Free Republic

As Thompson traveled here Friday -- amid at least one report that members in his own staff are questioning his motivation -- a small crowd of less than 50 also seemed to lack an enthusiasm for the candidate. Throughout the roughly 20-minute speech, largely centered on national security, Thompson stopped several times for applause, yet there were only uninspired responses from the crowd. As Thompson entered the rustic VFW hall, the crowd had to be prompted to applaud by his campaign staffers in back of the room. Phil Spencer, 79, was unmoved by the appearance. After meeting the former senator...

Fred Thompson attacked Fox News on Sunday for what he called a "constant mantra" that his floundering campaign for president is troubled, and he accused the network of skewing things against him. Thompson certainly isn't the first politician to make that accusation, but he's the first high-profile Republican to do so. The assertion was arresting because Fox News was frequently Thompson's forum of choice when he was contemplating a campaign and as he tried to find his footing after he announced. Where did Thompson do it? On "Fox News Sunday," in a heated exchange with host Chris Wallace, who played...

Now with a commanding lead in the lead off Caucus, and big lead in New Hampshire, Romney has extended his lead while Huckabee is starting to lose steam. It would appear as if voters were beginning to look at his record and not like what they see. Romney now has 29% of Likely Caucus voters followed by Huckabee trailing Romney by thirteen percentage points, who now has 16%. In a virtual tie for second is Rudy Giuliani at 15% and Fred Thompson at 14%. Further back are John McCain (6%), Ron Paul (4%), Tom Tancredo (4%), and Duncan Hunter (2%)....

I realize everything can change fast in Iowa and New Hampshire, and some are rightly skeptical about the value of polling in a caucus state. I also recognize that some pollsters' methods of figuring out who's a "likely voter" are better than others. But if I were a Romney guy, I'd be pretty pleased about the trends in those two primary states. Romney's had a lead in the Hawkeye state for a while, but that lead seems to be growing, across several pollsters. Romney is up 16 on his nearest competitor (Huckabee) in Zogby, up 8 on his nearest competitor...

Today, the Thompson campaign comes out swinging. In an email from Comms director Todd Harris, Fred's campaign knocks Romney for his Healthcare plan citing a fine for non-enrollment and the low cost abortion option. (Note, I believe this is the first official Fred offensive.) The Romney Camp, prepared for just such an occasion, lets loose an arsenal of serious rebuttals to the charges: The Thompson campaign tries to link Romney with the $295 charge for non-insurance. "Many of the law's core elements, including the requirement that all people in the state get insurance, were in Romney's original proposal in 2005....

3 emails: You offer no proof for a pro choice past for Thompson. Show us the clip on youtube. Oh wait there is not one? NRLC endorsed Thompson? The truth is sir that you look rather sad and silly to those who remember your earlier "debate" with Thompson regarding federalism where he humbled you. You want YouTube? Here you go. Hi just read your interesting article on national review online on GOP flip floppers. However, the paragraph on Thompson was confusing. Are you saying he used to be Pro-choice and he has changed his position and is lying about it?...

Former Senator Fred Thompson to Keynote Conservative Christian Dinner on Friday November 16, 2007 in Hollywood, Florida Contact: Michelle McKinnie, Florida Family Policy Council, 407-251-5130, Media@FLfamily.org HOLLYWOOD, Florida, Nov. 14 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC) www.FLfamily.org will host a Gala Dinner at the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida beginning at 6:30pm on Friday evening, November 16, 2007. The event is being designed to introduce South Florida to the mission of the FFPC and will feature former Senator and Law and Order Actor Fred Thompson as the keynote speaker. Mr. Thompson will be accompanied by his...

The American electorate is a fickle mistress. Just ask former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.). When Thompson announced his candidacy for president just after Labor Day most national polls showed him running a close second behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the majority of state polls had him in the top three. No longer. Thompson's campaign has yet to take off as expected and voters -- especially in crucial early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida. The most recent data comes from New Hampshire where two surveys were released over the weekend. The first, conducted by theUniversity...

