Fred's Message to Iowa... (and the nation)

A Christmas Message from Fred!

Fred in the News...

Fred may be a relative latecomer, but don't count him out--not even in Iowa.

Robert Novak concurs

1. The "X factor" in this race is former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.). Most Iowa Republicans did not even mention his name in discussing candidates they supported or opposed. He simply does not register in the minds of potential GOP caucus-goers, but when asked about him, voters have little negative to say.
   
   
2. Thompson has far more upside potential than any other Republican, and he is spending the entire final stretch in the Hawkeye State. Thompson has perhaps the most broadly conservative record of any candidate besides the three congressmen (see below). Many conservative Iowans currently settling for Romney, Giuliani or Huckabee (or planning a protest vote of sorts for one of the congressmen) could certainly jump on board with Thompson. If he defies his reputation as a lazy worker, he could make a spectacular surge here

Fred likes his own chances in Iowa, as evident by this upbeat interview on Hannity & Colmes.

Fred Thompson's pro-life credentials are growing, having picked up the endorsement of the North Carolina Right-to-Life PAC.

Fred's been a long time in coming to the fore, but as people begin to realize that he is the only consistently conservative choice on the GOP ticket, look for the Fred Thompson juggernaut to gain full steam!

Full Speed Ahead, Fred!

Undeniably Conservative

That's the verdict rendered in this article. It's just another example of the case conservatives should be making on Fred's behalf. Here's one of the key sections of the article:

In short, Thompson holds the same conservative positions of all the other candidates combined, and has none of their flaws. In fact, any close observer of the campaign season would tell you that Thompson has been on the receiving end of barely any substantive attacks on policy issues. This is no coincidence. And it is the reason he has had to bear the brunt of shallow attacks about his demeanor, campaigning style, and laziness (whatever that means).

Thompson is a demonstrably viable candidate with solid conservative positions across the board, and unlike Mitt Romney, whose continued defense of his sometimes liberal record puts a dent in his newfound conservatism, Thompson has not budged on the issues since running for office in 1994.

Fred's conseratism doesn't change in the sense that the same underlying principles still guide his policy positions now as they did decades ago. The issues might change but the principles of unwavering federalism and fiscal freedom still guide his domestic policies.

Fred's also the only candidate that's published detailed plans for entitlement reform, immigration reform, dealing with Iraq and Iran. That's before we get to the issue of judicial nominees, where he's got the best credentials of anyone. (One of his advisors is David McIntosh, the founder of the Federalist Society.

Unlike Giuliani, Thompson is an undisputed social conservative, with the National Right to Life endorsement to prove it. And unlike Huckabee and McCain, he is an economic conservative who was given high marks by organizations such as the Club for Growth, and whose flat tax and Social Security plans were praised by editorial boards across the country. Thompson’s courageous and spot-on designation of the National Education Association as the primary obstacle to education in this country also shows a remarkable divergence with Huckabee, who was recently endorsed by the NEA’s New Hampshire affiliate.

Fred's plain-spoken policies are refreshing, even inspiring. He doesn't back away from fights. He doesn't pull his punches. He calls it as he sees it. It isn't just that he's talked the talk; he's the only candidate who's consistently walked the walk.

Finally, there's this:

Thompson’s plan emphasizing border security and opposition to amnesty also stands in stark contrast to McCain and Huckabee’s weaknesses on illegal immigration. And unlike the other candidates, most notably Huckabee, Thompson reassuringly has extensive foreign policy experience, and identifies national security as his top priority in light of the greater war against expansionist Islamic radicalism.

Fred Thompson is the most qualified candidate in the race. You'll notice that the people that criticize him for his campaigning style don't criticize his substance. That's because it's impossible to argue with his positions.

In fact, they're the type of positions that Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater would take. You can't do better than that.

UPDATE: I just noticed a comment on this post at my 'other' blog. I thought it so perfect that I had to share it with you. Here's that comment:

FRED THOMPSON is the best person to lead this country. He is a true conservative
and has been his entire life. All one has to do is check his record to see this.

During my time in the Army as am Intelligence Analyst, I served under both Presidents Carter and Reagan (as my commanders in chief). Without argument, President Reagan was the best commander-in-chief a military person could ever have served under. Fred Thompson possesses the same qualities and vision as President Reagan in that he is strong on national defense and sees a dire need to secure our borders and control immigration.

I can think of no better person to lead this country and fix the problems we have. He is the only candidate from either party who has specific and detailed plans on border
security and immigration reform; revitalization of America’s armed forces; saving and protecting Social Security; and tax relief and economic growth. These are detailed on his Web site at www.fred08.com. I challenge you to find any other candidate who has laid out specific plans to fix anything.

Fred Thompson has published his first principles, some of which are mentioned above. In addition to those, he strongly believes in individual liberty, personal responsibility, limited government, federalism, traditional American values, the rule of law and is a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, all concepts established during the birth of our country and documented in our Constitution.

Again, try to find any candidate who has laid out their plans to “fix” this country. You will find they all speak in vague and abstract terms on their plans.

For those who have heard Fred Thompson speak, you will usually hear him say that the Fred Thompson you see today is the same Fred Thompson you saw yesterday and is the same Fred Thompson you will see tomorrow. He stands by his principles and values and doesn’t shift his positions based on polls or public opinion; in other words, he doesn’t say what the voters want to hear just to get elected, but remains steadfast on his views and convictions.

During his time in the Senate he focused on three areas: to lower taxes, strengthen national security and expose waste in the federal government. Fred Thompson has foreign policy experience, having served as member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Intelligence committees.

As chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, he opened the investigation in 1997 on the Chinese government’s attempt to influence American policies and elections, and this investigation identified connections with the Clinton administration (documented in the committee’s report).

As a member of the Finance Committee, he worked tirelessly to enact three major tax-cut bills. Fred Thompson remains steadfast and even though a person may not agree with all his views and he understands some may disagree with him, you can count on him to be consistent and unwavering.

Don’t be fooled by his laid back approach and what critics call his “laziness.” As a former assistant U.S. attorney, he earned a reputation as a tough prosecutor and he possesses the toughness this country needs in order to tackle today’s and tomorrow’s issues.

I ask that you take a hard look at what this country needs, then take a hard look at all the other candidates’ views, policies, their records and their track record on consistency. Fred Thompson possesses integrity, loyalty, commitment, energy and decisiveness, all traits of an effective leader, and will emerge as the best person to take this country boldly forward.

Comment by Frederick Paxson
• 18Dec2007

Mr. Paxson is with Fred's campaign so it's appropriately biased, though I can say that its bias is based on history & verifiable facts.

Technorati: Fred Thompson, SCOTUS, Federalism, Immigration, National Security, Conservatism, Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Fred: The Right Stuff on Energy...

From See-BS:

(AP) Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Wednesday that tapping oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) would help lower gas prices.

“We've got this silly battle going on about ANWR,” said Thompson, who voted in favor of drilling the refuge as a former Tennessee senator.

“We've got the reserves up there that can be tapped,” he told a crowd of about 50 people packed into a small café in this early voting state. “They're not going to solve our problem, but it's one step we can take.”

