Fred Thompson Looks Old, Tired and Stupid…

 

The Republicans debated in Michigan last night and it was the first, long anticipated appearance, of candidate Fred Thompson. I watched for about five minutes, and wasn’t impressed.

Thompson did not look too enthused to be at the debate at all and seemed relatively disinterested in the questions. Many of his answers were predicated with long pauses – much like the pauses of one George Bush, as his feeble mind fishes for an answer. Of course, Chris Matthews really didn’t press him much. He did field a question about the Canadien prime minister, and got it right, but I was thoroughly taken aback at what he got wrong, namely the economy and Social Security.

When asked if though the country was heading to recession, Thompson resoundingly said no. He pointed to 22 straight quarters of growth and low inflation among other things. However Thompson forgot he was in Michigan. Of all the states in the north, Michigan is in the toughest economic shape – maybe the toughest shape in 30 years. The auto industry is crumbling slowly and unemployment is rampant. Thompson was obviously catering to a national audience, but he really should have dug deeper into the facts surrounding the Bush economy before he lept at that answer.

A recent poll by Zogby suggests that 60% of Americans feel the economy is the number one issue going into 2008. That same poll shows that most people feel the economy is slumping, are worried about their jobs, think globalism is hurting us, and feel that there will indeed be a recession. Some believe we are already in a mini-recession as well.

On Social Security, Thompson feels that the system COLA’s should be indexed to inflation rather than wages. That would be convenient given the fact that inflation has been very low for twenty years or so. However, Thompson’s policy may be short-sighted given the fact that if the economy, that he believes is so strong, does indeed begin to ebb and inflation does rise rapidly, the Social Security system could take a destructive blow and maybe decisive death blow.

Overall, Fred Thompson seems like another old school nit-wit much like Reagan and Bush, who has not thought out all of his policy ideas, rather offering the same old warn out conservative platitudes that are working to squeeze the middle class into oblivion right now. Conservative ideals regarding the economy and Social Security do not work. Reagan and Bush have proved that beyond a doubt. Just talk to working people – they’ll tell you. Of course rich conservatives don’t mingle with the serfs.