Posted on 12/01/2007 9:45:46 AM PST by blogsforthompson.com
“Rush clearly is not giving due consideration to Fred’s own RINO past”
Please explain with links to facts, as I have to deal with voting records,and a candidate’s own words. Thanks! :)
Besides Fred and Hunter there really are no real choices.”
I agree!”
______________________
Ditto....Hunter for Prez
I would love to see Hunter go up in the polls. I’ve donated to his campaign, written letters to the editor in my local paper & I’m driving around with his bumper sticker on my SUV (had a few people ask me, “Who’s Duncan Hunter?” - I’m happy to tell them) - but I would have no trouble pulling the lever for Fred Thompson - I think he’s a good man too.
The problem with Fred is that he has no spark, no charisma. He can’t think very quickly on his feet. He seems nervous (e.g., keep clearing his throat) during debates. I’m not sure he can take on and defeat a strong Democrat like Hillary or Obama, unless he somehow starts to turn on the charm.
BINGO!
Rush endorses Fred, by breaking his rule and revealing his support for Fred Thompson Rush still retains the fig leaf cover of “You know, I don’t endorse during primaries. I just point out: “
” Some of you might not think of this as an upside or a silver lining, but the genuine moderate as opposed to conservative aspects of three of the top-tier, four of the top-tier candidates were on full-fledged display last night. There was one candidate who did not display any moderateness or liberalism or have any of his past forays into those areas displayed, and that candidate was Fred Thompson.”
“You can be 80%, but it depends on what the other 20% are, and I’m just telling you that last night, it was Huckabee and Rudy and Mitt Romney, because of these questions, who were all faced with the reality — and everybody watching saw it — that they’ve got some governance in their pasts that is not conservative, and this is something that just hit me.”
And nobody was focusing on Fred’s past because he’s not leading in any early primary states and doesn’t have any momentum. If they had been focusing on some of his earlier statements compared to his positions now, Fred would have been in the same boat as everyone else. He was not a target of CNN or the other candidates.
“The problem with Fred is that he has no spark, no charisma. He can’t think very quickly on his feet. He seems nervous (e.g., keep clearing his throat) during debates. I’m not sure he can take on and defeat a strong Democrat like Hillary or Obama, unless he somehow starts to turn on the charm.”
That sure flies in the face of not only Rush’s analysis, but the study of the voters response to Fred, as measured by Luntz’s unique methods. Here is what the actual research revealed.
FRANK LUNTZ: “So they were truly attuned to what was going on last night. Now, if you want to understand what Republicans are looking for, passion, principles, and pithy commentary. And the candidate that stood out yesterday was Fred Thompson. “
I think Rush is starting to acknowledge that when the rubber finally, actually meets the road, there is no one but Fred.
Rhetoric...chief. Just like his candidate.
We need someone who inspires us, and leads from the front.
Right now, we are looking at a proxy vote for a board of directors of a large company in which our 401(k) has invested. While these candidates may be good leaders, they lack that certain intangible thing to inspires us to follow.
I’m sorry, but a list of issue positions does not a leader make.
The culture of the US is under pressure to lose many if not most of its founding principals. Who is it that can inspire us to stop fighting among ourselves, and to follow for the greater good the founding fathers’ first principals?
Better yet, who can inspire us to even re-learn what those first principals are?
Out country is being run my special interests who do not care which party is in power or which party is in power or which candidate runs each party. We are all running toward the great amalgamation into a world government, and the NAU is the next item on the agenda.
No candidates will address these issues.
Therefore, it feels like voting for the new board of directors for a company in which your 401(k) invests. You don’t know the issues, the candidates, or the company, but you are told the board recommends the following slate of candidates. Just check the box and send in your ballot so the company does not incur extra mailing expense in trying to solicit your vote.
Comply and do as you are told.
American politics has lost all but the illusion of meaning...
Michael Knight wrote: “The only real slip up that I saw was when they asked about what govt programs you would scrap and Fred starts talking about basically expanding social security again. I was like come on Fred, we were talking about scrapping programs, not making them bigger. He said it was a target rich environment, but wouldn’t name any(like maybe the money we send to the UN, national endowment for the arts and the dept of education to name a few on the tip of my tounge). That was a pure political answer and I didnt care for it at all. Other then that, I thought he was good to go.”
Not exactly. While he didn’t NAME the individual programs, he did refer to “a list of over 100 programs” and that he would cut them all:
“Cooper: So of the top three you would say Social Security?”
