His First Name Isn't Fred

Despite their pro forma 'distancing' act, the Republican candidates (well, the serious candidates...no, none of them can be described as 'serious'; make that the candidates most likely to win) all represent more of the same. With Bush hovering around 30% approval, that's a point we (bloggers, activists, Democrats at every level) have to hammer at every opportunity (because the news media sure aren't going to do it for us): any Republican president would represent a continuation of the Bush presidency.

And the newest candidate is arguably the mostest of the samest.

Fred Thompson has it all: the reckless bellicosity, the phony good old boy image, the contempt for the rule of law, the pandering to religious conservatives, the fiscal irresponsibility and plutocratic ideology.

But the single most important fact about Thompson is also the least mentioned in the news: his lobbying career (hat tip: Taegan Goddard). He was a lobbyist for 18 years before he went into Congress, and he jumped right back into it when he left. This is who the guy is.

But you wouldn't know that from watching or reading the news. Google News has nearly 20 times as many hits for "fred thompson" + actor as for "fred thompson" + lobbyist. That USA Story aside, there has been virtually no scrutiny of Thompson's role as a corporate shill. Tons of stories about his Reaganesque charm; nothing about his representation of Westinghouse.

So the particular task with Thompson (for bloggers, for activists, for Democrats at every level) is to make 'lobbyist' his first name. Every post, every article, every op-ed piece, every talk show appearance, every time anyone mentions him at all, it should be 'lobbyist Fred Thompson'.