Ya Gotta Save It

(First published December 2007)

I happened to be listening to “The Neal Boortz Show” on the radio last week (I just don’t remember the exact day) when the host of the program made a point that I had never seriously thought about- and it was profound. In talking about some of the supporters of Republican Presidential candidate Cong. Ron Paul, he said something to the effect that Paul’s worst enemies might just be some of his most ardent supporters.

In many ways, I think Boortz was really on to something. This doesn’t seem to be a new development. In fact, this seems to be a recurring theme- most especially in the world of politics. Go back to national elections in 1964 and 1972- two of the biggest landslide elections in American history. Both Senator Goldwater (in 1964) and Senator McGovern (in 1972) had a lot of explaining to do, on seemingly a regular basis, for statements made or actions taken by some of their stranger supporters- you know, the “movement” types. Since those times, these sorts of people seem to make an appearance on the American scene on a fairly regular schedule.

This isn’t a fact that many people keep up on, but I have honestly felt, for years, that one of the reasons so many people fail to take the Libertarian Party seriously, is that every now and again the public has the opportunity to tune in on one of its periodic conclaves (like the annual Party convention for instance) and the impression made by a good many of the participants can sometimes seem off-putting to say the least. If you think I am calling for some degree of stage-management, then you are right on the money. The LP already has the reputation of being a gathering of geeks (for want of a better word) who rarely leave the safe zone of the space in front of their computer screens. But the spectacle, at gatherings, of a veritable confederacy of strange characters dressed in a sort of come-as-you-are affair does not enhance chances for the success of the enterprise- in either the short or long runs. Just a theory I have.

Nor are the major parties immune from such happenings either. Recall, as recently as 2004, the overall negative impressions made by some of the more exuberant (mostly youthful) supporters of Vermont Gov. Howard Dean- therafter dubbed Deaniacs. It is interesting to note the bad impressions made by a good number of these worthies most of whom never bothered to show for the Iowa caucuses (you know- when it really counted). This combination of these occurrences literally sunk the chances of Dean- who thereafter lapsed toward oblivion.

My point of comparison, in all of this, is that the unsettled nature of the Democratic choice of candidates for President (in 2004) appears to have migrated to the Republican Party in 2007. There seems to be a totally fluid field of candidates with seemingly no one able to seize the high ground for any considerable period of time. In fact, arguably, the most dangerous spot to find yourself in this year seems to be at the top of the heap. Lets  rehash the events of this tumultuous year. It started with Arizona Sen. McCain in the lead (mostly because of name ID), then he fell behind to be replaced by Giuliani. Then people started to focus on Rudy’s record in government, and he slipped back. In November/December, it was the turn of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who soared very far very fast- like a shooting star. But , along with the Huck-a-boom, came the absolutely predictable onset of a new cast of loony characters. I’m sure most of them don’t even speak in his behalf with any authority whatsoever. Yet he seems to be stuck with them, and the upshot appears to be a modern-day renewal of a sort of American political campaign version of the old wars of religion- verbally at least (so far). Wonder if anyone, with any sense, bothers to remember other “values”- like separation of church and state for starters? Seem inane to you? It sure does to me too!

My hope is that when the smoke and fog (finally) clear, Fred Thompson makes it a point to recall some of the lessons of this campaign year. Through all of this seeming craziness, he has maintained a steady, measured effort to call this major political party back to its roots. In a philosophical sense (which ought to be the most important aspect) the Republicans have been wandering in the wilderness for years. What I mean by this is that this party long-ago sold its soul for the false god of political power. That is why the voters kicked them out of Congressional control last fall. This is also why they waste so much time seeking out “the next Reagan”. Its all the political equivilent of looking for the big red “easy” button. Why devote precious time to deep thought when you can, for instance, just hand over your future (and therefore your legacy) to the son of a former President (a failed one at that) of dubious belief just because he has a world-class familiar name?

Fred Thompson will achieve a stunning surprise finish in Iowa ( the exact placement isn’t important) because participants will finally come to understand, as I long have, that he is the only consistent conservative running this year with a ghost of a chance of rallying a party low in morale. He also happens to be the only candidate who has campaigned as an adult- which is my final point.

Very much like Democratic candidate John Kerry in 2004, Fred Thompson will have considerable leverage (suddenly provided by unexpected Iowa success) that he must be prepared to quickly use to the hilt to snowball into further success in New Hampshire. This will not at all be an easy task. First of all, there is only a 5-day interim period between these events which will blast by in a flash. Romney has a huge built-in advantage by virtue of the fact that NH is next-door which, in effect, makes him a “favorite son”. This is a built-in advantage that Kerry had that Fred simply will not have working for him. He must understand that he must advance his placement by one spot in NH (better that Iowa) to continue to be considered credible. If he passes this test its off to the races (south and west). And, oh yes, he needs to post somebody to maintain a watch for the onset of the “Frediacs”.

Believe this; if you build it, they will come.

For The Nonce———-PV

(First published December 2007)

Last week got away before I was able to get to two campaign-type political events that are still worthy of mention. The reason for this is that they both illustrate what can happen when financial mania combines with the desperation of former political frontrunners- meaning their ambition.

The first event just has to be the “religion” speech of former-Mass. Governor Mitt Romney in Dallas, TX this past week. The real reason this speech had to happen was Mitt’s severe late decline in the public opinion polls. The similarity to a somewhat similar speech given by JFK during his Presidential run in 1960 was played up for all it was worth- mostly just to generate a news buzz in the short term. It worked like a charm too, since it dominated talk-radio shows and the Net for days. Now it’s a week later, and it all seems like a storm that passed and few even remember what the fuss was all about. Since we are striving for perspective (if not enlightenment), a few facts need to be highlighted. First, polls only reflect the overall flightiness of opinion- most people haven’t figured out that an election happens next year, yet. Second, Mitt’s speech did not seem to be so much about religion (some news outlets did point out that he only mentioned the word “Mormon” once), than a simply magnificient peroration on our unique nation’s origins as well as the many reasons for its exceptionalism. If I did not know better, I would have been easy to swing into the Romney camp on the seeming strength of this vision he seemed to lay out. But, I do, and I already (therefore) support Thompson- the only real conservative in the running. All this having been said, Mitt cynically used the religion issue as something known in politics as a “straw dog”. He has lost his poll lead in Iowa, and Iowa success means everything to him. This is why he gave THE SPEECH. Incidentally, his ongoing quasi-colloquy about religion (with Mike Huckabee) is not only undignified and inane, its beginning to get very old. Has it occurred to either of them that it is no coincidence that the main forum for all of this silliness is the NY TIMES- as in showing who they think the target audience is. One final point, and I will let THE SPEECH go; only a few months  ago, Mitt told some reporters that his advisers wanted him to give “the religion speech”, but he didn’t feel it was a good idea. Now we’re told that he wrote the speech himself. Think the truth got shaded a little? You be the judge. Probably, a staffer will be found to take the fall. It’s the corporate thing to do. THE SPEECH should more rightly be called THE SHAM- a great latter-day (pun intended) example of how ersatz our politics has become. 