Thompson's remarks came a day after environmental and Native Alaskan groups asked a federal appeals court to block Royal Dutch Shell PLC's plans for exploratory oil drilling near the refuge. The U.S. Mineral Management Service decided this year to allow the energy giant to drill up to 12 exploratory oil wells in the Beaufort Sea off the northern coast of Alaska.

Thompson argued the United States can become less reliant on oil-based energy and pursue nuclear and clean coal development. The country must reduce its dependence on fuel from unstable partners in the Middle East, Russia and Venezuela, he said.

“So much of it is coming from problem areas in the world, and it's making us a hostage, in many respects,” Thompson said in response to a question from the crowd. “What we've got to do is not be so dependent on the wrong places in the world.”

Thompson also said maintaining a strong military could help global stability, which would keep oil prices consistent.

“That does more to keep oil prices under control, probably, than anything else,” he said.

C'mon folks--tell me he's not the right guy for the job!
On every important issue, Fred has commonsense, detailed plans grounded in conservative principles.

He is beyond a doubt the real article!

Fred Picks Up a Major Endorsement in S.C.!

Via NYT:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In a state where he appears locked in a three-way race, Fred D. Thompson’s campaign heralded his endorsement from a grass-roots anti-abortion group in South Carolina today.

“South Carolina Citizens for Life is confident in Senator Fred Thompson’s resolve to protect and defend the most defenseless among us: our unborn children,” said Holly Gatling, the group’s executive director. She said that the group would help his campaign in the state and run radio ads before the primary.

Mr. Thompson has previously received the endorsements of the National Right to Life Committee, with which the South Carolina group is affiliated, and the group’s West Virginia chapter. According to National Right to Life Committee policy, state affiliates may either follow suit in backing the national endorsee or stay neutral. His “100 percent pro-life” voting record is a cornerstone of his bid, as he runs against those who are seen as more moderate on social issues or newer to the cause of opposing abortion rights.

Fred remains the only top-tier candidate with a 100% pro-life record. Winning South Carolina will be a big step toward Fred achieving the top-of-the ticket status in 2008!

What to do about Iran.

One of the critical issues likely to emerge in the ’08 Presidential race would be the candidates’ plans on dealing with Iran. It’s become even more of an intriguing issue in light of recent intelligence findings.


A new assessment by American intelligence agencies made public Monday concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains on hold, contradicting an assessment two years ago that Tehran was working inexorably toward building a bomb.

The report seems likely to weaken international support for tougher sanctions against Iran and raise new questions about the credibility of the beleaguered American intelligence agencies, while reshaping the final year of the Bush administration, which has made halting Iran's nuclear program a cornerstone of its foreign policy.


Appearing on The Laura Ingraham Show this morning, Michael Ledeen, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, contends that Iran is indeed still enriching uranium. That would seem to indicate that Iran could restart its nuclear program at any time.

Ledeen has also been very outspoken in dealing with the Iran and their killing of American citizens. However, no sitting US President in the last thirty years has considered anything outside of failed diplomatic efforts.


From the hostage seizure in Tehran in 1979 to the bombing of the American Embassy and U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon in the early 1980s, to the attack against Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia a decade later, and the terror war waged against us and our friends and allies in Afghanistan and Iraq in the first years of this century, Iran has attacked America, killed Americans, and taken American hostages.

No American president has responded in kind to this ongoing war. Indeed, every president since Jimmy Carter has convinced himself that it is possible to negotiate our “differences” with Iran. Accordingly -– despite the conventional wisdom to the contrary — we have been negotiating with the mullahs ever since the 1979 revolution that brought to power the Islamic Fascist regime of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In the intervening 28 years, we have participated in countless face-to-face encounters, myriad “demarches” sent through diplomatic channels, and meetings –- some on the fringes of international conferences — involving “unofficial” representatives of one government or the other. The lack of any tangible result is obvious, yet the advocates of negotiation act as if none of this ever happened.


As a result, Ledeen has been a strong advocate of regime change in Iran.


This campaign would range from radio broadcasts (especially conversations with participants in successful non-violent revolutions in other countries), to working with trade unions to build a strike fund for Iranian workers, to providing communications tools (cell phones, satellite phones, phone cards, servers, laptops and anti-blocking software) to the dissidents.

It may not succeed, to be sure, but there is every reason to be optimistic. It has worked in the past, it obviously frightens the mullahs (who inveigh against “soft revolution” at every opportunity), and it would be the morally and politically right thing to do, even if Iran were not at war with us, and even if there were no nuclear program. Under the circumstances, it is not only good policy, but an urgently needed one.


Out of the current crop of Presidential candidates, only one I know of has gone on the record in echoing those sentiments – Fred Thompson. Back in April, Thompson indicated he was in favor of helping the Iranian people overthrow their current government.


(Thompson) accused Tehran of "playing a larger part in killing our soldiers" in neighboring Iraq.

Many Iranians don't like their government, "and I think we ought to capitalize on that," Thompson told The Associated Press. "There is a chance they may mobilize themselves, and we need to assist them if that happens."


Even though US Intelligence agencies and the UN have concurred that Iran has, for now, suspended its nuclear program, the current regime still remains a threat. Thus far Thompson is the only Presidential candidate who has taken a hard line approach in dealing with the Iran issue.


UPDATE 12/5/07: Thompson also skeptical of new intelligence report on Iran.

Fred's Plan for Social Security

From CBS News:

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson outlined Friday a plan to overhaul Social Security that he says would keep the program solvent, but, studies say, could also significantly lower benefits relative to the current system.

Thompson is the first of the major candidates to outline a plan for preserving the entitlement program, which he says will go bankrupt by 2041 if no changes are made. “The ugly truth is that we’re going to lose it as we know it if we don’t do something about it,” Thompson said. “Our current path is unsustainable.”

Under his plan, which the former senator unveiled in Washington, workers would be able to contribute two percent of pre-tax income into a personal savings account, with contributions matched by the government - a proposal not unlike that put forward by President Bush early in his second term that failed to gain traction in Congress.

Benefits under Thompson's plan would be indexed to inflation, not wages as they are now. Because inflation rises at a smaller rate than wages, the practical effect of this change would be a reduction in benefits when compared to the current system - a difference of nearly 50 percent, according to some studies.

“It’s idealistic and does not have a huge political upside,” Thompson said. “But we need avoid pitting one generation against each other.”

However, the plan would preserve benefits for those over 57 years old, a move that could make the proposal more acceptable to elderly Americans, who tend to vote in large numbers.

While admitting his plan would cut benefits to future retirees, Thompson said he believes it is better to solve the Social Security problem now than waiting until the system collapses. “Personal retirement accounts and economic growth cannot solve this problem, even though my opponents say it can,” he said.

In an era of politics when everyone is afraid of their own shadow, it's refreshing to see a statesman tackle a "third rail issue" like social security!

Fred Thompson's not afraid to tackle the tough issues, and to assess them realistically.

FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!

Fred Thompson endorsed by Pro Life Group!

Look here:

Nat'l Right to Life to endorse Thompson

Fred Thompson will pick up the support of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) tomorrow, according to two Republicans familar with the decision.

For a candidate who came up empty-handed last week when three prominent Christian conservatives endorsed GOP hopefuls and is falling in both national and early state polls, the move comes at a critical time.

NRLC is the most prominent anti-abortion group in the country, with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters.

