Posted on 12/18/2007 5:49:35 AM PST by JRochelle
About three months after his initial campaign kick-off, Republican candidate Fred Thompson returned to Iowa with a re-invigorated pitch in his final appeal to the early voting state.
Thompson -- who will spend 15 days in Iowa leading up to the Jan. 3 caucuses -- warned the country is "one successful terrorist plan away from nuclear attack."
Barely pausing to clear his throat, the former Tennessee Senator boomed, "it's not time for on-the-job training," a familiar jab on this year's campaign trail. Thompson believes he has the leadership skills to lead the country in national security issues.
"When the time comes where our worst enemy in the world is sitting across the table thinking about what he can do to the United States of America ... Who do you want sitting across the table representing us?" Thompson asked, a question which staffers say will be one of the campaign's driving themes during his statewide tour.
He also vowed to fight against a "left-wing, big government, high taxing, weak-on-national security Democratic Party."
"We're not going to turn over the keys to the country over to that outfit," Thompson said, accusing the Democrats of "licking its chops ... so they can lead us down the road to a welfare state."
Thompson drew upon his latest debate performance, when he refused to raise his hand in a vote when candidates were asked about climate change.
"How are you going to stand up to the leaders of Iran and North Korea if you can't stand up to an overbearing moderator?" Thompson asked, drawing laughs and applause from the crowd of 75 supporters.
Thompson subtly carved lines of distinction between him and his higher-polling rivals, and used his fresh endorsement from Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to pledge his commitment to campaigning in this final push.
"There were some other folks from another campaign standing around the wall, waiting for their guy to be named and he wasn't," Thompson said, alluding to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's staff. "They were kind of shocked that I got the endorsement ... But I won't rub it in -- I will just say this: This ain't the last surprise you're gonna get, folks."
Anybody would.
There is not a 100 percent hard-core conservative that could win a general election. We can have center-right presidents, but that is about it.
Thus, anybody we elect could have some nasty surprises in store for us. But, I think Fred would have fewer of them.
I haven’t agreed with many of the things that President Bush has done or communicated in the last seven years, but do I thank God every day that he’s the President?
You bet. Can you imagine the world at this point with Kerry in charge? Or Gore?
Please.
On balance, W is going to be hailed as the guy that finally stood up again to the naked aggression of a radical, global cult - much the way Churchill did in facing the Nazi cult.
They’ll also look back and say what a remarkable job he did sheparding the economy through a very volatile period.
There will be other things he’ll likely not be widely toasted for as well, but I think 20 years will have to pass before anyone can say at this point.
But how is thompson going to overcome Huckabee’s “more christian than thou” campaign attack. Iowa appears to be suseptible to tossing their votes away on the nearest evangelical. (see Pat Robertson) which will mean squat in the rest of the primary.
If that is the case then Iowa is truly an irrelevant race.
LOL!
steady Freddy has similarities to Teddy...Roosevelt.
Looks like Detroit followed hillary's peaking plan, started out 6-2 and are now 6-8, peaked too soon or the season was 8 games too long.
The Lions and the UAW are looking backward to the 50's.
I'd donate money and then work my butt off for that pairing.
“steady Freddy has similarities to Teddy...Roosevelt.”
Such as?
I get mixed messages on the Bull Moose legacy, especially when they compare McCain to Teddy. It’s not all flattering.
Add to that the fact that most reporters are not from the south, and therefore have the traditional northern bias of “southern accent, deduct 40 IQ points”.
I believe it speaks more of the anti-southern bias that we keep hearing “lazy” “late” “no fire” etc. They can’t really say “stupid” because of all the positions he has published, and the things he has accomplished, so they go to the next tier of nonsense.
I was raised in the north, then moved south, bringing my biases with me. It took me years to get used to the way they do things here.... heck, it took me years to be able to understand them speak! Now that I am part of the culture I understand that “slow and steady and calm” does not mean “dim and lazy and stupid”.
Excellent analogy. Perhaps Detroit was too "lazy", or too "disengaged", or too "bored", or too "flaccid", and too "tired".
Think I'm going to enjoy the Thompson Presidency. ;)
True. Since 60% of the Iowa Republicans are undecided or willing to change their vote Fred doesn't need to unleash all his "weapons" at once. He appears to be releasing info slowly as to build up to a ground swell in the final week. This will keep him off the radar of the Liberal MSM and the liberal RINOs with all the cash.
I pray it works.
This has to do with his core principal of federalism - Article I, Section 8 powers only for the feds, all others to the states per the 10th.
Yep. God bless him and bring him to the White House! That's my American president.
This endorsement by Rep.King of Iowa was great! GO FRED!
http://www.fred08.com/Virtual/kingandoswald.aspx
And no I'm not kidding. (Ask me how many times I get criticized by otherwise well meaning church members when I tell them one of my hobbies is "medieval philosophy". All they hear is "evil" and "philosophy")\
As a true believer in the power of language, I really get that. Wow! Good catch!!!
It would sure be nice if Ronnie came back from his reward long enough to endorse Duncan Hunter.
It's also called "power of suggestion." But I never thought of it that way until your brilliant post!
Oh, maaa-aaa-aaaan!! That's worthy of a tagline! Beautiful!
I was wondering the same thing. Who is he and why is he important?
An off-topic anecdote: In a Florida grocery store where I shopped weekly, there was a very fat, homely, sedate, amiable black lady checker who spoke with such a heavy Southern accent that I had to pretend to understand and laugh at about 60 percent of her pleasantries. She never moved more than a few inches at a time; she conveyed the image of a contented sloth. But it wasn't long before I learned to look for her and get in her line if things were busy. She checked groceries much faster than anyone there. I finally learned her secret when I asked her about it: While the other person was paying up, she'd figured a way to start tallying certain items she'd memorized in the lineup of groceries next on the conveyor belt; by the time the it started moving again, she'd already checked half of the next customer's the groceries.
That lady taught me a lot about the power of perception!
I am glad that I made you smile. Have a Merry Christmas!
LLS
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