The second event comes right out of the “financial side”. Last week, it seemed virtually everybody wanted to be caught clambering aboard the munificience bandwagon in the cause of helping all of those poor unfortunate putative homeowners caught up in the subprime mortgage mess. I can understand the sympathy factor in play here- most especially in a political year. What you had better understand, however, is that both the monetary (as in the Federal Reserve) and , now, the fiscal sides of government are fully engaged in searching for “solutions” for the supposed-housing crisis. Hillary’s support is to be expected. After all, she is already a statist anyway, plus she (like Romney) is losing her long-held lead in the polls. President Bush, on the other hand, doesn’t even have the excuse of political expediency. Some “adviser” has visited the President with apocolyptic visions of financial collapse; and Bush bought it.

I’ll leave out all of the details few people care about anyway, because they are all beside the basic philisophical point I want to make. This is my point: We badly need to get beyond the spectacle of government economic bailouts in the United States. They are clearly a part of our past- as in the Great Depression or Jimmy Carter’s bailout of Chrysler- and they deserve to be left in the past. Politicians (some of them desperate), from both parties have, since Herbert Hoover lost the election in 1932, seen their fortunes rise and fall with those of the economy- and (like the income tax) it has all been a wonderful historical example of a classic WRONG TURN. Worse what has been a massive ongoing mistake has morphed into a death spiral.

Please let me explain: At any given time, government policies will have very small effect on an economy that is 14 TRILLION dollars big. But, over time,(100 years plus to be exact) the successive accretions of government influence- backed by police power- along with bad habits of overdependence they encourage, have saddled our economy with more and more dead weight to pull. After more than a century of this, the effects are beginning to overload the once-limitless circuits of a once-free enterprise system. That’s why the late 19^th century was considered such a golden age for American business. It was a time, before regulations, when the Founding Fathers of American industry- later denounced as Robber Barrons- built the foundations of an economic and financial powerhouse. As NEWSWEEK columnist George Will has so often said: we have long been living off the seed corn planted (some harvested) during that golden age.

If we want this century to be ours, or even if we simply want to survive, we are all going to have to stipulate, together, that the course of economic affairs in general, and business matters in particular, is not the fault of anything a government official anywhere does or doesn’t do. In Star Trek terms, this must become the new Prime Directive- or we will not survive. The life of the nation has to go on beyond us. It must be there for our children- our ambassadors we send forward to live in a time we will never see.

Once we are done with this basic argument (a process that could take years), we will then have the chance to proceed with our newfound consensus, to clear away the excesses, the waste, the dangerous entitlement attitudes that have grown like kudzu, and the poisonous rhetoric that has been choking our ability to perform economically. Then we will start to address critical issues we have been putting off and, finally, restructure our tax and financial system so we can compete (again) internationally. The wonder of it all is that we have done as well as we do for as long as we have. It’s a testimonial to the remarkably resillient system that was bequeathed to us all. But the time is long gone when we can, any longer, take our future achievement for granted. As Rome proved, you can be the sole superpower and still come apart at the seems. The only question left is how long it will take for the inevitable fall to occur. This can still be our finest hour- if we want it to be. Its still our choice- for now

For The Nonce———-PV

(First published  December 15, 2007)

AN OPEN LETTER TO FRED THOMPSON:

Events in the political world sure do turn on some awfully strange things. After what seems like months waiting for your campaign to catch fire, it looks like the lightning has struck. By turning the tables on an incredibly uppity “schoolmarm” moderator from Iowa Public Television, ( and on the most un-Republican issue of climate change) you have literally pounded a home run into the bleacher stands, captured lightning –in-a-bottle or any other metaphor that you want. After your gutsy refusal to play hand-raising exercises over global warming (while your opponents weakly went along- watch the tape), you might have heard two sounds. The cheer that went up from your front was from onlookers who wondered why it had taken so long for somebody, on that stage, to take back some control in this debate from this dictator (who didn’t seem to share even our political orientation anyway). Fred, this was your “Reagan Microphone Moment” and it was a beaut. Even David Yepsen, of the Des Moines Register, agrees on this. The other sound you might have heard came from behind you. It was that “whoosh” sound of the wind filling your sails as you take off to complete the rest of the Iowa campaign.

In a nutshell, you have this moment to seize and to exploit, and really only twelve days to get the job done before the holidays end the campaign season. The only game that really matters is who the final frontrunner ends up being. Its all in your hands now. This opportunity you have made, is also totally yours. A few things I recommend:

1)      Your follow-on interviews last night were forceful and first-rate. Find a train, name it the RESPONSIBILITY EXPRESS or the TENNESSEE CANNONBALL or some such, and whistlestop across Iowa until the place is worn-out from seeing you.

2)      Make a campaign advertisement that shows that moment in the debate and put it up against the backdrop of the ROCKY song or the theme song from RUDY. Have your staff start doing the prelims to seeing if you can’t adopt John Mellencamp’s song “Your Time is Now”. Its midwestern and the lyrics might be right up your alley.

3)      Make a side-trip to Washington. Meet with the insurgent House Republicans (you know: Flake, Ryan, Sensenbrenner,Hensarling, Campbell and the others who have stood so forthrightly for responsible spending- even against their own President), sign on with their recent tax plan (even if you have to drop your own), and take as many of them back to campaign with you in Iowa as you can.

4)      While in D.C., grab Bill Bennett and take him back to the cornfields to campaign with you too. He might not end up being your choice for VP, but the implication never hurts either.

5)      Seize this moment you have made, go flat out for another twelve days, run only positive commercials between Christmas And New Years (while your opponents continue to flail uselessly- again-at each other). You seem to be the only adult in the race- a message that has finally hit home. Use the wind in your sails to ride this tide in for a landing. GET BUSY. This will not recur. The timing couldn’t be more ideal. It really is your time. Good for you. CONGRATULATIONS! 