Some critics are poo-poo-ing the endorsement due to Fred's federalist stance on the abortion issue; but in my mind, leaving the power to the States to decide is the quickest, most efficient means to save the most lives in the shortest possible time!

Congrats to Fred for receiving this important endorsement!

FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED@!

Col. Joe Repya to Stump for Fred!

Colonel Joe Repya, Iraq war veteran, republican activist, and head of the "Vets for Bush" campaign in 2004, has taken a similar position with the Fred Thompson Campaign!

"GOP Joe" is a discerning conservative, who doesn't take kindly to RINOs.

Andy at Residual Forces has the details.

Fred on the Right to Life

Essentially, it would appear that Fred wants to take us back to pre- Roe v. Wade days:


Fred essentially wants to turn the power over to the states. This I can agree with. To the best of my knowledge, there are no Federal murder laws, outside of those that take place on Federal property. The states, then, would be the rightful stewards of the abortion issue and legislation pertaining to abortion.

Note that Fred would not support any federal funding for abortion, whether domestically or overseas.

Jay, over at Stop the ACLU, says this:

One admirable trait of Fred’s is that he has never pretended to be on both sides of any issue during this election. He has always claimed a federalist view on social issues, and he’s been consistent. I am one of the most social conservative bloggers around, and I agree that most of the solution is with the people. I agree that these decisions should be made by the families and the State representing the views of its majority. Most likely, the only way abortion will ever diminish is if Roe Vs. Wade is overturned. Fred Thompson agrees that this Supreme Court decision was a bad one. It was this decision that put the issue of abortion in the Federal government hands in the first place. Liberals should remember this the next time they complain that the Federal government is trying to “trample on women’s rights’”. Whether its abortion or homosexual marraige it is best left at the State levels.

Fred and Phil Martin

It's all over the place right now that one of Fred's key advisors has a criminal record--from over 20 years ago:

Fred Thompson said Sunday that he wishes he had known earlier that one of his key presidential campaign advisers pleaded guilty to drug charges but he still thinks Phil Martin is "a good man."

Martin, a businessman who has lent Thompson his Cessna to fly around the country, is one of four campaign co-chairman for the '08 Republican candidate. The Washington Post reports Sunday that Martin also posted a guilty plea in 1979 for selling 11 pounds of marijuana and a no contest plea in 1983 for cocaine trafficking and conspiracy.

Judgment was withheld on the first plea while Martin served out probation. The 1983 charges, along with a felony bookmaking charge, came while he was still serving that probation. Martin's probation was extended and he served no jail time.

If this is the worst dirt that one can dig up on Fred, I'd say, have at it.

Martin has turned his life around and has obviously made something of himself. He has given ample time to prove himself in society and has done so.

When Fred himself, or his associates, start engaging in real criminal behavior, let me know.

Until then, yaaaaaaaaaaawwwwnnn....

At the very least, Fred isn't taking money from terrorists.

****UPDATE*****

Martin has voluntarily resigned.

Fred's Views on the Second Amendment

...along with his seriousness in protecting our Second Amendment rights can be fairly well summarized in this article.

When Fred says something, damn it, he means it!

Media Event...

Set your TiVos for tomorrow morning, as Fred Thompson will be on Meet the Press as it nears its 60th anniversary. Meet the Press will air at its usual time of 10 am central, 9 am eastern (except in New York City, when it will air at 8am due to coverage of the Boston Marathon.

FredNews of the Day...

The Politico reports Fred's reaction to the Licenses for Illegals:

"Under the federal 'Motor Voter' law (the National Voter Registration Act of 1993), states must provide applicants for drivers licenses with the opportunity to register to vote," Thompson wrote. "Giving legal drivers licenses to illegal immigrants is wrong and would."

And..Also today -- at a press avail before a fundraiser in California -- Thompson asked, "Why aren’t they being apprehended and sent home if they come in and announce that they’re illegal?"

"We’ve either got to be serious enforcing our laws or not. I don’t think we can afford to be selective in that regard."So much common sense... so little time.

Meanwhile, Fred '08 has this video of Fred's interview on a Sacramento TV news program:


And finally, Marc Ambinder reports that Fred will be on Meet the Press this Sunday:

WHAT: Fred Thompson Appears Live on Meet the Press with Tim Russert

WHEN: Check your local listings

Note: Due to the New York Marathon, Meet the Press will be airing live in New York at 8:00 am ET and at the regular local time in all other markets.

FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!!!

Sorry for the lite posting lately...

I have lots of irons in the fire, but I'll try to get back in the swing of things here.

Do note that there is updated Fred News everyday on the sidebar, as well as Fred Thompson videos!

Fred distinguishes self from Rudy...

And speaks of the importance, relevance, and righteousness of running on, not away from conservative principles:

"Some think the way to beat the Democrats in November is to be more like them. I could not disagree more," the one-time Tennessee senator says in remarks he was delivering Monday to the Conservative Party of New York. "I believe that conservatives beat liberals only when we challenge their outdated positions, not embrace them. This is not a time for philosophical flexibility, it is a time to stand up for what we believe in."

Thompson does not mention Giuliani in excerpts made available to The Associated Press, but he is clearly trying to draw a contrast with the rival leads in national Republican polls. Unlike Thompson, Giuliani backs abortion and gay rights. And, the ex-mayor's central argument for Republicans to nominate him is that he has the best chance to win in the general election.

Thompson was more direct in an interview on Fox News Channel before the speech.

"I don't think that the mayor has ever claimed to be a conservative," he said before rattling off Giuliani's history.

He noted that Giuliani, who ran as a Republican, sought and won the Liberal Party's endorsement in his first mayoral race in 1989, and that as mayor, he broke from the Republican Party and endorsed Democratic Governor Mario Cuomo in an unsuccessful race for a fourth term.

"So I don't know that he's ever claimed to be anything else," Thompson said, suggesting Giuliani was more a liberal than a conservative.

FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!! (c)

Did I say 8 million?

Make that twelve:

McLean, VA - The Thompson for President campaign will show total donations of more than $12.7 million in its first report to be filed this month with the Federal Election Commission. Sen. Thompson has received donations from more than 80,000 supporters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and has $7 million cash on hand.

"The financial support Sen. Thompson has received from more than 80,000 donors demonstrates his huge grassroots appeal for Republicans who've been waiting for an authentic conservative to enter the race for president," said campaign manager Bill Lacy. "We feel great about future fundraising, knowing there's a big well of support to go back to, since people who've given once are likely to give again."

The average dollar donation to the campaign is $176, with 22,000 donors contributing online and 200,000 Friends of Fred signing up online to support the campaign.

The total raised for the third quarter filing (July 1^st - September 30^th) is $9.3 million. Since Sen. Thompson officially declared his candidacy on September 5^th, the campaign has raised an average of $200,000 per day.

Despite the naysayers, Fred remains strong:

"Some of the other campaigns have spent tens of millions of dollars so far, only to lose support among voters; yet, Fred is running strong in most of the early primary states without having spent a dime on advertising," noted Lacy. "We are on plan and will have the funding we need to get Fred's message to voters."

FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!!!(c)

Fred Still Ahead!

