Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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Posted on 11/06/2007 12:58:21 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
RICHMOND, Va.—There's no shortage of polls underscoring America's sour mood these days. Surveys generally show that 7 in 10 Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction and that most Americans believe their leaders in Washington are doing a poor job. U.S. News led the way in explaining this trend with a recent special report on why Americans think Washington is broken and what can be done about it.
If anything, the warning signs are getting gloomier. A new focus group of Republican voters from the Richmond area, conducted last Thursday evening, was a case in point. All 12 participants agreed that the next generation won't be better off than they are—a remarkable degree of pessimism in a country known for its optimistic outlook. The participants had different reasons for their downbeat assessments, including the Iraq war, the growing national debt, the high cost of housing that puts owning a home out of reach for many, a decline in moral values in the country, and politicians who don't follow the people's will. But all felt that things are getting worse and that their kids will pay the price.
There was much criticism of President Bush, which was remarkable since this was an all-Republican group. He was faulted for being too stubborn, "mediocre," "hard-headed," and not conservative enough as well as for governing "in a vacuum." Only one participant argued that Bush is "doing a great job." Instead, most appeared to agree with a self-described conservative panelist who said, "We need a breath of fresh air, new perspective."
There were also trouble signs for presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Romney is leading in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire but lags in national polls behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee. Many of the focus-group participants were very concerned about Romney's Mormon faith. Most said Mormonism really isn't a form of Christianity even though they weren't sure of the religion's precepts. All said they would prefer Romney over any Democratic nominee, but even on this score, the perception of Romney's faith wasn't good. One participant said, "There's Mormon, there's insect, and then there's Democrat."
Thompson, however, was a bright spot. Most said they liked him and could easily support him in the GOP race, even though the media and his political critics have billed his campaign as lackluster. But Thompson appeared to have a reservoir of goodwill that goes deeper than his critics think. He was praised for being a true conservative, "grandfatherly," "fatherly," "competent," and "personable." He reminded several panelists of Ronald Reagan, a conservative icon. Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the two-hour focus group for the Annenberg Public Policy Center, said afterward that the mainstream media would do well not to write Thompson off.
Yes, Fred does remind one of a grandfather. Old. Reminds me more of Dole than Reagan.
Sorry. No matter how many times I read it, I’ll not be convinced that Fred MUST be the nominee. While he may appeal to moderates (the reason he was recruited), IMO, his federalism over conservatism will NOT energize the base. The only way to energize the base and beat the Democratic candidate is for conservatives to stand firm behind their principals and unite before the primaries to support Duncan Hunter as our CONSERVATIVE candidate. If we do not stand united, the split of supporters among the top tier RHINOs, including Fred Thompson, will result in Guiliani as the nominee.
Based on site-wide posts by Fredheads, if he were not in the race, it appears most would be supporting Duncan Hunter... in which case, at least on FR, Hunter would be the front runner, uniting the base, and easily defeating Guiliani. Frankly, if Guiliani becomes our nominee, IMO, the recruiters of Fred Thompson will be responsible.
Not in your wildest dreams. You think the reason Duncan Hunter is stalled out at 1.3% is because Fred Thompson is in the race? That's laughable self-delusion.
If Fred Thompson dropped out tomorrow, Duncan would get a surge up to, say 1.7%, about where he was before Fred came in.
I’m capable of better. But seriously, all politics aside, I’ll confess to very much enjoying lying on a grassy bank and rolling my head back into an icy stream. The cold is a shock at first, but it’s VERY refreshing. But I don’t know if it’s enough to move you off Mitt, or Duncan or whoever.
Coldwater Creek wrote: “Yes, Fred does remind one of a grandfather. Old. Reminds me more of Dole than Reagan.”
I like Fred (as well as Duncan Hunter and Tancredo), but I do agree he looks pretty old. That doesn’t dissuade me, because I’m far more interested in what the guy believes and does than his age, but I do worry it detracts from his appeal. That’s why I’d love to see him team up with Duncan Hunter as VP. That would be my dream team.
That would work for me!
Actually, I think that we have a pretty poor pool to choose from. I have no clue who I am going to support, just who I won’t.
He's the only true conservative who has a chance to beat Hitlery.
Any other viable candidate is just Hitlery lite.
For some this could be a negative. I was 6 when Reagan was elected president and I remember being glued to the TV whenever he was on for the very reason that he seemed like such a nice grandfatherly figure. Although I loved my own grandfather deeply, I remember wishing Reagan was my grandpa too!
Of course, today i love him for different reasons.
