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How conservative is Fred Thompson?
Washington Times ^ | 06/23/2007 | Editiorial

Posted on 06/23/2007 7:19:15 AM PDT by etradervic

After John East, a stalwart conservative from North Carolina, entered the U.S. Senate in 1981, wags began referring to Jesse Helms as "the liberal senator from the Tar Heel state." We are reminded of this tale as Republican activists rush to encourage, if not yet fully embrace, the presidential candidacy of Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee. The Republican base is evidently unimpressed or uninspired (or both) by the conservative credentials of the top three Republicans (John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani) seeking the 2008 presidential nomination. Mr. Thompson's most-oft-cited conservative credential is his 86.1 percent lifetime (1995-2002) Senate vote rating compiled by the American Conservative Union (ACU), the organization that many rightly consider a leading arbiter of conservatism. In the same relative sense that Mr. Helms could be considered North Carolina's "liberal senator," Mr. Thompson's ACU rating would qualify him to be "the liberal senator from Tennessee" during his eight-year stint. Bill Frist, who defeated Democratic incumbent Jim Sasser, was elected to the Senate from Tennessee the same year (1994) as Mr. Thompson, who won the seat vacated in 1993 by then-Vice President Gore. During the eight years they represented Tennessee together, Mr. Frist compiled an ACU rating of 89.3 percent, making Mr. Thompson "the liberal senator from the Volunteer state."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Arizona; US: Massachusetts; US: New York; US: North Carolina; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: bushlegacy; conservatism; duncanhunter; election2008; electionpresident; elections; fredheads; fredthompson; gop; hunterites; johnmccain; juanmccainez; mittromney; reaganlegacy; republicans; rfr; rightforourtimes; romney; rudygiuliani; rudymcromney; runfredrun; thompson; thompsonbolton2008
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To: MEGoody; GoMonster

And it is also worth noting that NO mayor of NYC has EVER been elected to ANY office higher than mayor.


161 posted on 06/23/2007 11:51:19 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: donna

So be it! :^)


162 posted on 06/23/2007 11:53:11 AM PDT by Reagan Man (FUHGETTABOUTIT Rudy....... Conservatives don't vote for liberals!)
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To: wagglebee
And it is also worth noting that NO mayor of NYC has EVER been elected to ANY office higher than mayor.

Good point.

163 posted on 06/23/2007 11:55:23 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: Reagan Man

Since you can’t defend his own words, you resort to cheap attacks. What is the law? DEPORTATION is in there...are you going to deny Fred said illegals need a “path to citizenship”?

That’s Bush’s AMNESTY plan too...call it “guest worker”, temporary visa, whatever you like. If you are here illegally, you broke the law. Anything short of capturing them, imprisonment and deportation is AMNESTY.


Amnesty (from the Greek amnestia, oblivion) is an act of justice by which the supreme power in a state restores those who may have been guilty of any offence against it to the position of innocent persons. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the offence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty


164 posted on 06/23/2007 11:55:30 AM PDT by RasterMaster (Rudy, Romney & McCain = KENNEDY wing of the Republican Party - Duncan Hunter, President 2008)
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To: RasterMaster
You can go back 25 years with Duncan Hunter....a CONSISTENT conservative.

He's consistent on pork-barrel spending too.

165 posted on 06/23/2007 11:56:39 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: etradervic

Here’s my take on Fred Thompson. He was a great senator for Tennessee, very judicious and common sense-oriented. I do not know what kind of Presiden Fred will make. We’re not sure of any of the republican candidates. I have talked to discouraged republicans in several states and the only one that generates enthusiasm is “Senator Fred”. There is just one alternative to Fred. That is Presiden Hillary Clinton. Marxism, revenge politics, poll-driven power-hungry and all that. We must coalesce around someone like Fred and hope for the best. The alternative is unthinkable!


166 posted on 06/23/2007 11:58:02 AM PDT by 2nd Amendment
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To: Politicalmom; Nonstatist
That’s ridiculous. Fred is a term limit supporter.

Supporter and practitioner.

167 posted on 06/23/2007 11:59:43 AM PDT by TN4Liberty (Ask any farmer... Good fences make good neighbors.)
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To: Politicalmom

That is most welcome to hear.


168 posted on 06/23/2007 12:04:54 PM PDT by Dahoser (Never question Mr. Nibbles!)
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To: donna
Not just Mary Matalin! Thompson is part the the Bush group for sure! Plus, he has cancer. I will NEVER vote for Fred Thompson.