So says Rasmussen:

For the seven days ending September 30, 2007 show that Fred Thompson earns 25% of the vote while Rudy Giuliani attracts 23%. Mitt Romney has moved back into third place, supported by 13%. John McCain is now the favorite for just 10% and Mike Huckabee is at 6%. Four other candidates split 4% of the vote while 19% are undecided (review history of weekly results).

The seven day results typically include interviews with more than 1,000 Likely Republican Primary Voters. This includes both Republicans and those independents likely to vote in a Republicans Primary. In some state primaries, independent voters are allowed to participate in party primaries while in others they are excluded. The margin of sampling error for the weekly update is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

During the short period since his announcement, Thompson has garnered 8 million dollars in donations. Check the link on the sidebar of this blog to put your money where your mouth is and support Fred!

FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!! (c)

Fred Finds a niche.

Running on the Revolution:

When Fred Thompson hits the campaign trail in Iowa next week, he'll be offering a new theme for his candidacy: a return to the revolution. The newest GOP hopeful will emphasize his roots in the so-called Republican Revolution in 1994, when the party swept to power and took control of both houses of Congress for the first time in decades.

Thompson was in the class of 1994 that handed the Clintons a major defeat with a message of small government. His aides will also emphasize that the same year Thompson was calling for taking power away from the federal government and shifting it to states, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was endorsing New York's Democratic Governor Mario Cuomo and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was moving left in his unsuccessful first foray into politics, when he ran against Ted Kennedy for the Senate. "It's only a fair question to ask every candidate in the race what were you fighting for in 1994," said Todd Harris, Thompson's communications director. "This nomination will be won by the candidate who best articulates those conservative principles."

This is a wise strategy, indeed. Much of the increasing disaffection with the Republican party as of the last five years has been due to the steady straying away from the principles that bulldozed them into power in 1994; principles first articulated by the master conservative, Ronaldus Magnus.

The strategy of running as "democrat lite" has proven disastrous, and further treading down that road to hell can only produce exponentially more mayhem. Conservative roots are what have won Republicans elections; articulating and applying true conservative principles will again be the panacea that lifts republicans out of their current electoral woes.

Yet another evangelical's take on Fred

A lot has been made with regard to James Dobson's apparent refusal to support Fred during the primaries; but this evangelical takes a different stand:

Southern Baptist Leader Defends Fred Thompson

September 25, 2007

Richard Land, the President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (which is part of the influential Southern Baptist Convention), tells The Brody File that the criticism leveled at Fred Thompson by James Dobson and others is a tad bit over the top. Recently, Dr. Dobson, Founder of Focus on the Family, said he wouldn’t support Thompson for a number of reasons including Thompson’s stance against a one size fits all marriage amendment. Read more on that here. As for Dr. Land’s comments, here’s what he told me:

“I’ve received phone calls and emails from Southern Baptists about Senator Thompson. They are all furious at Doctor Dobson. They just feel that first of all there was a mischaracterizing of his positions. Do I wish that he supported the marriage protection amendment? Of course I do. To say that he is for 50 different views of marriage in 50 different states is a gross mischaracterization of his position. Secondly, do I wish that he attended church every Sunday? As a Baptist pastor, of course I do. But does that make him a person of unbelief? That’s harsh and unwarranted.”

The split between Dobson and Land on Thompson is a microcosm of what’s going on right now within the Evangelical movement. There are those who think Thompson is the guy and others who don’t.

Dr. Land and Dr. Dobson both believe that there should be a federal marriage amendment to the constitution that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Plain and simple. Fred Thompson agrees but argues that if a state legislature passes a gay marriage law and the Governor signs it, then gay couples should be allowed to marry. So how does Dr. Land reconcile his position that seems to differ from Thompson’s?

“David, the problem with these cotton picking conviction politicians is that they follow their convictions and Fred Thompson has been for a long long time a very staunch federalist and it’s hard to convince conviction politicians to change their minds.”

“It’s (Thompson’s marriage amendment position) a problem. I think Southern Baptists have an ethical issue in which they need to deal. They may face a situation where they have a choice of three candidates. One they agree with 95% of the time, one they agree with 80 percent of the time and one they agree with 10% of the time. It may come to pass that they’re faced with a choice.”

In the end though, Land is still a Thompson supporter. I asked him what it is about Thompson that appeals to him and many other Evangelicals.

“Fred Thompson grew up in a very modest means in a small town in America just like Ronald Reagan grew up in very modest means in a small town in Illinois. You acquire not only an understanding of but a respect for everyday folk when you come from the background that you don’t get otherwise and people sense it. That this is a guy who respects me, a guy who understands that we are the backbone of this country, we are the salt of the Earth and he not only understands us, he’s one of us. He’s a successful one of us but he’s one of us and they trust a guy like that. They give a guy like that a larger margin of error. Nobody gets everything right but its core values. My assessment is that this guy is a whole much like Reagan including his Teflon quality. The press has been beating up with him for these types of gaffes and he continues to climb in the polls.”

Amen, Rev.!

Fred Thompson--out and about

There have been a lot of doomsayers out and about saying that Fred Thompson's campaign for President was "dead in the water" before it started, that Fred is a political lightweight, and that Fred was doomed to be a flash in the pan, among others.

But there is one important fact that all the nattering naybobs continue to ignore:

The voters aren't listening to them:

Over the past four months, Rasmussen Reports polling has consistently shown Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani holding the top two slots in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. During that time, the weekly poll results have shown Thompson’s support ranging from a low of 20% to a high of 28%. Giuliani’s range has been similar, from 19% to 27%. Although Thompson and Giuliani are the frontrunners, both men still have plenty of detractors who say they can’t possibly win the nomination.

For the week ending September 23, it’s Thompson 26% and Giuliani 22%.

Occupying a precarious niche somewhere between the frontrunners and the also-rans are John McCain and Mitt Romney. Both men were early favorites of Washington pundits but haven’t done as well among Republican primary voters. During the past four months, McCain’s support has ranged from 11% to 14%. Romney’s range has been from 11% to 15%.

Also, despite claims that Thompson won't be well-received by core conservative voters, the NRA gave Thompson no less than three standing ovations during his stump speech at their convention (more on Thompson's success over at National Review).

Despite continued attacks by the conservative establishment on Fred's character and ability to win, Fred and the voters continue to prove them wrong.

So, if the nattering naybobs of the conservative establishment continue to downplay Fred Thompson's effectiveness as a candidate, they continue to do so at the peril of their own credibility.

Get used to it, folks.

Fred has hit the trail running, and he's not looking back.

Full Speed Ahead, Fred! ©

Crazy like a fox?

I have to admit, I had my moments of misgiving about Fred's timing in jumping in the Presidential race. But all along, too, I felt that Fred's support would continue to be strong and even skyrocket once he finally committed.

Turns out that hunch was right:

• CNN.com -- Giuliani & Thompson neck-and-neck in new poll: "Days after he officially jumped into the Republican race for the White House, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson finds himself in a statistical dead heat with Rudy Giuliani, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday. The former New York mayor garners 28% nationally among registered Republicans, while Thompson is one point behind at 27% -- well within the poll's 5 percentage point margin of error. In a similar poll taken in August, Giuliani registered 29%, while Thompson, then not an official candidate, was at 22%.

