Fred Thompson?

“My friends, I come to you today to tell you that I intend to run for President.” With that, Fred Dalton Thompson announced his candidacy for President this week—adding his name to a lengthy list of Republican contenders.

Traditionally, Presidential candidates have announced their intentions after Labor Day, but that tradition has given way to “campaignus infinitum ad nauseam.” Criticized by media talkingheads for his “late entry,” Thompson expressed his doubt that voters will say, “That guy would make a very good president, but he didn’t get in soon enough.”

After all, says Thompson, “People treat politicians sort of like dentists—they don’t have anything to do with them till they have to.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, arguably the most articulate constitutional constructionist to hold that post in the last century, recently offered this assessment of the political process: “What’s the job of the candidate in this world? The job of the candidate is to raise the money to hire the consultants to do the focus groups to figure out the 30-second answers to be memorized by the candidate. This is stunningly dangerous.”

Notably, responding to inquiries about his own interest in a presidential bid, Gingrich added, “If Fred Thompson runs... then I think that makes it easier for me to not run.”

What does the timing of Fred Thompson’s announcement say about him as a candidate? Well, mostly that he is a leader, not a follower. To his credit, Thompson is not a “formula candidate.” He doesn’t comport with the expectations of Beltway politicos, commentators and media types, and his campaign won’t be as slick as some of his opponents in both parties.

For the record, however, I know Fred Thompson—the man. I know his character, his intellect and his sincerity, and I know his views on the supremacy of our Constitution. Fred’s style is evocative of Ronald Reagan’s strengths. Like Reagan, Thompson speaks right over the heads of his opponents and the Leftmedia, directly to the people. For that reason and more, the Democrats fear Fred Thompson.

In 1993, Tennessee’s Republican leadership convinced Thompson, a relative unknown, to campaign for the unexpired Senate term of then-Vice President Albert Gore. He could have been just a sacrificial lamb, but on the campaign trail Fred demonstrated his ability to win the hearts and minds of Republican and Democrat voters.

Despite all the support Bill Clinton and Al Gore could muster for Fred’s opponent, popular six-term Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper, Thompson won a landslide victory in 1994, garnering 61 percent of the vote. It was the largest victory margin in any statewide political contest in Tennessee history.

Thompson’s tour de force didn’t go unnoticed by the Democratic [sic] National Committee, nor did his 1996 re-election bid, which he won by an even wider margin. Rest assured, the DNC fears Thompson.

As a two-term senator from Tennessee, Thompson never forgot who brung him to the dance. His voting record is clear, and it establishes his standing as an unequivocal constitutional constructionist. For this reason, he garnered not only the respect of his constituents, but also the admiration of colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Like his primary opponent, Rep. Ron Paul, Thompson loathes politicos who subscribe to the notion of a “Living Constitution,” those who, for political expediency, have abandoned their oaths to “support and defend” that singular document.

“Our people have shed more blood for liberty and freedom... than all the other countries put together,” says Thompson, yet the central government “can’t seem to get the most basic responsibilities right for its citizens.”

Like Rep. Paul, Thompson’s commitment to uphold the plain language of our Constitution has put him on the short end of a couple of votes during his tenure (99-1 in the Senate), and his devotion to his oath of office led to several controversial votes. In 1999, for example, when the Senate voted on the impeachment of Bill Clinton, Thompson voted in the affirmative on the question of whether Clinton had obstructed justice, but joined nine other Republicans voting against conviction on the perjury charge, believing that this charge did not meet the constitutional test for removing a president from office.

Thompson’s philosophy and record are most clear in regard to constitutional exegesis pertaining to federalism and state’s rights, as specified by the Tenth Amendment to the Bill of Rights.

That amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This language is specific about the limitations our Constitution places upon the central government and the rights and responsibilities reserved by the several states and the people. Nonetheless, Democrats, and the judicial activists who do their bidding, have, for five decades, evaded the plain language of our Constitution by insisting that it be adulterated by judicial diktat in order to serve the special interests of their constituents.

Those who have been readers of The Patriot Post for many years know that we began life as The Federalist, a journal of federalism and states’ rights, and that our mission “to restore constitutional limits on government and the judiciary” is, by definition, the restoration of constitutional federalism, as outlined by Ronald Reagan’s “Presidential Executive Order 12612”.

It is notable, then, that on Fred Thompson’s campaign website, under the category of “Principles,” there is only one item: Federalism.

Indeed, since our first issue, The Patriot has asserted that if the first principle is not the restoration of constitutionally authorized federalism, then the remainder is just the product of smoke and mirrors.

In his exposition on federalism, Thompson notes, “Before anything else, folks in Washington ought to be asking first and foremost, ‘Should government be doing this? And if so, then at what level of government?’ But they don’t. The result has been decades of growth in the size, scope and function of national government. Today’s governance of mandates, pre-emptions, regulations and federal programs bears little resemblance to the balanced system the Framers intended... A government powerful enough to give you everything can take away from you, anything. Our government must be limited by the powers delegated to it by the Constitution.”

On that note, it is clear that Thompson will give Republican front-runners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, both “big-government Republicans,” a run for their money. The next debate is 17 September, four months ahead of the first state primaries. With Thompson in the lineup, expect a real debate. One thing will be abundantly clear at the end of that debate: Unlike the other frontrunners, Fred Thompson does not “need” to be President in order to satiate arrogant ambition. He is driven by one motive—to humbly serve his countrymen, to promote our national security, unity and prosperity—and do so within the constraints of our Constitution.

