Thompson: I don't want Obama's policies to succeed
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/25/art.fredam0325.cnn.jpg caption="Fred Thompson, a former GOP White House hopeful, said Wednesday that he doesn't want some of the president's policies to succeed."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Count former GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson among the growing chorus of prominent Republicans who want President Obama's policies to fail.
Tuesday evening Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called pressure to support Obama's policies "political correctness run amok."
Related: Jindal defends those who want Obama to fail
Thompson told CNN's John Roberts Wednesday that he agreed with some of his fellow Republicans who have said publicly they do not want the president's policies to be successful.
Watch: Thompson on American Morning
"I want his policies that I believe take us in the wrong direction to fail," Thompson told Roberts on CNN's American Morning.
"If he takes us down the road of tripling our national debt in ten years and making us vulnerable to higher interest rates and higher inflation, and things of that nature, I want all those policies not to succeed," he said.
Thompson, who made the rising cost of entitlement spending a focus of his 2008 presidential run, said he'd be happy to help Obama overhaul those programs.
"If he wants to do that, I will join with him. I'll do everything I can to make him succeed with regard to that because that's the whole ball game in terms of our fiscal future in this country," said the former Tennessee senator.
Thompson criticized Obama's ambitious health care agenda, telling Roberts the president's plans would cost the government more than they would save.
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If Thompson wants Obama to fail, then he wants our country to fail. I'm so glad he didn't get the GOP presidential nomination with that unpatriotic attitude. It's pathetic that he's actually saying that at all, let alone on television. What a sad man!
For all of you that think wanting obama's policies to not be implemented is unamerican or anything else, let me pose this to you. wouldn't it have been great if Clinton failed to push through legislation to relax banking requirements to get a loan? We now would not be in this mess regardless of the Iraq war or anything else Bush did.
Yes it made Clinton look good but in finance terms, that was on paper only knowing it would eventually blow up in our faces, but at least, as far as clinton was concerned, it didn't happen on his watch.
Does it make a difference what Fred or any other Republican says? These guys were quietly wishing in the past for the policies to fail. Now they are coming out in the open. The country as such should look beyond such petty comments.
One more UN-American Right Wing Whacko heard from. All the Republicans know is failure...so of course they want a successful and popular, president who was elected by the majority of Americans to fail! Hoping for Obama to fail, is hoping for America to fail!! It's time for Republicans to get with the program for the good of this country, or get the hell OUT!
I don't care who you are or what party you beling to, it's "Un American"
to wish your president or his policys to fail. You Republicans are nothing but a bunch of friggen babies. When you get your way everythings ok. When the majority of Americans voted for change of policys that were left by Mr Bush you guys wish anything but your agenda to fail. You's make me sick.
I'm so tired of hearing most of the Republicans bashing anyone who is not in their party. They all forgot real quick who was at the helm of this runaway ship for way too long. They looked the other way and did little in the way of regulating their rich buddies, and look where it has gotten us. They started an war that is causing us to spend an obscene amount of money that could definately go towards helping us out of this crisis! Give me a break!
I want my 401K back . I don't give a crap if Atilla the Hun is in office.
Far Right and Far Left people are destroying this country with their
BS partisanship.
signed
Center Right Republican
If you really want to help the President then get yourself elected to congress. Wait, He did try to get elected President. He didn't even get thru the primarys of your own party. Why would he even think anyone cares about his opinion.
This is just more two faced reteric from Republicans. Maybe he would be a good canidate to be Palin's running mate in 2012.
For most of George W. Bush's presidency, I wanted him to fail. I wanted him to leave office looking like the fool I thought he was. I am so sorry for that now. My country is suffering and struggling because he failed. We're in this mess because he failed. I hold myself partially responsible - because I wished for it. I learned an important lesson about patriotism. I hope people who are hoping for Obama's failure will learn from my mistake.
it's fine that all these politicians want our President to fail.
Why dont they watch it from the sidelines of say some other country. They are free to move at any time.
good ridence
I'm not sure why this is news worthy. Of course the GOP wants Obama to fail. That way they can say " I told you so". The GOP likes to pretend that they are some sort of Benevolent organization that actually cares about anything but themselves. The GOP also likes to pretend that they didnt have a hand in this whole "financial crisis".
