Thu
Jun 28 2007
07:22 pm
Fred's Cuba gaffe picked up by Hillary
By: Elrod

A few weeks ago George Will wrote a column challenging the foreign policy seriousness of Fred Thompson because of a seemingly absurd quote in which Thompson said, "Twelve million illegal immigrants later, we are now living in a nation that is beset by people who are suicidal maniacs and want to kill countless innocent men, women and children around the world."

(link...)

I thought then that the quote was so outlandish that Thompson couldn't have said it. Could he be so foolish and shameless a panderer as to equate the 12 million illegal immigrants from Latin America who are here to provide cheap labor, with Islamist jihadist suicide bombers? Does he think that voters are so stupid that they'd hear "illegal immigrant" and "suicidal maniacs" in the same sentence and mindlessly mutter "Uh-huh, yeah, git'em all!"? Yes, the porous US borders make the infiltration of terrorists a bit easier. But 99.9% of the illegal immigrants are here for the cheap labor or to join family members laboring for low wages. You're much more likely to find a US citizen willing to commit acts of mass terror than an illegal immigrant willing to do so. Conflation of the two issues is just sloppy rhetoric, not serious policy.

Read more after the jump...

Well, yesterday in South Carolina Fred Thompson proved once again that he neither understands illegal immigration nor terrorism, both of which are serious crises facing this country. And he offered a bizarre example to prove it: Cubans. He said, "I don't imagine they're coming here to bring greetings from Castro. We're living in the era of the suitcase bomb." I don't know. Maybe Fred Thompson's got Castro on the brain after his oh-so-witty YouTube rebuttal of Michael Moore, but this quote struck me as so moronic as to be politically suicidal. Does Fred Thompson not realize that these Cuban immigrants are here because they are escaping Castro's communist despotism? He thinks they're all potential terrorists delivering suitcase nukes from Castro? I wonder what the GOP-friendly Cuban American community in Florida thinks of these remarks?

Hillary Clinton, of all people, was the first to respond.

(link...)

Hillary's current campaign manager put it best: "For many decades, Cubans have been forced to leave the island, risking their lives to escape Fidel Castro’s brutal dictatorship in search of freedom and opportunity. It is simply wrong to equate people fleeing from communism with terrorists.“

So all of this begs the question. Is Fred Thompson really as media savvy as he's cracked up to be? Is he really that ignorant of the actual perils of terrorism and illegal immigration? Is this really the guy the GOP wants to front the ticket in November 2008? And all of this in a speech on the "foolishness" of Washington. Maybe that foolishness rubbed off on him.

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Socialist With A Gold Card's picture

It gets worse

Submitted by Socialist With ... on Thu, 2007/06/28 - 8:39pm.

To make matters worse, "suitcase nukes" don't even exist. They do exist on TV and in the movies, though, like in the pseudo-docu-drama "Last Best Chance," in which Thompson played the US President.

I guess Fred really is like Reagan: he can't distinguish fantasy from reality.

--Socialist With A Gold Card

"I'm a socialist with a gold card. I firmly believe we need a revolution; I'm just concerned that I won't be able to get good moisturizer afterwards." -- Brett Butler

Wayne's picture

Cuban Healthcare

Submitted by Wayne on Thu, 2007/06/28 - 8:44pm.

Actually they are here to show us what a great healthcare system Cuba has. That is if you are fotunate enough to recieve care at one of Castro's hospitals. The only ones Michael Moore will show you by the way.

Elrod's picture

So which is it?

Submitted by Elrod on Thu, 2007/06/28 - 9:09pm.

Are they here to show off Cuba's wondrous healthcare? Are they here to deliver a fictitious suitcase nuke? Or are they just trying to escape Castro's tyranny? Wayne picks option #1. Fred picks #2. And I, the liberal Democrat who is supposed to love all things Castro, pick #3.

Joe P.'s picture

i saw that too

Submitted by Joe P. on Thu, 2007/06/28 - 9:42pm.

