Flip Flop Fred

Fred Thompson, of course, was an Insider before he was an Outsider. Before he gets too carried away with the new Outsider role, though, someone should tell him that regular folks – real outsiders – are getting pretty good about checking facts.

Last week, the Outsider gave a rousing campaign speech on federalism – that 10th Amendment principle that burns bright in the hearts of Republican delegate-types who believe that the feds need to leave most governing up to states and cities. If the Outsider were sheriff, he suggests, things would be different.

Really? Name an example, Outsider.

The Outsider declares, “Perhaps the clearest example of federal over-involvement in state and local responsibilities is public education. It’s the classic case of how the federal government buys authority over state and local matters [and, then, messes things up].” Right on, brother! You’re getting my glasses all steamy.

The Outsider continues, “The No Child Left Behind law itself increased federal funding by some 26 percent, while creating 50 new educational programs nationally, imposing almost 7 million hours and more than 140 million dollars in compliance time and costs.” Hallelujah! from the Amen-corner!

But, wait a second. What did the Insider do to stop No Child Left Behind?

Um, well, the Insider actually voted for No Child Left Behind.

So, yes, Fred Thompson voted for No Child Left Behind, before he campaigned against it.

I’ve been in the statehouse battling against the big brother mandates of NCLB. Don’t try to act like you’ve been in the trenches with us, when you’re the guy who helped launch the attack.

One F for the big-brother vote. One F for hypocrisy. And one F for flat out trying to mislead on the issue. Three Fs. Flip Flop Fred.