Posted on 07/26/2007 9:04:06 AM PDT by pissant
In my 2002 book Invasion (p. 71, 76), I noted the open-borders obstructionism of former Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Michigan), who fought to block the implementation of two different tracking databases–one for foreign student visa holders and the other for all temporary visitors (which was mandated by Section 110 of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act). Abraham led efforts to starve the first database of funding and crusaded several times to kill Section 110 altogether. On September 11, 2001, neither of those databases was in place. To this day, they remain incomplete.
Now, Fred Thompson has gone and hired Open Border Spence as his acting campaign manager:
Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson, who hasn’t officially entered the presidential race, is shaking up his campaign staff, replacing his acting campaign manager with a former Michigan senator and a Florida Republican strategist.
Thompson spokeswoman Linda Rozett said acting campaign manager Tom Collamore, former vice president of food and tobacco giant Altria, still will advise the campaign. Collamore has helped organize the campaign for Thompson, who has not officially jumped into the race.
Thompson has established a “testing the waters” committee that allows him to raise money for a presidential bid. He is expected to formally kick off his candidacy in September, after the Labor Day holiday.
“The Friends of Fred Thompson have made a number of changes as they prepare to enter the next phase, adding new experience and political strength to the organization,” Rozett said.
Replacing Collamore will be Randy Enright, who has served as Florida regional political director for the Republican National Committee, and Spencer Abraham, the former senator who lost his bid for re-election in 2000 to Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Bad, bad move. If the Fred campaign is trying to win over grass-roots conservatives, this is a dumb way to do it.
Debbie Schlussel has followed the soft-on-terrorism career of Spencer Abraham. Yikes.
FYI
Very unsettling.
Also unsettling is the word that some Bush II operatives, including son of Jeb, are worling for Thompson.
Hunter is looking better and better.
Bummer.
Hunter has always looked better, but until this move, I was willing to compromise and support Thompson if he were to get the nomination.
Now I’m not. It’s that simple.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1871903/posts?page=57#57
Debbie Schlussel said the same: http://www.debbieschlussel.com/
This guy will have a major role in Thompson’s campaign and I don’t like it.
Think Thompson is having a hard time finding his campaign manager because of the “late” start. First he had a guy from the tobacco industry that would have been a big liability on that basis alone if he had kept him.
That said, what you say in the campaign defines the first months in office, when you can really get things done, so it’s worrying that his current campaign manager is open borders. Campaign managers help define the candidates message, obviously. What is worrying is that if F. Thompson turns out not to be the “savior” conservatives are banking on, and if they don’t turn to Duncan Hunter and build up his funds and support, when F. Thompson flames out or soft-pedals conservative issues, we are left with Romney and Guilianni ONLY.
Duncan Hunter should be built up, regardless of hopes for F. Thompson, or conservatives could get seriously railroaded again like we did with Bush I and Bush II.
"...fought to block the implementation of two different tracking databases – one for foreign student visa holders and the other for all temporary visitors..." This is Spence's handiwork as chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, where he could have done some actual good, but chose instead to stymie law enforcement. Suppose Thompson were to get elected. Would Spence be named Secretary of Homeland Security? All of this is making my stomach turn.
Who will be making the final decisions, Thompson or someone else? We need to stop eating our own here.
LOL! Michelle must have read my post here yesterday about this. ;-)
A new package full of the same old manure.
So Malkin is wrong?
I just removed Thompsons’ name from my tagline.........I take this very seriously. I have been betrayed by Bush, I am much more wary NOW.
Thanks for that link.
I didn’t know all this.
I guess Thompson is kaput.
Only Hunter is the decent candidate. And I will put Thompson in the same parcel as JulieAnnie and McCainez - he’ll never get my vote.
If the Repubs blow this one, its third party time. This is their last chance - they are on probation.
We're trying to figure out who is "our own" here. If a candidate is pushing something besides conservatism, shouldn't we know it?
Based on his choice of campaign manager, Thompson is as conservative as JulieAnnie.
I cannot say for sure that Spencer Abraham is a bumbling idiot. But I can say for sure that he is a bumbler.
Amen! I want to know lots more, I hid my head with Bush on immigration, NOT again! Immigration is THE hot button issue in the next election.......Thompson has made a MAJOR gaffe.
“Bummer”
That really says it all. Can’t support Thompson with this guy.
What do you think of this new hire by Thompson?
There are NO conservatives in the Thompson Camp !
He also did work for Planned Parenthood.
This STINKS !!
Thompson has made his positions clear on the matter.
I will vote for whomever is standing in the general election against the democratic socialist candidate. The 2006 election has proven what happens when the dems take power.
