When Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) announced his retirement in May, one of the names that quickly surfaced as a possible Republican contender for the open seat was that of former Governor Tommy Thompson. The conservative Club for Growth is decidedly unenthusiastic about that possibility, and they're letting Badger State voters know about it. The Club has released a new ad hitting Thompson as a career politician, a big government, tax-hiking Republican, and -- worst of all -- a prominent supporter of Obamacare:
Along these same lines, I wouldn't be surprised to see this image floating around in the not-too-distant future:
I need not remind you that precisely zero Congressional Republicans voted for Obamacare in 2010 -- and rightfully so. It is therefore entirely legitimate for conservatives to question the judgment, political instincts, and yes, even the conservatism of a man who agreed to be the token Republican face of such a thoroughly disastrous policy.
UPDATE - Here's a snippet of the Club for Growth's shot across Thompson's bow:
If Tommy Thompson wants to run in a Republican Primary for United States Senate, he’s going to have to explain to voters why the Cato Institute reported that his later budgets called for “massive new spending,” and why his FY2000 budget increased spending by 13 percent. Tommy Thompson’s record on taxes is even worse. In 1991, Thompson imposed a tax on nursing home beds. His 1995 budget plan included nearly $400 million in various fees and taxes. His 1998 budget contained new taxes on cigarettes, gasoline, and Internet sales.
But the most distressing part about Tommy Thompsons’s record is his past support for ObamaCare. Thompson opposed repeal of ObamaCare, and supported an individual mandate which is crucial to ObamaCare. Thompson was even working with the Obama Administration on the implementation of ObamaCare, as a White House blog post, showing a smiling Thompson standing with Obama HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and liberal former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle demonstrates.
UPDATE - A Thompson supporter leaps to the former Governor's defense.