Adios, Tommy!
The final Republican debate before the Iowa caucuses was held last Wednesday. Tomorrow in Des Moines, Tom Tancredo is expected to drop out of the race.
The timing is no coincidene. Tancredo, a Colorado Congressman, used his status as a presidential candidate to secure invitations to every televised debate this year (there were about 47, I think) and to all sorts of high-profile G.O.P. events. But he raised little money and struggled to break the two percent barrier in most polls. With no debates left, the only thing Tancredo had to look forward to was a humiliating showing in Iowa in two weeks. By dropping out now, he avoids that.
The shame is how much time and space he took up, even though it was clear months ago that he wasn’t going to stir any meaningful interest in his bid. But every debate, he made it miserable for any viewer interested in watching some kind of dialogue between the legitimate candidates.
Some will credit Tancredo with making illegal immigration the hot issue it is on the Republican side. And it’s true that he pushed it earlier and more forcefully than many in his party, but he stopped being the primary – or even a prominent – force behind it even before he launched his candidacy. At his best, Tancredo was reduced to listening to the other candidates on the debate stage and then commenting that “they sound like me.”
Tancredo’s not the only one who has needlessly wasted viewers’ time in debates. Duncan Hunter, who has yet to drop out, belongs on that list, as does Alan Keyes.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 49.7
- 42.4
- Obama +7.3
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.9
- 36.7
- +19.2
- McCain
- 49.6
- 41.7
- +7.9
See ya, Tommy!
Glad to see you go!
Yes, he did not have a chance. However, to say he tood away from meaningful debate is wrong. You may not have liked his point of view but at least he had one. The rest of the lot said nothing meaningful. So, see ya Tommy and thanks for showing us the vacousness of that other crowd of self-lovers.
Americans have a strange habit of punishing those who tell the truth. We'd rather close our eyes and allow the continued invasion of our borders by millions rather than deal with the ugly truth--we're losing our country . Tancredo made the mistake of trying to get people to listen. In the not too near future, his words will stand far above the lies and politically correct rhetoric being mouthed by politicians who are handing our country over to the will of anybody who can cross our borders.
The Americans who label their fellow Americans with every slur imaginable in defense of illegal aliens will find out too late they were instrumental in destroying a once great country. Poverty and ignorance can't sustain this nation and that's our main import right now.
Sorry to see you go Mr. Tancredo. You fought the good fight. Too bad there aren't more like you.
Ding Dong Tancredo's gone.
One less bigot in the presidential field. We should be ashamed as a country that men (and to be fair, women too) like this exist in our political framework. It is the biggest embarrassment since David Duke made a bid for the White House.
Millions Trish???? I guess thats like rhetoric such as the "mexicans are taking over" and the "liberals are killing our christmas". Stop blaming immigrants for your lack of self worth because that is your problem and no amount of immigration enforcement is going to improve your overall place in the universe!