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Fred Thompson -- the next Ronald Reagan?
By Chad Groening
AgapePress
March 20, 2007
(AgapePress) -- A political analyst and former Democrat insider says actor and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson is a solid conservative who would be a formidable candidate for president in 2008, should he choose to run.
Thompson, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1994-2003, plays District Attorney Arthur Branch on the hit NBC series Law & Order. The former lawmaker and movie actor (In the Line of Fire, The Hunt for Red October) has actually played the role of the president of the United States during his long and accomplished career as an actor.
Now another former Tennessee senator, Howard Baker, has encouraged Thompson to make a real-life run for the office because many Republicans believe none of the top-tier GOP hopefuls are true conservatives.
Political analyst Keith Thompson says his namesake reminds him of Ronald Reagan. "He has a solid conservative voting record on issues of life, on issues of international security and national defense, the terrorism issue, the war," says the analyst, concluding with the observation: "I don't know of an issue that he has fallen short of in the broadly defined sort of 'Reaganesque' conservative mantle."
The political analyst sees both similarities and contrasts between Fred Thompson and Ronald Reagan -- a.k.a. "The Great Communicator" -- under whose watch the Cold War came to an end and the Berlin Wall came down.
"Like Ronald Reagan, he has chosen acting," says Keith Thompson; "[but] unlike Reagan, who started in acting and then turned to politics, Thompson has sort of moved back and forth between the two." He also believes the former senator's current role of a district attorney on Law & Order will enhance his chances.
"It's commendable that he's chosen to play a role and, therefore, be a role model for values relating to criminal justice, moral issues, determination of right and wrong," the analyst observes. "Certainly that doesn't hurt your candidacy if that role is supported by the fact that in real life you are that kind of person."
The political pundit believes Thompson would be a formidable opponent to Senator Hillary Clinton, perhaps the leading Democratic presidential contender. But the former senator says for now, he is taking a "wait-and-see approach" on any decision about entering the fray.
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