When Thompson said "Twelve million illegal immigrants later, we are now living in a nation that is beset by people who are suicidal maniacs and want to kill countless innocent men, women and children around the world" and the Virginia GOP roared with approval. Perhaps some in the crowd consider Cuba one of the 50 U.S. states, too.

i thought i was the only one who heard that speech and was appalled by it's falseness and the fervor of the faithful to accept it as a New Factoid, so thanks for mentioning it here Elrod. i mean, that's goofy-scary talk absent of reason.

as for how 'savvy' - well, the event did place him as a major GOP contender. and too, he still has his own daily radio show, isn't yet fully operating under campaign rules and isn't debating anyone.

Elrod's picture

GOP vs. everybody else

Submitted by Elrod on Thu, 2007/06/28 - 10:10pm.

I have no doubt that the white Southern GOP will look right past the sort of logical leaps necessary to equate illegal immigrants with suicide bombers, or Cuban immigrants with suitcase nukes. But I have trouble imagining it playing in the general election, especially to those whose ancestors did not fight the losing side in America's Civil War. I mean, this is just rhetorical paranoia. I could see Tom Tancredo or Duncan Hunter spewing this nonsense. But Fred Thompson?

cafkia's picture

You don't understand

Submitted by cafkia on Thu, 2007/06/28 - 10:59pm.

There's no there there. Thompson is an empty shell. Fill it with the morals and factiods of your choosing or, someone else will. Ok, really, no matter what you do, someone else will. But still, lower your expectations for Fred. Then lower them again. You will still be amazed when he crawls under them but not as much so.

CAFKIA

----------------------------------------------------------- 

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
  - William G. McAdoo

Elrod's picture

I agree

Submitted by Elrod on Fri, 2007/06/29 - 12:16am.

There are many times - and this is one of them - where I wonder to myself: "What exactly do the Republicans see in Fred Thompson?" Do they like his policy positions? Well, how are they different than any of the other contenders? Do they like his experience? What part of it then? Do they like his image? An old man who "looks" and "sounds" like a President but is really just a Hollywood actor.

I'm starting to think it's a regional thing. The Republican Party has been completely taken over by white Southerners. It is a white Southern party now, with a few outposts in lightly-populated areas of the Plains and Rockies - and even there the GOP brand is dying a slow death. What the GOP base wanted more than anything else was a white Southerner at the top; they think only white Southerners have the personality or politics to win their vote. No other part of the country is as prejudiced against outsiders when it comes to elections as white Southerners. Do Midwesterners insist on only voting for Midwesterners? Do New Englanders only vote for New Englanders? That's the killer for Giuliani in the South, even if reactionary white Southern voters find Giuliani's authoritarianism appealing. The South-heavy GOP needed one of their own or else they'd have nobody to vote for.

Really, I can't see any other reason why the GOP would shun all the other contenders aside, some of whom have wide appeal across all regions and parties. But if it's Fred Thompson these folks want, they're going to get crushed in 2008.

Andy Axel's picture

But if it's Fred Thompson

Submitted by Andy Axel on Fri, 2007/06/29 - 2:17pm.

But if it's Fred Thompson these folks want, they're going to get crushed in 2008.

This assumes a free and fair election, dunnit?

____________________________

I'm a guy in a Reagan mask -- and I'm running for President!

Elrod's picture

It'l be harder to cheat this time

Submitted by Elrod on Fri, 2007/06/29 - 6:38pm.

We control Ohio now. And while the Goopers still run Florida, Charlie Crist is a much different animal than Jeb Bush. Crist has already reenfranchised thousands of former felons, and he's not out there looking to disfranchise people with the wrong last name.

cafkia's picture

You don't understand

Submitted by cafkia on Thu, 2007/06/28 - 10:59pm.

There's no there there. Thompson is an empty shell. Fill it with the morals and factiods of your choosing or, someone else will. Ok, really, no matter what you do, someone else will. But still, lower your expectations for Fred. Then lower them again. You will still be amazed when he crawls under them but not as much so.

CAFKIA

----------------------------------------------------------- 

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
  - William G. McAdoo

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