THE COUNTRY NEEDS YOU

GOOD LUCK!

For The Nonce———PV

(First published on December 10, 2007)

I don’t know about you, but over the interminally many months (or is it years) this Presidential campaign has been going on, I have developed an almost sure-fire dead-on method to winnow out the winners from the losers- on both  sides. I’ll pass over the Democrats quickly since I’m not a Democrat. Whoever tries the hardest to ape the supposed mannerisms (but not the policies since this would be impossible) of JFK is quickly eliminated. Over the years this list has become a long one and has included such worthies as: Senator Gary Hart (he had a bad case), Presidents Carter and Clinton. This  also means that’s all she wrote for former N.C. Senator John Edwards- the most Kennedy-esque of their campaign. So much for them- for now

As to the Republicans, whoever invokes the name of Ronald Reagan the most ( and a meter would not be able to keep up with the extent of this in the so-called debates they’ve held), is also eliminated from consideration. This would be a toughie but this standard would appear to have already knocked out McCain, Romney, Hunter, Tancredo, and Giuliani- just for starters. Now it doesn’t eliminate somebody who has been compared to RR by the media- after all what would they know?

Look folks, Ronald Reagan was one-of-a-kind. He was a unique man of his times who coped with problems in ways not common to the troubles we see ourselves in today. His most amazing achievement, in fact, might have been going from Democrat to Republican- alone a lifetime worth of accomplishment. More to the point, those times are over now. He has gone to his much-deserved final rest and it is our mission to move on. It is interesting to me that when commentators weigh in on RR’s Presidency, they usually focus on the Cold War victory (a valid point) and thereafter his rhetoric. Whatever the angle they look from,they tend to be much more charitable towards Reagan than they ever were when he was in office. I suspect they never really “got it” since his agenda was never their’s in any case. When people look back on RR’s two terms, they tend to remember his only memorable error to have been Iran-contra.

My own memory was somewhat different because it is filtered through a libertarian lens. Reagan was one of two public figures in my time (the other was Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan) that never made it into public office in his prime- roughly the decade of the sixties in both cases. Reagan always had a powerful presence on front of a camera and his greatest moment was his ringing endorsement speech for 1964 Republican nominee Sen Barry Goldwater. It was called “A Time For Choosing” and, even after Goldwater lost the election, RR was considered by many to be a shoo-in for the 68 Republican nomination. This must have scared the powers-that-be in D.C. half to death. They got Reagan elected Governor of California (twice) to put the old delay on his coming to Washington for as long as they possibly could. Watergate and Jimmy Carter did the rest of the work. When Reagan finally made it to the White House in 1981, he was way past his prime, had neither of the houses of Congress, and the broad outlines of a sharply divided electorate( 50/50) that persists to this day were well in place. Nearly fifteen more years of a quasi-welfare state under two putatively conservative Republicans, and a far-out liberal Democrat had advanced the body politic well down a road of decline to the point where hardly anybody has any idea what the Republic has lost (since its Founding I mean). Reagan had, in the meantime, mellowed out considerably , and had some certainly disturbing compromising tendencies that he had developed as the CA Governor. This, plus the fact (one that BushII has encountered) that the bureaucracies in D.C. remained staffed with folks whose primary loyalty was to their jobs with open lines (at all times) to the GLOBE, the NY TIMES, and the WASHINGTON POST, resulted in a pretty fairly neutered 2-term Presidency. RR got primacy in foreign policy; the Democrats got the rest. This was a compromise that you never heard about. This is also why we got the combination of political weakness plus the incredible expenditures to win the Cold War while throwing budget money at the opposition to placate them (while RR’s buddies built a massively expensive warfare state at the same time). The upshot was that the country got caught in the middle between the two warring, intractable tribes (who would not be denied their shot at the public trough) and public debt exploded.

Ronald Reagan does seem also to have a standard that has also been used in judging another controversial President- Lincoln. Folks, mostly in University history departments, tend to watch what he said, not what he did. For instance, while Reagan stood around smiling, nodding and waving (for whoever happened to be watching), behind the scenes his political allies on the right were brutally executing their agendas on their suddenly-weak political enemies: unions, gays, opposition regimes, foreign dissidents and anybody else they had been waiting to settle scores with. This pattern is much more traditional that you know. Lincoln, you may recall, did much the same in his time. Under the cover of a war over secession ( that he had largely started), he exploited the missing Democratic opposition to get a long-sought-for internal improvements agenda enacted. Then he unleashed his blue-uniformed minions on the population like a pack of dogs to both propagandize for Unionism and viciously trample over the rights of anyone who got in his way. Today’s big government traces its origins back to the excesses of the Lincoln administration. Then his allies in the scholarly world built, into the core curriculum, the scrubbed-up version (complete with obligatory hero worship) of that time of crisis into the brand new nationalized school systems so they could pander their false versions of these ruthless war criminals’ tenure in power for veritably generations of young minds to come right down to today. This is why we revere Lincoln- and why we will likely do the same with Reagan. Roosevelt falls into this category as well.

The lesson can be concealed (for a time) but it cannot forever be hidden. The truth is that both sides lost the Cold War. Obviously, the Soviets lost- the absolute standard. We won that conflict by literally spending (on armaments) them into oblivion. Their country literally fell apart, and is only now beginning to get to its feet- with a little help from oil prices and a brand new Czar to boot. The USA lost because of what we had to do to win. Our two nations, so much at loggerheads for so long, became very much alike internally but especially in regards to our policies overseas. We approved, and sometimes executed, programs and vicious schemes that eventually came back home for use against our own people. Only a small amount of how-we-won-the-war (Cold War style) is known to the public. Its not likely to ever be known. Too many reputations and legacies are simply on the line for the truth to ever emerge in our lifetimes. Its just another segment of something precious that has been lost to us- unbeknownst to virtually all. But you cannot conceal numbers (though budget flim-flam is high art in D.C.). The winning of the Cold War plus all our add-on expenditures since then (the terror war among so many others) has likely put us in bankruptcy. No government official would ever say those words because our economy functions almost entirely on confidence now. Wallowing in an incredibly mis-managed, depreciated currency, they hide in their offices- fudging the real budget numbers, debt figures, various reports on virtually everything- and only pray that the day of reckoning (everyone knows is coming) doesn’t happen on their watch.