• The Washington Post -- "Dramatic erosion" in Giuliani's lead: "Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani continues to lead the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but he has seen a dramatic erosion in his support, which now stands at its lowest point of the year, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Giuliani's support dropped from 37% in a July poll to 28% in the latest (national) survey, and his decline from February has been even more sharp. Then, he had the backing of 53% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents and had a better than 2 to 1 advantage over his closest rival. Former senator Fred D. Thompson (Tenn.), who formally entered the race last week after months of exploration, now stands in second place in the GOP field, with 19%. That is nearly double the support he received in an April poll taken as he began to express serious interest in running."

Full Speed Ahead, Fred!!

Fred: What Global Warming???

With regard to Rev. Algore's church of global warming, Fred Thompson takes it with a grain of salt.

Rather, Fred takes a no-nonsense approach:

By Kevin Mooney
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
September 06, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - Free market advocates in search of a champion who will take a firm stand against draconian global warming laws, might have one in former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), who announced his run for the presidency Wednesday on NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

This vote of confidence comes from a Senate colleague, James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who believes the weight of scientific evidence has shifted decisively against the notion of human-induced global warming in recent years.

Unfortunately, many Republican and Democratic leaders, as well as leading presidential contenders continue to push for legislation that would "shut down America" in the name of "misguided alarmism," Inhofe told Cybercast News Service.

"The Republicans will need a nominee for president who is willing to tell the truth, and so far the one out there with the most courage is Fred Thompson," said Inhofe. "He is aware of all the issues I've raised on global warming, and right now he's the only one I see who is willing to take this on."

Unlike many of his fellow Republicans, Thompson has demonstrated a willingness to confront elite opinion, Inhofe said. While Thompson is sure to antagonize the news media with his stand on global warming, Inhofe thinks he will find a receptive audience among average Americans.

SNIP

"...it is evident the Tennessee Republican's broadsides against "elite opinion" are beginning to attract attention. "Thompson seems to have taken particular pleasure in mocking global warming," a July 27 Washington Post story asserted.

Back in March, during a radio broadcast, Thompson took issue with those who claim there is a scientific consensus in favor of human-induced global warming.

"Some people think that our planet is suffering from a fever," he said. "Now scientists are telling us that Mars is experiencing its own planetary warming. It seems scientists have noticed recently that quite a few planets in our solar system seem to be heating up a bit, including Pluto."

I mean--come on folks--what's there not to like?

Full Speed Ahead, Fred!!

More of Fred on the Issues:

BREAKING NEWS--FRED TO ANNOUNCE TONIGHT!

The conventional wisdom had Fred officially announcing his candidacy tomorrow on his web site, followed by an appearance on Leno tomorrow night.

But Fred is just full of surprises!

From here:

Fred Thompson makes candidacy for president official on 'The Tonight Show?

30 minutes ago

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Fred Thompson, a veteran actor and former Republican senator, launched his bid for the presidency Hollywood style.

"I'm running for president of the United States," Thompson told Jay Leno in a taped appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show" airing Wednesday.

Thompson also is calling attention to his candidacy with a 30-second ad being broadcast during a Republican debate in New Hampshire that he is not participating in. He also will explain the rationale for his candidacy during a 15-minute webcast on his website just after midnight.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!"

***UPDATE***

Watch Fred's Formal Announcement Video, now up at Fred '08.com!

Listen closely. Yep. He's the REAL article!

Fred Thompson's Teaser...

As you know, Fred Thompson, who is to announce for his bid for the Presidency tomorrow, opted to do a television ad, instead of being a participant in the New Hampshire debates tonight.

Here is the ad that Fred will run:



Looking forward to tomorrow!!!

Full Speed Ahead, Fred!

Don't Believe It!!

Some mind-numbed and ethically-challenged Ron Paul "truthers" have taken a movie clip from a "white supremacist role" that Fred Thompson played, and are trying to pass it off as his "leaked" presidential announcement video.

Reprising a movie clip of Fred Thompson in an acting role is hardly an “announcement video”

I guess Ron Paul activists have lost any sense of decorum, and will stop at nothing to advance their candidate, whether based on truth or not.

Pretty shameful behavior, don’t you think?

Pretty sorry when you have to resort to smear tactics against fellow Republicans.

But I guess there's no other recourse when your guy offers nothing of substance, eh?

The Latest on Fred's Announcement

Dear Friends,

On September 6, 2007, Fred Thompson will be announcing his intention to run for President of the United States with a webcast available to millions at www.imwithfred.com. The launch of the video will be followed by a five-day campaign tour through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. On the evening of the 6th, there will also be a National House Party, during which there will be a conference call with Fred.

We enter this campaign in a strong position. Fred is consistently near the top in the polls, and conservatives across the country have put together the closest thing to a draft in recent presidential campaign history in an effort to bring about this day. The next few weeks will only serve to build upon those efforts, with house parties, visits to the early primary states, and a homecoming in Lawrenceburg, TN on the 15th. To view the dates and locations of Fred's bus tour, please click here, and check back soon for more information on attending one of these events.

By announcing via webcast, Fred is able to take his consistently mainstream conservative message directly to the voters, who are already responding to that message with a strong upwelling of grassroots support. The webcast and the following campaign tour will play to Fred’s strengths, a consistent record of conservatism, his ability to clearly spread his message, and his ability to work with and connect with Americans from all walks of life. Be apart of this historic occasion by signing up to host or attend a house party today.

Sincerely,

Bill Lacy
Manager, Friends of Fred Thompson, Inc.

FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!

Great Interview with Captain Ed...

Read the Transcript at Captain's Quarters!

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!! (*UPDATED)

And now, what we've all been waiting for:


Fred Dalton Thompson will tell his supporters that he is running for president today in a 4 p.m. conference call with 800 to 1,000 elected and party officials from around the country, a source close to the campaign said today.

On the call, Thompson will detail his plans for the future, which are expected to include an appearance on Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" on Wednesday night -- even as his rivals debate on Fox -- and could be followed by a formal announcement the next day.

The confirmation of Thompson's plans end a months-long flirtation with the public about whether the former senator and Hollywood actor would seek the Republican nomination for the presidency.


UPDATE: Campaign officials now say there will not be a 4:30 conference call for the media. Rather, the campaign will put out information for the press in a statement. Stay tuned for details later this afternoon.

Leo Adds: It would appear that Thompson will be formally announcing one week from today (Thursday, Sept 6th)

The former Republican senator and “Law & Order” actor will release an announcement video on Thompson’s Web site, in the morning and then follow up the big news with a five-day tour of early primary states. The Associated Press is reporting that the tour will conclude with a big homecoming event in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., on Sept. 15.

The Sept. 6, announcement comes the day after the rest of the Republican field is participating in a debate in New Hampshire. Mr. Thompson is to appear on NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” that night instead.

Full speed ahead, Fred!

My Impatience paying off?

I made a post out of frustration yesterday, asking Fred to "Shit or Get off the Pot."

I was rightly admonished by a fellow Fred Head, but was still a bit discouraged.

No more:

A round of applause, please, for former Virginia Sen. George Allen, who finally got likely GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson to hint when he plans his big announcement. Filling in for Richmond's WRVA morning host Jimmy Barrett, Allen just came out with it, asking the Law & Order star what's up.

Said the Fred, who's been testing the political waters: "Well, the water is pretty warm. I like the temperature a lot." He also told Allen, "It won't be very many more days" before he declares.

