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Here on this island where I live, just off the West Coast of Florida, we regularly have high-speed boats land dozens of foreign nationals on our beaches — having totally avoided our Coast Guard and other so-called defenses. Boats this big and powerful are capable of delivering to any coastal city in America even conventional nuclear weapons. Truly miniaturized weapons, if they exist, could be carried on foot across the border into even Chicago, Washington D.C. or Las Vegas. The possibility that one of the petro-rich madmen who has promised to see America destroyed is thinking right now about finding a way to give some suicidal terrorist group an untraceable nuclear weapon is, in my opinion, too great a danger to ignore.
FDT clearly understands this. Just as critically, he also understands that our own government represents a danger in and of itself. More than any other candidate, I think he presented the best chance of keeping the beast quick and strong enough to deter our enemies but fully in check. His Federalist insistence on the separation of powers and decentralized governance irritated big government types from both parties, but it would have provided a non-partisan and tolerant middle path at a time of vicious partisanship. He also made it clear that he understands that the national debt and uncontrolled spending are just as existential a threat as nuclear terrorism.
So what happened?
In retrospect, I suspect that the critics who said he started too late were right, though not for the reasons that most posited. Fred was correct when he quipped on Leno that the American people would not hold it against him that he waited a few months to officially declare. Everybody I know, however, underestimated how important it is to have political allies lined up ahead of time.
Most of the leading candidates were working behind the scenes for years, making unofficial deals with the people in every state who know how to wield influence and mobilize the rank and file. Fred, on the other hand, honestly never lusted for the power of the presidency. He agreed, upon significant urging, to run because he believed it was the right thing to do for his children and the country. Politics, however, apparently requires more.
I spoke with a good friend of mine here in Florida who controls one of the state’s most sought-after forums for candidates. An experienced political veteran, he tells me that the value of staff, both paid and volunteer, is demonstrated in the wake of a candidate’s appearance. Both Mitt Romney and FDT have appeared at this venue, and they both generated considerable enthusiasm and interest among local politicians and activists. Romney’s organization was prepared to harvest the excitement he generated, having spent years forming a national organization capable of doing so. The buzz that FDT created was just as great if not greater, but the organization he put together so late in the game was not on the ground to take advantage of the good will he created for himself.
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Fred's Out and What A Missed Opportunity
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