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the Romney for President National Veterans Coalition made up of retired service members from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As part of this national coalition, each member will serve as a surrogate to their local veterans' communities for Governor Romney's message of change in Washington. "Every American is grateful for the very extraordinary acts our veterans have performed so that we may continue to enjoy freedom at home. I am proud that so many of these men and women have joined our effort to change Washington by organizing grassroots...

Perhaps the biggest fraud ever to be perpetrated onto the American people is Global Warming. Al Gore is just the symptom. If not given cover by a group of supposed climate scientists and other left-wing academics, Mr. Gore would be easily seen as the nutcase, phony alarmist that he is. Alas, nearly the entire left of the political spectrum has bought into this hoax, and more than a few ‘conservatives’ have also succumbed to the hysteria, including Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee. Fred Thompson, at least since he started campaigning for the GOP nomination, has provided some biting remarks regarding...

Mitt tops Fred The Washington Times Stephan Dinan 12 November 2007A new Rasmussen poll finds that voters see Mitt Romney as a conservative candidate more than Fred Thompson — the first time Thompson has not led on that measure. In the last month the number of Republicans viewing Romney as conservative has jumped 10 points, to 46 percent, while Thompson has fallen 11 points, to 40 percent. [SNIP] Here's the conservative rating for the top six Republican candidates: Romney 46 percent Thompson 40 percent Huckabee 38 percent McCain 28 percent Giuliani 21 percent Paul 16 percent — Stephen Dinan, national...

Mitt Romney has had a great week in California. First, on Wednesday night, the Young Republican Federation of California's Board of Directors voted to endorse the Romney campaign - becoming the first grassroots group in the state to endorse Governor Romney. To add to that, just minutes ago, the California Republican Assembly joined the YRFC by overwhelmingly voting to endorse the Romney campaign. By a vote of 148 - 73, CRA took a big step in showing clearly that the conservative base of the Republican Party is coalescing around Governor Romney. Primary elections are traditionally dominated by the bases of...

Fred Thompson's campaign for president has collapsed. Well, at least, among the bookies. I've been giving readers regular updates on the betting in the presidential election, but absolutely nothing has been more dramatic this fall than Thompson's market meltdown. According to the betting at the Iowa Electronic Markets, the TV actor's chances of winning the GOP nomination have slumped in just six weeks from nearly 30% to less than 10%. As recently as June, just after the former Senator announced he was running, he was the favorite in the betting, at nearly 40%. The numbers are similar over at Dublin-based...

WASHINGTON, DC, November 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Mitt Romney's campaign for President received a major shot in the arm on Monday in the form of an official endorsement from well-known conservative leader and chairman of the Free Congress Foundation, Paul Weyrich.  Despite a lingering uncertainty for many conservatives about Romney's authentic conservative persona due to his notorious 'flip-flopping' in recent years, Weyrich's endorsement joins a growing number of similar Romney endorsements from other notable conservative leaders. Weyrich is the founder of the Heritage Foundation and current chairman of the Free Congress Foundation.  He is considered a major leader by...

Reform Group: Thompson Would Hike Taxes Thursday, November 8, 2007 3:05 PMBy: Ronald Kessler When it comes to taxes, Fred Thompson is the "worst" of the Republican presidential candidates, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, tells Newsmax. GOP hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani have both promised not to raise taxes - Romney even signing an ATR pledge not to raise the marginal tax rate. Thompson, on the other hand, has not signed the pledge and has said high-income Medicare beneficiaries may have to pay more for coverage. “Thompson didn’t sign the pledge as a senator, and...

...The truth is - significant evangelical voices have spoken with great conviction about the qualifications of one of the leading top tier candidates of recent - and more voices continue to come forward almost weekly. While Mayor Giuliani's faith would on the surface expect to share similar values with evangelical voters, apparently the Mayor himself does not. But Mitt Romney - who has not been ruled out of support from prominent leaders like Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Tony Perkins. Is also enjoying expressed outspoken support from additional prominent conservative evangelical voices like Paul Weyrich, Dr. Wayne Grudem, and perhaps...