How many people supported Bush in the last election, 52 million? You do realize that some of those 52 million including Matalin and P Bush will be supporting Fred Thompson. Hardly a dis-qualifier in my book.

169 posted on 06/23/2007 12:05:30 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: donna
Thompson is part the the Bush group for sure!

Bullfeces

Plus, he has cancer.

Non-aggressive dormant type, no effect on his overall health

I will NEVER vote for Fred Thompson.

Good, support your .0001% candidate then

170 posted on 06/23/2007 12:05:59 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: etradervic

Ouch... lower score than Bill Frist....??

This I did not know...


171 posted on 06/23/2007 12:07:33 PM PDT by RachelFaith
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To: donna
Not just Mary Matalin!

Thompson is part the the Bush group for sure!

Plus, he has cancer.

My, my, my, my...you don't say! Golly....

Have you read about the type of cancer he has? (Or is it all the same to you?) Mary Matalin...so WHAT??? What does "in the Bush group" mean, exactly?

172 posted on 06/23/2007 12:08:44 PM PDT by Clara Lou (Run, Fred, run!)
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To: RachelFaith
Ouch... lower score than Bill Frist....?? This I did not know...

Both Frist and Thompson both had good (but not great) conservative voting records.

Thompson is now running on an across-the-board conservative platform.

173 posted on 06/23/2007 12:10:24 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: RasterMaster
>>>>>>Since you can’t defend his own words, you resort to cheap attacks.

What cheap shots? You're the one who lied. You said that FredT supports open borders and amnesty. That is a bold face lie! In my reply at #109, I posted FredT`s exact position on immigration reform. Listen to it. Boiled down he says:

"We solve the security problem first. .... no amnesty or nothing blanket like that".

FredT doesn't support the Presidents policy of amnesty as delineated in the current incarnation of the Senate's immigration reform proposal and has said so. PERIOD!

And to still cling to your belief that anything short of deportation is amnesty. I doubt you'll find much support for that position around this conservative website and among conservatives in general.

174 posted on 06/23/2007 12:13:42 PM PDT by Reagan Man (FUHGETTABOUTIT Rudy....... Conservatives don't vote for liberals!)
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To: etradervic

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200706/POL20070605a.html

flip-flop alert


175 posted on 06/23/2007 12:15:57 PM PDT by Saundra Duffy (Romney Rocks!)
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To: Reagan Man

If you don’t support deportation (the law) then you support AMNESTY. Can’t have it both ways, regardless of the lawyer-speak you use. “Work out a deal” is amnesty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkN2fYnMTBs

Deportation is the law....if you don’t support deporting illegals, you support letting them stay = AMNESTY.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/8/chapters/12/subchapters/ii/parts/viii/sections/section_1325.html

http://www.americanpatrol.com/REFERENCE/isacrime.html

Lying is twisting what the man said into something he didn’t, which is all you can do.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with telling people they have to go home” - Duncan Hunter


176 posted on 06/23/2007 12:22:20 PM PDT by RasterMaster (Rudy, Romney & McCain = KENNEDY wing of the Republican Party - Duncan Hunter, President 2008)
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To: bethtopaz

Oooh, your insults are so persuasive. LOL


177 posted on 06/23/2007 12:30:19 PM PDT by Petronski (imwithfred.com)
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To: RasterMaster
If you don’t support deportation (the law) then you support AMNESTY. Can’t have it both ways, regardless of the lawyer-speak you use. “Work out a deal” is amnesty.

Fred didn't say that he was against deportation. Fred did imply that we will never be able to deport all 12 to 20 million of them. Then he goes on to talk about enforcement.

Sounds to me that when you have enforcement at the work place, employers stop employing illegals. Illegals not caught and deported will go home on their own.

It is a loooong stretch to say that Fred is not for any deportation and that Fred is for amnesty.

178 posted on 06/23/2007 12:31:58 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: etradervic

“How conservative is Fred Thompson?”

He’s the most conservative (soon-to-be) candidate with a shot at winning the nomination, and then the White House.

So I’d say he’s conservative enough.


179 posted on 06/23/2007 12:40:22 PM PDT by Grunthor (Once a cobra bit Fred Thompsons' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.)
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To: LoneStarLegend78

If Duncan Hunter had a vote for every time someone says that, he’d be a sure thing! That is utter nonsense and you are the reason why the GOP will continue on ‘disappointing’ conservatives. Fred is nowhere near a change of the current system.


180 posted on 06/23/2007 12:51:15 PM PDT by bushfamfan (DUNCAN HUNTER FOR PRES. IN 2008)
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