The Fred Factor

I just got through reading The Fred Factor: How Fred Thompson May Change The Face Of The '08 Campaign by Steve Gill.

I'm a Fred guy. If he runs for Pres, I'll vote for him. None of the other candidates (either party) turn me on, and I usually vote Libertarian. (Not because I necessarily want Libertarians to win, I just think the first question we need to task when faced with a problem is not "How should the government handle this?" but "Should the government handle this?" And I think the answer should usually be no. The Libs, such as they are, are as close I can get to that.)

Anyway, I got this book months ago, when it was more relevant, and put off reading it till now. I can't say I was hugely impressed. It's a thin book that is about 1/3rd stuff that only a wonk could love (if this state goes that way and this candidate veers to the center, then Fred! could save the day). It's funny to read now because not a lot of what the author describes has come to pass, reminding you that fortune tellers are all pretty much scams no matter what their job titles are.

Another 1/3rd is light background stuff. Interesting for what it is, but not presented in any extraordinary way.

The remaining parts are bits of actual Fred. Platform positions, etc.

All in all, it's about on a par what you could get on the web, only the web would be free, more interesting and more relevant.

I hate to give it a bad review because maybe the target audience really is hardcore political wonks and since I'm not one, I can't really judge its merits on that basis. But it was less than thrilling.