He was a serviceable actor, but never really that special. He conveyed authority in that role, but he was never as good as the original DA Adam Schiff played by Steven Hill.
Before Thompson assumed that role, he had been in a number of movies and had served in the U. S. Senate, so when he announced he would run for the Republican nomination for president in 2008, there were some who thought he had such star power he would be a shoo-in to face Hillary Clinton in November.
His debut on the debate stage was highly anticipated. After all, this guy was not only a senator, but a movie star.
He was also a dud.
He was so dull, he made it seem that Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback oozed with charisma. (Hillary didn't make it past the primaries, either, and had even less charisma.)
Fred Thompson was still 10 times more exciting than Michael Bloomberg was during the Democratic debate in Las Vegas last night.
You would think a man who has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on television could have spent two bucks and bought a clue.
While there have been moments during the earlier Democratic debates that were entertaining, last night's debate was the most enjoyable one I have seen in a long time.
It was a free for all from beginning to end, but if the former New York mayor thought he was going to skate it through it unscathed, Elizabeth Warren made it clear in the first minutes that was not going to happen.
I wanna talk about who we’re running against.A billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.Of course, it was scripted, but so was "You're no John Kennedy," when Lloyd Bentsen nailed Dan Quayle with that line in 1988 and people still remember it.
The only thing you can fault Warren for was her lack of decorum.
She failed to offer Bloomberg a blindfold before she executed him.
The Democrats continue to break new ground. Yes, Mayor Pete is the first openly gay person to participate in a presidential debate, but leave it to Elizabeth Warren to one up Mayor Pete by bringing in horsefaced lesbians.
Now for some winners and losers from last night's debate:
Winners
Elizabeth Warren- This was her debate. While the continued dominance of Bernie Sanders and the money and media infatuation with Bloomberg have made her seem like an afterthought, she reestablished herself last night. She also showed anyone who had any concerns that she couldn't stand up to Donald Trump, they need no longer have those concerns.
Bernie Sanders- Though Mayor Pete took some shots at him, for the most part everyone else trained their fire on Bloomberg. Sanders has been consistent through all of the debates, not winning over any converts necessarily, but not losing anyone either.
Tom Steyer- With the way Elizabeth Warren was ripping apart billionaires last night, he was lucky he did not quality for this debate, though it is doubtful he has any horsefaced lesbians in his past.
Losers
Pete Buttigieg- It wasn't his debate performance that put him into this category. He was on top of his game and landed a telling blow when he noted that the two perceived leaders for the nomination are a Republican (Bloomberg) and a Democratic socialist who has never joined the Democratic party.
I can't see any way for Buttigieg to last much longer, but then I thought McGovern would win by a landslide in '72 and lest anyone forget I was Gary Hart's Barton County coordinator in 1984. I also felt his attempt to derail Amy Klobuchar's candidacy to clear a path for him to survive was unsuccessful.
Joe Biden- The good news- the former vice president had his best debate performance thus far. The bad news- as Peggy Lee sang in 1969 "is that all there is."
Amy Klobuchar- She also had a solid performance and I am hoping I am wrong about this, but it appears to me that when Elizabeth Warren turned her fire toward Bloomberg, she did just as much damage to Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Biden.
Michael Bloomberg- He's not going anywhere. He's a billionaire with an ego who wants to one up Trump by becoming the first actual billionaire to be elected president. His money will keep him in and may well buy him the nomination, but any idea that this guy can stand his ground against President Trump in a debate vanished last night.
Chuck Todd- It irritates me when Todd mutters through a candidate's answer, especially toward the end of the allotted time.
All of NBC's questioners- We have had the debates on health care over and over. Why aren't they asking questions about foreign policy, the rule of law and other things that quite obviously are going to be major issues come the general election?
And while I shouldn't do this because I am bound to be wrong, here are a few predictions:
-The pundits were quick to declare Sanders a winner, as did I, because no one really took him on last night. After last night though, is there anyone out there who does not think Elizabeth Warren is going to turn her fire on him next week. Bloomberg's entry into the debates was a gift for her at exactly the right time. She has made herself palatable to more moderate Democrats, maybe shutting the door on Joe Biden's candidacy and possibly doing the same to Klobuchar. Buttigieg will likely last longer.
-Biden's South Carolina fade is going to continue with Tom Steyer gaining a chunk of his voters, as well as Sanders and Warren. Steyer has spent Bloomberg-type money in South Carolina.
-Bernie Sanders' road to the nomination will not be as easy as everyone seems to think. Bloomberg has the money to stay in until the end, Warren's candidacy also appears to be built for the long haul and one of the three others (not counting Steyer or Tulsi Gabbard) Biden, Buttigieg or Klobuchar will find a way to hang in there waiting for lightning to strike.
What do you think will happen?
2 comments:
I am very proud of Elizabeth Warren for her ability to stay in this presidential campaign in a time when men are still ruling every roost. Warren is showing us that she has what it takes to be presidential. I am so disgusted that Bloomberg stuck his foot in the race and the fact that his money is speaking for him burns me up. He can't even rub two sentences together. Men and their money aren't all that it is going to take to remove the stench from the current administration.
Give me a break with Warren. All she did was attack others but really had nothing of substance to say about how she would go about running the country. That is because she has no idea. It is funny that she was on life support,then after one debate she is declared back in the race. If I had to pick a Democrat, I would pick mayor Pete but we all know America will not elect a gay man over Trump. The country just isn't there yet. Bloomberg is done. He was absolutely demolished last night and cannot be taken seriously moving forward. With crazy Bernie muddying the waters, we are headed for a brokered convention. The Democrats have all but ensured that we will now get 4 more years of Trump. Unreal. They can't find any better candidates than this?
Post a Comment