Thompson “Dithering”

Yet another story has popped about Republican Tommy Thompson maybe/maybe not throwing his hat in a race somewhere in Wisconsin. But the real question is: will the right wing call it “dithering”?The right fell in love with “dither” late last year when Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was mulling his gubernatorial run. Brian Fraley—from over at the conservative spin factory, the MacIver Institute—debating OWN’s own Scot Ross on That’s Debatable wrote, and I quote: “After months of dithering, Barrett finally announced his intentions before a crowd of dozens in front of his home.”

And conservative mouthpiece, Dave Blaska from Blaska’s Blog and the Isthmus: “Tom Barrett jumped in to break up a fight at State Fair Park but dithered for months before dipping his toe into a far more dangerous situation ‘€” running for governor’€¦ blah blah blah.”

Since he left Wisconsin for Washington DC, Thompson has been in perpetual ditherence (I made up this word, for Tommy). For the last year, he’s been dithering on a run for Governor and U.S. Senate. He dithered in 2005 and 2006 on a run for governor and U.S. Senate against Herb Kohl. He dithered in 2003 on a 2004 run against U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold. And heck, he even threatened to run against Doyle if he won the Democratic primary’€¦ in 2002.

Ugh.