The answers we seek will not be found in some new program. In fact, it won’t come from the government at all. Salvation ( even survival) must come from a new generation of Founding Fathers, sons of liberty etc., who figure out what is really going on, rise from within us and then take us back to our very national foundations so we can  find the answers together. Our nation will return to the basics, question all the premises, weigh what we have jointly discovered about ourselves and our history; then totally sell out to a vision of what would be best for the country. It might be conservative- maybe something more. And this will happen in our lifetimes. Because America is still great enough to face the truth- and act on it.

WE CAN DO THIS!                      

For The Nonce———PV

(First published December 7, 2007)Do you remember that spooky series from the 80s (I think) called “Tales From The Darkside”? Like so many other shows of the time, it is, of course, now in syndication- so it is never totally lost which is a good thing. In the introduction to each episode, a funereal voice intoned darkly about how there is another world (to paraphrase) which is just as real but not so brightly lit- A DARKSIDE. It has been my experience that, in the real world (where most of us live), there is indeed a darkside- only I call it THE FINANCIAL SIDE. Its just as scary, not very well known or understood either. It has evolved over the years to become my purpose to show you how you too can master this side. Its that important. I’ve also found that showing people the way to success in the world of money- a calling that has become my passion- can lead right on to success in other areas of living as well.

Another blog I have read for a number of years is called POORANDSTUPID.COM. The writer has always maintained that there exists a powerful elite in America whose purpose is to arrange affairs (most especially information) so that you stay poor and stupid to the end. While I would generally agree, I would probably use the word “ignorant” or more accurately simply uninformed. For instance: what did you learn about managing money in school? I’ll bet little to nothing. Think that’s an accident? I don’t. I have known people who were finance and accounting majors in college who also knew next to nothing about how money really works. Now, I’m sure you already know that people seem to be completely dumbed down by what passes for an education system. What you may not know is that the original design of what we now call public schools (circa the late 19th century) was to turn out, like on an assembly line, regimented, conditioned drones for the up-and-coming industrial state then in its formative stages. The truth is that the minimal amount of “schooling “you received should have motivated you in the direction of a process of lifelong learning. All it was ever realistic to expect, considering all its inherent limitations, was to get up on a launching pad. Learning never really ends. When we cease to learn, we cease to grow- and therefore exist. If you are reading this, you have exercised a degree of personal initiative that the system never expected you to have. Good for you!
Now, I’ll get to my point. If you weren’t watching closely, you would have missed three recent incidents that illustrate this darkside I am speaking about. I outline them next:

1) Lately, there has been a minor dust-up in the media over the subject of investments in the USA on the part of so-called country or “soverign” funds. Seems some of the more wealthy or possibly better-managed countries- Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Britain- are employing massive pools of investable funds buying stock in a number of American companies. None of this is illegal. But I have seen a number of alarmist-type articles in FORBES, BUSINESS WEEK, even in THE NEW YORKER of all places. The total amounts only seem to number in the multi-billions (so far). The overall undertone of the reportage has been suggestive of sinister motives on the part of these investing countries. My personal take on it, is that its mostly a case of sour grapes- and it probably originates in the federal government. (Always a hotbed of envy anyway). The truth you won’t hear, is that these funds come to the USA open and aboveboard from foreign countries who do a much better job than us at managing the tax money their citizens entrust to them. Rather than resisting the entry of this foreign capital, we ought to welcome it. Since these nations find a way (obviously) to run a capital surplus (ie. They don’t run fiscal deficits like a certain superpower we could all mention), we might want to take notes. Or better yet, maybe even join them. That would be novel. Since capital goes where it must in the world seeking its highest returm, we ought to be flattered. You probably won’t see much more coverage of the soverign fund issue in the future- it could quite possibly cause ordinary folks to start asking tricky questions: like why can’t we run a surplus and start investing internationally like that?

2) Another recent darkside event made a surprise appearance courtesy of (of all places again) the Clinton campaign. In an October (I’m late on this) stumping appearance, Sen. Hillary Clinton D-NY and Presidential candidate, floated the idea of the government funding an amount of money ($5000) upon the birth of a child to set aside for the future. This came to be called (by critics mostly) the “baby bond”. Its not the so-called Demogrant- a 1972 proposal from then-Presidential aspirant Sen George McGovern of $1000- but at least its adjusted for the inflation that’s happened since then. This might just be one of the reasons (I mean the historical connection) that the proposal was abruptly withdrawn to so many hoots of derision from various right wing conspirators too numerous to mention. I have the sneaking suspicion, however, that some of Hil’s Big Money Wall Street contributors yanked hard on her chain over this one. The reason, by my lights, is that it dredged up the mostly taboo subject of compound interest working in favor (in this case) of the average person.What a golden opportunity to bring a unique level of understanding in this complex subject to all of those little people she claims to care so much about. Sort of a LET THEM EAT BANKRUPTCY attitude, don’t you think?

3) There was a big flap, just last week, over the investors from the emirate of Abu Dhabi purchasing a large amount of stock in CITIGROUP. The final amount was 4.9%. There ensued a huge discussion among panelists on a Sunday morning show I like to watch called “The Wall Street Journal Report”. After the other flap just last year over the attempt to contract out several port operations to Dubai Ports World, it amazes me that these guys are risking rejection again. I admire them for both their resiliency and their eye for value. CITI stock is a bargain right now, and this large American financial corporation obviously can use the infusion of capital- whatever the source. Look, you either believe in globalization or you don’t. We have made the commitment to open up our economy, so we either mean it or we don’t. There has always been a very influential minority in the highest reaches of society and government that would like to shield our domestic companies from all forms of foreign influence and pressure.Nowadays, they even find common cause with some of the unions (an event that should make you doubly suspicious). Back in the Republic’s earliest days this so-called “infant industries” argument for high tariff walls and other trade barriers was favored by our very first Secretary of the Treasury- Alexander Hamilton. It made some sense then, but absolutely none now. Either respect the markets, and their decisions about the global allocation of always-scarce capital, or prepare to go the way of Argentina and Brazil. It’s the right thing to do. Its also how the real world works.

For The Nonce——-PV

(First published December 7, 2007)Before the event is utterly lost and (thankfully) forgotten, some comment just cries out to be made, in the Republican Presidential nomination race, about the U-Tube debate on CNN last Wednesday November 28. Its already been dubbed “Boob Tube” by the world of the talk shows- which pretty much makes it official.

