Posted on 09/21/2007 12:16:57 PM PDT by Josh Painter
Going in, Rudy Giuliani was going to have a tall order to get a warm welcome from the NRA. Fred Thompson just made that harder by going up on the stage and giving a just about flawless performance.
He repeats the line about Americans sacrificing more blood for other countries' freedom than for any other country; I can't help but wonder if it's a jab at the Washington Post for critiquing it and arguing the Soviet Union might rival that claim.
He got a standing ovation at his finish, and then he did a brief Q & A.
"Some believe that the Second Amendment has different meanings in different places, and that the gun rights of citizens in, say, New York City and Chicago can restricted more than the gun rights of those in Tennessee and Montana. Do you agree?"
Thompson responds with a deep, rumbling, slow, "Noooope." Then he follows with absolute catnip for gun owners: "It's never seemed to me to be coincidental that the places that have the highest crime rates tend to be the places that have the most restrictions on gun ownership in America."
Asked about gun shows, he calls the "part of Americana... There's always been an effort on the other side to go after something high profile or particularly vulnerable, an easy target, but I've always resisted that."
Will he appoint an Attorney General who shares his opinion of the Second Amendment. "Yes." More applause. "I think we're winning on the interpretation of the Second Amendment. I have a complicated position on this: The Constitution means what it says." He gets another standing ovation.
From my regular appearances on NRANews.com, I think I have a pretty good idea of what gun owners want to hear from a presidential candidate; Fred Thompson gave 'em pretty much their ideal.
I would also note that perhaps Thompson ate his Wheaties this morning, because he didn't seem tired or sleepy at all.
Rudee.
...thanks, for the link. :)
The NRA is very influential in several early states, including New Hampshire, Florida and Michigan. They provide a built in organization and are experienced operatives because they have targeted anti-Second Amendment types for years and have the scalps to prove it. Rudy and Romney are deceiving themselves if they do not think the NRA is going to come after them and support Fred with all guns blazing.
The thing the MSM and some of the East coast blogging crowd miss (I think, deliberately) is the intensity of Fred’s support. Rudy and Romney have to pay their organizations, because very few people feel strongly supportive of them. Fred, on the other hand, inspires loyalty and admiration because he IS a conservative and he refuses to pander to get votes, as Romney has on the Federal Marriage Amendment and Rudy tried to do today. That is why he gains the support of powerful conservative organizations like NRA and it is why that support, and the support of organizations like it, will propel him to the nomination.
Ltm, I think the important difference is that marriage is not mentioned in the Constitution and therefore is left to the states (unless an amendment is passed to the Constitution) while the 2nd A is a part of the Constitution and therefore applies to the entire nation.
This would also be the problem Rudy has with trying to say his previous gun grabbing is OK because of Federalism. He's trying to say that any law should be interpreted differently in different parts of the country and ignoring the fact that, if it's in the Constitution, it covers all of us everywhere in the USA. And Rudy is WAY too good a lawyer not to know better IMO.
I’ve been to two Fred events. His first speech got an A and the second one got a B.
I saw him on FOX and Friends and he got an A.
Where did you get this idea? I've been to two events and I know of no one who was disappointed. I know of two who switched from Tancredo to Fred after his speech at the Iowa State Fair.
well the marriage ammendment issue is a deal breaker issue.
Unlike RKBA, marriage is one of those common law things which need to be protected by incorporation.
Adoption did not even exist as a matter of law until codified.
It is just the opposite with marriage where it is the common law being codified.
I would also go easy of the DOJ lawyer praise, most of them are Nifongs.
I am always amused by politicians who have to resort to PAID volunteers.
I didn’t get this idea. I was pingin two people who saw Fred at a breakfast this week to the post I was responding to, which said negative things about Fred.
He’s exciting people, just not the people that write the articles, who are generally miffed that he isn’t doing things the way they want him to. Plus, it’s just the general desire of the media to try and throw water on the guy who just got in the race.
Videos of just about every major event that he’s done since declaring are online. You should check them out, as many of them are very much worth seeing. He works the crowd very well and handles whatever people throw at him. Before he declared, I had seen Fred do speeches where he stunk up the place, but since then, he’s been really on point.
There were several about his appearances in Florida, and another state that pointed out how enthusiastic the crowds were.
forgot to add, marriage is long established as a federal AND full faith and credit.
Federal for multiple reasons INCLUDING immigration. This is very important given our border protection issues and the fact that marring a US citizen can essential bypass all excludability issues withing eight months. (ie even a convicted drug dealer)
The full faith and credit issues are well documented with the lamda legal efforts to impse homosexual based marriage via Full faith and credit.
I do not need your condescending, would-be know-it-all lectures. I saw Fred’s very first quasi-campaign speech out here at the Lincoln Club. As reported (accurately, this time) by Novak, it was a snoozer. And I want Fred to do well, so this is not coming from a Fred-basher.
Forgive me, but if your attitude — one that condescendingly challenges anyone daring to point out that Fred sometimes has given snoozer speeches, along with some dazzling ones like this one at the NRA — then you aren’t doing our candidate any favors, or winning any converts. Back off.
Yep. Fred “Tommy Gun” Thompson for Pres! He’s got my vote.
I saw the Lincoln Club speech too and I didn’t agree with Novak or you for that matter.
Fred’s given some snoozer speeches. That ain’t one of them though.
Apparently he took a cell phone call during a fundraiser in Oklahoma recently....so I’m thinking maybe the calls are staged.
Awesome.
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