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Election 2008: Thompson's Slow Start
Newsweek ^ | Sept. 24, 2007 issue | Holly Bailey

Posted on 09/15/2007 5:46:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

For months, social conservatives have viewed Fred Thompson as a Reaganesque savior in a dreary field of GOP presidential hopefuls. But the former Tennessee senator's early days on the campaign trail have left some prominent evangelicals underwhelmed. "I'm personally not that impressed," says Paul Weyrich, a veteran strategist who cofounded the Moral Majority.

One sticking point: Thompson's stance on a same-sex marriage ban. On the trail, he has declined to endorse a constitutional amendment blocking gay marriage, instead backing a broader amendment that would bar states from imposing their laws on other states. "The [marriage ban] approach has been tried in Congress, but can't even get a majority," Thompson told the Christian Broadcasting Network. That's not good enough for some on the right, and it has cost Thompson, at least for now, endorsements from members of the Arlington Group, an influential coalition of the nation's top conservative leaders. "It's a deal breaker," Weyrich told NEWSWEEK. A second Arlington member, who didn't want to be identified discussing private conversation, confirmed the hesitation. "Nobody wants to make a rash decision," the member says.

But it's not just policy that has people worried. Some on the right question whether Thompson is ready for prime time after a series of stumbles on the trail. In Florida, he seemed unprepared for questions about Terri Schiavo, the brain-dead woman at the center of the heated 2005 right-to-die case. "That's going back in history," he said. "I can't remember the details of it." His poll numbers are still strong—the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll had him running six points behind Rudy Giuliani—but if he expects to get any closer, his memory isn't the only thing that will need to improve.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: arlingtongroup; campaigns; conservatives; electionpresident; elections; fred; fredthompson; gaymarriage; gop; homosexualagenda; moralmajority; primetime; republicans; righttodie; rudygiuliani; samesexmarriage; terrischiavo; thompson; weyrich
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Hahaha! Ignore the polls and just write any rumor or criticism that you see. If Fred were going any faster, he'd already be the nominee and only running against Hillary.
1 posted on 09/15/2007 5:46:55 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Slow Start? What planet are these guys from?


2 posted on 09/15/2007 5:51:12 PM PDT by norwaypinesavage (Planting trees to offset carbon emissions is like drinking water to offset rising ocean levels)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Its Newsweek. If they EVER publish a positive article about any GOP member other than McCain let me know..... ;-)


3 posted on 09/15/2007 5:52:06 PM PDT by festus (I'm a fRedneck and proud of it.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Good heavens!

I wish Fred Thompson would demonstrate maybe half the enthusiasm and excitement about his own candidacy that folk here on FR do.

I'm his ideological soul-mate, more or less, but jeez I'm so far underwhelmed.

4 posted on 09/15/2007 5:52:13 PM PDT by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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To: norwaypinesavage

“Slow Start? What planet are these guys from?”

Nothing more than a poor attempt to redirect from the Hillary debacle.


5 posted on 09/15/2007 5:53:41 PM PDT by roaddog727 (BS does not get bridges built)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Why am I a “social conservative”, when what I care about is an electable candidate who has a good 2A record and position?

These guys are idiots. Fred is in the lead after a week of campaigning, after declaring. If that’s a “Slow Start”, I’ll take some more.


6 posted on 09/15/2007 5:54:22 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The President plays absolutely no role in the Constitutional Amendment process.
So why do these mental wizards care what Thompson’s view is on a given pie-in-the-sky amendment that will never be ratified?


7 posted on 09/15/2007 5:54:52 PM PDT by counterpunch (Ron Paul is gearing up to be Hillary Clinton's Ross Perot.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
They don't call it Newsweak for nothing.
8 posted on 09/15/2007 6:00:12 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam is a religion of peace, and Muslims reserve the right to kill anyone who says otherwise.)
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To: billorites

“I’m so far underwhelmed”

Anyone in the field above 2% in the polls that is overwhelming you?


9 posted on 09/15/2007 6:01:15 PM PDT by traderrob6
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To: FreedomPoster

I thought one poll still had him behind Guiliani by quite a bit....ABC or something?

Still, I recall another poll with him ahead and in first place.


10 posted on 09/15/2007 6:01:24 PM PDT by rwfromkansas ("Dick Cheney should have gone hunting with Hillary." -- Yakov Smirnoff)
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To: billorites

Click on the link “Fred Thompson” and read the threads if you want a different picture of Fred and his “enthusiasm” about his candidacy. Then click this: https://www.fred08.com/contribute.aspx?RefererID=c637caaa-315c-4b4c-9967-08d864cd0791

Thanks!!


