politicalpartypoop.com

A group of bloggers got a chance to gab with Fred, cool.
This assessment is from Captain Ed, he did record the exchange so I would check back on his site for more 411.

Fred Thompson held his first extensive blogger conference this afternoon, and he emphasized his individualism and his authenticity as his greatest assets in the race. He’s touring South Carolina and seeing a lot of support — and also a lot more people who have yet to decide on their candidate than one might think. He’s doing well at his stops, which he acknowledges is a bit of a bubble for any candidate, but he’s quite optimistic.On the media, he’s not as optimistic. He scoffed at their rumor-mongering, especially in regards to his supposed withdrawal from the race. He said that they put out rumors like people put out milk for kittens, and everyone laps it up.

On his competition, he agreed with one blogger who called most of his opponents liberals. Fred doesn’t think that the media picks candidates as much as rolls with whatever story arises and tries to build themes with them. He will try to draw distinctions between the other candidates and true conservatism in the debate tonight. Keep an eye out for that tonight.

Fred won’t bring a celebrity on the trail with him. He gave a one-word answer — “Nope”. He says that Huckabee didn’t get a single voter from having Chuck Norris on the stump, although he concedes he got more attention. He refused to apologize for his late entry into the race, wondering what benefit we’ve seen from the early primary we’ve just experienced, and calling it a “race to the bottom”.

I’ve recorded the conference call (with the campaign’s permission); I’ll be pulling quotes for a later post.

Bloggers in on the call…
Red State
IMAO
Captain’s Quarters
The Jawa Report
Dan Riehl
Stop the ACLU
Matt at Townhall

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In 2007, the federal government’s spending rose to an astounding $2.8 trillion– the equivalent of $22,000 per household. Growth in federal government spending, however, rarely translates into better services for the American people. Solutions for many public policy problems are best found in the private sector, and then at the State and local level–not in Washington, DC. Indeed, the federal government loses billions every year due to ineffective programs, poor management, waste, and fraud. And, the problem is getting worse. Within the next five years, federal spending is expected to reach more than $3.2 trillion, or about 20 percent of our economy; more than half of this amount is mandatory spending for entitlements. Increasing government spending is not the answer to our country’s problems. It is time to get it under control with better solutions and better management of our federal government.Balance the Budget and Eliminate Underperforming Programs

Congress has consistently refused to balance the budget and address the deficit. In fact, federal spending continues to grow at rates double inflation. This rate of growth in federal spending is not sustainable and must be brought under control. The following actions will result in better control of the growth of non-defense discretionary spending:

1. Limit Non-Defense Federal Spending to Inflation. Federal spending is expected to grow an average of 4.5 percent each year over the next five years. This growth is more than twice as fast as the estimated rate of inflation! Slowing the rate of growth in federal spending would help the federal government balance its books. Further cost savings can be achieved by limiting increases in the annual rates of growth for mandatory federal spending programs.

2. Implement a One-Year Hiring Freeze Pending Completion of Federal Government Strategic Assessment. Initiate a senior-level Administration assessment of the federal government’s activities to determine their proper alignment with national priorities. This assessment will permit a re-shaping of the federal government to best address these priorities. Until that assessment is completed, institute a one-year freeze on the hiring of all non-essential civilian workers and contractors. This will give a new Administration time to assess its personnel requirements in order to “right size” the federal workforce, commensurate with national priorities, to match staffing and contracting needs to agency responsibilities across the executive branch.

3. Conduct a Comprehensive Cost-Benefit Analysis of All Federal Programs. Over the past few years, the Office of Management and Budget’s Program Assessment Rating Tool has found that many federal programs are ineffective or only moderately effective. With the aid of rigorous cost-benefit analysis and relying on the Government Performance and Results Act, the President must work with Congress to determine which federal programs to eliminate, reduce, combine, or place on probation.

Enact Meaningful Earmark Reform

Congressional earmarks add up to tens of billions of dollars each year. In Fiscal Year 2006 alone, the cost to the American taxpayer was more than $64 billion. Even more disconcerting is the fact that many earmarks do not benefit the America people but only serve to support special interests. To accomplish real and meaningful earmark reform, the following actions must be taken:

1. Provide President with Line-Item Veto Authority. Congress can provide this authority without a Constitutional amendment. Such authority would better control spending and prevent the use of public funding for wasteful earmarks.

2. Direct Agencies to Ignore “Soft” Earmarks. “Soft” earmarks are those included in Congressional report language, but not in actual legislation. Failure to include such earmarks in the bill language itself makes it easier for Members of Congress to hide their earmarks and prevents the full House and Senate from voting on them. Federal agencies must not fund these “soft” earmarks unless they otherwise meet agency standards for a funding award.

3. Propose Legislation on Earmark Procedures. Promote greater transparency by urging Congress to approve legislation that requires the posting of all earmarks on the Internet for the public to view at least 24 hours before the underlying bill is brought to the floor for consideration.

MORE HERE

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From Newsbusters
 

Fred Thompson today blasted the media for propagating a false rumor about his impending withdrawal, while reinforcing the role he has created for himself as the candidate in this race who does not suffer unwelcome questions gladly.Back in Iowa, Thompson famously refused to respond to the debate moderator/school marm’s demand for a hand-show on global warming. On this morning’s Today, he declined to engage in horse-race speculation about his own prospects, then took the media to task for its propagation of that false rumor about his impending withdrawal. Weekend anchor Lester Holt interviewed the former Tennessee senator.