During the five-minute chat, Thompson addressed the complaints that he is taking too long to make up his mind.

"This is not an attempt to be cute or game the system," he promised. Thompson said instead that he's just working on more of an old school schedule, when candidates didn't announce until the fall before the election year.

And he said that running for president isn't something he's planned all his life. "I'm doing in a few months what people have taken a long, long time period to do," he said.

Okay.

Full Speed Ahead, Fred!

****UPDATE****

Fred will have a speech carried live on C-Span tonight at 6:00pm Central.

There is scuttlebutt afoot that he may just announce. Others with some amount of cred say that he will do so by video.

Stay tuned.

Fred Thompson to be at the Minnesota State Fair

From Marty Seifert:

Greetings!

It's my honor to host a State Fair visit by former Tennessee Senator, actor, and - possible - presidential candidate Fred Thompson at the Minnesota State Fair. Fred will be making the rounds with me and you can catch up with us at 11:45 at the Minnesota Republican booth.

As you may have heard, hundreds of Republican activists gathered at the St. Paul River Center to cast ballots in a non-binding Presidential Preference Straw Poll on Wednesday. Thompson won a narrow victory, although his name was not even on the ballot. As Thompson is not an officially announced candidate, voters had to physically write in his name as their preferred candidate.

Click here to view the Straw Poll results.

It was an exciting event and the margins were close. This shows that the opinions of the Republican Presidential candidates in Minnesota are mixed and up for grabs.

Please join us at the State Fair on Monday if you can!

Date : 8/27/2007
Time : 11:00:00 AM 1:00:00 PM
Location : MN GOP Booth (Link)

Thank you again,

Marty Seifert
Republican Leader
House Republican Campaign Committee

Fred, it's time to shit or get off the pot.

Dear Mr. Thompson,

As you can see by the fact that I am the originator of this blog, I am a huge supporter of yours. Your ideas on Federalism, on Pro-Life Issues, on Second Amendment Rights, and the War on Terror, including Iraq, suggests that your ideas are a near--hell no--a perfect fit with what I value.

The problem sir, with all due respect, is that your coyness in declaring your candidacy is leading many who support you (including myself) to be a bit skiddish. While your hesitancy to declare may have paid dividends in the drone that was this past summer's Presidential scene, I fear that the law of diminishing returns on your strategy may have a way of catching up to you with a vengeance if you do not declare your candidacy soon.

Make no mistake, Mr. Thompson. You're still my guy. But I want my guy to make a difference. I want my guy to win.

With all due respect, don't blow it.

Thompson to shake up the status quo

David Broder had the chance for a two hour conversation with Fred, and had this to say:

The approach Thompson says he's contemplating is one that will step on many sensitive political toes. When he says "we're getting a free ride" fighting a necessary war in Iraq with an undersized military establishment, "wearing out our people and equipment," it sounds like a criticism of the president and the Pentagon.

When he says he would have opposed adding the prescription drug benefit to Medicare, "a $17 trillion add-on to a program that's going bankrupt," he is fighting the bipartisan judgment of the last Congress.

When he says the FBI is perhaps incapable of morphing itself into the smart domestic security agency the country needs, he is attacking another sacred cow.

Thompson repeatedly cites two texts as fueling his concern about the country's future. One is "Government at the Brink," a two-volume report he issued as chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee at the start of the Bush administration in 2001 and handed to the new president's budget director as a checklist of urgent management problems.

The difficulties outlined in federal procurement, personnel, finances and information technology remain, Thompson said, and increasingly "threaten national security."

His second sourcebook contains the scary reports from Comptroller General David Walker, the head of the Government Accountability Office, on the long-term fiscal crisis spawned by the aging of the American population and the runaway costs of health care. Walker labels the current patterns of federal spending "unsustainable" and warns that unless action is taken soon to improve both sides of the government's fiscal ledger -- spending and revenue -- the next generation will suffer.

"Nobody in Congress or on either side in the presidential race wants to deal with it," Thompson said. "So we just rock along and try to maintain the status quo. Republicans say keep the tax cuts; Democrats say keep the entitlements. And we become a less unified country in the process, with a tax code that has become an unholy mess, and all we do is tinker around the edges."

Thompson readily concedes that he does not know "where all those chips are going to fall" when he starts challenging members of various interest groups to look beyond their individual agendas and weigh the sacrifices that could ensure a better future for their children.

But these issues -- national security and the fiscal crisis of an aging society with runaway heath-care costs -- "are worth a portion of a man's life. If I can't get elected talking that way, I probably don't deserve to be elected."

Thompson says he feels "free to do it" his own way, and that freedom may just be enough to shake up the presidential race.

Should be an interesting ride, to say the least.

Go get 'em, Fred!

A big reason to support Fred!!

As in "Fair Tax"

(CNSNews.com) - Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee -- the not-quite-yet Republican presidential candidate -- says the next president "should enact a fundamental overhaul of the tax code that makes it fairer, simpler, and more pro-growth."

Thompson mentioned that there are a "number of ways to do that," and he said the "principles and ideas found in the Fair Tax are a good place to start."

Just in case you haven't heard of the Fair Tax, click here for more. If you read the plan, you'll know that the Fair Tax is a way out of the current utilization of the tax code for social engineering purposes.

Fred Thompson is on the right side of so many things...

It will be a great day indeed when he formally announces his candidacy!

Fred and the question of money...

Many in the leftosphere and in the "Ron-Paul" osphere have been proclaiming the Fred Thompson campaign dead in the water, due to Thompson's raising "only" 3.5 million during the month of June.

But given that Fred is not yet an official candidate, was that amount really that deficient?

Not so, says the Arkansas Republican:

(1) In his first exploratory month, Thompson raised well over $3.5 million - more than 10 times what Giuliani did in his first month and about 3 times what McCain raised. Here’s the comparison to the other top three Republican candidates during the initial exploratory month (from the time they started taking money):
· Giuliani - total raised in first month (Nov. 15-Dec. 15): $258,660
· McCain - total raised in first month (Nov. 14-Dec. 14): $1,130,351
· Romney - raised more money in his first month, but largely because he organized his big-dollar donors ahead of time to give himself a bit splash and he loaned his committee at least $850,000 weeks before filing his statement of candidacy on Jan. 3.

(2) Under FEC rules, a candidate is not allowed to raise funds “in excess of what could reasonably be expected to be used for exploratory activities”. Thompson has raised an appropriate amount for an exploratory phase. Considering these rules, it is interesting that . . .
· One month ago, the DNC attacked Thompson (in the Politico) for potentially raising more money than he’d need for the exploratory period and said they’d “argue aggressively” against him. The DNC rolled out the hit piece at Daily Kos claiming that Thompson was “Raising Funds Beyond What You Need To "Explore"” and the liberal activist outlet CREW said Thompson “appears to have raised far more money than necessary…”
· After being attacked for raising “too much” money, Thompson is now being attacked for not spending his entire Exploratory focus on raising money.

(3) An inquiry to the Fred Thompson campaign revealed that they have not even used any direct mail or telephone fundraising and their expenditures have been very low meaning that an estimated 80% of funds will be available for the primary.