To begin, the Republicans in general continue to astound me by their infernal continued willingness to trust CNN (not known for nothing as the CLINTON NEWS NETWORK) to conduct a fair, above-board program which virtually everyone insists to my utter befuddlement on calling a debate (it doesn’t even bear resemblance to the high school variety- I guess some people will do almost anything to enhance the tattered image of public schooling in our time). This particular “debate” format has long been compromised through ill usage in elections past- an old story. What only makes the process worse (than usual) is partly the number of candidates participating. Overall voter opinions are beginning to suggest a setting in concrete of voter attitudes. Reportedly, a mere 20 percent remain undecided which sounds about right. The upshot ends up being frustration as people only want to hear from their special favorite- a hard feat to achieve with the sound-bite format still being used.

Some conclusions: From the standpoint of this observer, and contrariwise to the majority of apparent pundit opinion, former Senator Fred Thompson stole the show, from almost the get-go, for a couple of reasons.

1) For the third time, he easily appeared to be the only adult in the room in the midst of a pack of squabbling children- an effect not missed by the voters I bet. Fred refuses to lower himself to slopping it up in an unseemly panderthon. If that is lazy and too unexciting for Fred Barnes and Carl Cameron then so be it. Because he has a real job (to return to), Fred Thompson fully intends to conduct his campaign on his terms. His method of operation reveals an attitude that (seems to be) he won’t fall to pieces should he not win this particular political race- not an especially bad attitude that (for the country especially). Take him or leave him, Fred intends to campaign in conformance with his values. Seems awfully Presidential. I don’t know if the “cool southern style,” that has become Thompson’s trademark, will win in the end. I suspect he trusts the good sense of the voters too greatly. Thompson appears the most natural candidate; he seems unscripted, unharried by “advisers”, and seems to say pretty much what he thinks- which happens to be his reputation. He has already developed the reputation of being an awfully genuine article- a rarity in the political world. In a caucus state, this impression is not easily lost or forgotten; and it could signal the coming of some surprises on 3 January. This growing phenomenom of “ unnatural “ candidates (think Al Gore, John Kerry) who are one way in private, a more remote way in public, has not gone unnoticed by more canny observers of the past several elections.

2) Thompson’s use of an “attack” campaign ad was just gutsy. Firstly, it stood out from all of the other candidates’ also-ran style of gauzy, feel-good ads ( a style encouraged by CNN and the overall format). Fred simply refused to “go along”. Good for him. Notice how little the topic has come up since the “debate”? I sure have. Bet I’m not alone. Basically, the ad replayed the words (used in the past) by the only other two guys ahead of him in Iowa- Huckabee (on taxes) and Romney (on abortion). I think (or hope) that the point got across that public officials must run on their record in office. It always has been the best single predictor of the kinds of policies they will pursue as President. Arguably, either Romney or Huckabee (possibly also Giuliani) would be a disaster at the national level. There appears to be positively no limit on the things they would get the federal government involved with- which (incidently) pretty much describes the problem we have been growing in America for the past better-than-a-century.

Anyhow, I admire Thompson for his boldness in running this ad. Fred did let me down in one respect. Picture the moment (in case you missed it): the presentation ended, the lights came on, and there stood the master-of-ceremonies (Anderson Cooper) looking pie-eyed. He stammered to Thompson as to what this ad was all about. Thompson should have anticipated this reaction (you really could hear a pin drop- except for the very few audible gasps from the audience- what a moment!), and should have immediately launched into a forceful response to the effect that the words just played in this ad show where his opponents stand as opposed to their more dubious claims to be conservative. It would have been his Ronald Reagan Microphone Moment. One for the ages.

Fred needs to be careful. He is presently in danger of permanently damaging his reputation as the New Communicator similar to the way President Bush has damaged his own reputation as a competent administrator. Nor do I intend to conceal my admiration for the message (of fiscal responsibility) that Thompson has made the centerpiece of his campaign. He is virtually alone in this. This message has been tried in a (small) number of mostly congressional races throughout the USA over the years- most of them in the House of Representatives (Cong. Ron Paul happens to be one such example). The only time I am aware that it has been attempted at the Presidential level was the Goldwater defeat in 1964 versus LBJ. The stakes are very high. There are powerful interests that have been riding high-wide- and- handsome, living off your taxes, for a number of decades now. You can expect them to pull out whatever stops are necessary to defeat a Thompson candidacy. They perceive him to be a threat –and rightly so. A poor Iowa showing would strangle this insurgence in the cradle.These interests coalesce around the D.C.-based bureaucracy (the “fourth branch”). Their span of control includes huge swatches of both the welfare and warfare state. What they all have in common is total dependency on the runnaway federal spending process (such as it is), and their continuing financial aggrandizement is totally at variance with the financial interests (and solvency) of you and me. I have known a number of these people over the years; this is not a game to them, and they play for keeps. They can, and will, trample anyone who gets in their way- whatever it takes. They have already mobilized their media allies in a desperate attempt to ignore and/or ridicule Thompson’s candidacy. Outside of the actual audiences he has reached, Thompson’s message has not gotten a wide ambit ( the conventional wisdom says it is not selling- also because “Fred is lazy”). The truth is that what you are seeing is a cynical and sophisticated attempt at message suppression, similar to voter suppression attempts in election-years 2000 and 2004. Same interests, same manipulators, same goals. Only the American people end up losing in the end.

To summarize: America still needs a vocal exponent of real conservative ideas. It has been a long time since we have had one. Reagan had great ideas, not as much followup in the area of actions. His chief role was to set a course for the future. Bush I wasn’t conservative at all. Bush II has only been eloquent when he had to be (9/11, Iraq). His appellation as a “compassionate” conservative was a fraud and an insult. Verbally he has been hazy and rambling when we needed clear- especially operating in the poisonous air provided by total media hostility. Conservatism has been wandering in the wilderness for too long (arguably since Lincoln). It never recovered from prematurely losing Ohio Senator Robert Taft in the 1950s. We now have a candidate who can be his own best spokesman.

This country needs to initiate a re- building process. Other than a mass lack of self -esteem, we suffer from a deficit of what author Charles Murray once called “little battalions”- the intermediary institutions that arise out of the culture (Neighborhood councils, associations, churches, unions) that used to do the great majority of the world’s work. These have atrophied, or been crowded out, by the explosion of government at all levels. We, as a people, are simply less adequate than we once were. America is a unique nation of boundless opportunity; this is as true now as it ever was. Our greatest lack is that of belief in ourselves. We always have had all that we need. We are far from being as helpless as we have been (too often) led to believe. Fred Thompson will provide the inspiration America needs to get back on a path that is true to its heritage. We don’t need smart, engaging guys with perfect resumes and a policy program for every ill. It doesn’t require more government; in fact, it mandates a need for less. To fail to understand this is to place the future of America in dire peril. We cannot continue as we have. This is the real challenge of our times. Its time for a change; in fact, an attitude shift. In any case, its up to the voters now. It always has been. Its still your future……your choice.

