Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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Posted on 12/01/2007 2:17:20 PM PST by SoConPubbie
I was proud to host Senator Fred Thompson to the 70th Assembly District today to an enthusiastic crowd of 700 people in Laguna Woods.
According to my wife, Diane, Senator Thompson, “Covered all the bases. He hit all the conservative themes and he covered them articulately and with passion.” I was very glad to hear that as Diane is very tough to impress (she had a weak moment when she met me, for which I am eternally grateful).
Greeting Senator Thompson at the rally were his state chairman, Sen. Tom McClintock, radio personality John Ziegler emceed the event while former Sen. Dick Mountjoy announced his endorsement of Senator Thompson.
John Zigler of KFI fame was there as well acting as the MC.
Senator Tom McClintock gave a great pre-event speech.
I was there myself, it was a very enthusiastic crowd with the crowd interrupting Fred with applause and standing ovations on several occasions.
Having seen him in one of these events, I now know that those who are spouting the "No fire in the belly" and "he is not real impressive in person or on the stump" nonsense are not being honest with people here at FreeRepublic.
BTTT!
Bump. Thanks for the first hand report.
The lack of honesty in the commentary on Fred has, without doubt, negatively affected his campaign, but the tide is turning.
Thanks for the report. There is another thread with posts from others who were there. Can’t wait to see Fred in Florida! GO FRED!
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
WARNING: If you wish to join, be aware that this ping list is EXTREMELY active.
*BUMP*
“The lack of honesty in the commentary on Fred has, without doubt, negatively affected his campaign, but the tide is turning.”
It does seem to be turning, some writers are fine writing about Fred now, and some of the more hostile writers seem to be softening their tone a little bit.
Some of that is because of his performance lately, like the coming out on top at the debate, and some of it is because of Rush Limbaugh revealing his support for him.
A lot of republican writers know that they do not want to lose the Rush/Reagan conservatives that their lively hood depends on, so at the very least, they seem to think that it is best to not be seen as openly against the only real conservative of the five.
In 32 days the People of Iowa will begin the true selection process and two days later New Hampshire will follow suit. After that things will begin to happen quickly and many candidates will be found lacking...
I thought Dick Mountjoy was a legendary porn star. But what do I know?
Thank you for posting this. Its great to see and not a surprise to those of us who have been following him. Its up to people like me and you to pass it along and get the grassroots movement growing. Thanks for all you do.
ping!
Yea, I found another Dick Mountjoy while googling today and I think you are right.
Senator Dick Mountjoy, however, is the father of the Granddaddy of them all immigration reform laws, Prop 187.
He is a good man to have on your side.
Combine his endorsement with Tom McClintock’s endorsement (who by the way stated during the rally that he had not been this excited by a candidate since Reagan) and you should have the conservative vote locked up in California.
“It does seem to be turning, some writers are fine writing about Fred now, and some of the more hostile writers seem to be softening their tone a little bit.”
Yes, and I think we will se this more and more as time goes on. What really will surprise many is when Fred does well in Iowa and New Hampshire. GO FRED!
Bump!
Yeah, well, when I read those comments, I consider the source. ;o) I've seen several comments by FReepers who have attended his campaign rallies, and have said that he did very well, indeed.
Click the the pic for
Lamont Cranston Blues Band - Route 66
And not all of the attendees had to be rocket science savvy. : )
Good for Senator Mountjoy. Interesting how the CRA endorsed Mitt. Really too bad..
Fred Thompson Rally This Saturday (Orange County, California)
Posted by 2ndDivisionVet
On GOP Club 11/27/2007 7:36:51 PM PST · 20 replies
Red County OC Blog ^ | November 27, 2007 | Jubal
FRED THOMPSON in California THIS SATURDAY (12/1) 9am Laguna Woods, with TOM McCLINTOCK
Posted by RonDog
On News/Activism 11/27/2007 12:33:25 AM PST · 55 replies
The Rightosphere Temperature Check For November ^ | 11/26/07 | Politicalmom
What kind of press was there?
Senator Fred Thompson in Laguna Woods plays to an enthusiastic rally of 700 people
Posted by SoConPubbie
On News/Activism 12/01/2007 2:17:20 PM PST · 21 replies
Red County OC Blog ^ | December 01, 2007 | Chuck DeVore
After Action Report! Fred Thompson Rally, Sat. Dec 1st, California
Posted by reformjoy
On News/Activism 12/01/2007 1:17:04 PM PST · 25 replies
fred08.com ^ | 12-01-07 | reformjoy
I tried to get in. We were denied entry for being Minutemen.
Thompson is not glib. He knows the conservative philosophy he upholds and how the Constitution and structure of American government enable it to thrive. He's not a sound-bite guy. He is a good instructor in government. When he's passionate about the subject, it shows through loud and clear and convincingly. It's easy to get entranced when he's on a roll.
He is humble. "I don't need another thing to add to my resume," he said, and I believed him. He's doing it because he knows he's one of those rare politicians who, like Tom McClintock, intellectually embraces the core values of American conservatism in government, starting at the Constitution. I think his conscience is making him do it.