So, Ron-Paul-ites and DNC-- don't be so quick to turn out the lights, cause the Fred Thompson party is far from over.

As a matter of fact, it's only just begun.

Fred Still Leads the Pack!

By Rasmussen, via Blogs for Fred Thompson:

Rasmussen is reporting that Fred Thompson is still leading the pack in their Daily Polls.

Date:

Thomp.

Giul

Romn

McCain

7/23

26%

22%

12%

10%

And the juggernaut continues!

Forbes: Fred the Big Winner!

From the July '08 Tracker:

The big winner in July's Forbes '08 Tracker presidential poll is Fred Thompson. After his arrival on the list last month in second place in the overall "appeals" rating, a point behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Thompson leapfrogged Giuliani this month. He is the first candidate to have achieved a total appeal number above 50%.

The category of total appeal is a solid indication of how attractive a candidate is as a presidential contender. In this monthly study, 46 different attributes are examined by Forbes.com and its partner, California-based ePoll Market Research. This month, in addition to Thompson's gain, the poll showed Giuliani fading six percentage points, dropping to 43% from 49% in June. At the same time, the leading Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, slid four points to 41%, while Sen. Hillary Clinton slid two points to 29%.

And the juggernaut continues!

Thompson Entering Race Soon

The long-anticipated announcement that Fred Thompson is entering the GOP presidential race appears all but over according to this quote from Zach Wamp in today's Hill Magazine:

Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) said Monday that he expects former Sen. Fred Thompson, (R-TN), to soon join the race for the White House. "My view is that he’ll enter the race at some point just in the coming days," said Wamp, a key supporter of Thompson.

When Sen. Thompson officially enters the race, it essentially trims the field down to him and Rudy. I've said before that Mitt Romney has the finances to stay in the race but he doesn't have the definitive message to win voters over. Fred Thompson's announcement should be likened to a great white shark entering the swimming area at a beach because he's the candidate that will clear the waters of the second tier candidates.

Thompson has long been expected to join the race and the Law & Order star has traveled the country and raised millions. He will take part in a large fundraising event in Washington, D.C. on July 29, but Wamp did not say when a formal announcement would come. The lawmaker said, however, that "a couple dozen members" of the House would publicly support Thompson at the event.

It'll be interesting in seeing which GOP House members join Sen. Thompson at this event. It's just a hunch but I'm betting that Mike Pence, Jeb Hensarling and Eric Cantor might be part of that contingent.

"I’ve talked to quite a few of McCain’s supporters in the House of Representatives, a couple in the United States Senate, that are concerned about McCain’s standing right now and the fact that he's lost his momentum," Wamp said on MSNBC. He added that Thompson is the second choice of many McCain supporters.

McCain ever had momentum? Who knew?

"I feel like Giuliani’s running on 9/11 fumes and those fumes are slowly evaporating because there’s got to be the substance and the policy," Wamp said. "And [Giuliani] doesn’t connect with the base of our party."

With all due respect to Rep. Wamp, that's some of the finest spin I've read in awhile. Considering Giuliani's announcement of his legal advisory team yesterday, I'm not smelling the same fumes that Rep. Wamp reportedly is.

Technorati: Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Zach Wamp, Mike Pence, Jeb Hensarling, Eric Cantor, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

NOTA?*

*None of the Above?

WASHINGTON - A new poll reveals a clear leader in the Republican presidential race: nobody.

The AP-Ipsos survey shows nearly a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back any of the top candidates -- Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain or Mitt Romney. And no one has emerged as the front-runner among evangelicals.

Zogby, long reputed to be one of the more accurate and reliable pollsters, has a much different story:

On the Republican side, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, as yet a non-candidate, has climbed to the top of the GOP leaderboard, winning 22 percent support, compared to 21 percent for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney remains in third place with 11 percent. Arizona Sen. John McCain continues his dramatic slide, from second place in late May to fourth place now, supported by 9 percent of likely Republican voters nationwide.

As far as evangelicals go,

Thompson’s strongest appeal comes from those who consider themselves to be "very conservative,” as 35 percent in that group said they favored the former Tennessee Senator-turned-actor. Giuliani finished a distant third in that group, followed by Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. McCain finishes fifth among very conservative voters.

And even among "mainline" conservative voters, the yet-to-be-declared Fred Thompson is still making a fantastic showing:

Among mainline conservatives - the largest subgroup of GOP voters - Giuliani wins 21 percent, compared to 20 percent for Thompson, 13 percent for Romney, and 12 percent for McCain.

All this, without needing to spend a dime of campaign funds.

Despite what MSNBC and others would assert, the voters do have a choice! Fred Thompson isn't just a candidate we can "settle for," Fred is a candidate we can support!

Fred takes Florida by storm!

From St. Petersburg Times:

In the most unpredictable Republican presidential primary Florida has seen in ages, Fred Thompson is adding a giant extra dose of uncertainty. And just to dramatize the mystery of his strength as a candidate, when campaign finance reports are released on Sunday, Thompson's fundraising figures won't be among them because he has yet to formally enter the race.

Despite that, the Law & Order actor and former Tennessee senator is in second place in Florida polls. Giuliani, who is making Florida's Jan. 29 primary the linchpin of his strategy to win the nomination, has seen his lead shrink in Florida polls from as high as 20 points in March to as low as 6 points in June.

Without even laying out a platform, Thompson, 64, has won more legislative endorsements in Florida than any other Republican. And to ensure no more slips like missing the Jacksonville meeting, Thompson's "testing the waters" committee has hired a respected veteran GOP strategist, Randy Enwright, to help navigate Florida. Enwright also is expected to play a role in the national campaign.

"You had a lot of people who were searching and looking for a candidate and feeling like they were going to have to settle for someone. You don't have to settle with Fred Thompson. Fred Thompson is a candidate you can be excited about," said Rep. Jeff Miller, a Panhandle Republican who recently hosted a fundraising reception for Thompson in Pensacola.

His fans, including Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow, the third-highest ranking Republican in Congress, see Thompson as the only consistently conservative candidate among the leading Republican contenders. They see a charismatic lawyer with a comforting bourbon-tinged drawl.

"The support for Thompson in this county is really something," said Pasco GOP chairman Bill Bunting, who has a Thompson sticker on his car. "He's a true conservative who really represents the party's values more than anyone else."

Of course, there are the usual cadre of naysayers:

"His support is a complete and total reflection of his name ID. He's the flavor of the month," Sally Bradshaw, a senior adviser to Romney, said of Thompson.

Truth is, once Fred gets in the race, Romney is toast.

The way this blogger sees it, look for a two-way race between Fred & Rudy, with Fred coming out head and shoulders (literally and figuratively) from the pack by September of '08!

New URLs for Minnesotans for Fred!!

Now there will be a lot of roads to get your latest Fred Thompson updates:

Four different URLs now point to this site:


Our blogger URL
http://minnesotansforthompson.blogspot.com

And now three new URLs:

http://www.MN4Fred.com
http://www.MN4Fred.info, and
http://www.MN4Fred.us....

Pick your favorite URL and check back often!

Fred Bounces Back...

In reaction to the charges that he lobbied for pro-abortion groups, Fred Thompson himself had this to say:

"The easiest and most generally used tactic when running against a lawyer is to trade off a general perception that most people dislike lawyers. Goodness knows that a lot of lawyers have earned disfavor but, as it turns out, folks understand our system better than a lot of politicians think they do. In my first run for the Senate, my opponent tried the old demagoguery route – “He has even represented criminals!” – to no avail.