Since that site is not on the do not post list:

Fred Thompson Officially in the Race. What's Next?
By JB Williams
MichNews.com
Sep 6, 2007
Those who have been patiently waiting for a formal campaign announcement from Sen. Fred Thompson were rewarded last night when Thompson used Jay Leno’s Tonight Show to make his run for the White House official. It’s official, he’s in. Now what?
Thompson chose to skip another Republican debate and some in New Hampshire were feeling a bit snubbed. The Fox News moderators opened the debate by asking the other candidates to take their free pot-shots at Thompson for that decision, but the candidates were somewhat hesitant to oblige, opting instead to offer a humorous little quip or two, to be added to their growing grab-bag of sound bites. Overall, they were pretty cautious, which means, pretty smart.
Thompson used the Tonight Show to announce on his own terms. He’s not the first leader to march to the beat of his own drum. He’s just the first to do it since Reagan. It’s actually a common (and welcome) trait of those rare types who prefer to lead, as opposed to following.
I’ve not seen the Nielson Ratings yet, but I’d be surprised if the debate had as many viewers as the Tonight Show did. Despite his absence from the debate itself, Newsweek leads the following morning with the headline “How Thompson Carried the Night!” The LA Times writes “Candidate who is not there, upstages GOP debate!” Crazy? Like a fox maybe…
Thompson used the new media to speak directly to voters in complete sentences, not sound bites, by making a 15 minute video which appears on his new www.Fred08.com campaign site. Here’s the video link for anyone interested in learning more about Thompson.
http://www.fred08.com/FredCast/FredCastSummary.aspx
The debates are not designed to let us get to know each candidate. You can learn more about Fred Thompson in a 15 minute video than you can learn about any other candidate after watching 15 hours of sound-bite driven debates. I encourage you to take 15 minutes to see and hear what Fred Thompson believes in and why he has chosen to run for President of the United States, at a most inconvenient time for anyone to be President.
What’s next for Thompson?
From this point forward, he will have to not only attend the debates. He’ll have to win them. He’ll have to demonstrate to the American people, why he is best suited to lead America at a most difficult time of real threats to national security, our economy and our way of life, while the nation is completely divided over all issues.
The 15 minute video is a good start. It gives us a close up look at Thompson the man. Now Fred will have to translate those personal beliefs into definable public policy positions and effectively communicate those ideas to a broad range of voters.
He will have to defend those positions while under attack from all sides and he will have to do it swiftly and effectively on his feet, before debate TV audiences, and in person from campaign stops across America.
He seems properly intent upon uniting Americans on the common grounds of American ideals. Time will tell whether or not America can still unite around those fundamental principles or if Thompson is the man to unite them.
I like where he is. I like how he got here, drafted by true conservatives not happy with their other choices.
Can he raise enough money?
How much is enough? I suspect that he will need less money to win than any other candidate. People already know who he is, what he’s like and how he thinks. This is a clear advantage at the starting gate.
He will need enough money to reach the first finish line, which is the party nomination. His numbers indicate a statistical advantage as well. He has raised and spent less than any candidate, was not officially a candidate before last night, and has been showing well in the polls already.
If he wins the party nomination, conservatives of all flavors will unite behind him in the general election. Right-wingers in the party are correct - he’s not as extreme as they are. Left-wing RINO’s are also right - he’s not as far left as they are. But he can appeal to the highest priorities in both groups.
Fundamental conservatives - the people who drafted him - are his core; those who are conservative in all areas, fiscally, socially, on security and sovereignty, on morality and family values, on individual freedom and liberty, free enterprise and economic prosperity. Meet the “Fred-heads”…
Blue Dog Democrats have been looking at Thompson too, left out in the cold by the Democratic Socialists currently running roughshod over old Democrats like Lieberman and Miller. He can win some JFK Democrats, who oppose Teddy type Socialist Democrats as much as Republicans do.
Could he be an American President?
He speaks of winning, not losing. He talks about Americans as winners, not losers. He sees the American people as the solution to every problem, not as some problem that only Washington politicians can solve. He sees Washington as our greatest problem, just as most Americans on both sides of the political aisle do. And he seems to grasp the notion that only the American people can solve the mess created by Washington politicians.
He’s not betting on himself. He’s betting on the American people… What a concept!
As all other candidates play the pander game, promising all that they can do for the American people, all that they can be, Thompson is looking to harness the power of the people, with whom the founders entrusted the real power more than 200 years ago.
In this way, though he is a Republican, he’s no Republican Party hack. He is clearly looking to be an American president, as in, a president for all Americans, defined only as those who still believe in America and her founding principles, those who still see themselves as winners, not losers in search of a federal bailout.
I learned this from watching his 15 minute video. But what I saw was something I have known about Fred Thompson for many years now. He’s an American first, last and always. These are the voters he’s looking for, no matter what party they claim.
While all other candidates want to talk about themselves and the power of the federal government, Thompson wants to talk about average Americans and the power of the people. While all other candidates are focused on everything they see wrong with America, Thompson wants to refocus Americans on everything he sees right with America.
He’s a “people’s candidate”… drafted by the people
Thompson is the only candidate drafted into the Presidential race by the people. As a result, he is looking to the people for solutions to problems created by politicians. While others promise to be “the” politician who can solve the nation’s ills, Thompson seems to think that the nation’s people are best suited to solve those ills… and I for one, agree!
Is he right?
Only time will tell. But I like what he’s saying and how he’s saying it. He’s the clear target of every competing candidate on both sides of the aisle. He’s the last person on earth that Hillary wants to face in debates, since he headed the investigation into Clinton campaign fraud that ended with a call for prosecution of the Clinton’s. A call deep-sixed by Clinton AG Reno.
Democrats fear Fred, but so do many Republicans or more specifically, RINO’s to his left and Libertarian isolationists on his right. Should they be afraid?
Take a look at his video and tell me what you see!
http://www.fred08.com/FredCast/FredCastSummary.aspx

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