All these people are liars, and if we keep letting people like this hold the reigns of power it wont matter if Obama fails or not.
I understand the republicans have fundamentally different views about the best way to take care of the nation in this time of economic distress. However, to state that you hope the policies that are being put in place fail because they do not correspond to your own idealogy is simply childish. It is cutting of your nose to spite your face.
It is fine to worry about the direction, and even to question it at all times, but to hope (and some may link this to prayer) for failure is counter productive.
Choose your words carefully, say what you mean and own it, and please, hope for the best.
"There is a big difference between Bush's $1 trillion deficit at the end of 2008 and the OMB's projected $10 trillion deficit created by Obama's budget within 5 years. "
Yes...there is.
The main being that Obama is spending that money in order to fix the things WRONG with America (Education, Health Care, New Green manufacturing) in the long-term while Bush spent that money killing human beings and destroying a Country.
I think what he meant to say is that he wishes the policies of the administration were his own policies. If the administration was to fail, as he stated, then we, Democrats and Republicans, are both failures. Democrats did not want Bush to fail, but he did. Now do Republicans want Obama to fail? Of course not.
Only republicans have the audacity with straight face to talk in a democratic administration. They have neither moral nor rational power to base their opinion. But they are the champions of their ideology or idiocy.
Where were the Repuglicans when Regan, Elder Bush, and Junio Bush were running up the deficit?
They were supporting them as they were Repuglican Presidents.
Presidential election is 4 years away. Go home Fred and rest well.
we are in a crisis as a nation. this is the time to set aside political agendas and come together. everyone of us need to be part of the solution and not critisism.
And again and again! IF you don't like it WHY HAVEN'T YOU OR ANY OF YOUR PEERS proposed anything that will really work?
It's the same old choir song: tax-cuts for the top; reduced regulation; trickle-down economics; social-conservative agenda (the new fascism); no level-set opportunity for all American's; exhaustion of fossil fuels; big business; hypocricy; and irresposibility with our environment that comes out of any "career" political republican.
I don't see any of that in the Republican mission; yet these neo-fascists condemn any progressive or innovative idea big or small.
You have no credibility if your ideology was attempted and did not produce success AND when you don't come to the table with ideas.
Where are the real Republicans? Not these "social-conservative," ignorant fools.
Besides saying I want Obama's policies to fail, how about coming up with alternatives No Tax increase. At the end of the day the wealthy will continue to have the best health care, access to the best education and Jobs. Why would they care about anyone else. I got mine.
And that is why you were not elected President.
Notice that it's the people who aren't at the end of their rope financially who wants the Obama administration's financial policies to fail. MOST OF US don't have time for these policies to fail and then wait 4 years from now for someone else to get in and give it a try. Fred Thompson likely has millions of dollars in the bank. I don't. None of these folks have a clue what it's like in the REAL world. I've been working for over 25 years, and I am back in a paycheck to paycheck position, and all my credit cards (lifelines for emergencies) are being cancelled. Get a clue, Thompson and the rest of you folks living the high life while the rest of us hope to just keep our houses and not have to file bankruptcy. For the majority of us, if these policies fail, we'll be falling off the cliff.
By wishing for Obama's policies to fail, you are wishing for our country to fail. You sould be ashamed of yourself! Working together as a unified people made this country great. Get with the program. If you can't say something positive or find a way to be productive, there are so many other countries to choose from!
This comment about wanting the President to fail is so funny to me. Don't people know that while you are digging a grave for someone else to fail or fall into so to speak, that you might as well dig an extra one for yourself. Who does that? Who wishes failure on a person? I guess we are supposed to keep doing more of the same, right? If the President fails we all fail. Oh well, that's why he will continue to rise and the naysayers will continue to fail.
I wonder if all the people who want the President to fail bother to think about what that actually entails. If the President's initiatives to solve the economic crisis fail, that means things will stagnate or get worse. I guess it's more important to be "right" about your political ideology than to want things to get better for your country.
Tell you what... if the President fails, you can say "I told you so" when we're both standing in the bread line together.
This is the attitude that is keeping this country down. We are suppose to fail to make the repulicans look good? How selfish. If the President succeeds, we are all winners. I guess the republicans only want success for the chosen few. Our President is leading us in a new direction. GOP... you had your chance and look where we are. Just sit back and stop being part of the problem.