Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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Posted on 05/26/2007 11:17:11 PM PDT by Politicalmom
Republican conservatives see actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, considering a bid for the White House as one of them ? and as a winner
The leather chair swivels to face the camera.
Fred Thompson pulls an unlit cigar from his mouth.
He has just criticized Michael Moore's trip to Cuba in search of fodder for a movie on the U.S. health care system.
Moore, the filmmaker conservatives love to hate, wants the prospective Republican presidential candidate to debate him.
"You know," drawls the former U.S. senator from Tennessee, "I've been looking at my schedule, Michael, and I don't think I have time for you."
His head bobs as he continues.
"... The next time you're down in Cuba visiting your buddy (Fidel) Castro, you might ask him about another ... filmmaker ... Nicolas Guillen.
"He did something Castro didn't like, and they put him in a mental institution. ... A mental institution, Michael. Might be something you ought to think about."
Made earlier this month, the 38-second video has spread on political blogs like a bad cold and has aired on network TV.
"God," wrote Savannah political operative Robin Wheeler as she shipped the video off to friends, "I love this guy."
"It was terrific," conceded former Savannah Democratic state Rep. Tom Bordeaux, who clearly does not like the guy. "It sounded tough. It quickly disposed of Moore without addressing the health care issue."
That aside, the video has reinforced an already widespread view among conservatives that the former actor might be Mr. Right.
Sure, he's not running yet, but supporters believe he will be by next month. And there's a big drive among Georgia Republicans to give him a push.
At least 33 state legislators - more than have supported the other GOP candidates combined - have endorsed Thompson.
In an informal poll at last weekend's state GOP convention, 44 percent picked him. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, was second with just 22 percent.
What's driving the surge?
For one thing, Republicans are not wowed by the other candidates.
"Conservatives have not had anyone to get excited about," said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock. "The leading candidates all have histories that give conservatives pause."
State Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, leading a "Draft Thompson" drive, concedes that's a factor.
GOP wants a winner
But there is much more than that, Johnson says.
"It shows a hunger for somebody who can put together a coalition not just to win the Republican primary, but win the White House," Johnson said. "(He's) ... an unapologetic conservative who can look America in the eye, not blink, tell us where he wants to go and bring America with him."
Chatham County Commissioner Pat Farrell said he learned about Thompson mostly by watching him on the Sunday news shows.
"His ability to communicate is impressive," Farrell said.
Many say Thompson, 64, reminds them of the so-called "Great Communicator," Ronald Reagan.
That misses the point, Johnson said.
"This isn't about Ronald Reagan," he said. "... It's about putting together a coalition that draws independents and working Democrats."
Others say another big selling point is that Thompson, who stands 6 feet 5 inches, both looks and sounds presidential.
"He's got star quality," said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a senior policy analyst at the University of Southern California.
Moreover, Jeffe said, his roles often cast him in leadership positions. He has portrayed a U.S. senator, a naval officer, the president, the CIA director and, most recently, a prosecutor on "Law and Order."
Johnson said he began promoting Thompson about a month ago after watching him play an admiral in "The Hunt for Red October."
Solid conservative record
Beyond Thompson's showbiz aura is a conservative voting record. In 2000, for example, he drew a 92 (out of a possible 100) rating from the American Conservative Union and an 8 from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action.
Another source of his appeal is that he seems, at least compared to his prospective competitors, to be a reluctant campaigner.
"One of the things that makes Fred so attractive," Johnson said, "is that he doesn't seem to lust after the presidency."
Still, Thompson has been campaigning.
In addition to regular speeches, he has harnessed the power of blogs, Web chats and podcasts.
U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, who has urged fellow Republicans to do just that, praises Thompson's approach.
"People love it," Kingston said. "It's current. It's light. It's him, not ... some spinmiester trying to put words in his mouth."
Recently, Thompson began sounding out powerful congressmen.
"He's making all the right moves," said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University. "Right now, he has it both ways. He avoids serious scrutiny, and the other candidates aren't talking about him."
In Georgia, Black and Bullock say, Thompson benefits from being a Southerner and a new face, which sets him apart from Gingrich.
Not that the Thompson boomlet doesn't have its critics.
In turning to Thompson, former state representative Bordeaux said, Republicans are displaying a craving for simplistic solutions.
"They believe everything they see on TV," Bordeaux said. "They think issues are clear-cut and can be wrapped up in an hour, just like on TV.
"But, if anything, we've learned from Iraq and the war on terror that the issues are complex."
Bumpy road ahead
Thompson can count on more criticism and closer scrutiny if he runs for office.
"Once you get into real debate and not just sound bytes," said Chatham County Democratic Chairman Karen Arms, "you'll say something a lot of your potential supporters won't like."
Arms said Democratic candidate Barack Obama, initially treated as something of a political rock star, has had a similar experience.
Jeffe agreed.
"A candidate's approval rating never is higher than the day he gets in the race," she said.