THIS IS YOUR TIME

FRED THOMPSON FOR PRESIDENT

For The Nonce——–PV

(First published December 7, 2007)What with all the quickly shifting polls for preference in next year’s Republican Presidential race (mostly in Iowa and New Hampshire), it might be time to pause only a moment and reflect on some reality. Several points I doubt will change much:

No one has cast a single vote- yet. More than a month remains till we get there. Its also important to note that a month is an eternity in politics- like minutes of playing time in a sports event. In a totally open political season, with no incumbent seeking re-election, these much-quoted polls are very likely to oscillate all over the map and in very short time spans. The overall situational backdrop simply bakes our current highly movable opinion “in the cake”.

A political caucus is a dynamic, unique process with rules all its own that is also not well understood. First of all, (and most importantly) only a small minority of politically activist-type people will participate on either side. Additionally, this is a much more open process than simply showing up at some polling place to briefly cast a secret ballot in a booth. These people who choose to participate will have to devote a lot of time (5 to 7 hours) on a usually cold mid-winter night in the northern temperate zone. Holidays will only have just ended; college bowl games will still be in progress. These sorts of real-life distractions (plus a thousand others) do take their toll on total numbers that end up participating. Those brave souls who do follow through on their commitments to caucus will be dedicated, determined, usually seasoned- also a little weird (as in unlike most of the rest of us). They will gather at the appointed time- on 3 January remember-all across Iowa in churches, auditoriums, union halls, town halls etc. A series of successive ballots will slowly but surely winnow out candidates below certain threshholds of support until final counts are achieved.All this will play out fully in the open with friends, neighbors (enemies) looking on. Many will be the discussions, arguments, pleadings (bleatings),excuses etc. People will have to make first, then second, then later choices with a constant wearing backdrop of cajoling and maneuvering. Some will stay, others will go. Most will get angry. If you’ve ever been on a jury, you get the idea.

Values voters appear to be currently asserting their will in both parties. For the Democrats, this favors Obama- an apparent triumph of hope (and youth) over experience. We will see if all of this translates to actual support. Vermont former Gov Howard Dean thought it would in 2004. Young people do not tend to turn out. The Republican side is even more fluid. First of all, overall projected turnout is expected to be low. Its all to be expected after eight years in power this time out. Bush can be a big help to his party- but not yet. For now, he simply needs to do his job, win his war, raise some money (quietly), and continue to remind people (in his own subtle way) which party’s congressional leaders positioned themselves on the side of surrender and higher taxes. Meanwhile back on the ground, a tattered remnant that claims to be (what is left of) the Christian right seems to be getting in its innings on behalf of another former Gov- Mike Huckabee. Huck is a very engaging, personable guy from Arkansas (Heard this song before?) who could double as a magician- as in watch what I say; ignore how I governed. Huck does retail politics well which works in a small state requiring low budget expenditure. But he doesn’t have much money and has a limited shelf-life in northern parts of the country (NH). He is currently benefiting from a “bandwagon effect” brought on by a mood of get-back on the part of some voters who want to punish Rudy, McCain, and Romney. Whether they can continue their mad-on to Huck’s favor is questionable. This leaves Thompson as the wild card. Where he has been, he tends to generate a lot of loyal support. He has potential to be a lot of folks’ second choice on a cold winter’s night. When reality time finally descends, Fred starts to look more inviting. After all, how long can you stay that mad at a guy just because he doesn’t go to church enough to suit you? Reagan sure did get a lot more room for error- more on him later. Last item: McCain and Guiliani are uncompetitive because they took a dive on the straw poll back in August.

The far-end polar opposites are also wild cards. John Edwards (Democrat and statist) and Cong. Ron Paul (Republican and who-knows what) stand (like bookends) at each end of their party’s spectrum. Their voters are going to show up and make their views known. Some sucking up to them will be in order for a few of the big guys. Whether they would remain to vote a second choice is a real unknown. These two really mix things up and could skew results in many unpredictable ways. The Edwards people might go to Obama; the even fewer Paul people (who choose to stay) could go to Thompson.

Very small (nearly minute) percentages will determine overall winners. To win, you have to turn out the troops, beat expectations (a relative standard), and come in 3^rd or better (the absolute standard). This year, especially, Iowa success could mean little down-ballot. Years, and money, have been spent building massive turnout operations in a number of upcoming states. Former front-runners will not give up the fight easily. Additionally, New Hampshire serves as an object lesson in what is called a “favorite son” primary- in this case for former MA Gov Mitt Romney. New Hampshire is next door and the Boston media market dominates the New England airwaves (as in coverage and political commercials). Mitt also has a substantial war chest, and he’s a rich guy to boot. So even if he does worse that (once) expected in Iowa, he can always fall back to his built-in local advantage. For him, it is what some pros call a firewall.

A single issue, rising up like a phoenix, is lately being bandied (mostly by sources out of D.C.) as a new “third rail” of American politics- that being the issue of illegal immigration. We shall see. If this is true, how come it hasn’t benefitted the almost single-issue Republican candidate Tom Tancredo? Bottom line: in the top tier of Republicans, other than Fred Thompson, there are no candidates not tainted by their voting records or performance in office, on the important issue of illegal immigration. There is a very vocal group of voters who are still reveling in their role in stopping the immigration bill last summer. Its just another wild card; or is it a straw in the wind?

None of this starts until 2008 and most of us are bystanders anyway. All of it could well become a distraction from the Season of Peace and Light. Have a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!

For The Nonce—–PV

(First published in December 7, 2007)As most of you already know, I have for long been the most avid of fans for my local heroes, the University of Tennessee football Volunteers (herafter referred to as the VOLS). This year’s Big Orange team has been a rich source of immense satisfaction and even inspiration to me. Obviously, this is my favorite time of the year. At this point, I really do not care what the outcome of today’s SEC Championship game , with LSU in Atlanta, turns out to be (well maybe a little bit). The point has already been made. It doesn’t matter how many times seemingly everybody counts you out (or puts you down). My Vols took control of their destiny through sheer hard work and determination, and that lesson is there- for anyone to see who has been watching.

