Posted on 06/25/2007 12:34:59 PM PDT by PlainOleAmerican
Republican Fred Thompson, who likes to cast himself in the role of Washington outsider, has a long history as a political insider who earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government.
As a lobbyist for more than 20 years, billion-dollar corporations paid Thompson for his access to members of Congress and White House staff. During that time he was close to two Senate majority leaders, both from his home state of Tennessee - his political mentor Howard Baker and, more recently, his former colleague Bill Frist.
During Baker's tenure, Thompson lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulation bill that helped hasten the industry's collapse and a failed nuclear energy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars.
More recently, while Frist led the Senate, Thompson earned more than $750,000 lobbying for a British reinsurance company that wanted to limit its liability from asbestos lawsuits.
That history as a Washington insider is at odds with the image Thompson has sought to convey to voters. When he first ran for the Senate in 1993, Thompson cast himself in the part of the gruff, plainspoken everyman, leased a red pickup truck and drove around Tennessee in his shirt sleeves.
Now, as he considers an expected run for president in 2008, the actor-politician continues to position himself as a political outsider.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Associated Press released the DNC attack piece on Fred Thompson as some original work of art, only days after DNC newsletters set the stage for the assault.
Now NewsMax (Rudy central) is pretending like there is something news worthy in here somewhere!
How sad! and how typical of today's RINO community!
The more I hear about Fred, the more I want to vote for him!
RUN FRED - save the GOP!
Bring back some principles!
Oh, they’re gittin scared !
RUN FRED RUN !
I thought it was Guilienza. Causes fever and difficult breathing.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1855923/posts
Campaign reform advocate finds himself in hot water
More competition in banking is fine with me! I don’t want the GOVERNMENT regulating it.
Since when did the “industry collapse”?
Nuclear energy is the WAY TO GO! While Fred didn’t “manage” it he is for it as I am. Odd how even France uses nuclear power ... even the STUPID French see the value of NUCLEAR POWER as the wave of the FUTURE.
“Lobbying clients paid him about half a million dollars between 1975 and 1993, when he started his campaign for the Senate. He released 20 years worth of tax returns during the race.”
Yes, he is honest - what a handicap! Never saw Clinton’s tax returns ... he “lobbies” for issues I AGREE WITH!
“One of his clients at the time was the Tennessee Savings and Loan League, on whose behalf Thompson lobbied for a bill to deregulate the industry. Experts say the final version of that bill played a large role in the savings-and-loan crisis of the late 1980s, opening the door to widespread fraud and mismanagement.”
SOUR GRAPES looking to BLAME someone else for their OWN MISMANAGEMENT! Fred wasn’t IN THE BANDS “mismanaging” and promoting “fraud” - this was done by folks RUNNING THE BANK!
On and on and on it goes. Twisted lies to blame Fred for the mistakes of others. All a politician can do is LOBBY for the RIGHT DIRECTION!
What’s with NewsMax? Are they on Hillary’s campaign payroll?
This is a disgraceful smear campaign against Fred.
REAL conservatives LIKE candidates who have a track record of helping to keep capitalism alive and are looking for alternative sources of energy.
RUN Fred!
I love how folks even allegedly on my side of the aisle, make NO distinction between “legal lobbyist” efforts (as in the case of Thompsons lobby clients) and “campaign funding fraud” as in the case of those Thompsons senate committee investigated and attempted to prosecute.
It’s awful when even people on my own team can’t tell the difference any more...
Kinda like the difference between “legal immigrants” and “illegal invaders”... Only a HUGE difference...
Lobby work has a simple fix. Get Washington out of BUSINESS and free enterprise, and I’m sure you’ll find no corporation wasting money on lobbying congress for anything.
Retire politicians willing to extract bribes from lobbyists, and lobbyists will return to legal lobby work.
Start with the Democrats!
OMG, an EVIL lobbyist! But Fred’s not quite evil enough: he’s semi-evil, quasi-evil, the margarine of evil; he’s the Diet Coke of evil - just one calorie, not evil enough!
IMHO, Fred’s critics just need to zip it!
Amen !!!
$1 million over 20+ years lobbying isn’t exactly a fortune. Sounds like just an income supplement to me.
If this is the worst that the Rudy or Romney people can come up with, then they might as well leave the race right now - and pursue a lobbying career.
I wonder what some digging would uncover about the other candidates?
This attack piece came straight out of Howard Deans letter to DNC contributors...
SHAME on NewsMax!!!
Should we look for legal lobby work on their resume’, or accepted lobby money and favores in their political histories?
Ones right - ones not, in case anyone asks...LOL
#10
THANK YOU!
(yes, I’m shouting :) )
Amen right back atcha!
It's like the IQ of the average "conservative" has dropped to the level of a Democrat :-(
See post #7 - he said it GREAT!
Since when did “legal” lobby work become a form of “corruption”? I mean besides when Clinton sold nuclear technology to China for a mere $300,000 in campaign contributions from the Chinses Army....
I’m sorry, I can’t follow you.
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