“Thompson: No. I didn’t say that. There is — the OMB has come out with a list of over 100 programs. I would take all 100 of them, the ones that are full of waste, fraud and duplication. I filed a report in 2001, when I was chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and identified billions of dollars that we should be saving.”
http://www.floppingaces.net/2007/11/28/november-28-gop-debate-more-fr/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/pubpress/2006/2006-5.pdf
“The only real slip up that I saw was when they asked about what govt programs you would scrap and Fred starts talking about basically expanding social security again. “
According to the research, that was one of the home run questions for Fred Thompson that he hit out of the park.
“We have used our patented the FOX News dials.
The higher that you see the lines go, the more favorable the reaction. The red line represents conservatives, yellow line, independents. If the lines climb to an 80, it’s a political home run. Watch how favorable they respond to Fred Thompson when he talks about wasteful Washington spending.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED THOMPSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One of the things I would do for his generation is protect him from our generation.
(LAUGHTER & APPLAUSE)
THOMPSON: He is absolutely right. We are spending his money, we are spending his children’s money and we’re spending the money of kids yet to be born. In 2017, Social Security will be in the red. Pretty soon it will be out of money and it will go bankrupt. In fact, our entitlement programs put together will take over the entire budget by about 2040.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Well, I agree, the debates are ridiculous. I think they should pose an issue, such as illegal immigration and then give each candidate 2 or 3 minutes to explain what they think we should do about it. If they only have one or two issues in a debate, that would still give us more insight into their thinking then the 30 second sound bites. (and then Guliani wouldn't look as good to everyone).
I havent read his white paper but I did see his thing where he introduced it on C-span. I understand that they are basically going to reduce the way the benefits are calculated, to help pay for it, but what is up with the govt matching contributions? Its a shell game, because thats all coming out of our taxes either way. I also disagree with it being different for different income levels as I disagree with any wealth redistribution scheme as it is socialist. I would be much more satisfied being able to opt out of social security then increasing the size and scope of it. I guess my thing is, I am not on the “we need to save social security” bandwagon, I am more on the “we need to kill social security and give me my stinking money back” bandwagon. If they ended it right now and didn't give anyone under the age of 35 (which would include me) a dime back, but we never had to pay in again, I would take that in a heart beat. If they offered to pay everyone back right now exactly what they paid in and scrap the program, I think that would be most fair. It would take a hit up front, but hey, whats a couple trillion more in debt, and it would be better in the long run. I mean, I gave them the money, so where is it?
My other problem with social security is that its the tax that isnt a tax, but it is. Why is it that our men fighting overseas are tax exempt, but still have to pay social security/Medicaid tax? I know for a fact they have to pay it because I noticed it when I went to Iraq.
I’m not complaining about that I had to pay it as much as saying they shouldnt have to, if they ended that now, and I didnt get any refund, that would be fine with me, I just think when you are in a situation like that the govt really ought to let you take a pass on social security especially since some of them arnt going to get a chance to collect it.
But when you think about it, how retarded is it to pay tax back to the government on a salary you earn from the government anyway. Why dont they just pay me less and it be tax free? What a waste of time.
Where’d you get the bumper sticker? I sent him some money and they sent me a sign so I put it up in my yard. I sort of felt bad because I didnt have that much money at the time so after he fedexed me a sign all the way from CA overnight, it was probably a wash. Either way, his sign is proudly up in front of my homestead.
And too bad, because if there is one thing the electorate HATES about the Republicans, it is the in-the-beltway mentality they have. Fred the Senator is from my state, but I cannot figure out where Fred the Hollywood Guy is coming from now. Nonetheless, the Rush factor is HUGE and may indeed give Thompson something to rally behind.
Well, just remember, only in the government can an increase in funding be refered to as a cut because they didnt increase it as much as they would normally do.
When I (and probably you and everyone else not in the gov’t) think of cutting a program, we mean you got 100K last year, now you are going to get $2.50 and a handshake and please dont let the door bump your rear on the way out.
When govt says cut, they mean they only get 102,000 this year so it was cut because they didnt get the full 4.5% annual increase.
“Nonetheless, the Rush factor is HUGE and may indeed give Thompson something to rally behind.”
And I was glad to hear it. I was actually feeling like Rush was leaving us twisting in the wind and allowing Rooty tooty fresh and fruity to keep going unchecked. I mean, I would rather he helped Hunter, which he did mention him several times as well on the same broudcast, but I think its good to hear him point out that Fred is acting conservative. I dont think Fred is totally perfect, I’d rather it was someone less political, but I’d be totally fine with him as pres, whereas I will not be pulling the lever for Rooty tooty out of principal. (and dont give me the line about I’d let hillary win, the Repubs could run mickey mouse and Mississippi would still vote for him over a democrat and I sure am not pulling it for her either, I’d just leave it blank or vote 3d party.)
I ordered the bumper sticker off the Internet - Cafe Press - I think it’s called. I don’t make a lot of money, so I’m not a “big donor”, but every little bit helps.
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