Bredesen's Worst Nightmare: Fred Thompson As GOP Challenger

When Bush tapped former Senator Fred Thompson (and now Law & Order actor) to help in the senate confirmation battles of his Supreme Court nominees, he raised serious questions about his confidence in Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's ability to get the job done.

Since the appointment, rumors have been flying about the possibility of Thompson emerging as the GOP dream candidate for Governor next year.

Thompson would be Bredesen's worst nightmare, but then Bredesen is doing such a fine job of alienating his base that most any GOP candidate may prove formidable.

The Democratic Governor is more popular with Republicans than Democrats, and thanks are surely due to his draconian cuts to the state's expanded Medicaid program, TennCare. Governor Bredesen's health care cuts are the largest in the history of the country.

According to a Survey USA poll released in May, 61% of Republicans approve of Bredesen’s job performance compared to 49% of Democrats and 45% of Independents. Now that the cuts are actually happening, Bredesen's popularity among Democrats and Independents has surely declined even further.

Unless Bredesen comes to his senses and reverses his health care policy, the best chance of stopping a Republican victory in 2006 may lie with finding a candidate from the Left, a candidate who actually represents the values of the Democratic Party. As has been said many times, when given the choice between a Democrat who behaves like a Republican and a genuine Republican, voters choose the latter everytime.