View video here.

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This from Red State

Thompson must, should and is, according to this report from Human Events, continuing his quest for the White House after Iowa, especially in South Carolina, i.e. the state that picks winners:

Sources told me that Thompson’s campaign was already moving elements to South Carolina where they expect to do very well. If Thompson finished at the bottom of the pack in Iowa — which seems very unlikely — he would have to reassess his overall chances. But that seems unlikely. And Iowa is not a determinative race for the Republicans. It is very likely to be of lesser importance than a host of others, as John McCain, Rudy Giuliani — and Thompson — are betting. A candidate could easily go from a defeat there to win the nomination.

This refutes the dirty trick lie “broken” by The Politico last night that Fred Thompson was poised to drop out and endorse John McCain in a few days after Iowa.

South Carolina has a strange habit of correcting mistakes made in Iowa and/or New Hampshire, ALWAYS picking the GOP nominee and usually picking American presidents since 1980.

Read the rest

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 Hot Air » Blog Archive » Politico: Sources expect Fred to drop out this weekend unless he finishes a strong third tomorrow

This from Red State

According to people who actually know, I’m told $1,878,138 has been raised since the debate on December 12 from 24,949 people, including $719,534 from 10,237 people. For the week before, week of and week after Christmas, I think that’s pretty good. The Politico might not think so, but I think it gets Fred to South Carolina.

Frankly, regardless of the results today in Iowa (and he’s going to do better than some are expecting), I think Fred Thompson needs to pull a Reagan ‘81 (i.e. make a big, bold “I ain’t going anywhere” stand), march to South Carolina, and start throwing punches.

Clinton lost Iowa and New Hampshire before winning South Carolina and coming back. Fred has the online support. He’s going to do better than people expect in Iowa (he actually is). Huckabee is going to beat Romney today so those two are going to fight like drag queens wearing the same dress to a party. Fred needs to leverage these three things and go to South Carolina.

If nothing else, the hit job in today’s Politico should piss him off enough that he does just that.

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While Fred Thompson is not leading the polls, Thompson does have a majority of endorsements from prominent conservative bloggers. Here are some of the higher profile conservatives on the Internet who have come out and endorsed or support Thompson (H/T to Josh Painter):

Polipundit, IMAO, Pejman Yousefzadeh on Red State, SayAnything blog, Rick Moran of rightwingnuthouse and the American Thinker, Rightontheright, Bob Krumm, Eugene Volokh, Beldarblog, FloppingAces, The DailyPundit (Bill Quick), David Hinz (The Hinzsight Report), Alo Konsen (Brainshavings.com), Gamecock (Race42008.com and The Hinzsight Report), John Hawkins (Rightwingnews), Jonathan Adler (NRO and the Volokh Conspiracy), TraderRob (Opinipundit), Haystack (hick politics, Redstate), Erik Erickson (Redstate), Professor Steven Brainbridge, Conservativesuperiority.com

There are many more, but not enough space or time to mention them all. Blogger endorsements obviously don’t have a large impact on the actual voting process, but what is important is that all of these pundits follow the race and the candidates closely, and make up their minds not only on soundbytes, but on substance and record. Some of these bloggers have been on board since the beginning, while others have only endorsed Thompson recently.

Well, it is time to officially add my name to the list. Of course, our readers here are well aware of who I support and I even work with the campaign, but I realized I have never really officially said “I endorse (insert candidate’s name) for president).” I’m not in the same league as some of these prominent bloggers, but this site has its share of readers and we hold our own against many on the web.

So, now it is time to officially announce that I, Tommy Oliver, contributor to Race42008.com and a member of the Federalist Society, will throw my endorsement and support behind………….

No surprise………. Fred Dalton Thompson for President of the United States.

Read the rest

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The Politico (Hat) Story on Thompson is Wrong (Update: Not Just Wrong. Really, Really Wrong)

 

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This from The Society of Independent Thinking

A lot of media people and a couple of special interest groups are not all that fond of Fred Thompson. Fred’s most recent media smackdown, in which he informed a moderator that he would not be “doing any hand-shows today” surely did not endear him to the Des Moines Register. Although, judging by the way she moderated the debate, I’d be willing to bet there are many on the School Marm’s staff who have links the the YouTube vid of this moment saved on their home favorites list.Bill O’Reilly doesn’t like Thompson because he’s reportedly asked him “six times” to come on the O’Reilly show. Fred essentially responded by saying he was too busy (which pompous blowhard O’Reilly took to mean ‘lazy’). Thompson instead invited O’Reilly to join him on the campain trail — at least 15 times. O’Reilly got his revenge for this slight on his ego by subtracting Fred from his recent poll regarding GOP favorites. Pretty infantile, Bill. I mean that.

Grover Norquist, as I mentioned here another time, also dislikes Thompson because of a slight on his ego. Anyone sensing a pattern?

And, of course, there’s the AP dog-and-pony show, wherein they ask the candidates stupid yearbook questions, instead of dealing with substance. Thompson’s responses, while certainly not pleasing to the AP (that is, they wouldn’t have been had the AP gotten the joke) were sure-fire crowd-pleasers to those of us who understood where Thompson was coming from:
What’s your favorite joke? Presidential debates.