If the MSM perceives Thompson to be a threat to Hillary they will do their utmost to denigrate and destroy him.
Definitely more Dole than Reagan.
Read the last paragraph as many times as it takes you to see why Fred Thompson MUST be the nominee if we are to energize the base and beat Hillary Clinton!!
57 Days and the selection process begins in earnest......
That's why Hunter was doing so well before Thompson joined the race, huh?
“Many of the focus-group participants were very concerned about Romney’s Mormon faith. Most said Mormonism really isn’t a form of Christianity even though they weren’t sure of the religion’s precepts.”
This is the Achilles heel of the Romney campaign. The five percent of Republicans and independents who won’t pull the lever for a Mormon at election time make him nigh unelectable as president. In a divided field though, it might win the nomination.
I am among those who won’t pull the lever for Romney.
“Definitely more Dole than Reagan.”
Fred just did well on Meet The Press. He also chewed Huckleberry up and spit him out in another interview. Bob Dole was the inside party nominee, Fred’s doing it on his own (Giuliani is the Bush and insider pick).
I think you guys are the Bob Dole wing of the party, not Fred.
The Bob Dole comparison is not a compliment. As for how Fred did on MTP, that’s all subjective opinion, isn’t it? I thought he didn’t do very well. The comparison to Dole is in his demeanor. He’s likeable, presents himself as down to earth, but is old, tired, and not terribly motivated. That’s how he comes across to me. Even so, looks like there’s no other good options out there, so we can only hope he improves over time.
‘There was much criticism of President Bush, which was remarkable since this was an all-Republican group.’
Its only ‘remarkable’ if your a leftwinger. Liberals won’t admit a mistake. Conservatives will.
As the disgust with the President by conservatives demonstrated in relation to Harriet Miers, border security and amnesty, and playing ‘not to lose’ in Iraq from 2004 to 2006 shows clearly.
President Bush is still miles and miles and miles better for this nation than Gore, or Kerry.
But that doesn’t make him above reproach with conservatives on issues where he’s clearly wrong.
Contrast that with the Democrats view anything Clinton says or does is ‘great’.
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
WARNING: If you wish to join, be aware that this ping list is EXTREMELY active.
Dole never would have had a MTP interview Sunday like Fred did.
Dole would have NEVER recorded a video smacking down Michael Moore.
Dole never had videos done on his bus while campaigning discussing various issues.
Dole didn’t have much understanding of Federalism.
The 20-odd percent of Fred’s support in the national polls was not, never, and never would be, Hunter’s support. It wasn’t before Fred entered the race, either.
Fred bump!
He was at 1-3% BEFORE Fred entered the race.
So...
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/190027.php
You’re gonna like this one!
It might need it’s own post, but there is some “rough language” on that site.
“The 20-odd percent of Fred’s support in the national polls was not, never, and never would be, Hunter’s support. It wasn’t before Fred entered the race, either.”
Is that right? So if Fred were never recruited, which top tier RHINO would Fredheads be supporting instead?
Much of his support came from the “rest of the field/none of the above” contingent.
I’d guess about a third to Rudy, a third to Romney, and the rest split between Hunter, McCain, Huckabee, and Tancredo.
That’s my point. It wasn’t Fred’s entry ino the race that botched Duncan Hunter’s chances. He did that all by himself.
And if Fred dropped out, it is naive to think that we’d all natually gravitate to Hunter.
his federalism over conservatism
No more so than those who came FROM Hunter to Fred’s camp when he entered.
I can’t figure out where you are trying to take this. Have you actually read my posts?
Yes, I am agreeing with you. There is no reason to think that Fred’s supporters would move to Hunter and more than Hunter’s people jumped to Fred when he entered. It had nil effect either way.
I don't see him dropping out.
Federalism IS conservatism! There was a time when conservatives understood this and were for a smaller, less intrusive federal government. It's sad to see conservatives looking to the federal government to solve all their problems.
It is 1980 all over again.
Nice cheap shot. How's the years wearing on you?
I would never expect anything else from you, than what you just posted here.
The more I found out about Duncan Hunter, the less I liked him. He has problems. As long as his supporters keep going on about him being a perfect conservative, the longer it will take for him to overcome his problems. He isn’t a perfect conservative, and you don’t sell him by saying that when he isn’t.
Fred can bring people together and stands on principles and his principles have been consistent throughout his public service. He appeals to conservatives because of his federalist principles which many don’t understand. On many issues Fred gets it, understands it while other candidates give sound bites but they don’t understand the principles behind the words.
