The American Mind

The cold from winter’s last chill didn’t stop 1000 people from coming to Milwaukee’s Messmer High School to witness former governor Tommy Thompson announce he was running for President. Announcing his run at Messmer made for fitting stagecraft. The gymnasium is the Governor Tommy G. Thompson Athletic Center, and it’s named after him for his fervent passion for school choice. Messmer has been a significant benefactor, and the school’s president Brother Bob Smith worked side-by-side with Thompson for years to make school choice a reality.

Thompson called himself a “reliable conservative” and touched on a few core Republican planks. He praised the Bush tax cuts (while not mentioning the President’s name once) and proposed a flat tax choice. Taxpayers could file under the current, Rube Goldberg system or choose a flat tax and pay which ever was lower. (Sen. Sam Brownback has talked about something similar.) Thompson saw the need to rebuild the military to make it again capable of fighting a multi-front war.

Thompson’s brand of activist conservatism will trouble libertarians and free-market types. Sure, he chastised Washington Republicans for losing their way trying to “spend like Democrats.” But a President Thompson wouldn’t be a Coolidge. State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen encapsulated Tommy’s political philosophy by telling the audience, “You can’t sit idle and expect great things to happen.” Tommy said he wanted to use government to help bring the American Dream to all people. That talk didn’t remain vague. Thompson called for requiring all people to buy health insurance, strengthening No Child Left Behind, praised the Medicare drug benefit as “a remarkable success,” and wants more investment in ethanol and renewable energy.

The lengthiest portion of his speech dealt with Iraq. I could tell he’s thought long and hard on this issue since as Wisconsin governor and Health and Human Services Secretary his foreign policy experience is almost nil. It’s the weakest part of his impressive resume. Tommy first insisted U.S. troops have the funds and equipment needed in Iraq. Next, he would ask the Iraqi government to vote on whether U.S. troops remained there. A “yes” vote would give further legitimacy to their presence. A “no” vote would pretty much end the debate:

“I’m confident they will, but if they vote yes, it will immediately give a degree of legitimacy for America being there,” he said. “And if they do vote no–they don’t want us there–we should get out.”

Then he discussed his idea of bringing more federalism to Iraq by establishing separate governments in each of the 18 provinces. Thompson sees these like U.S. states. He didn’t call for break up of Iraq into three separate countries. Each of these provincial governments would represent the local mix of ethnicities. Shia, Kurds, and Sunnis could then move to the province that best represented them. Thompson sees this as a way for Iraqis to buy into their democratic state.

Another way of giving Iraqis a “stake in their nation” is his call for every Iraqi to get a piece of the nation’s oil wealth. Thompson proposed dividing oil revenues into thirds: one-third to the federal government; one-third to the provincial governments; and one-third to every Iraqi citizen. He thinks that would give Iraqis a incentive to not destroy oil pipelines. Thompson went on to say that a consistent stream of revenue would be plowed back into the Iraqi economy with people buying homes, goods, and starting businesses.

Thompson wants to repair American’s reputation. That’s where his “medical diplomacy” comes in. “My initiative would take America’s great doctors and health professionals, along with our medicines and technology, to some of the most distraught places in the world, helping to comfort and nurse the poor to better health,” Thompson said. He would send the hospital ships Mercy and
Comfort staffed with top-of-their-class medical students around the world providing free treatment.

There was a chill in the atmosphere, and it wasn’t because of the Wisconsin weather. Thompson became Wisconsin’s first major Presidential candidate since “Fightin’” Bob La Follete. Wisconsin’s longest-serving governor announced he was running for the top office in all the land, and there were only good-natured, cordial applause. On the way to the stage when Tommy shook hands people actually stopped clapping. There was an eerie pause as they waited for him to begin speaking. The boisterous rounds of claps and yelps weren’t there. Tommy didn’t have to wave his hands and ask his “old, dearest friends” to settle down. They were already settled. Tommy didn’t do any of his cheerleading about Wisconsin being a place where the “eagles soar, the Harleys roar, and the Packers score.” Instead, we had a staid, serious Tommy. Do his supporters think Tommy is serious about running? Thompson is 65. Assuming a Republican won next year it could be 2016 before he could run for President again. Tommy would be 74 and likely too old to run. Or are people assuming defeat?

Still, Tommy Thompson brings an extensive resume and substantial experience to the race. He has more executive branch (at both state and federal levels) experience than Rudy Giuliani, Sen. John McCain, and Mitt Romney combined. Tommy also has a track record of reforming welfare and implementing school choice. Thompson has laid out some interesting ideas. If he can make any headway in the polls or the money primary other candidates will have to consider Tommy and his ideas. So if and when Newt Gingrich jumps into the race Tommy Thompson is the ideas man of Republican candidates.

Off on the campaign trail.

UPDATE: Yes, this Thompson doesn’t have the credits of that other Thompson (who hasn’t even decided whether to run or not), but how many bills did that tv lawyer veto in his lifetime?

UPDATE II: I’ve posted audio of the speech as well as the text of Tommy’s prepared remarks.

If you liked this post I urge you to subscribe to The American Mind RSS feed. You can use your favorite RSS reader or subscribe via e-mail so you don’t miss any posts.