FRED VETS, SIGN UP TODAY AT:
Here he is signing up in NH yesterday:
Posted on 10/29/2007 7:04:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
I don’t have an agenda. That’s what’s getting people confused. They all have agendas.
Actually, taking things out of context is what got the hens pecking at you this time.
As for me, I'm donating to Fred and Duncan.
If Hunter will not be President, I at least want him to be considered for a couple of major cabinet appointments.
I'd like to see him as either Sec. of Defense, or Homeland Security.
Yes...but there is the pesky problem of separation of powers.
Even MA has those.
Fair enough -- then there's an area of honest disagreement. Personally, the single most important reason by far that I support Thompson is because of his long-standing record on federalism. I spent the Clinton years arguing in vain with my more liberal friends about our need for a return to federalist principles. I then spent the past seven years reminding the same friends that they wouldn't have so many complaints about Bush if they hadn't invested the feds with all that power. When a candidate came along who has an actual record on federalism, I was very pleasantly surprised. In my view, federalism is a Constitutional mandate; it's also the only realistic way to run a country with 50 states and 380 million people.
However, there are obviously lots of people in and out of government today who believe in pervasive federal power -- if you don't like federalism as a concept, I doubt you'll have a shortage of candidates to support.
Well yer probably right.
If you are wondering about the hostility towards Duncan supporters,
it’s simply because they have infested so many threads with many very
insulting posts.
They don’t seem to have much of substance, so they insult instead.
Okie dokie...I believe you are undecided.
But, please quit taking things out of context.
Life will be easier if you do. ;o)
For some people, absolutely. For me, no -- his record on spending and federal government intrusion is not what I'm looking for. For me personally, Thompson is the best candidate. If Hunter were the candidate that matched my views most closely, I would be supporting him. I agree with you that supporting people based on their current, fleeting poll position is circular reasoning at best. Good luck to Hunter -- he's a good guy and I'll vote for him if he's our general election candidate, even if he's not my first or second choice in the primaries.
And, I agree with you 100% about Thomas being the closest thing to a Constitutionalist (especially on the commerce clause).
I musta been confused. I definitely misread the article. Then I started getting hassled and sorta went off. Oh well. Pointless anyway. Nothing I say or do will have an impact on it one way or the other. Thanks dc. yer nice.
Are you sure about Thompson’s record/beliefs on federalism? I’m a James Madison guy. I dig federalism. I guess I’m so jaded I totally discount any politician’s mention of it. I just think they tell ppl what they want to hear.
"The Supreme Court sometimes ignores the written Constitution to reflect its view of the times. So does Congress, which routinely forgets that our checks and balances, the separation of powers and our system of federalism are designed to diffuse power and protect the liberties of our people. 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.
A good first step would be to codify the Executive Order on Federalism first signed by President Ronald Reagan. That Executive Order, first revoked by President Clinton, then modified to the point of uselessness, required agencies to respect the principle of the Tenth Amendment when formulating policies and implementing the laws passed by Congress. It preserved the division of responsibilities between the states and the federal government envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution. It was a fine idea that should never have been revoked. The next president should put it right back in effect, and see to it that the rightful authority of state and local governments is respected."
~~~ Fred Thompson, LINK
Oh, that NEVER happens to me!
Nope...uh uh...never. ;o)
"Thanks dc. yer nice."
You're very welcome, and that was a very nice thing to say.
I’ve spent a heck of a lot of time on Thomas.gov looking into his record on that. I understand your skepticism completely — just look at Giuliani trying to use federalism as an excuse to grab guns (as if the second amendment prohibition on RKBA infringement doesn’t apply to the states — argh!!).
Thompson’s record is not perfect, but after a whole lot of research into his actual senate record, I’ve satisfied myself that of our candidates, only Dr. Paul is a purer federalist (and unfortunately although I respect Paul, I can’t support him because of national security issues).
To start, the National Conference of State Legislatures singled out Thompson as its champion of federalism in 2000:
THOMPSON EARNS “RESTORING THE BALANCE” AWARD FROM NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
Key excerpt: WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, has been selected to receive the 2000 “Restoring the Balance Award,” presented by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The award, given annually to national policymakers committed to federalism and its impact on issues involving state legislators, was presented to Thompson last night at the NCSL’s Leader to Leader Dinner in Washington.
-snip of complimentary quote about Fred just for brevity’s sake-
Thompson’s dedication to the principles of federalism and sound government policy has resulted in the Committee’s advancement of the Federalism Accountability Act, and Senate passage of the Regulatory Right to Know Act, the Federal Financial Information Assistance Management Improvement Act, the Truth in Regulating Act, and revision of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
http://hsgac.senate.gov/030201_thompson_press.htm
If you have time, I recommend digging into the raw record at Thomas.gov. Below is a quick dump of some of my research (this isn’t comprehensive or well-formatted, but maybe it’s a start). In addition to these bills and hearings, he very frequently argued in favor of federalism in debates on any number of issues/votes. Let me know if you want me to post some of those speeches — I would be glad to do so, but I don’t want to get too spammy (and you may prefer to dig into the record on your own):
-Thompson introduced S.2445 (9/8/98), the Federalism Enforcement Act of 1998: A bill to provide that the formulation and implementation of policies by Federal departments and agencies shall follow the principles of federalism, and for other purposes.
-He sponsored S. 1214, the Federalism Accountability Act of 1999: A bill to ensure the liberties of the people by promoting federalism, to protect the reserved powers of the States, to impose accountability for Federal preemption of State and local laws, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Governmental Affairs, jointly, pursuant to the order of August 4, 1977, with instructions that if one committee reports, the other committee has 30 days to report or be discharged.
-As chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, he led a three-part hearing on the Federalism Accountability Act — the first part was “The State of Federalism;” the second was “Federalism and Crime Control;” and the third was on the proposed bill itself. I can actually give you a direct link to the hearing records (unlike things on Thomas.gov, which are only temp files — drives me crazy)). Here’s the link: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=106_senate_hearings&docid=f:59454.wais
-He co-sponsored S 1629, the Tenth Amendment Enforcement Act of 1996 (104th CONGRESS, 2d Session): To protect the rights of the States and the people from abuse by the Federal Government; to strengthen the partnership and the intergovernmental relationship between State and Federal Governments; to restrain Federal agencies from exceeding their authority; to enforce the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution; and for other purposes.
-Closely related to federalism, Thompson introduced S.2068 on 5/12/1998, A bill to clarify the application of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, and for other purposes. This bill was intended to enforce the unfunded mandate act passed in 1995.
One of Thompson’s other major priorities in the senate was reforming regulatory agencies that are increasingly unConstitutionally imposing taxes and other burdens on us. That’s kind of off-topic, but it’s also an important issue, I think.
For Huck...and others...
BTTT
I guess Fred “has something to show for himself”. :)
FRED VETS, SIGN UP TODAY AT:
Here he is signing up in NH yesterday:
Meanwhile...
Like I say, it's a shame Fred's not the guy. If conservative issues are the key, I don't get why you and others don't support Hunter. He's the best guy out there on the issues, isn't he?
That’s the one convenient thing about being right and outnumbered.
I honestly don't get how a TV actor with nothing to show for himself is thrust into the lead among conservatives, when there's a real conservative in the race.
Oh wait. i forgot. You’re a fredhead. Never mind.(Personal favorite, good and patronizing)
If it walks like one, and certainly talks like one...
Well I'll just say it's easy to gage the opinion of one...
The rest of us "duped idiots", you know the bulk of FR members, will just have to muddle on, but thanks for the unbiased advice, it will come in handy...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.