I shook Jeri's hand! She is prettier and more glamorous than her pictures, and dressed well, low key, classy. There's a lot to her, you can tell. But she needs to relax. I wish I'd thought to remind her to laugh, count her blessings, enjoy the adventure, go with the flow. Let go and ride the wave, dude!! That would be my Southern California message to Jeri if I had it to do over again. I hope I shook the hand of the future First Lady.
Aside from Thompson's true, deep, humility, the thing that came across the most for me was his way with people. He was quietly, respectfully mobbed for quite some time getting out of the building. Just watching body language, the comfort levels were extreme. There was no wall that I could see between politician and person. Thompson believes in the power of the same conservative principles that a lot of those folks there have lived, loved, and voted, and it gives him a lot of confidence. He's very tall, but oddly, not imposing.
California has quite a few delegates for the National Convention...
Thanks so much for a wonderful report on seeing and hearing Fred today! Also great that you got to meet Jeri too! :)
FULL VIDEO now online!
Fred Thompson ROCKS SoCal! Tom McClintock (and JERI!) Laguna Woods 12/1/07
Posted by RonDog
On News/Activism 12/01/2007 5:38:37 PM PST · 9 replies
www . floppingaces . net / 2007 / 12 / 01 / a - visit - from - fred - thompson ^ | December 1. 2007 | Curt with Flopping Aces
Well she is a political consultant by trade (and a damn good one from what I've heard), so things like this probably get her fired up in the first place, and even more so when it's her man at center stage.
How did they know that you are a minuteman? Wearing a neon sign blinking minute-man??
Good point.
How did they know that you are a minuteman?I was also at the rally this morning.Wearing a neon sign blinking minute-man??
As it happened, the woman who was sitting next to me in the second row said that she was with MinutemanHQ.I understand that OTHER Minutemen were at the rally, but were not allowed to bring thier signs with them inside.
I can understand BOTH sides. It WAS, however, a "Fred" rally, not a "Minuteman" event.
Were you out front on the corner?
Yes
The guy recognized us from other events.
That is NOT true - we put down the signs were still not allowed in.
That is NOT true - we put down the signs were still not allowed in.I am sorry that your experience was different than mine.
I was (obviously) not with you when it happened, so I cannot effectively address what happened to you.I CAN, however, state with conviction that the woman who sat beside me in the second row was wearing a Minuteman BASEBALL CAP (and perhaps also a Minuteman SHIRT) -- and they let HER in with no problem.
Perhaps the volunteers that hassled you were overly protective. Some of the FDT staff that I encountered did seem a little lacking in people skills.Still, Fred himself seems to support our cause, from totalbuzz.freedomblogging.com:
Let me ask you a couple questions about immigration. What needs to be done to secure the borders?I think complying with existing law would be a good start. And that would mean several hundred miles of fence. Clearly, technology has an important part to play in that. I think more Border Patrol is needed.
It’s not a matter of how. You can get a few experts around the table and figure it out precisely in a day. This is a nation that went to the moon how many years ago? And we’re saying we can’t even secure even a long border? That’s not serious. It’s a matter of political will and priorities.
It will cost some money. Just as a lot of other things, frankly, are going to cost additional amounts of money. National security and military needs and capabilities. We’re stretched too thin and worn out in a lot of respects.
But it’s no trick as to the how. The trick is to the whether. It’s true with so many issues facing our country. The most important issues are still on the table because they’re politically difficult.
You can’t get an expert in Washington worth his salt who will tell you that our current entitlement course is sustainable. Just the opposite. And here we are in the middle of a political campaign, and nobody’s saying anything about it. And nobody is pressing them to say anything about it. And here we go along. Is it a matter of lack of expertise? Is it a matter of know-how? No.
To say you have a stretch of territory here and the United States of America can’t make it preventable so that illegals can’t come across? It’s not a serious (assessment) I don’t think.
Let’s say we secure the border. There’s anywhere from 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants in the country. You’ve spoken in the past against any plan that would give them amnesty. What would you do with those people?
Enforcement by attrition is what I call it. If you secure the border, if you require employers to obey the law and give them some assistance in doing that – again, technology is a great help here. They have a system called the e-verify system where employers can, in effect, punch a button and pretty much tell…
And, at a time when we’re suppose to be trying to secure the border, quit luring people across the border with sanctuary cities and in-state tuition and things of that nature. Both of which, incidentally, are against the law. When I was in the Congress, we passed laws that prohibited that, and it’s been violated on a daily basis. The locals are telling their local law enforcement people that they cannot cooperate when they come across an illegal presence in their jurisdiction.
So if we quit shooting ourselves in the foot in that respect, after a while the situation will reverse itself and we will begin to see it take care of itself. It will take a good while, there’s not question about that. But the alternative of either a mass deportation – you can’t even apprehend them and nobody wants to do that – or just say, “Well, you got here so welcome to the club. And you’re entitled the (rights) of citizenship. And never mind those people that waited 14 years in line in Hong Kong to become American citizens.”