What’s your favorite keepsake? Trophy wife.

What’s your favorite nickname? Mr. President.

And, of course, there’s my new favorite poke in the eye: What do you like to do on a ‘lazy day’? Campaigning.

Note to Associated Press: we’re electing the Leader of the Free World — not choosing the next American Idol. Thompson understands this, and gives these idiotic questions all the attention they deserve, while simultaneously taking some well-deserved shots back at the press.

Fred Thompson does not pander. He doesn’t pander to special interest groups, and he doesn’t pander to the media. Why? Because the President is not beholden to lobbyists or reporters. He is beholden to the American People.

Fred Thompson is a man who respects the Presidency. He respects the job, and he respects the office. He does things his way, and his way is to maintain the dignity of the White House, and of the United States. People can complain that he doesn’t do things their way, and that’s all right. But he’s not out there to please the pundits by jumping through particular hoops.

Frankly, I can respect the opinion of somebody who has thoroughly gone through the white papers and policy recommendations of the candidates, gets to know them on the issues, and chooses not to vote for Fred. I don’t agree with them, but I respect them. I have no respect at all for people who refuse to vote for a man because he won’t demean the office of the Presidency by pandering. You want pandering, go vote for a Democrat, or watch American Idol. If you’re interesting in picking the best person for the job of President of the United States, brush up on policy, learn about the individuals.

Thompson is, and remains, a Conservative leader and, I humbly submit, the absolute best choice for President.

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Found this on Wizbang, who found it on Right Wing News. Unofficial Fred Thompson ad, but I love it. Finally found something to pick up the mood a bit today.

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DES MOINES, Iowa–Stepping out for a press conference here Monday, Mike Huckabee fielded the ultimate question. Just how conservative are you?”I’m as conservative as anyone could hope to be, or want to be, or needs to be,” replied the smiling former Arkansas governor, never missing a beat, and following up with a boilerplate summary of his belief in “lower taxes,” the “sanctity of human life” and a “strong military”–before moving ever so swiftly on to the next question.

It was trademark Huckabee: Sounds great, explains little. It’s a strategy that has so far served him well, rocketing his campaign in recent weeks to the top ranks of the Republican presidential field. The question is whether he can continue to pull off that trick, now that he’s receiving belated media scrutiny. A few days following the candidate on the Iowa campaign trail suggests it could prove tough. If Mr. Huckabee does turn out to be everything Republicans “want” or “need” in a conservative, it will only be because the definition of a conservative has morphed to include tax hiking, protectionism, corporate scolding and an unserious approach to foreign policy.

What aren’t in doubt are Mr. Huckabee’s social-values credentials. He has an undisputed record on questions of abortion and gay marriage, and he’s spent no small portion of his limited advertising money making sure Iowa voters know it. Christian conservatives make up an estimated 40% of the state’s GOP vote, and by all accounts he’s slowly locking up that vote. That alone accounts for a fair share of his recent rise in the polls.

Mr. Huckabee is the charisma candidate. Like another man from Hope, Ark., the onetime pastor is an extraordinary speaker. He’s self-deprecating and funny, has perfect timing, and never struggles for an answer. He has that rare ability to pull out just the right story in response to any situation, and to deliver it in a folksy, Southern way.

Read the rest of this article here, but let me first just say this; Folks I’m angry, as angry as someone can be on Lexapro, and drinking Irish Cream on the rocks at 9:00a.m.
As this piece points out we are allowing people to redefine conservatism, this article focuses on Huck but the same can be said for 3 faux Republicans and what is worse far too many of you are allowing it.

As of today, December 18, 2007 I still have the utmost confidence that Fred Thompson will be the Republican Party’s nominee for President of the United States.
One reason why I believe that is because the major networks are completely ignoring him. Snoop WTF? I’ll explain.
Virtually every pundit on Fox goes out of their way to dismiss him and call him irrelevant. Republican pundits on interviews won’t even mention him.
I have even heard a couple of Democratic strategist say if he does not win South Carolina he will be out of the race.
Ask yourself this, if Fred Thompson’s campaign is in its final days, they why go out of your way to mention that?
Basically the media and the pundits are working awfully hard to discredit “an irrelevant” candidate.

Lets get real here; the Democrats do not want to run against Thompson, because he is not a closet liberal, because he has never advocated for big government, opening our boarders to illegal immigrants, reducing our military, backing away from the war against Islamic terrorist pimps, granting clemency to murderers and the list goes on.
He is not flashy, not a smooth talker, he looks like a worn out grandpa on most days, has this annoying clearing of the throat thingy he does, and dude needs to STILL get some good designer to have his suites tailored to fit him better.
But most of all I respect and admire an individual who is one of the Thompson’s campaigns most important individuals. I have said this before and I will say again, he has said to me that Thompson is a good man and a sincere man and could make a great president. He believes in him. From this individual, that is enough for me.

Every Republican pundit pulling for one of the three frauds dismisses him, because they want to avoid the conservative comparisons.
My anger comes from the people who claim to be Republican and some TV and blog pundits who proclaim themselves to be on the “conservative” bandwagon touting the faux conservative credentials of candidates like Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani? What the fuck are you people drinking in the morning?

