Candidacy Dashed for Fred Thompson -- Republican Hope and Hope for Growth Economy

Those of us who believe that the Democrats will do serious harm to the American economy have been secretly betting on Fred Thompson's unannounced candidacy as the best chance for the Republicans. He was the stealth candidate whom few knew much about but who – because of his star power – had a possibility of carrying the day. Today, tucked away inside the first section of the New York Times, after first being aired on the web by the LA Times, is a piece of news that will seriously weaken his candidacy.

The news is that Thompson is purported to have been a lobbyist/consultant to a family planning and pro-abortion group some sixteen years ago (before becoming a Senator), representing them in and before the White House. He claims he doesn’t remember. Whether he remembers or not, records seem to indicate he was and this dashes his candidacy definitively.

Whether one is for or against family planning and abortion – and I personally am decidedly for a woman’s right to choose – Thompson has lost his advantage in the party and the possibility of surfacing as the pretty face who will become our next president. He will not have, based on this news, the support of the far right Republicans, and as such is most unlikely to win the party’s nomination. Whether the next president will support a growth economy or turn everything upside down in favor of “social programs” will now depend on the Republican’s choice among the others.