But Bullock does not believe Thompson has anything to worry about with conservatives.
The UGA professor said he believes Thompson will stand up to scrutiny better than Rudy Guiliani, the early frontrunner.
At first, Bullock said, most people just knew Guiliani was New York's mayor during the 9/11 terror attacks and that he was a strong leader.
"As they learn more about him," he added, "conservatives discover that he has taken positions with which they disagree on - issues such as abortion."
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has a similar problem, Bullock said.
In contrast, Bullock said, sifting through Thompson's record "is unlikely to reveal him to be a liberal."
But some things that endear him to conservatives may not help him with the vote-rich political center, Jeffe said.
For example, he helped raise money to defend I. Lewis Libby Jr. who was convicted of lying to federal investigators probing leaks about the identity of a CIA agent.
Retired California campaign strategist Stuart Spencer said the biggest challenge facing Thompson will be raising campaign funds.
Several declared candidates have multimillion-dollar head starts, said Spencer, who ran Reagan's campaigns for governor and president.
"He needs to get going soon," Spencer said.
Jeffe doesn't discount Thompson's ability to play catch-up.
"When you have name recognition like his, and he's on cable somewhere every minute of the day, you have the luxury of stretching it out a little longer," she said.
THOMPSON: AT A GLANCE
BORN: August 19, 1942, in Sheffield, Ala.
EDUCATION: Attended public schools in Lawrenceburg, Tenn.; graduated from Memphis State University, 1964; received J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University, 1967.
LEGAL CAREER: Admitted to bar, 1967; assistant U.S. attorney, 1969-1972; minority counsel, Senate "Watergate Committee," 1973-1974; special counsel to former Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander, 1980; special counsel, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1980-1981; special counsel, Senate Intelligence Committee, 1982; member, Tennessee Appellate Court Nominating Commission, 1985-1987.
ACTING CAREER: Appeared in, among other films, "Marie," "No Way Out," "Wiseguy." "The Hunt for Red October," "Days of Thunder," "Cape Fear" and "In the Line of Fire." Played a district attorney on NBC series "Law and Order" and related programs.
POLITICAL CAREER: Elected to U.S. Senate in 1994, special election to fill the unexpired portion of the term in the seat left vacant by the resignation of Al Gore; re-elected in 1996; did not seek re-election in 2002; chair, Committee on Governmental Affairs. It investigated allegations of illegal fundraising by Clinton administration and attempts by China to use campaign contributions government to influence U.S. policy.
THE QUOTE BOOK
On why he didn't seek re-election in 2002: "I'm not 30 years old. I don't want to spend the rest of my life up here. I don't like spending 14- and 16-hour days voting on 'sense of the Senate' resolutions on irrelevant matters."
On the supplemental war-appropriations bill President Bush vetoed: "I'm puzzled. There's $283 million for dairy farmers in an emergency war-funding bill. But there's also $74 million for peanut farmers. So, I figured our soldiers are eating a lot of peanut- butter sandwiches. They need more milk to wash them down with."
On the conduct of the war in Iraq: "We went in there too light, wrong rules of engagement, wrong strategy, placed too much emphasis on just holding things in place while we built up the Iraqi army, took longer than we figured. Wars are full of mistakes. You rectify things. I think we're doing that now."
On the NFL draft: "Why do these teams keep drafting players with character defects you can see at 100 yards in the dark with your back turned?"
Source: Draft Fred Thompson 2008 Committee
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
Please FReepmail jellybean if you want on/off this list. WARNING: This ping list is EXTREMELY active.
Nice article...
Thanks for your posts....our hope.
FRED PING! :)
THXS, for the post. :)
Best available man...
...thxs, for the post, clear/short and concise. :)
Nice banner! Got any bumper stickers like that?
“People ask me why I left Washington, I said I longed for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood.”
Ya know what, Politicalmom; people on this website are starting to insinuate that you are backing Fred Thompson for the Presidency.
You need to quit beig so subtil and come out and tell us who your candidate is. (Chuckle, chuckle.)
Hey mom...you’re banner has a nice ring to it!!
ME!
.....LOL!...Ibid. :)
These people still don't get it.
One of the many reasons why Reagan won two landslides is that he talked about the issues in big broad strokes. People don't like a micro-manager and that's why Thompson is popular now.
Thompson should talk about five or six main issues, which will solve all the other issues as well.
—Thompson should talk about five or six main issues, which will solve all the other issues as well.—
Great point. Fred should try to emulate his fellow Tennesseean James Polk (except for the one-term pledge).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_K._Polk
“Polk set four clearly defined goals for his administration: the re-establishment of the Independent Treasury System, the reduction of tariffs, acquisition of some or all the Oregon boundary dispute, and the purchase of California from Mexico. Resolved to serve only one term, he accomplished all these objectives in just four years”.
He’s a cross between Will Rogers and Mark Twain. With a little Paul Harvey thrown in for good measure.
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