We need to stop trying to redefine conservatism, maybe some of you need to go back and understand what that actually means.
If you people who have given your support to these frauds don’t wake up this party will be on the outside looking in the next 8 plus years, because you allowed fictitious poll numbers, Sunday morning Baptist preaching rhetoric, New York shyster slick talking points, and a lying ass LDS fraud to redefine conservatism.

Unlike a great number of bloggers and pundits who pimp for these campaigns, I’m not in Thompson’s pocket, I’m not paid to put a bunch of banner bullshit on my site, I don’t work for his campaign, not a family member, a friend from back in the day, has never been invited to interview or spend time with a candidate, I don’t have exclusive access to a campaign, never been invited to a campaign rally or party, not a pimp for the Republican Party.
Not paid to post my opinions on my blog or any other blog, do not receive one dime of money from blogging.
I do it because I love blogging, I have fun doing it, and I love to share my opinions. What you read and see is what I am.

If Fred does not get the nomination, the world will not end, I will be greatly disappointed, and I will be forced to support one of these frauds.
The only thing I can hope for is a Republican majority in one or both of the chambers.
Hopefully some Republican discipline will be administered.
Bottom line I’m just a brotha tryin’ to make sense of this campaign bullshit and seriously is not liking what he is seeing.

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Aw damm, I was reluctant to post this, but since Fred 08 put it on their site I guess I’ll flash a little MSM love for Fred.

The fact that this debate was called by some as the most boring, and now have been called by some as the Nurse Ratched debate, (because of that crazy moderator) (more about her here) I don’t know that Fred getting props for his performance is that great. But hey, we will take what we can get.

Chuck Todd: “the candidate who had the best afternoon I think was Fred Thompson”

“The winner: Thompson” (American Spectator, 12/12)

“Winner: Thompson” (Jim Geraghty, NRO, 12/12)

“Frankly, the candidate who had the best afternoon I think was Fred Thompson. This was easily his best debate performance and he seemed to shine in this subdued format.” (Chuck Todd, NBC First Read, 12/12)

“Winner: Fred Thompson. Good substance, good personality, and his I won’t raise my hand for an answer question reminded me of Reagan say ‘I paid for this microphone.’ Fred definitely won.” (Right Wing News, 12/12)

“He had the sharpest tone and sounded like a leader” (NBC First Read, 12/12)

“This guy looks like he could eat most of the rest of the field for lunch.” (Jim Geraghty, NRO, 12/12)

“Seriously, it’s like Thompson came to the debate in Des Moines today to do two things: Kick butt and chew gum. And it appears he’s all out of gum.” (Mark Hemingway, NRO, 12/12)

“Fred Thompson is easily having his best debate; the format suits him well; it’s very issue oriented and doesn’t allow for too many back-n-forths and gives Fred a chance to shine.” (Chuck Todd, NBC First Read, 12/12)

“Fred the Truth Teller….That’s been his emphasis today, and a compelling one.” (Rich Lowry, NRO, 12/12)

“Fred Thompson was smart, funny, irascible and consistent, and probably helped his standing here.” (Ambinder, The Atlantic, 12/12)

“Judging by This Debate So Far… Romney’s main threat in Iowa should be Fred Thompson.” (Rich Lowry, NRO, 12/12)

“Thompson is sounding like he’s decided this debate’s format stinks, and so he’s going to protest by mocking the mockery it has become. It’s the most life he’s shown in a while.” (Jim Geraghty, NRO, 12/12)

“He seems, so far, a bit more rejuvinated than prevous ones.” (Jim Geraghty, NRO, 12/12)

“‘I want to take a chance on telling the truth to the American people.’ Very nice line from Fred.”

(Rich Lowry, NRO, 12/12)

“Finally, Fred wakes up and shows a little passion: ‘When the enemies of this country are at the negotiating table, who do you want representing you? Whoever that guy is, that’s the guy you ought to vote for for President.’ One of his stronger moments.” (Jim Geraghty, NRO, 12/12)

“Asked for a show of hands on global warming, Thompson finally stands up. ‘I’m not doing any hand shows today.’ A few folks applaud. Fred: You gonna give me a minute to answer it? Moderator: No. Fred: Then I’m not gonna answer it. This gets a smattering of applause. And yup, I’m applauding at home.” (Jim Geraghty, NRO, 12/12)

“NEA…Another ‘good for Fred’ moment.” (Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO, 12/12)

“‘The biggest obstacle is the NEA’….Another good Fred line…” (Rich Lowry, NRO, 12/12)

“Fred does come off as a sincere, solid man, with good instincts, who you want to see more of on more than Law & Order repeats.” (Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO, 12/12)

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If you’re wondering how Gov. Huckabee’s hundreds of clemencies compare with neighboring states, get ready for a shocker.
Huckabee leads the pack.He has issued more commutations and pardons than all of the six neighboring states combined.Governors seldom reduce sentences in other states – and almost never for murderers serving life without parole or for rapists or for habitual drunk drivers, while in Arkansas it’s a regular habit with Huckabee.

Other governors use their clemency power only rarely, while Huckabee has made it routine. As we’ve told you before, he has issued more than 700 pardons and commutations during his eight years in office – more than 137 this year alone – and more than his three predecessors combined.

Here are the figures for neighboring states since 1996, when Huckabee took office (and keep in mind the population of these states is nearly 20 times ours):
Louisiana – 213.
Mississippi – 24.
Missouri – 79.
Oklahoma – 178.
Tennessee – 32.

