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?