Orange County is one of the bases for the Minuteman Project, a civilian border patrol group. President Bush called them vigilantes. Gov. Schwarzenegger praised their work. What do you think of that?
(DARRELL NG, a former aide to Schwarzenegger and one of two Thompson aides in the room for this interview, clarified that Schwarzenegger later backed off from his initial praise for the group.)
FRED THOMSPON: Schwarzenegger? I don’t know enough of everything they have done to pass judgment on all of them.
Anybody trying to help secure the border, I think, is a good thing, if they obey the law.
bump!
Combine his endorsement with Tom McClintock’s endorsement (who by the way stated during the rally that he had not been this excited by a candidate since Reagan) and you should have the conservative vote locked up in California.
What does that mean for number of delegates Fred will receive? That is what matters.
"The lack of honesty in the commentary on Fred has, without doubt, negatively affected his campaign, but the tide is turning." - Route66Even the account published by the left-wing Los Angeles was relatively positive:
It does seem to be turning, some writers are fine writing about Fred now, and some of the more hostile writers seem to be softening their tone a little bit. - ansel12
Thompson touts bedrock conservatism in Southland visit-- snip --
Addressing O.C. retirement community, the Republican presidential candidate vows 'adult leadership' to cut taxes and secure the borders.By Phil Willon
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 2, 2007
Campaigning as the only true conservative running for president, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson came to one of the most Republican towns in Republican-dominated Orange County on Saturday to deliver crowd-pleasing talk of slashing taxes and securing U.S. borders...
The crowd of about 1,000 was composed primarily of people 55 and older, who warmly received Thompson's pledge to cut taxes -- including estate taxes -- to stimulate economic growth...-- snip --
McClintock's support could help shore up Thompson's appeal to California conservatives, a critical voting bloc in California's Feb. 5 presidential primary. The state senator is a well-known fiscal watchdog and is admired in the party for sticking to his conservative ideals.
"All the Republican candidates are talking conservative right now. They always talk conservative during the Republican primary," McClintock said. "The difference between Fred Thompson and the other major Republican candidates is that where he stands today is where he stood eight years ago, and where he will be standing eight years from now, when he completes his second term as president."
Marilyn Conrath, 71, who drove to the event from her home in Laguna Beach, said she arrived unsure of whom she would support. After listening to Thompson's speech, she was leaning his way.
"It was really nice seeing him in person; it's so hard when all you see are snippets on TV," said Conrath. "I was really impressed. My biggest concerns are illegal immigration, our safety and the tax issue, and he fits in very well."
I don't see him doing well in NH. Historically, they are generally a fickle, self-important bunch, and I don't think Fred has spent enough time there to suit them. Maybe there are enough NH voters who don't think this way to give him a good showing, but it seems like NH wants candidates to do the dance, and Fred doesn't do that.
I trust your take any day over any other reporter.
It's one thing to see videos of the speeches, and quite another thing entirely to get your first-hand impression and observation. No newspaper would report this kind of depth.
Aside from Thompson's true, deep, humility, the thing that came across the most for me was his way with people. He was quietly, respectfully mobbed for quite some time getting out of the building. Just watching body language, the comfort levels were extreme. There was no wall that I could see between politician and person. Thompson believes in the power of the same conservative principles that a lot of those folks there have lived, loved, and voted, and it gives him a lot of confidence. He's very tall, but oddly, not imposing.
And this:
He is humble. "I don't need another thing to add to my resume," he said, and I believed him. He's doing it because he knows he's one of those rare politicians who, like Tom McClintock, intellectually embraces the core values of American conservatism in government, starting at the Constitution. I think his conscience is making him do it.
Others may report/record the event, but you report the spirit which, to me, is the substance of the whole thing.
Thank you!
You may be right, but I do have a feeling that Fred has spent time in New Hampshire that we don’t know about. The media has been and continues to cover Rudy Giuliani,Mitt Romney,and Mike Huckabee more than any of the other candidates. I am hoping for a close third in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
GO FRED!
I'd forgotten that part! YES! My feelings, too! McClintock is like a good bell: he rings true every time.
Can anybody else who went make a good guess as to the attendance? DeVore's release said 700 people, but I think that's a bit high. I saw one report (on the MSM, of course) that had it at about 300, but that seems pretty low. I'd guess ... 500? Anybody?
Can anybody else who went make a good guess as to the attendance?See my post #43.DeVore's release said 700 people, but I think that's a bit high. I saw one report (on the MSM, of course) that had it at about 300, but that seems pretty low.
I'd guess ... 500? Anybody?
The L.A. Times says 1,000!
I would have guessed several hundred, but I was sitting way upfront, and could not see the whole crowd.Chuck DeVore was onstage -- so he COULD see the whole crowd...
...and he has been at that venue MANY times in the past.HIS number is probably the most accurate.
Do you think it was 1000 people? It'd be easy to figure out if we knew the capacity of the auditorium. Not that it really matters -- the crowd was a good and enthusiastic one.
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