Texas – 98 (in-cludes 36 inmates released because they were convicted on drug charges with planted evidence).
Total: 624 vs. Huckabee’s 703.Governors in neighboring states almost never grant killers clemency, while Huckabee has commuted the sentences of a dozen murderers.

“That is extremely rare here,” said one corrections official in a neighboring state.
She recalled one case in the early 1990s when the governor commuted a killer’s sentence and none since then.
In Texas, we could find only one clemency case for a killer.Governors in the states we studied grant clemencies only on special occasions, such as when they leave office. Last January, after Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, a Democrat, lost his re-election bid, he issued 16 clemencies, and there was a huge outcry. That’s how many Huckabee averages per month.

Read the rest of this article: Arkansas clemencies outpace other states 2004 article

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From the Powerline blog: Huckabee: “Close Gitmo.”

Now we learn (but are surprised) that Huckabee opposes waterboarding and would close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Huckabee reached this conclusion after meeting with a group of retired generals (the usual suspects, I assume) who are lobbying candidates to oppose Bush administration interrogation and detention policies.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2007/12/019190.php

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In case you did not know..Huckabee believes that the biblical obligation to do “good works” extends to using government — and your tax dollars — to bring us closer to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.” Jonah Goldberg National Review

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Huckabee Supported Reduced Sentences For Meth Manufacturers

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I can hear the critics… “Ah Snoop why you posting all of this stuff?”

Because just like I said in the Joe Horn post below, I have NO…. did I stutter?
NO tolerance for a “presidential” candidate who coddles criminals. I will come down on their asses like a ton of bricks.

Rush said the other day, and I have read a number of articles from right leaning types that the MSM is pimping this guy because he is the most like G Dub, this compassionate conservative bullshit. A big government tax and spend RHINO Republican.
The more I read about him, the more I cringe at the possibility of him winning the nomination.

C’mon Fred campaign, get your asses in gear, we can’t have this Huckabee, Romney, Giuliani shit hanging over our heads!

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From Hot Air

When asked by Don Imus this morning about his lack of foreign policy credentials, Mike Huckabee joked: “And the ultimate thing is, you know, I may not be the expert as some people on foreign policy – but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.” (WABC Radio, 12/04/07)

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“When confronted with a serious question about his lack of foreign policy experience, Mike Huckabee makes a joke. The security of Americans and our allies is no laughing matter. What Americans are looking for in their next president is a commander in chief, not a Court Jester,” added Bob Haus, Executive Director of Iowa Friends of Fred Thompson.

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I’m trolling the blogsphere and I come across this article: Confederate flag supporters upset by Romney, Thompson and I read this blog entry from this dude who is upset that Thompson and Romney dissed the Confederate Flag.

Folks I can’t help but to laugh at the ridiculously stupid shit. Just as I find individuals obsession with symbolic nonsense like “the noose” “gang colors” Nazi symbols and other bullshit I find this amusing.
Think about it, this guy would on a dime change his political support for any individual because they find a racist symbol, the Confederate Flag, repulsive and divisive.

Here is a portion of his post: You can read the full entry here

Thursday (11-29-2007), with remarks they made during a Republican debate that evening… which was televised, Governor Mitt Romney, and former Senator Fred Thompson, joined McCain as confirmed losers in their attempts to gain the office of President of the United States.As of this date, IoF will no longer support Fred Thompson’s campaign for the Presidency. I cannot, in good conscious, support a man who holds my heritage in contempt. And I certainly cannot support a fellow Southerner who has no more respect for his own heritage than that displayed by Thompson in his remarks Thursday night.

My family fought, bled, and died beneath that flag! Knowing, as I do, their reasons for offering up their lives in defense of their homes and families I cannot be disrespectful of their sacrifices, including the ultimate sacrifice, made for me! I cannot… and I WILL NOT!

Now, to those of you who may think I, and my fellow Southerners, are over re-acting to something that happened 146 years ago, may I remind you, it was the election of an anti-southern candidate to the office of the Presidency, in 1860, which turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back and forced the South to leave the Union… and brought on this continent the bloodiest conflict in the history of the North American Continent. If you have read this far, then you now know, if you had doubts, the scars are not yet healed from that conflict.

This was a bitter, bitter, decision for those of us here at IoF. But, in the end, it was the only decision I could make. Life is simply too short to compromise one’s core belief(s) and I shall not do it.

Oh boo fucken hoo! The very reason why CNN put that stupid ass question on the debate was to do what all liberals seek to do and that is continue to portray the Republican Party as a bunch of racist rednecks who are more concerned with racist symbolic nonsense that real issues that fact this country.

Folks, let me be clear, and I have said this on numerous occasions, I don’t give a fuck about the Confederate Flag in general, if people want to fly the flag off their balconies, or in the rear window of their cars, hand these stupid flags in their dorm rooms or whatever. But don’t try and pretend that your sensibilities are being trampled upon because people who know better, particularly politicians are smart enough to avoid a racist symbol like the plague and choose to distance themselves from it.

“Oh but Snoop the Confederate flag is not a racist symbol,” bullshit, then why every time I see some redneck wearing it or I go to a website promoting it, or I see some neo-Nazi protest it all up in my face.
The people did not adopt this symbol for the hell of it. Young kids like the moron in the dorm room at the You Tube debate try and run the line of “heritage” because there is now this PR campaign to push racist symbolism underground in an attempt to make it more palatable to the masses.