11 posted on 09/15/2007 6:07:50 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (https://www.fred08.com/contribute.aspx?RefererID=c637caaa-315c-4b4c-9967-08d864cd0791)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Yeah, busting onto the scene as the front-runner in the polls following your announcement is such a slow start. Thompson should just withdrawal now. The again this is “News”week. This sort of idiocy is be expected.


12 posted on 09/15/2007 6:08:16 PM PDT by nonliberalyouth
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
it has cost Thompson, at least for now, endorsements from members of the Arlington Group, an influential coalition of the nation's top conservative leaders. "It's a deal breaker," Weyrich told NEWSWEEK.

Who appointed Weyrich and his Arlington Group the kingmakers? Conservative "leaders" shouldn't be so eager to diss conservative candidates to the liberal press.

13 posted on 09/15/2007 6:12:26 PM PDT by LibFreeOrDie (L'Chaim!)
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To: norwaypinesavage

norwaypinesavage wrote: “Slow Start? What planet are these guys from?”

Planet “Liberal”


14 posted on 09/15/2007 6:34:01 PM PDT by Josh Painter ( "Our government must be limited by the powers delegated to it by the Constitution." - Fred Thompson)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Creative journalism at it's best - they conveniently left out that Fred is for the Federal gov't to keep it's nose out of STATE'S RIGHTS = aka FEDERALISM/FREDERALISM -

The issue belongs to each state to decide and the "backing a broader amendment that would bar states from imposing their laws on other states." - meaning that if a state allows gay marriage, and another doesn't = gay ' marriages' from one state cannot be imposed as legal in one that does not.That's a whole different thing than this cr*p piece trying to imply he's not against same sex marriage.

He's for returning our rights to us in our own states, folks. He's for us being able to have a say in our states, not for the Federal Gov't deciding for us. Have we become so used to and dependent on the Federal Gov't (unlawfully) nullifying our States Rights that we can't see the Forest for the trees?

Read news stories not only between the lines, but for the lines left out.

States Rights mean not cherry picking which laws we want to decide for ourselves and which we want Big Daddy Washington to decide for us = it means we take the RIGHT and the RESPONSIBILITY for making our own state laws...The question is, are we grown up enough to do it? Do we really want our Constitutional Freedoms back? This may be our one last shot

15 posted on 09/15/2007 6:42:02 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (",,,but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." LINCOLN)
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To: billorites

Guess not, just more fun to trash and b!tch eh?


16 posted on 09/15/2007 7:02:02 PM PDT by traderrob6
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To: traderrob6
"Anyone in the field above 2% in the polls that is overwhelming you?"

Sadly, no.

I'd love to be seduced too. And I'm pretty easy.

From where I sit here in New Hampshire nobody sets my heart a twitter.

17 posted on 09/15/2007 7:23:59 PM PDT by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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To: norwaypinesavage
Slow Start? What planet are these guys from?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

18 posted on 09/15/2007 9:55:11 PM PDT by Doofer (Fred Dalton Thompson For President)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
instead backing a broader amendment that would bar states from imposing their laws on other states

Personally, I think this is a much better idea. I don not support gay marriage, not at all, I don't even like civil unions. With that said, I don't think the Constitution should ban it. I think Fred is right on the money with this idea. Those weirdo states that want to have gay marriage, let them have it, but don't bring it to a state that says "hell no!".

19 posted on 09/16/2007 12:13:58 AM PDT by chaos_5 (... I'm just another angry white male ...)
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To: chaos_5
Let's not classify "civil unions" completely separate from "marriage" as the homosexuals define it - it is at worst, the same thing under another name and, at best, an incremental move toward "marriage" rights (see New Jersey's current dilema.)

I also disagree about the federal marriage amendment issue - we need a standard national policy on such nonsense as the existence of "marriage" between anyone other than a man and a woman that is not vulnerable to activist liberal judges. A state-protective amendment may work for those states that don't want it, but leaving policy on the federal level open will eventually result in tax policy and other govenmental give-aways that favor homosexual relationships. If I read it correctly, an FMA would do the same thing as DOMA, protecting the separate rights "reserved for the states" and allow those that want it to nail their own coffins, but would also vaccinate the government at the national level from ever granting such rights to unnatural couples.

20 posted on 09/16/2007 1:03:20 AM PDT by fwdude
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