Tommy Thompson Kicks Off Senate Bid

Tommy Thompson is officially getting back into politics.



Note the flags in this photo from his campaign website. Of course, there's the American flag. That's expected. It's impossible to miss the other flag, the Gadsden flag, a symbol of the Tea Party movement.

That's not an accident for the Gadsden flag to figure so prominently in the photo.

To kick off his bid for the U.S. Senate, Thompson is staging an event in Waukesha.

Details:

From: Tommy Thompson
Date: Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 2:13 PM
Subject: Please Join Me On December 1st
To: Ryan Burchfield


Dear Supporter,

Washington is broken, and the America we know and love is in trouble. High unemployment, record debt, the expansion of government and the erosion of our Constitutional freedoms are threatening American exceptionalism.

We do not have to stand by while Washington continues down a path of reckless spending and disastrous policy initiatives that tie the hands of entrepreneurs and keep families from achieving the American Dream.

There’s a long list of actions we need to take to bring America back…balance the budget, reform entitlements, repeal Obamacare and fix our health care system, and grow our economy with low taxes, less regulations, and free enterprise.

Make no mistake; this election may determine whether the Democrats are successful in picking your pocketbook to fund their Big Government agenda and continue to run up America’s $15 trillion debt.

The challenges Washington faces are tremendous, but I’ve tackled big problems before by using my Wisconsin commonsense and conservative principles.

With that in mind, I would like to invite my closest friends and supporters to a special gathering on December 1st. I want you to be there to share in the moment, because it will surely be an exciting time.

I’m ready for the fight ahead and, as you know, no one is better prepared to fix the mess in Washington than I am.

I’d like nothing more than to share this moment with you, because you are the reason why I’m taking this important step to help bring America back.


Your friend,



Tommy G. Thompson

P.S. Click the RSVP button below to get more details about the event and to let me know you will attend. Thanks again.

More details:

Please join Tommy Thompson as he officially kicks off his US Senate bid to bring America back

When: December 1st
Doors open at 5:00 and the event starts at 5:30
Where: Weldall Manufacturing
2001 South Prairie Avenue
Waukesha, WI 53189-7307
Dress: Casual

From the Associated Press:

The toughest opponent Tommy Thompson may have to overcome in next year's U.S. Senate race is Tommy Thompson himself.

The former Wisconsin governor and U.S. Cabinet secretary was set to formally launch his Senate bid with a rally Thursday, 13 years since he last appeared on a ballot.

Early in the campaign, Thompson has found himself under criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike over his shifting position on President Barack Obama's health care reform law. And conservatives in his party say his record as governor and as President George W. Bush's first health and human services secretary was far too moderate.

"The world has changed since he was elected to office," said Chris Chocola, the president of the conservative Club for Growth, which has endorsed one of his opponents, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann. "Now we're talking about how much less we'll spend rather than how much more we'll spend."

The growth in state spending and the size of government during his 14 years as governor are being cast as a liability by Thompson's rivals, and his consensus-building approach to politics seems almost quaint in the current bitterly partisan political environment.

But Thompson has some things the two more conservative GOP candidates in the race don't: More than 40 years in public life, unparalleled name recognition, and a vast reservoir of good will.

"It's going to be a very bloody, divisive primary where most of the fire is focused on Thompson and his big spending record and flip flopping on issues," said Matt Canter, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The seat, which has been in Democratic hands since 1957, is opening due to Herb Kohl's retirement. A victory in Wisconsin would be a major pickup for Republicans looking to regain control of the Senate.

Who knows what the primary will hold?

I'm not backing a candidate yet, but I know that the election of any of the Republicans running will be a dramatic improvement over Herb Kohl.

If Thompson is being cast as too moderate, electing a radical Leftist like Tammy Baldwin seems like an impossibility.

Wisconsin is not going to elect Tammy Baldwin to be our senator.
________________

Here's the Tommy Thompson Senate announcement video, via Charlie Sykes:

Tommy Thompson - I'm Running for US Senate