When “symbols” govern your life and is used in helping you prioritize what is important in your life, then frankly you need to take a good look in the mirror and do some self reevaluation and analysis.

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If you have not seen this movie I highly recommend it. Very Funny

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From Flopping Aces

FactCheck.org did their homework on the debate last night and the top tier candidates answers.  They found a few nuggets:

• Romney claimed New York called itself a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens. It didn’t.
• Giuliani denied New York actually was a “sanctuary city.” But the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has classified it as such, based on immigrant-friendly policies Giuliani still defends.
• Huckabee claimed he would “abolish the IRS.” He failed to mention that he’d replace it with another big tax bureaucracy.
• Huckabee said he had proposed to make children of illegal aliens eligible for Arkansas scholarships if they “had been in our schools their entire school life.” Actually, the proposal required only three years in Arkansas schools.
• Giuliani was correct on two points: While he was mayor, New York snowfall went down and the Yankees won four World Series titles. He was joking, but his gag should remind citizens that it’s a mistake in logic to give mayors, or governors or presidents, all credit or blame for what happens just because they’re in office at the time.
• Romney, claiming to be a “true suffering” fan of the Red Sox, said the team waited 87 years to win a World Series. They actually waited 86.

Notice a name missing from that list?

Not only did Fred come off as the most Presidential and the truest conservative, he also got his facts right.

Here is the longer version of the new Fred video that was played at the debate….good stuff:

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By Rush Limbaugh via Conservative Grapevine

RUSH: It was fascinating to me, as I said, to watch this because it hit me upside the head — even though, as I say, I instinctively knew this — that all of the top-tier candidates, because of these questions… See, there’s always a silver lining in everything. There’s always an upside. Some of you might not think of this as an upside or a silver lining, but the genuine moderate as opposed to conservative aspects of three of the top-tier, four of the top-tier candidates were on full-fledged display last night. There was one candidate who did not display any moderateness or liberalism or have any of his past forays into those areas displayed, and that candidate was Fred Thompson. Now, this is not an endorsement. You know, I don’t endorse during primaries. I just point out: These are things I noticed, and I’ve told you during the course of this one campaign year that one of the things that’s bothering me, is I’m a Reagan conservative, and I believe in conservatism. It’s in my soul and it’s in my heart, and I know it is the best way for us to manage our affairs to ensure the most prosperity for the most, to continue our freedom, to protect our country.Conservatism sees people and sees potential. Liberalism looks at people and sees victims. Liberalism looks at people and sees incompetence, and, “We gotta help ‘em out and keep ‘em forever dependent so we’ll always have power.” Conservatives don’t want to use the government to empower themselves. They want to get government out of the way to empower other people. So, to me it matters, and we have a campaign now where most of the candidates are not genuine conservatives. They may be saying they are, but in their past they have done some things that are not conservative in any way, shape, manner, or form — and I think a lot of those things are being overlooked even by friends of mine in the conservative media because the obsession is Hillary. “Well, we gotta have somebody who can beat Hillary, and we can’t have the perfect candidate,” and so we gotta make the choice here based on who’s best equipped to win and beat Hillary. I understand that, and whoever the nominee is, I’m going to support them. So don’t misunderstand here. But I don’t like seeing “conservatism” being watered down as the way it’s defined. I don’t want people who are not conservative being said to be representatives of the “new conservatism.” There is no “new” conservatism. There is conservatism, and you either are or you aren’t.

You can be 80%, but it depends on what the other 20% are, and I’m just telling you that last night, it was Huckabee and Rudy and Mitt Romney, because of these questions, who were all faced with the reality — and everybody watching saw it — that they’ve got some governance in their pasts that is not conservative, and this is something that just hit me. While everybody is talking about Fred Thompson, “He’s too lazy. He’s too lackadaisical. He doesn’t seem to have whole lot of energy.” Fine and dandy. I’m not going to argue with people about your perceptions of attitudes and so forth. I will say this. I don’t think anybody would get into this mess running for the presidency, the media and all of these things. You can’t imagine what these people go through. You wouldn’t want to go through it, and I can’t imagine somebody put themselves through it if they really don’t want it.

You know, one of the arguments about Fred Thompson is, “Well, I can’t see the fire in his belly.” Well, he’s got a different personality than the others. We’ll just have to see how all this shakes out. But those are the high points that I took. Now, some of the other questions: We’ve got audio sound bites of all this coming up after the next break. The abortion questioner, the YouTube question last night was a declared Edwards supporter, and also a slobbering Anderson Cooper fan. The Log Cabin Republican questioner (that was two questions on homosexuality last night), the Log Cabin Republican questioner is a declared supporter of Obama! We even had a question about the lead content of toys coming from the ChiComs. None of these questions would have ever been asked of the Democrats, but the toy questioner is a prominent union activist for the Edwards-endorsing United Steelworkers. It was a series of plants, once again. Whether CNN knew it or not, that’s what it was.

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By Fred Thompson • SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER

I believe there are millions of Americans who know our security and prosperity are at risk if we don’t address the challenges of our time - the global threat of terrorism; taxes and spending that will bankrupt future generations; and a government that can’t get the most basic responsibilities right for its citizens.

