Fred Thompson for RNC Chair? By Matt Lewis

I saw this opinion peace yesterday on The Politico; http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15696.html

I have heard several good names tossed out there, two of which, Michael Steel and Newt Gingrich being two of the more talked about but Lewis is making a case here for Fred Thompson. I too like this idea as Fred was who I supported in the primaries. Whoever it turns out to be I hope they are effective communicators but most of all I hope they are true conservatives in the vein of Ronald Reagan!

... and what are your thoughts?

Randy Highsmith

Fred Thompson for RNC Chair? By Matt Lewis

The presidential race is over, but for a few top Republicans, the campaign is just beginning. At its winter meeting in January, the Republican National Committee will elect a new chairman, and a slew of hungry candidates are already lining up for the job.

Some might consider the RNC chairmanship to be a low-profile position, but there’s already no Republican Senate majority leader or House speaker and soon there will be no Republican president. For at least two years, the chairman will become the de facto national leader and face of the GOP — and will arguably be the most powerful Republican in the United States.

Unlike recent predecessors, the new chairman not only will need to oil the party machinery but also to be the primary mechanism for advancing the Republican message. This will require enough gravitas and personal magnetism to play loyal opposition to the Obama administration. Furthermore, Republican voters are angry at the party leadership right now — angry enough to break out the guillotines. We need a chairman who can both combat the Democratic president and control the stampeding elephants.

Where can we find such a superhuman being? Does such a person even exist?

Right now, several qualified and worthy state GOP chairmen are seen as potential candidates. In fact, they’ve been generating buzz for almost a year.

When the party is without a sitting president or a powerful leader such as Newt Gingrich (who, sadly, has said he is not interested in the position), a talented state chairman might be just the way to go. Two state chairmen stand out: Katon Dawson of South Carolina and Saul Anuzis of Michigan. As solid spokesmen who have labored in the vineyards of party politics, both are fine men who would be good for the RNC chairmanship. Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele also is running.

But there is a nationally recognized leader who should also be thrown into the mix: former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson.

During his short-lived 2008 presidential run, Thompson often seemed a better advocate for others than for himself. After dropping out of the presidential race, he served as one of Sen. John McCain’s most eloquent, hard-hitting and effective surrogates. With his Hollywood ties, he’s also a pretty good fundraiser. As RNC chairman, he could continue in that role without the pressure to become president himself (which, frankly, didn’t seem to appeal to him).

Of course, there are other dynamic leaders who could enter the mix. Rudy Giuliani, for instance, could definitely make a strong case for himself. Giuliani has the chutzpah to shake things up and the personal magnetism to be an effective leader. The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder noted possibly the most intriguing pre-Election Day speculation, when he said that “some activists want Sarah Palin — assuming she doesn’t become vice president — to run.”

I really like that idea. I still want Thompson, of course, but it’s still one heck of a good idea. Then again, why not have both?

Yes, it’s possible. Take a gander at the Rules of the Republican Party, specifically Subsection One of Section A of Rule No. 5. It reads, “A chairman and a co-chairman of the opposite sex ... shall be elected by the members of the Republican National Committee.” I’m not sure who decided to write affirmative action into the Republican Party’s rules, but in this case, it could work to the GOP’s advantage. If Thompson were elected chairman, the party has to elect a female co-chairman anyway. Why not use that technicality to elect Palin and get two stars for the price of one?

Forget about simply countering Barack Obama. With the party in the hands of a high-wattage Thompson-Palin tag team, I’m pretty sure that the two could seize the offensive and leave the new president in the dust. I realize this idea sounds mildly insane, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work. The Boston Tea Party probably seemed like a pretty stupid idea at the time, but in hindsight, those dudes in the freaky Indian costumes were pretty darn smart.

Decorum and tradition probably dictate that the next RNC chairman be a stodgy partisan apparatchik, but since when did decorum ever get us anywhere? It certainly didn’t do us much good this year. In fact, it probably lost us the most important election in modern history.

So let’s dispense with the pleasantries and actually shake things up for once. After four years of Obama’s socialist policies, something tells me that the American people are going to be ready for another tea party. With Thompson and Palin leading the charge, we might be able to throw Obama’s elite liberal administration (and their soy chai lattes) overboard.

Matt Lewis is a contributing writer for Townhall.com, a leading conservative opinion website to which former Sen. Fred Thompson also contributes.