favorite and front runner. We lost a lot of momentum for the campaign and a lot of time needed to rally behind a front runner and raise money. Our party looked disheviled and unorganized. In the end, it cost us the election.
If many GOPans nationwide hold out for Fred, and he decides not to run, they and the GOP leadership will be scrambling for a new star. Let's face it, Hillary/Obama will be tough to beat in a nation riddled with liberal guilt. The current crop opf candidates isn't too exciting. There is still time, though. Maybe the candidacy needs to be offered to
someone who the people can get excited about. I think it's time for a
Presidential draft. We may not like who the GOP has offerred to us. Why not let us tell the GOP who we want through a draft? It worked for Ike.