Curmudgeon's Corner

Will He Or Won't He?

Posted by Al Campbell on Feb. 3, 2010

Political, Wisconsin

Will Tommy Thompson finally decide to get back into the political fray and run against Feingold for the Senate seat that is up for grabs?

Tommy is an institution in the Badger State.  He is thought of fondly by many and still professes to have the fire in his belly that keeps the politicians running year after year.

I confess that I am not as strong an admirer of Tommy Thompson as others may be.  He was a much better governor than has been Jim Doyle; about that there is no doubt in my mind.  But that is not a huge statement of endorsement by any means.

Our taxes went up under Thompson’s reign as governor; he was not the conservative many of us would’ve preferred.

He has now, after his stint in the federal government, moved on to making big bucks for himself and his family.  He is doing a great job of that by all accounts.  The relationships he has fostered in that span of time have some sharp political edges that would be fodder for Feingold in any race.  There is a real question of whether or not Tommy would run because he really wanted to be senator or run, instead, to prove that he could defeat Feingold and to re-establish himself in his home state as the consummate political professional.

If I had my ‘druthers’, I’d rather that he stop the grandstanding once and for all, and let others pick up the gauntlet without his shadow constantly blocking out the sunshine cast by any of the other candidates.

If I really had my ‘druthers’, I’d rather see Mark Neumann end his quest for governor, and move to the senate race to take on Feingold.  That would, in my opinion, be the best of all worlds.