Why exactly does Fred deserve Tancredo’s endorsement. Before this primary season there is no evidence that Fred was strongly against illegals as he claims now to be.
Tancredo could have endorsed Hunter, but maybe he did’nt do that because he wanted to endorse a front runner.
I'm not going to tell you Fred "deserved" it. I'm amazed he didn't endorse Hunter, to be perfectly frank. HOWEVER: Fred would certainly be more deserving than any of the other front-runners:
Roy Beck of Numbers USA on Fred's immigration plan:
When Fred Thompson came out with a detailed immigration policy this fall, I knew it was very good but was too busy leading the fight against amnesties in the Senate to give thorough attention.
Reading Thompson’s full proposed immigration policy this afternoon, I am blown away by its depth, its breadth and at how it would so fundamentally change Americans’ future for the better.
It's true that Numbers USA has been critical of Thompson in the past (mostly over LEGAL immigration issues, as they want a reduction in immigration overall), however Mr. Beck went further in his analysis:
As a Senator from Tennessee in the 1990s, Thompson had a mixed record on immigration. I've studied that record and believe it reflects the problem that we saw even in some of this year's Senate heroes who also were mediocre in the 1990s -- most of them just weren't paying much attention to this issue in the 1990s (just like a lot of you have only become active on this during the last couple of years).
NumbersUSA always gives ample credit to politicians who turn from bad or mediocre records and decide to become our champions. But less-than-stellar past records require us to look for signs of sincerity and assurance that they will follow through on their promises.
With Thompson, we will be watching closely for these signs. One strong point for him is that he finished his Senate career with an A-minus performance in 01/02 term after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. And since coming out with his official stance, he has not been equivocating when asked about immigration in media appearances or in strong immigration ads.
Fred and Hunter are the only other 2 candidates who rate excellent to good according to this respected opinion.
Hunter - Excellent, Excellent, Good
Thompson - Excellent, Good, Good
Romney - Fair, Good, Bad
The only other candidate besides Fred who deserved Tancredo’s endorsement was Hunter. Fred is still within striking distance for the nomination, so I think it is easy to make the case that he should have received it. At least it makes sense to me, as it does for Rep. King.
Nevertheless, the bottom line is that I can’t make a good case for Romney to have been Tom’s pick.