Tommy Thompson makes it official!

[WI_DEM]

"I'm a beer loving clown." No, that he is running for president in '08 and is putting his entire stock into winning the Iowa caucuses where is is currently in low single digits.

The 65 year old Thompson is a former four-term Governor of Wisconsin and Bush's first Secretary of Health and Human Services. He said he would support a referendum question put to the Iraqi people about whether the US should stay in Iraq, if not he would withdraw the troops.

[benld74]

1. another bush hack

just remember what he did at hhs when he was there

[weezy2736]

2. Republican Candidate #74982.... no, wait, #74983

There's no real use in speculating yet. When it hits 10,000, I'll throw in my word.

[SteppingRazor]

3. .

:boring:

[saltpoint]

4. He strikes me as being cranky and limited. I don't know if he's cranky

because he's limited or limited because he's cranky, but either way, I don't like him.

[bryant69]

5. Novaks latest article was about him

Saying he's the real deal.

I don't know; the religious Conservatives clearly don't feel much love towards the current crop of candidates, so maybe this will be better. From their perspective, I mean.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[WI_DEM]

7. If he's nominated I don't underestimate him afterall he's won four statewide races here.

[phaseolus]

10. well, it would be interesting to see how he plays on a national stage.

I think his appeal was that he seemed like every cheesehead's uncle who did okay for himself -- the affable pudgy down-to-earth small-town guy with Packer season tickets who tools around on his Harley. I'm guessing he'll have trouble successfully selling himself to ... people on the coasts, Southerners, Westerners. Time will tell...

[Zynx]

9. Religious conservatives....Tommy...um, no way.

The term "womanizer" isn't even in the correct magnitude. Just about everyone in the Wisconsin establishment knows this.

[bryant69]

14. Assuming Gingrich doesn't get in (and it's not like he's clean on this front either)

who else have they got?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[phaseolus]

6. If a miracle happens & he's elected president, and if history repeats itself...

...the Wisconsin Tavern League will find itself the most powerful force in national politics. First item on the legislative agenda: National drinking age lowered to 15!!

Seriously though, Thompson's basically your generic late-20th century Republican -- he's in it for the chance to reward his cronies, and to pick up a little extracurricular nookie that his wife won't find out about.

[HereSince1628]

8. Trying to get a boost from confusion with Fred Thompson methinks

He's at least a third tier candidate, maybe lower. The GOP isn't ready to go scrapping the cheese curd off the cutter bars if you ask me.

After al those years as gov he proved he was nearly as good at screwing up a state's fincances as W. I'll not forgive him for his W2 experiments.

[doublethink]

11. Great .... isn't he on the board of Applied Digital Solutions?

Digital Angel, the Corp. who wants to implant chips in our troops (to replace dog tags) then society as a whole thereafter. Yea that Tommy Thompson, he has ties way back to the Reagan days in the Republic party ..... geesh.

[wuushew]

12. Zero chance of winning

He is basically a Republican Vilsack. As former governors go, he is not well known outside Wisconsin.

The fact that he a had an unprecented reign of tyranny is not unusal given the vast sea of red outside Milwaukee or Madison.

[WI_DEM]

13. Not really since he won by huge margins in most of his races

There actually are blue or purple areas outside of Madison and Milwaukee. I know lots of democrats who voted for him because they really felt he loved the state (he was known as our cheif cheerleader) and thought he was doing a good job.

[wuushew]

15. He is hated in my family

My mother used to work for the Employee Trust Fund and his shredding of the state Constitution when he raided the retirement fund is reviled by most people there.

As a fellow Wisconsinite I never denied the state wasn't purple. I was comparing him to Vilsack because I think when it comes to raising money he will fall closer to him than ex-governor Romney.

[Czolgosz]

16. As Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services,Tommy did everything in his power to

remove the substance behind the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act which forbids hospitals from turning away women in labor and others in critical medical condition who show up at the hospital in dire and acute medical need but who have no health care coverage.

Thompson SUCKS!

[TheMightyFavog]

17. Actually, Tommy didn't want to be HHS sec.

He wanted to be Transportation Secretary. However due to his ardent support of passenger rail, the airline industry would have none of that.

Hell, his stance on passenger rail is one of the only things I actually agree with the man on.