This inspiring season is my metaphor for the soon-to-be-revealed outcome of a far more important contest (for our country) that is soon to come. Real, actual votes will be cast on 3 January 2008 in the state of Iowa caucuses (while most of us are still watching bowl games) in the Presidential race. Former Senator Fred Dalton Thompson, a true son of Tennessee in the tradition of Andrew Jackson, Cordell Hull, Davy Crockett, and Alvin C. York, is an honest, decent public servant who (rising from among us) has chosen to campaign for the privilege of holding the highest office in the land- the Presidency of the United States. Long after I am done (for the season) rooting for the Big Orange, I will still be in there rooting for Big Fred.

Simply put, this man has (with some degree of great personal sacrifice) made it his mission to bring America back at this special moment in history when we collectively have some very hard choices we must make. We stand at a critical crossroads- as both a nation and a culture. We can choose the easy path of promised benefits (whether earned or not) and lavish goodies someone else will have to pay for long after we’re gone- of letting our government do our work for us; or we can go back to the basics, to the spirit of those days of big dreams for tomorrow, of huge risks taken by the people who founded this grand experiment. Its our choice now. This will be our time. There can be no more avoiding reality or the truly hard work that will perforce come with accepting that challenge. This road of discomfort will be difficult, treacherous, even dangerous. But it is what adults do. Responsibility is still the flip side of liberty- just as the words say in “America the Beautiful”. At the risk of wearing out too many time-worn cliches: the tooth fairy won’t be flying in tonight, Santa Claus isn’t coming to town, and Ed Mac Mahon isn’t knocking at our front door.
The road back for America lies through each of us, and it will begin with a severe attitude check- a checkup from the neck up. I’m Talking about a truly massive gut check. And if all of this is news to you, then you really need to start asking hard questions- like why haven’t I heard any of this before now?

Fred Thompson can help guide us in finding the way back to our foundations as a great, free nation. But all of the old traditions from running up the revival tents to becoming the thrifty Yankee traders we once were will take some amount of time to make happen. And none of this will happen through massive expenditures of money we no longer have in one Rooseveltian program after another. Like Tippecanoe and Tyler too or 23 Skidoo, they are part of our history (its true), but they won’t work anymore- if they ever really did at all. The government produces nothing in and of itself. More bluntly (and accurately), our government, and what it does, is a reflection of you and me. What looks back at us from that mirror can be weakness or strength. It is our choice now. And the time has arrived to choose. This is the plain, unvarnished truth you need to know.

That having been said, we have, also, long been in need of someone who can help inspire us to search for and find, that awesome greatness that lies within each of us- also part of our birthright as Americans. This is the common-sense coalition I see forming around the candidacy of Fred D. Thompson- similarly to the way Andrew Jackson assembled his forces to win another election in 1820s America.

Like Old Hickory, Fred can serve mostly as our rallying point for the great years that lie ahead for America. We need to move on (so to speak) and cease to look for secular saviors with their solutions for every problem and their self- appointed goals like “looking out for you”. We can get the job done. We need to get on with what Calvin Coolidge called “the business of America”. I wish Fred well. This is OUR TIME. Lets get busy.

GO VOLS

ITS YOUR FUTURE

For The Nonce——–PV

(First published November 26, 2007)

We stand at the precipice of some very exciting times in America. Both in the political and the financial realms, unusual events appear to me about to go into very radical motion. It would behoove all of us to try to understand what, so far, has been. going on just beneath the surface. The reason I say this is because these events concern all of us- and the more popular participation we can achieve in them, the better will be America for it.

The financial press has been going overboard in its gloomy prognostications this year- especially with regard to the stock and bond markets. Just to recap: this is the fifth full year of a bull run in stocks that began after a 3-year plunge that ended in October 2002.This run has been especially resillient and has given away its hidden strength on at least two separate occasions, If you were watching closely (which wasn’t easy to be sure), stocks posted incredible run-ups twice when logic would have suggested a fall-off to have been more appropriate. The two events were Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, and the Virginia Tech shootings earlier this year in April. Check the records and see if I’m not right. When stocks’ behavior appears to be acting at variance to the backdrop of a specific negative event, the message being conveyed is that we have a bull market that simply refuses to die- or even take a break. Markets send messages far into the future that anticipate things to come. Since the first of this year, this market has also been battered by the mess in the sub-prime mortgage market. Yes, prices have declined in stages since February 27^th when sub-prime started hitting hard. The surprise is how little damage has been done.This bull remains alive. I could cite additional factors that have been cropping up recently.Over the period of the August price swoon, corporate insiders (officers, directors, board members and the like) were buying shares in any number of companies at market prices. September and October, traditionally the weakest trading months of the year,were not. Finally, a number of the big city conventional wisdom mass circulation papers have been seemingly trying, throughout this just-past month of October, to draw invidious comparisons between this bull market and the one that came apart at the seems in a fearful crash exactly 20 years ago in October 1987. Now these same geniuses are back at the same street corner, howling the same predictions of woe after the disastrous goings-on at Merrill Lynch and Citigroup where each of the CEOs lost their jobs. Don’t get me started on their warnings of impending doom because of (take your pick): higher oil prices, higher gold prices, expectations of dismal holiday retail sales etc. etc. I guess you get the idea. Somebody upstairs (probably on Wall Street) is desperately attempting to shake stock shares loose from “the weak hands”in preparation for an incredible price rise to follow. Try and guess who those weak hands represent- you got it! The little guy ie. you and me. The “smart money” will gladly take those shares off your hands should you be foolish enough to sell them (at a discount naturally). A better idea still might just be to dovetail your strategy alongside their’s.

I am beholden to an author named Harry S. Dent for the conclusions I am about to lay out. They come right out of the pages of his book; “The Next Bubble Boom”. They are only his opinion, but the conclusions are starting to make an awful lot of sense. Dent avers that big stock market events seem to occur in 80-year cycles. When you step back, and look again, this market looks very much like a close parallel to the 1920s- not the 1980s. The match is not exact, but the picture is becoming very compelling.

If you accept that Dent may be right, it is hard not to conclude that stocks, far from getting ready to drop, are positioned on a launching pad about to take off- big time. This is the first platform. Time is running out to get positioned to profit. If you miss what may be the final buying opportunity of this decade, you might just live to regret it. With the withering volume of media gloom and doom up to and including talk of upcoming recession, the reality is that a FOR SALE sign is up on Wall Street.

