The American Spectator

Print Email

Text Size

The Spectacle Blog

After the Club for Growth last month released a glowing report on Rudy Giuliani's fiscal record, some speculated that the group would endorse him, but speaking about the 2008 presidential race at the National Taxpayers' Union conference today, the group's president, Pat Toomey, was bullish on Fred Thompson's prospects.

Toomey's basic argument was that typically the Republican nominee comes from the center of the party. For instance, in 2000, the field had John McCain on the left and Steve Forbes and Alan Keyes on the right, and Bush was able to win by seizing the middle. In this election cycle, Toomey said, McCain and Giuliani are on the left, while Huckabee, Brownback, etc. are on the right. He said Mitt Romney "stumbled" early by trying to portray himself as the candidate of the right, even though that was irreconcilable with his record. So, that has left a major vacuum in the center, a "sweet spot" that Thompson has an opportunity to fill. Romney, he said, also still has a chance to fill that slot, and Giuliani is a uniquely strong candidate from the left, because he can appeal to conservatives in other ways. So, he thinks we're looking at a three way race. Not surprisingly, Toomey has written off McCain.

topics:
John McCain