Posted on 01/21/2008 2:39:50 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
As has been reported elsewhere today, Fred Thompson's mother is gravely ill right now. Our prayers ought to be with Sen. Thompson, his mother, his wife, and their family. This must be a very difficult time for them. All of this political stuff is of only secondary importance right now.
That said, here is what I would do, politically, if I were Thompson: I would just lay low. Just wait. See what happens in Louisiana's caucuses tomorrow. See what happens in Florida next week. See who drops out of the race at some point. And then consider reviving my campaign, full force, once the field is narrower. The likelihood is that Thompson would win in a one-on-one contest vs. ANY of the remaining candidates, and he might even win pluralities in a three-way race. Even after Super Tuesday, there will still be nearly half of the delegates to be awarded. And, depending on what happens in Florida, the chances of a brokered convention look increasingly realistic (not yet LIKELY, but definitely more and more possible). If he enters the convention on a roll, having won several of the later contests, he could still emerge as a consensus choice.
Meanwhile, though, none of this matters in the here and now. What matters is Sen. Thompson's family. May God be with them and bless them.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Fred needs to hang tough.
GO FRED GO!
Prayers up for Fred’s Mom and for Fred and his family!
Prayers for Fred’s Mom, Fred and our country.
I’m still standing with Fred!
I am with Fred or nobody. My vote is not for sale to the current leader in the polls.
That is the dumbest political anlysis I have ever heard (best wishes to the family). If Fred lays low, it will be assumed that he is dropping out. He will lose money, supporters, organization, and endorsements. His one on one opponent will have “HUGH” momentum and the full force of the Republican Party with him. Everyday Fred doesn’t say something, he falls further behind. He knows it too. That’s why he’s dropping out.
I refuse to say Fred or nobody. I'm with Fred until he leaves me; I'll not leave him. But should he drop out, then I'll consider my options are open. And it'll be his decision; not mine. But don't ask me what I'd do. I'm not there yet.
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 an Intelligence Analyst, I personally served under both Presidents Carter and Reagan. 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. Fred is still in this race to win!
Please help Fred win in Florida:
https://www.fred08.com/contribute.aspx?RefererID=c637caaa-315c-4b4c-9967-08d864cd0791
I live in Louisiana. I didn’t know there were caucuses (or like Rush says, cauci) tomorrow.
“Our prayers ought to be with Sen. Thompson, his mother, his wife, and their family.”
Agreed - in Jesus Christ’s precious name. Amen.
Been keeping Fred’s mother, Fred, and their family in prayer since I heard his mother is in the hospital. God bless, and be with them, and may her health be restored in accordance with His holy will.
I think Quin Hillyer makes some good points.
May God bless and surround Fred Thompson in His providential care and guidance, and be with him as he makes these important decisions regarding his future and that of our country.
That’s actually an interesting, novel, course of action. but it would be hard to resist the temptation to have some presence in the southern states on ST. He has to at least say he’s in even to nail down Tennessee.
I have so prayed.
The Louisiana Republican Party hopes to become a major factor in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. On Tuesday January 22, 2008, the state party will convene caucuses at 11 different sites across the state. Voters will be able to cast ballots from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. that evening. The ballot will consist of candidates running for delegate and alternate delegate position. At each of the caucus sites, 15 delegates and 15 alternates will be selected to participate in the Louisiana Republican Convention set for February 16 at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. At the state convention, the 47 actual delegates to the 2008 national convention in Minneapolis will be chosen. All of the delegates elected to the national convention will be officially “uncommitted” and not pledged to any candidate. The only exception to this situation will occur if a candidate receives a majority of the vote in the February 9 presidential primary. If that happens, then 20 of the state’s national convention delegates will be pledged to the candidate who wins the primary.
According to Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere of Metairie, “We’re excited about the upcoming caucuses. I believe this system will allow Louisiana Republicans to have a strong impact on the election of the next President of the United States.”
Iowa kicked off the presidential race with caucuses on January 3. New Hampshire will follow with their primary on January 8. One week later, on January 15, Michigan will hold their primary. South Carolina will hold the first Southern primary on January 19. Then the Louisiana caucuses will be held three days later. By setting a January 22 caucus date, the Louisiana Republican Party will insert itself into the early portion of the presidential race. The Louisiana caucuses will be held one week before the Florida primary on January 29 and well before the Super Tuesday primaries on February 5. With 20 states, including New York and California, participating in the Super Tuesday election, it is very possible that the party nominee will be clear by that date.
Without the early caucuses, Louisiana would be an afterthought in the presidential race, since our primary is scheduled for February 9, which is late in the process. The early timing will force the major candidates to at least spend some time in the state prior to the caucuses. In recent weeks, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain visited the state for campaign events.
At least some of the major candidates have significant endorsements from state leaders. GOP Congressmen Jim McCrery, Richard Baker and Rodney Alexander have all endorsed Mitt Romney. Congressman Charles Boustany and U.S. Senator David Vitter are supporting Rudy Giuliani, while former New Orleans Councilman Bryan Wagner and former Governor Buddy Roemer are backing John McCain. Mike Huckabee’s state campaign is being organized by party activist and fundraiser Sally Nungesser of Baton Rouge. Fred Thompson is backed by GOP activist Ross Little of Lafayette and former Elections Commissioner Suzanne Haik Terrell. Governor elect Jindal has not made an endorsement in the presidential race.
While the Republicans have opted for an early caucus and will surely capture some of the attention from GOP presidential candidates, Democratic voters in Louisiana will have to wait until the primary on February 9 to cast a ballot in the election. As a result, it is unlikely the leading Democratic candidates for President will spend any significant time in Louisiana during the early weeks of their heated nomination fight.
I concur; hang tough.
Fred should NOT lay low.
Fred should STAND STRONG!
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