This is the fourth installment of my analysis of Obama's potential Republican foes in the general election. I have previously profiled Jim Gilmore, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.
Thompson was the former Governor of Wisconsin, and his story starts in 2006, when he turned down a chance to run against a Democrat-held open Senate seat in 2006. If he had won that race (and polls showed that he would have had a great chance of doing so,) Republicans would have held onto the Senate. So you can imagine how popular Thompson is with the GOP elite right now. Anyway, now that we've gone over why Thompson has no institutional backing whatsover, let's look at why he has virtually no popular support, either. Basically, he pisses off everyone. And I mean, everyone.
Let's go to the first debate. When asked, "If a priavte employer feels that homosexuality is immoral, should they be allowed to fire a gay worker?" Thompson answered:
"I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be."
While in my opinion this is blatantly un-American and disgusting, this is a reasonable statement to woo right wing voters. Although its a harsher stand than other candidates have taken, I don't see why Thompson felt a need to correct himself asfter the debate. He said he didn't hear the question properly, because his hearing had gone in one ear and the hearing aid in his other ear had a dead battery. He also said,
"I've been very sick. ... I was very sick the day of the debate. I had all of the problems with the flu and bronchitis that you have, including running to the bathroom. I was just hanging on. I could not wait until the debate got off so I could go to the bathroom."
So first, Thompson disses gays. Then, he says that he didn't mean it. Now he's angered both gays, and conservatives, and he looks like a flip-flopper. Then, he gives us wayyy too much information. Although, this is still better than the unbelievable screw up he did a few weeks earlier.
"I'm in the private sector and for the first time in my life I'm earning money," Republican hopeful and former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson said Monday. "You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition."
He then went on to clarify by saying,
"What I was referring to ladies and gentlemen is the accomplishments of the Jewish religion and the Jewish people. You have been outstanding business people and I compliment you for that and if anybody took what I said wrong, I apologize. I may have mischaracterized it. You are very successful. I applaud you for that."
Uh-huh. Although, of course, that isn't what really angers the right wing voters in charge of deciding who gets the nomination. They're more concerned that Thompson is on the board of directors of a company called "Verichip," which manufactures implantable computer chips. It is supposed to store medical information and...who knows what else. They are currently talking to the Pentagon to get a chip implanted into every soldier. They call that a "test," before they take the chip and try to sell it to...everyone.
Sound a bit too much like the "Manchurian Candidate" for you? Waiting for me to say that I'm joking? I wish I was, but I'm deadly serious. And Thompson isn't just on the Board of Directors of this company, he's personally endorsed this idea. Right wingers are freaking out over this, for they see a connection with the chip and the "Mark of the Beast" in the Book of Revalations. Some wingnuts have gone so far as to suggest that Thompson may be the AntiChrist.
All I can say is this: if your policies are so terrible that they make you look like Big Brother to a left wing voter and the AntiChrist to a right wing voter, there's no chance you're getting elected. Which is, if you think about it, something to be grateful for in and of itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment