The New York Sunreports on Fred Thompson's pro-choice
past, which I covered
on this blog several months ago. I don't think it will end up being
a major problem for him, and this reinforces a view I've had for a
while. Thompson's late start, combined with the makeup of the
current field, will help him overcome issues that may have
otherwise presented problems for him.
The pro-choice statements Thompson made in 1994 could have been
an issue, but after months of hearing Giuliani's pro-choice views,
and watching Romney's embarassing, and recent, flip-flop on the
issue, Thompson's pro-life voting record in the Senate is looking
pretty good.
His swinging single life in the 1990s and marriage to somebody
24 years younger than him may have raised eyebrows under normal
circumstances, but given Giuliani's messy personal life, this is
unlikely be an issue.
His staunch support for McCain-Feingold would normally cause the
ire of conservatives, but hey, when you're running against McCain
himself, it becomes much less of a problem.
The bottom line is that after months of being disappointed with
the current crop of candidates, conservatives want to rally around
somebody. As a result, they'll likely be
more forgiving to Thompson than they may have been otherwise.