Thune for president?
John Hagan writes:
John Thune looks like a president, and he’s running in 2012. Christopher Christie, who I like, looks like a mess. If Christie is serious about running for president he needs to clean himself up. Christie is something of a conservative pop icon right now, but from what I know of his views he’s not very conservative at all.
John Thune is my dark horse right now for the 2012 election. The Weekly Standard did a fantastic article on Thune showing that he’s got real substance.
LA replies:
” … looks like a mess. If Christie is serious about running for president he needs to clean himself up.”
What do you mean? His weight or his politics?
You bring out a hopeful point. There’s been a certain discouragement on our side because, even though Obama is vulnerable, he cannot be beaten unless his opponent is a good candidate, and among the most mentioned candidates none could be described as good: Palin (please, no), Romney (a weak, plastic man), Huckabee (a joke), Gingrich (a joke squared). People have mentioned Ryan and Cantor, but they’re too young, not ready. We discussed Christie, and I’ve given the reasons why his candidacy is unlikely, and you say he’s not even a conservative. But your mention of Thune reminds us that there are plausible possibilities in the Republican party that simply have not been brought forward yet. In the next three to six months, the candidates will be declaring themselves, or at least declaring their exploratory committees. I’m going to hope and assume that someone far more acceptable than Palin, Romney, Huckabee, or Gingrich gets into the race.
John Hagan replies:
Lol, sorry about that. I was talking about Christie’s weight. The guy is a mess. As for what I know about his politics I’m not impressed.
LA replies:
But you said you liked him.
Joseph C. writes:
I have known about John Thune for ten years now and always admired him. I even contributed to his campaign against Tom Daschle in 2004. In 2005, he began the Heartland Values PAC and I was on the mailing list. I wrote him a long letter detailing my background and said that I would not support a PAC (as it would give money to RINOs as well to preserve a titular majority) but would support his re-election efforts.
I have a vignette to share. Back when I worked for a Scandinavian bank I traveled frequently. Our bank financed a wind farm in western Minnesota, and I went to visit the client in August 2004. I flew into Sioux Falls, SD, and as is often the case I used the opportunity to arrive the Saturday prior to do some sightseeing that weekend. Boy, did I see a lot of Herseth, Daschle, and Thune posters in those cornfields.
I arrived mid afternoon, and immediately heard that a tornado was on its way. I was staying at the Fairfield Inn in the back of a shopping center, and became a little nervous when I could not find the turnoff, what with the weather advisory. Having never been to SD, I did not know who to ask (the gas station people were unhelpful), and did not see any policemen. I was just about to give up when a small car with three pretty young ladies drove alongside me. The girls gave me perfect directions and I was on my way. But before I left, I noticed a John Thune for US Senate placard and realized it was a campaign mobile.
I got their attention again, and when they rolled down their window I shouted “Go Thune!” They returned my thumbs up with big smiles, and yelled “Yeah!” before driving off. They had no way of knowing I had just given money to the campaign and would give more in the future.
Anyway, in Christmas 2004 I received a Thank You card with a picture of Thune’s victory party, and a separate card with a family portrait. I recognized his daughters instantly—they were the girls who had shown me such kindness only a few months before. (I do not know who the third lady in the car was, but she was about the same age). I doubt they would remember me, but I will never forget their kindness.
As the Bible says, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” That experience told me that John Thune is fundamentally a good man.
Steve R. writes:
Thune looks good but lately his conservative credentials have come into question. He is among the Republican senators giving Jim Demint a very rough time for Demint’s support of Joe Miller, the Tea Party winner in Alaska.
Thune’s support for the loser Murkowski seems to be all about putting Senate camaraderie over conservatism and principles. At this point I’m favoring Christie.
LA replies:
In the Weekly Standard article, Thune is asked about closing down the Dept. of Education, and he dismisses the idea. This told me he has no problem with the federal government’s intrusion into education, which would be one of the easiest (because one of the most recent) areas of the federal government expansion to cut down. For him to dismiss the idea said to me that he has no fundamental problem with the government operating in all kinds of areas where it has no business.
John Hagan replies to LA:
I do like Christie, as the governor of New Jersey. He’s a fighter, but on two major issues that are vital to our future he is weak. He’s soft on illegal immigration, and he will not allow NJ to join forces with the other states to fight against Obamacare.
It’s one thing to go to war against the unions, that’s popular these days. But on these two national issues he comes up short. I have sort of written him off, and don’t know much more about him. Perhaps I will take another look at him. As an aside I heard somewhere that he’s something of a Bruce Springsteen groupie and has been to hundreds of his concerts. I guess everyone has a hobby, but going to that many concerts in adulthood strikes me as strange.
Posted by Lawrence Auster at October 11, 2010 08:41 PM | Send