Ask our guys in the field in Iraq.
Daily Rant
I getting irritated with some of my fellow conservative bloggers who disingenuously put on the facade of being impartial and undecided about their choice for a Republican Presidential nominee and then surreptitiously shill for one in particular.
Michell Malkin comes to mind as she has been hammering Fred Thomspon at every opportunity but has defended Rudy Guiliani on a consistent basis. Her last posting (Fred Thompson and Spencer Abraham: Bad combo) tries to argue that because Abraham was an “open border” guy Thompson is also. She obviously hasn’t listened to what Fred has said on the subject. And btw, since when is a Campaign Manager responsible for drafting policy? Abraham was a terrific Governor and knows how to win elections that is why he was hired.
We here at OP have been upfront whom we support. Love you Michelle but I would suggest you and the other bloggers who have a dog in the race be upfront and quit playing games.
http://exposingtheleft.blogspot.com/2007/07/daily-rant.html
Disturbing.
Very Distrubing.
Do campaign managers get folded into administration posts?
Thompson has made his position clear on immigration and I’m okay with it. I trust he would not sell the country out like Jorge has.
I’ll vote Hunter in the national election if he’s the guy as well.
The association with ex Bushies and Bushes has troubled me for awhile.
I was all for Fred until I heard that. A great big Red flag went up, coupled with the fact that Fred has not entered and started answering questions.
Right now, he isn’t really even a candidate. He was on a talk show here in Indy and said that he would be making an announcement in May.
May be a good guy...but... Not so sure anymore. I have more doubts about the folks surrounding him than Fred.
Aw Geez, could we please leave Bushes and Clintons behind? Talk about fatigue, they both recycle the same people.
“Do campaign managers get folded into administration posts?”
That’s like questioning the Pope’s catholicism.
It’s unusual when they do NOT.
National Review Sep 25,2000 John J Miller
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_18_52/ai_66106575/pg_2
“His vigorous support-in both words and actions-for immigration has won him a fan base outside of normal GOP circles. He’s been feted at an awards banquet of the National Council of La Raza, a leading Hispanic group.”
I don’t know what Malkin thinks, nor do I care.
Thompson is the same old crap in a flashy new package.
Have you read post #25?
Not just interesting...this is DISTURBING. In one single action,Fred Thompson has cooled my enthusiasm for his nomination. This appointment of Spencer Abraham demonstrates the kind of appointments a President Thompson would make to his cabinet. Not good. Not good at all.
aside from the immigration thing, when has spence proved his campaign management skills? -in his ONE term? -he lost his own re-election bid. what IS his claim to fame?
You have epitomized why supporting/trusting any senator, past or present, either party, for POTUS is a bad idea.
I agree......I am now afraid of Thompson.
1. Spencer Abraham is a Christian arab-American.
2. He has been weak on immigration restrictions and for more legal immigration (H1B) in the 1990s .
3. He has been an excellent pro-free-market conservative on economic issues. Don’t know his social issues background.
4. Good Senator on many points and good energy secty.
5. Lost in 2000 Michigan Senate race. He’s no Svengali.
If people are ‘surprised’ by this pick, it only means they have let themselves get fooled into a false picture of Thompson. Seems like Thompson picked another senator not much different from himself.
Time to separate myth from reality.
LOL! Have you looked at a recent picture of Fred?
Nothing 'flashy' or 'new'.
Abraham was a terrific Governor and knows how to win elections that is why he was hired.
No he wasn’t a Governor. A luke warm senator at best.
He was never a governor but a terrible senator from MI who couldn't even beat Debbie Stabenow as an incumbent.
Well I guess this pretty much settles it doesn’t it?
Sorry I sent him a contribution. I ould have given Hunter a bigger check, but I’ll make up for it with my money and at the primary booth.
Why have a campaign manager then?
What do you think campaign managers do. They give the candidate input on what he should or should not do.
I'm sorry, but this is a horrible pick by Fred. There are plenty of up-and-coming conservatives to pick from. Toomey, Steele, Katherine Harris for examples.
unlike the kerfluffle over whether Fred represented an abortion group in the ‘90s or the CFR dust-up, I think this one is cause for concern. I don’t see it as a hit piece at all.
You mean the one in 2000 where he beat Debbie Stabenow? ROFL
I think the Rant better do their home work. Spence was never Governor only a State Senator. Gee its hard to get good help these days.
Actually it's been a bad month for Fred. He could have came out strongly against that abortion lobbying thing, he should have declared over the 4th of July holiday with a rousing speech, and he dodged the CFR question that's posted on WND.
Still a Fredhead, but these latest developments have been somewhat discouraging.
bump
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