That sounds bizarre! He can act more scary than Dick Cheney, but he’s just acting. He could maybe repair our screwed up foreign policy by just scarring our enemies. He can smile pleasantly and say “I’m going to cut off your legs, feed them to wolves while you watch and bleed to death,” and seem totally sincere through and through, being diplomatic all the while. 

Fred Thompson was my Senator in TN a long while, and I like that guy. He’s also an actor now of course. Politicians I like are a short list. We really have some horrible choices available IMO. People have strong opinions in this area though, and I really believe few of us know what really goes on in the White House or what really makes, or would make a great president. None of the above is yet to be an option on the ballot. I guess people also just vote for what they think is best for them, not for the country, and maybe that’s how it should be to an extent. I feel it's related to being good people as a nation, but a good person is ill defined these days.

An example, president Bush was a great president right after 9-11, not because of anything he had done, it was because we as a nation came together in that time of crisis, and he was on center stage. Now we are very divided and he is unpopular. There is the so called war, but recall the pre-election speech he gave, praising the NAHB members for making the economy strong. Those people he was praising scammed the banking system so badly that we are seeing a chain reaction of economic disaster from those “wonderful” people’s greed.   

I’ve read several books lately that came out since a lot of classified documentation was released, for my own writing research. One can see symptoms behind the scenes of our government, with its supposed checks and balances, being primed to become a corporate subsidy, like our other lost checks and balances menu, free speech and free press. They are still surviving in their role, but just barely breathing. We still have some power left though, and should not just give it up, whether it be called whining or whatever BS is said to justify laziness and greed.

I guess this is rather irrelevant to the HOBB forum. I just felt like, since 9-11, we’ve been told so much to fear another terrorist attack, (the needed replacement for communist fear) nobody noticed all the 100% interest home loans, faked info on loans to turn over inventory from builder financing scams, and ARMS banks started giving out that would balloon beyond what the home buyer could possibly pay, until it was too late. I never was that passionate about politics, until I learned through my own unresolvable home defects, that politics and home building were so horribly linked.

Update note: IMO after further review, Fred Thompson would simply continue they same crap that's going on now, which basically means more "money over the people's welfare" in the bottom line. I don't endorse him.

A politician is going to be in the White House regardless. I have doubts Fred can win, because he’s not Republican enough. Of course the bad press was just waiting for him to announce. We know how press is always fair and unbiased now on all matters. Most Americans vote for the candidate the dislike the least, as that’s all we have to choose from lately.

Can you imagine having a serious chance at a run for office in this day in time though? The system is set up, you have no real choice but to shmooze and deal with sleazy self serving entities to get the required backing, even if you’re well intended. If you do get by without that, then if you’re not capable of being a politician, you’re not likely to be effective in all the entrenched bureaucracy surrounding your seat. The whole system of checks and balances has been warped. Consumer protection bills may come up, but seldom make it, because there’s not usually a place to put kickbacks in, as compared to something like tort reform has. If you just want to serve “We The People” and no one else, than you’re not likely going serve anyone on a grand scale. 

I don’t really want to debate politics here, though the subject is in the book of course. That’s why it has been so hard to get out, because almost no one will be in total agreement with what’s in it. If they were it would be useless, beyond getting more money in my pocket for being pop, and going with the flow. I sincerely want to help common people and that’s not pop these days. It’s hard to find meaningful middle ground.

I care that someone would identify the home building protection scams, and clean that up. I expect to get some reaction from all the candidates on the builder issue in the book, or all who will respond.  But they also have to care about billions going to Iraq, who will eventually thank us by turning into Iran when we leave, and despise us. I’m concerned about allowing CEOs to ship jobs overseas, and letting illegals lower the standard of living for everybody, except yet again CEOs, who keep getting raises.

I like Walken a lot, but the whole US is not as insane as California. It’s just not viable as I see it. Sometimes a candidate who can’t win, can bring important issues up enough to get them addressed by a winning candidate, if he or she has been forced into addressing a real issue by opponents. I’ve personally worked in a campaign and seen that happen in a local bid for office.