In 1994 when I first ran for the Senate, I advocated the same common-sense conservative positions I hold today. They are based upon what I believe to be sound conservative First Principles, reflecting the nature of man and the wisdom of the ages. It is a basic recognition that our rights come from God and not from government. Essentially, it’s about freedom. A government big enough to do everything for us is powerful enough to do anything to us.

These principles lead me to believe in lower taxes, free markets, private property and fair competition. These principles made America great, and we should rededicate ourselves to them, not abandon them.

When we look to Washington, we see a bureaucratized government increasingly unable or unwilling to carry out basic governmental functions, including securing our borders against illegal immigration and enforcing our laws. A nation that can’t protect its border will no longer be a sovereign nation. We see a Congress more politicized and divided than ever and disconnected from the American people. Is this the government that some would have play an even greater role in running our lives? We must do better.

Recently, I talked to a young Marine at Walter Reed Hospital. He had lost both legs in Iraq but was looking to the future. I asked him what he planned to do, and he said he wanted to work with a nonprofit organization that was doing a lot to help people. Then he looked at me and said, “I just thought it was time I gave something back.”

That young man, who has given so much for America and yet still asks to give more, is typical of the men and women of the United States armed forces. Our country has shed more blood for the freedom of other people than all the other countries in the world combined. We are steeped in the tradition of honor and sacrifice for the greater good.

I believe that Americans are once again ready to achieve this greater good, which is nothing less than the security, prosperity and unity of our country.

Former Sen. FRED THOMPSON of Tennessee is seeking the Republican nomination for president.

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Post below from the blog - Outside the Beltway.

This was the theme by many at the Blog World conference I attended.
As much as I support Thompson I’d be lying if I said I have not thought the same thing.
As I have said many times I hope this perception changes because I still strongly believe that a Thompson presidency will be in the long run the best for this nation.
I don’t trust a single Democrat; I cringe at a potential Hillary presidency, Edwards is a moron, Obama is all talk, Giuliani is too liberal, although I do believe he would be decent on national defense, but I don’t trust him on illegal immigration issues and he is a ridiculous prima donna career politician reminds me of the GOP version of Bill Clinton, Huckabee is a “former” Baptist minister enough said, Romney is a fraud and will say anything to get elected, McCain is simply “tired” and I don’t trust him on illegal immigration either.

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In yet another sign of trouble for his much-hyped candidacy, longtime Fred Thompson backer Steve Bainbridge is stopping just short of withdrawing his endorsement — but only because he still thinks the other alternatives are even worse.His first objection is that, while he likes Thompson’s ideas for tax reforms, he doesn’t think they go far enough. Specifically, he likes Thompson’s simplified tax code but thinks the idea of allowing taxpayers to chose between that code and the existing one is burdensome, in that it would essentially require them to figure their taxes both ways.His chief complaint, however, is with Thompson’s “lackadaisical” campaign style. He cites Michael Medved’s report of a boring interview he conducted with Thompson, wherein the former Senator sounded “disengaged, bored, flaccid and tired.” Medved opines, “Instead of relishing the opportunity to connect with several million listeners, Thompson came across like a guy forced to complete a necessary but onerous chore.”

Which, it seems to me, is a complaint about Thompson himself. Maybe his reputation for being lazy (by presidential aspirant standards, anyway) is deserved? And, if the man is already tired from the rigors of the campaign trail after, oh, six minutes of campaigning, maybe he’s not up for four years as president?

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Found this on the blog Hick Politics

From the blog Pam’s House Blend

What do you know — we have a genius observation from the GOP Clown Car. The presidential hopeful and Law & Order actor seems to have felt the love from the “fair and balanced” network. Pull out the tiny violin. (The Hill):

Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) suggested on Sunday that Fox News is biased against his campaign, charging that the network highlights commentators who have been critical of his run for the presidency.In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” host Chris Wallace pressed Thompson on how some conservatives have lambasted Thompson’s campaign and showed clips of Fox conservative commentators Charles Krauthammer and Fred Barnes criticizing the former senator.

Thompson said, “This has been a constant mantra of Fox, to tell you the truth.” He noted that other conservatives have praised his bid for the GOP nomination and took issue with a Fox promo that focused on polling in New Hampshire, where Thompson is registering in the single digits.

Thompson, in a firm, but measured tone, scolded Wallace: “…for you to highlight nothing but the negatives in terms of the polls and then put on your own guys who have been predicting for four months, really, that I couldn’t do it, kind of skew things a little bit. There’s a lot of other opinion out there.”

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Video clip via Democratic Underground

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Interview from Human Events

As part of HUMAN EVENTS’ continuing series of interviews with key advisors to the GOP presidential contenders we spent some time with Bill Lacy, Campaign Manager for Fred Thompson. Lacy managed Thompson’s successful Senate races and has been involved in six presidential campaigns.In the wake of a flurry of endorsements I asked Lacy: do they matter?Lacy says that “most candidates would honestly say that they would like to have as many as possible” but that in reality they are “usually of limited value.” He notes that exceptions may be the endorsement of a key governor who controls the state party apparatus or if you see a “group of like-minded leaders all endorsing the same person.” As for social conservative leaders Lacy observes that since they are “splitting up” the result is that there is no “clear signal” to voters.

