Worth Noting: John Torinus Thinks Tommy Will Run For The US Senate

High-profile Republican moderate John Torinus says on his blog he's betting Tommy Thompson will run for the US Senate seat being vacated by Herb Kohl.

A couple of things: Shame on me for not knowing that John had a blog.  He's a thoughtful guy and a first-rate writer, so I'll check it out regularly.

And my goal here isn't to bash anyone,

I just don't think Tommy will run because he can't get his party's nomination and won't want to round out a legendary political career - - he's be 70 in November - - with a rejection by his party, let alone voters.

To get the Republican Party nomination, Tommy would have to make and hold a hard right turn - -  which could happen - - Alberta Darling has done it - - but Tommy would have to defend to his Party a close history with public employee labor, having added something like 10,000 jobs to state government because as the penultimate political people-pleaser he wanted everybody's vote.

And the "no-new-taxes-ever" talk radio crowd would go hard after Tommy over his Miller Park stadium sales tax, a tiny tax, but a tax nonetheless, that many in Southeast Wisconsin still irrationally hate.

There was a time when a politician with Tommy's name recognition and approval numbers could have waltzed into a US Senate seat, but that era is over.

The hard-edged Republican operatives, decision-makers and primary activists a generation or more younger than Tommy would demand someone more in the Ryan/Walker/Priebus mold.

Tommy's legacy of deficits, taxes, support for public sector health care and big government probably rule out a successful run for the Senate today, relieving us of watching what would really be unpleasant: seeing Tommy at this stage of his career pretending to be something and someone he isn't.