The second platform is political, and it will be assembled over the course of the upcoming election year. If there is a God in heaven, this process will draw unusual amounts of attention from heretofore unengaged citizens who will opt to more fully involve themselves in the caucus, primary, and (finally) the general election. The reason, quite simply, is that the fate of the nation now rests in your hands. Decisions- most especially in the fiscal and economic realm- have been put off and put off for decades and we have to get real and face them now because we are nearly out of time. Sometime (probably after the year 2010) this country will undergo a crisis moment comparable in seriousness to the Civil War or the Depression. We are not united about much of anything anymore, and we definitely ARE NOT READY. Go out to events and ask the hard questions of these candidates that have placed their names out there to contend for these offices. They might be surprised to find so much more interest than expected (a good thing) but they will be very available and learn quickly to address your concerns. Its part of the flexibility of mind they must get used to having. You have the right to straight answers. For sure, do not give your support to any person, entity, or political party that insists on treating this as “just another election”, or your questions as “hypothetical”.

As a free nation, we do not any longer have the luxury of standard, staid old “solutions” – not the kind you can fit in on a bumper sticker or in a sound bite. Its time to summon up the people of common sense- what Nixon used to call the “silent majority”- and coalesce them around a new group of Founders (no less is required) and start the idea process bubbling up from that broad expanse of wisdom that now lies fallow in our still great land. And we cannot wait for the election to conclude. Time is running out. We have to insist that this process of popular participation begin at least with the formation of the Party platforms. Who has the genius, boldness and imagination to inaugurate such a mass-participation process first (yes, the technology is available now) will be rewarded with a sizable working majority (a rarity lately) in the houses of Congress so as to undertake a reform mission that can save America. It’s a little bit of magic called WE THE PEOPLE. Its time to ASK THE AUDIENCE.

ITS YOUR FUTURE

For The Nonce——-PV

(First published November 26, 2007)I decided to make this blog entry because I am too chicken to go out in traffic on what has come to be called BLACK FRIDAY. While the seeming rest of the blooming world appears to be in constant motion (at least from where I am sitting), I have decided to make my stand from the desk in my office. Where Christmas shopping is concerned, I am quite simply a class A procrastinator. Its my way of getting ready to do what needs to be done should the plagues of mankind’s past ever return- stay home. I find myself wishing often that they (the powers-that-be) had not opted for that specific name- Black Friday. To me, its just too redolent of other things- like Black Death for instance. Really and truly, I do realize that it is meant to signal the time period when the retail establishment moves into the black. However, with all due deference to the financial destiny of retailers everywhere, I find myself much more concerned with whether my personal financial situation is in the black- rather than the red. If that’s selfish, so be it. This is a particularly worrisome time for the great state of Tennessee of which I am a proud member. This is true on two fronts which I now outline:

1) This has been the week of the college football year when the University of Tennessee Volunteers (hereafter the VOLS) play the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky. This year the game is on the road as the VOLS play in Lexington, KY on Saturday 11-24. Quite frankly, the tension around Knoxville has been so thick this week, you could cut it with a knife. Normally, no one wastes much time worrying about the outcome of the KY game, but this year must be the exception that proves the rule. The winner will win the SEC East title and go as the East representative to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta in early December. I suspect the VOLS will fall asleep for a portion of the game, wake up, realize its Kentucky, then go on to win. I do hope they enjoy the win, because if they think a 3-loss team can win over LSU in the conference championship game, then somebody has found some awfully potent moonshine.

2) Unbeknownst to a great many of my fellow citizens of this state (unfortunately), Tennessee also has an entry in the Presidential contest this time around (2008), and more importantly official voting will start in a little over a month. Former U. S. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson , originally of Lawrenceburg, is our state’s candidate in the running. Lots and lots of people, both in Tennessee and throughout the nation, have a vague sense of familiarity with Fred because of various movie and TV roles (yes, he does have acting skills) his latest in the series “Law and Order”. This is testament to the power of the media in our lives and it also hints at a secret advantage Fred has over most of his competition that has been running for President much longer that he.

Fred’s campaign has been operating very much “under the radar” lately and I think that has been the result of campaign strategy on the part of his staff. Though he opened his active campaigning in early September pretty much at the number 3 position (due to all that name recognition I earlier mentioned), his numbers slumped somewhat as October rolled on by, and it seemed everybody was on his case about not wowing people enough, or not being busy enough, or corking his charisma and all sorts of other such reporter nonsense. The upshot of it all is that the expectations as to Fred’s performance have been lowered to a point that now I feel that a surprise is shaping up- very much like what Lamar Alexander did (by coming in 3rd in Iowa) back in 1996.

While everyone has seemingly been focusing on the supposed front-runners in the Iowa Republican contest- those being Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee- virtually no one has noticed that Fred has sneaked up to the number 3 position. My experience as a campaign worker, and my belief, is that Fred is very well positioned indeed to make a surprise high finish in the Iowa caucus. Very much like Democrat (front runner has-been) Howard Dean in 2004, former MA Governor Mitt Romney has peaked too soon and everyone else in the Republican race is feeding off more and more of his former supporters in the Hawkeye state. I’ve heard that Mitt is a rich guy, so he better get the checkbook ready. If you can buy an election in a small state (like Kennedy’s dad did in 1960 in West Virginia), we are about to find out. Mike Huckabee, former gov of Arkansas (this alone is a lifetime’s worth of achievement) is the latest darling of the media having deadlocked with Romney at least in the polls. Carl Cameron- he of FOX NEWS-can’t seem to quit talking about the guy. There’s just one problem with such a sudden spell of publicity; it greatly raises expectations for future performance. And I do not think Huckabee can meet them. No one votes in the Iowa contest for more than 40 days- and this sort of time period is an eternity in politics. Fred Thompson sits in a very good position in the Iowa contest. He is well -known nationally but very few seem to notice him at this time. I hope Fred can sustain these lower expectations for another one-month-plus. He has numberless qualities about him (no small one being that he is the most electable conservative) that would make him a formidable Republican nominee in 2008. I may be going out on a limb, but I think Fred Thompson will make a superb President. He has common sense ideas, a serious demeanor one would want in a President, and his message calls on all of us to begin to face facts and act responsibly in our national life. He isn’t making promises that would drive the country into bankruptcy- the obvious agenda of the opposing party. I have no doubt that he will be the first President from the great state of Tennessee since Andrew Johnson, and the greatest we have sent since Andrew Jackson (1828-1836). From Old Hickory to New Hickory. Its about time.

GO VOLS!

For The Nonce—–PV