Is Lacy pleased where Thompson is in the race?

Lacy contends that Thompson is “exactly where he wants to be” He says that Thompson still registers in second place in some national polls. However, Lacy places great emphasis on Thompson’s ability to use paid TV ads to his advantage. He notes that Thompson has just gone on the air in Iowa and next week will be up in South Carolina. Lacy argues that “a dollar worth of Fred on the air is worth 2 or 3 dollars of any of the others.”

Read the rest here

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I NEEDED to post some good news for the Thompson camp.

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Fred Thompson, the candidate billing himself as the most consistent conservative in the crowded Republican field, has won the presidential endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee, GOP officials said Monday.The nod by the prominent anti-abortion group could boost the former Tennessee senator’s lackluster campaign. He has seen his poll numbers drop in recent weeks in Iowa and elsewhere as he has failed to become the consensus candidate of restive social conservatives still searching for someone to embrace.

“It speaks for itself,” an upbeat Thompson told reporters while campaigning here _ even as he talked in hypothetical terms and declined to confirm the endorsement. “These are people who supported me in times past. I think it would be a perfectly natural thing to happen. I’ve had a 100 percent pro-life voting record in the United States Senate. And I think they know that, and that’s the way I would govern if I was president.”

Several Republicans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the formal endorsement is scheduled for Tuesday, disclosed the group’s decision.

The support comes after a span in which Thompson watched GOP competitors wrap up endorsements from prominent conservatives: Rudy Giuliani from Pat Robertson, Mitt Romney from Paul Weyrich, John McCain from Sen. Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee from Donald Wildmon.

At the same time, Thompson has seen his support slide in some of the first states to hold contests, most notably Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida.

Read the rest

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Fred Thompson’s campaign is in trouble.Not that the former Tennessee Senator has made any killer gaffes or tragic mistakes. He hasn’t. Thompson is suffering from that inside the beltway syndrome that pushes a potential candidate to enter the race and then mercilessly tries to tear him down once he’s in. Beltway insiders like Dick Morris have positively skewered Thompson for everything from his “trophy wife” trying to run the campaign to his curious habit of constantly clearing his throatFred is also suffering from comparisons to Reagan which were inevitable but unfair. And his laid back style on the stump seems to be eliciting a laid back reaction from voters – they like him but are perplexed by his seeming lack of passion.And slowly, like a leaking boat, Thompson’s once climbing poll numbers have started to go south. And not just in the national polls but state by state, Thompson has seen his percentages slipping.

He is currently behind Huckabee in New Hampshire with 5% of the vote. And he’s currently 4th in South Carolina, a state he led less than a month ago.

Face it Fred Heads; Thompson needs a boost, a spark – something – or he’s going to be out of the race early. Part of it is certainly the fact that the major punditry has already dismissed him as “dumb,” or lackadaisical,” or just plain “lazy.” But part of it is Thompson’s doing as well. He has been too cerebral, too remote. His campaign has failed to give off any heat, relying instead on the candidate’s folksiness and star quality. That worked for a while. But once people really began to take a look at him, what they saw didn’t impress as much as it raised questions about whether he really wanted the job or not.

I happen to think of all the major candidates in both parties, Thompson is running the most thoughtful campaign. His positions are fleshed out with some real meat on them – unlike the sugar coated cereal burgers offered up as ideas by his counterparts and adversaries. If you listen closely, there is coherence and logic to his arguments about federalism and limited government. And I like his realism on foreign policy in that he seems not to be beholden to either the neocon or the more traditional Republican camps. There is some nuance in his formulations about the greater Middle East and what our policy should be.

All of this would play very well if Thompson were running for Chief Policy Wonk. But he’s not. He’s running for the Presidency of the United States. And American voters not only like to see a candidate’s mind on display, they want to know what is in his soul as well. So far, Fred has proved unwilling or incapable of reaching out and connecting with people on an emotional level. And time is growing short for him to do so.

You can read the rest here at Right Wing Nuthouse 

Quick rant: As big supporter of Thompson I could simply ignore this particular post, or bemoan the writer for unfairly bashing the Thompson campaign and chalk it up to playa hating, but dude is right. I have not posted anything about Thompson in awhile, basically I was going to close my eyes and just hope that some of the campaigns failings would simply go away.
I still have not changed my stance about him as a candidate, I think he would make the best president out of the current field, but the packaging must change.

Funny he mentions the throat clearing, something I must admit drives me up the fucking wall. If I were on his campaign staff I would have him carry around bottled water with “Fred 08” on the bottle. Or he needs to go to the doctor and be prescribed something that takes care of it.

As for the passion, it’s not there, unfair or not. He does not look good in suits, he needs to have them tailored if he is going to wear them, and he looks tired all the time. He also needs to get rid of the sliver of hair he has in front too.
Hire those dudes from Queer Eye to hook him up.

He says his health is cool and he is losing weight and exercising, but that energy needs to shine more when he is on display.
Sit up straight, lean towards the camera, be more enthusiastic even more animated, crack a few jokes from time to time. crack about someone’s mama or something!
I’m trying to be optimistic here, I hope this all will shake out over time and posts like this will be a distant memory, but this is the wrong time to regressing in the campaign.

I trust my campaign insiders are taking care of the issue, but a brotha is a bit concerned right now. You know how us black folks fret about the little shit.

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