RSS 2.0 FeedLibertarians For Fred Thompson ?
by Doug MataconisThe Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner tackles the question of whether Fred Thompson is a man that friends of liberty should support.
First, the good news:
During his eight years in the Senate, Thompson had a solid record as a fiscal conservative. The National Taxpayers Union gives him the third highest marks of any candidate (trailing only Paul and Rep. Tom Tancredo). While he sponsored or cosponsored legislation over the course of his career that would have resulted in a net increase in federal spending of $3.1 billion, that is the smallest increase among the contenders. (By comparison, John McCain would have increased spending by $36.9 billion). He generally shared McCain’s opposition to pork barrel spending and earmarks, and voted against the 2002 farm bill. He voted for the Bush tax cuts and has generally been solid in support of tax reduction.
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His record on free trade is solid. In the past he has been supportive of comprehensive immigration reform, but has been critical of the current bill, shifting toward a “control the borders first†position. Still, he has not been Tancredo-like in his anti-immigration statements.
On federalism, there may be no better candidate. His Senate record is replete with examples of his being the lone opponent of legislation that he thought undercut federalist principles. He took this position even on legislation that was otherwise supported by conservatives. He opposes federal action to prohibit gay marriage on federalist grounds, although he supports state bans. One blight on this record is his vote in favor of No Child Left Behind.
Now, the not-so-good news:
 On the other hand, he supported McCain-Feingold, although he has now backed away from that position, suggesting the law has been overtaken by events. He told John Fund that he was now willing to consider scrapping campaign finance in favor of full disclosure. And his position on civil liberties generally is troubling. He supported the anti-flag burning constitutional amendment and expansion of federal police powers generally.
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On foreign policy he has been a hawk, and supports continuing the war in Iraq. Alas, that seems standard for the GOP these days, but Thompson appears to also take the neoconservative line on Iran, North Korea, and China. It’s hard to be a small-government conservative while favoring widespread military intervention. War is a big-government program.
In other words, Thompson is a little better, and not any worse, than the three top tier candidates in the GOP field (McCain, Giuliani, and Romney).
Is he a libertarian or classical liberal ? Clearly not.
Is he a candidate that someone who would like to see the GOP move back in the direct it was headed in 1994 ? Possibly.
At the very least, he deserves to be watched with interest.
The 1994 Fred Thompson would indeed be an interesting candidate. Not, the 2007 version, however.
Do you really think all the Big-Government evagelical conservatives would be begging for this guy if he was broaddcasting signals of being a fically conservative, socially moderate, non-interventionalist, federalism-loving small government conservative? Not on your life.
i’ve heard some pragmatic republicans claim that this “new” Fred Thompson is just a sham to get the GOP nomination. Maybe so, but i’m through betting on a cult of personality…
Comment by Kaligula — June 2, 2007 @ 11:44 amAs long as Thompson supports the neocon foreign policy he is no small-government conservative.
Comment by Ken H — June 2, 2007 @ 2:18 pmI am going to give Fred Thompson some serious consideration. I know he isn’t a libertarian but at this point, he may be the best possible choice, especially among the top tier candidates.
Comment by Stephen Littau — June 2, 2007 @ 3:56 pmMany pol’s are better at acting than anything else. So what if he is an actor. He is a fine one. His presence fills a room and his persona commands respect.
Like Regan he is a great communicator. A “Tear Down This Wall” type. He is liked on both sides of the isle, which is refreshing and he will stand folks on their ear in any State Of The Union message.
He certainly won’t spend like Bush and he will fix the holes in our immigration fence. He is “America Again.” Folks on Donkeys can never see the front end of Fred’s horse. Of course Hillary will be the first to recognize what she is seeing.
Watch the progress of MyManFred.com
Comment by Don Jones — June 2, 2007 @ 8:41 pm