A first cousin of this ploy is to associate the lawyer with the views of his client. Now-United States Chief Justice John Roberts addressed this notion during his confirmation hearings. “… [I]t’s a tradition of the American Bar that goes back before the founding of the country that lawyers are not identified with the positions of their clients. The most famous example probably was John Adams, who represented the British soldiers charged in the Boston Massacre.”

Roberts pointed out that Adams was actually vindicating the rule of law. Every person, unpopular or not, is entitled to representation. He further said, “That principle that you don’t identify the lawyer with the particular views of the client or the views that the lawyer advances on behalf of the client, is critical to the fair administration of justice.”

Like Adams, the views of attorney Abe Lincoln would have been a little hard to discern from looking at the positions he took as a lawyer. He represented the big railroad companies and on other occasions represented farmers and small land owners against the railroads.

Likewise during the Roberts confirmation, the New York Times reported on August 5, 2005 that as an appellate lawyer in the mid-1990s, Roberts gave advice to a gay-rights group that helped them win a 1996 anti-discrimination suit. Chief Justice Roberts had no direct hand in the suit. Rather, colleagues at his firm were handling the case and sought advice from a number of partners, him included. The group said that Chief Justice Roberts provided “invaluable strategic guidance” formulating legal theories.

I’ve experienced another gambit of those schooled in the creative uses of law and politics: dredging up clients – or another lawyer’s clients – that I may have represented or consulted with, and then using the media to get me into a public debate as to what I may have done for them or said to them 15 or 20 years ago. Even if my memory serves me correctly, it would not be appropriate for a lawyer to make such comments.

This situation does however bring to mind my many years in the law, and the nature of law practice in a country such as ours that prizes independence and individual rights. Of course, these values could not be protected without lawyer-client confidentiality or if lawyers were identified with the positions of their clients.

As an idealistic teen-ager I could think of nothing more inspiring than the notion of representing a just cause against the most powerful forces in the country, including the government. I’ve had a chance to do some of that. It’s fair to say that not all of my clients have been so praiseworthy. Some were, in deed, accused of crimes. Some were convicted against my best efforts.

The practice of law is a business as well as a profession. It’s the way you support your family. And if a client has a legal and ethical right to take a position, then you may appropriately represent him as long as he does not lie or otherwise conduct himself improperly while you are representing him. In almost 30 years of practicing law I must have had hundreds of clients and thousands of conversations about legal matters. Like any good lawyer, I would always try to give my best, objective, and professional opinion on any legal question presented to me.

I’ve had great personal and professional satisfaction because of my decision to become a lawyer. I made a decent living, served the rule of law, and I believe I did some good. I’ve had the opportunity to help small farmers in Tennessee, the Chief Justice of the United States, previously mentioned, and several folks in between, as well as a half dozen or so lobbying clients.

I was a federal prosecutor at the age of 27, Watergate Counsel at the age of 30, and served as special counsel to both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. In Tennessee, I served on the Appellate Court Nominating Committee and, of course, I was elected twice to the United States Senate.

I went on to do other things, too. Before election to the Senate, I appeared in several movies. The movie work was always an avocation for me and I continued to practice law throughout my “movie days” while continuing to live in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

Actually, my legal career led to my movie career. I took the case of a woman who was Chairman of the Tennessee Pardons and Parole Board. She stood up to the then Governor of Tennessee, we sued him and ultimately it was determined that he was corrupt. He, his legal counsel, and others went to jail. A book was written, and a movie was made about my client and our case and I was offered the opportunity to play myself in the movie, which led to other roles.

I’m certainly not surprised that such a diverse career is being mined by others. As we get further into this political season we will undoubtedly see the further intersection of law, politics and the mainstream media. However I intend to keep in mind the appropriate distinction and separation between law and politics, and I do not intend to get sucked in to doing a disservice to either of them or to myself."

A Good Day!

Especially with regard to the hopefully-never-to-be- resuscitated immigration bill:

This has been a good day for America.

For a while, it didn’t look like Washington was going to listen to us regarding real immigration reform. Thankfully, we’ve been spared a serious mistake, but I wonder if things would have turned out the way they did without the work done by the bloggers, talk radio and the American people. Rush, Hannity, Laura Ingraham, RedState, Powerline, Pajamas Media and a lot of others have done a great job. Take that, Fairness Doctrine.

Make sure to read the rest of Fred's post. And note what Fred says... "For a while it didn't look like Washington was going to listen to us..." and, "Take that, Fairness Doctrine."

Fred knows that grassroots America has found its voice on the internet and on talk radio, and Fred understands its value!

In the post, also note Fred's stance on Cuba:

While the communist dictatorship has been a tragedy for Cuba, America has been in some ways, at least, the beneficiary.

One of those benefits is the presence of the great Cuban-American artist, Gloria Estefan. She co-wrote a song called “No hay mal que por bien no venga” which I understand translates something like — there’s no bad that doesn’t bring some good. The bad that is Castro’s tyranny has given America one of the greatest communities in the Western Hemisphere.

And no one knows better than that community that the Castro regime remains dedicated to infiltrating American institutions to spread his ideology of tyranny. Castro admitted it himself in an interview with CNN in 1998.

This is why the Cuban government rightfully remains on the State Department’s terrorist list for its continued support of terrorism. It’s also why we must oppose the illegal immigration of Castro’s agents into the United States while welcoming the vast majority who immigrate legally and with legal intentions.

It seems to me that few Americans understand the threat that the illegal entry by Cuban spies represents to our country, though Cuban-Americans have never forgotten or stopped pointing it out. Ambassador Otto Reich, the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere has called Castro’s efforts to penetrate U.S. intelligence networks “relentless.”

The best-known incident involving Cuban espionage, which many believe may have provided U.S. secrets to hostile Middle Eastern regimes, is probably that of former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Ana Belen Montes — convicted of espionage in 2002.

and...

Our national security is too important an issue to let folks twist words around for a one-day headline. Cuban-Americans are among the staunchest opponents of illegal immigration, and especially so when it’s sponsored by the Castro regime. We know we have a porous southern border in which they can currently slip through easily. Our enemies know it too.

All of us should be rightfully concerned about Castro and his ideological pal Chavez sending agents and provocateurs into the United States through Mexico. I’m sure that Cuban-Americans share this concern as well.

Why the Fred Thompson appeal? Is it because he's an actor? I doubt it. Sean Penn is an actor, and I sure as hell wouldn't want him for President.

It's much larger than that. Fred understands and speaks with the heart of America, pure and simple. No putting on airs, no gobbledygook. What you see and hear is what you get. As Christopher Adamo at Chron Watch put it:

Meanwhile, the greatest challenge Thompson faces (and it may not be a difficult one for him) is simply to remain true to the conservative principles which he has consistently presented as sincere and heartfelt. He is not prone to backtracking or apologizing, and need not do so now.

As the other candidates bob and weave, attempting to capture the allegiance of one constituency group without alienating another, Fred Thompson only needs to keep being Fred Thompson.

It is my sincere belief that Fred will be just that.

You can take that to the bank.