I think the reason you don’t see it is because you really don’t understand federalism. This concept of federalism is behind so many of the complaints about President Bush and the big spending bills he has signed. And the way he handled illegal immigration, President Bush didn’t get it when he needed to get it.
Fred is the only candidate that communicates that he understands what federalism means, and why voters want that. Some have said that is why the 2006 election went so badly, because Republicans turned away from the limited government/federalism.
If Duncan Hunter understands it, I see no sign of it. I see nothing in anything he says that shows he understands what limited government means and how to do it. I don’t see much in his voting record to indicate that he gets it in any way.
I’m not saying I want or expect perfection, but I do want and expect limited government, federalism.
"_________ is Too Important to be Left to the States."
Jonathan Adler on Fred Thompson's federalism:
Many politicians say such things. President Bush, for one, spoke quite a bit about the need for state flexibility when he was a Governor and a candidate, but seems to have forgotten about such things over the past six years. It appears Thompson actually means it, however, as he stuck to his federalist guns even when confronted with issues where many "conservatives" abandon federalism and embrace federal power. He even endorsed state autonomy where such a position meant rejecting policy positions favored by significant portions of the GOP base....I think Jonathan raises a good question. In this modern age, where the federal government appears to be "the solution of first resort" for political activists left, right and center, is there still a place for a consistent champion of federalism?I have no idea whether Thompson's positions will help or hurt his electoral chances. But I also suspect I am not the only one who finds this apparent commitment to principle refreshing.
Few, of course, are openly opposed to federalism across the board. Most political activists are OK with decentralization except as to their pet issue, "X". While state-level decision-making is all fine and good for most areas of law, "X" is invariably "too important to be left to the states."
It wasn't that long ago that the proponents of nationalization were found almost exclusively within the ranks of the left. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. These days, if you're FOR or AGAINST something, you apparently want a national resolution of the issue. It's no longer enough to answer the question for yourself, for your community, or even for your entire state. These days, once you've made your decision on an issue, you're likely to be bound and determined that the ENTIRE COUNTRY goes along with it.
"X" can be anything. Examples include: children's health care, personal injury law, primary education, family law, traffic regulations, wills and estates, protection of snail darters, drug policy, marriage, matters of life and death, stem cell research, etc., etc. Time and again, we hear the refrain, "X is just too important to be left to the states."
At one time in the not-too-distant past, there were a whole lot of Americans who believed "X is too important to be managed by federal bureaucrats." Are those days behind us?
Follow-up question: for any of you who are fond of the "X is too important..." argument, how am I, a third-party observer with no particular dog in the fight, supposed to decide which of the "too important" issues and pet projects really are "too important for states," and which aren't?
UPDATE: Hot Air has video.
Remember, you can vote once a day. Please Vote Jawa! .
And joked that today , on Fox, he probably would not win the Presidency. Ha Ha. Yeah , I want that in my candidate. I want a killer instinct, great energy, not gloom and doom in attitude. That is why the race is between Rudy and Mitt.
Pretty much every thread I have started has been locked or deleted so I’m always hesitant to start one. Maybe I’ve been on “double secret probation” all this time....
That’s a joke!
Kimberly GG wrote: “Is that right? So if Fred were never recruited, which top tier RHINO would Fredheads be supporting instead?”
I can only speak for myself. I would have voted for Duncan Hunter or possibly Tancredo. However, I doubt either of those two will last until my primary. If I was forced to select between Rudy McRombee, I think I would have sat the primaries out.
daylilly wrote: “I’m not saying I want or expect perfection, but I do want and expect limited government, federalism.”
Another point about federalism...it SHOULD sell well even in the left-leaning states. I think many people on the left and right are quite tired of business as usual in Washington. Neither side really gets what they want or even CAN get what they want. Without a clear majority either way, neither side wins. With federalism, those states that want to experiment with socialized medicine or other leftist pet projects can do so, while those states that want to remain conservative can do so. Federalism works!
You again LOL
Yea, some grandfather. Has a 40yo babe for a wife, a toddler and a four year old. I seem to recall Dole doing Viagra commercials. Fred doesn't appear to have any problems in that area.
I also saw some of his Russert MtP interview on YouTube. Looked (and sounded) sharp, intelligent, thoughtful, and stuck to his guns and didn't let Timmy get away with out of context quotes.
Yea, I can see how you could compare him to Dole. :roll eyes:
It might interest you to know that Fred is getting a lot of flack here in Tenn.
Really? It would interest me, since I live in the heart of East Tennessee and have heard nothing but support for him. I'm curious what the basis of your statement is.
Just a guess on my part but - F.U.D. ?
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