Mitt Romney now leads other candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in South Carolina, a key early primary state. The political Web site RealClearPolitics compiled an average of several polls in the state and found Romney with a slight lead over his closest rival, Rudy Giuliani. Romney averaged 19.3 percent of the votes in the polls, while Giuliani’s figure was 19 percent, followed by Fred Thompson (18.3 percent), John McCain (12.3 percent) and Mike Huckabee (6 percent). One recent South Carolina poll in particular, by American Research Group, has Romney ahead of Giuliani by 6 percentage points. South Carolina could...

WASHINGTON -- Fred Thompson was well into a prolonged dialogue about abortion with interviewer Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday when he said something stunning for social conservatives: "I do not think it is a wise thing to criminalize young girls and perhaps their parents as aiders and abettors." He then went further: "You can't have a (federal) law" that "would take young, young girls ... and say, basically, we're going to put them in jail." Those comments sent e-mails flying across the country reflecting astonishment and rage by pro-life Republicans who had turned to Thompson as their...

Sen. Judd Gregg: America needs Mitt Romney's leadershipBy SEN. JUDD GREGG 7 November 2007 OVER THE LAST few months, I have joined you in taking the opportunity to meet the candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination, to learn about their positions on the issues, to meet their families, and to examine their records. This is a critical election that will determine the future course of our country. When evaluating a candidate, we must take into account the full breadth of their experience, vision and values. What I have found is that Mitt Romney is the leader we need...

Former Ambassador To The Vatican Endorses RomneyTheAtlantic.com 06 Nov 2007 03:49 pm Marc AmbinderAmbassador Thomas Melady, the legat to the Vatican during the presidency of George H.W. Bush announced his endorsement today of Mitt Romney. "In Governor Mitt Romney, I have found a candidate who represents the family values that are so important to me. His appreciation for the value of a strong family is clearly exhibited in his vision for America," an on-message Melady will say in a statement released by the campaign.

Former Ambassador Thomas Melady Endorses Governor Mitt RomneyTuesday, Nov 06, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6390Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced that Ambassador Thomas Melady, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from 1989 to 1993, has endorsed his candidacy for President of the United States. Making today's announcement, Ambassador Melady said, "In Governor Mitt Romney, I have found a candidate who represents the family values that are so important to me. His appreciation for the value of a strong family is clearly exhibited in his vision for America. He understands that every decision he...

Even Fred Thompson doesn’t think he will become president. Chatting off-air to a television reporter, a stunningly candid off-the-cuff quip from the Hollywood actor cemented the impression that his heart is not in the 2008 race. Trying to encourage his studio to hurry up so an interview could start, Carl Cameron of Fox News said into his microphone: “The next president of the United States has a schedule to keep.” Standing beside him, a deadpan Mr Thompson interjected: “And so do I.” As some Thompson aides looked bemused and others cringed, a taken-aback Mr Cameron, Fox’s chief political correspondent, exclaimed:...

U. S. Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, has spent the better part of the last decade running for president. He actively sought the office in 2000 and lost handily to George W. Bush. Since that time, he has done everything he could think of to antagonize the base of his own party. Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-TN, acts as if the thought of running for president just occurred to him five minutes ago. Some days he acts as though it still hasn't occurred to him. For very different reasons, these two men, with their totally different approaches to politics, have probably...

Fred Thompson on Meet the Press, 11/4/07.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ran away with 61 percent of the vote in what the Teton County Republican Party was touting as one of Wyoming’s first straw polls Saturday night. County GOP Chairman Joe Schloss called Romney’s showing remarkable considering the number of other candidates. About 100 people voted during the party’s Elephant Jam event Saturday at 43 North. The get-together and fundraiser celebrated the one-year countdown to the presidential election. A straw poll is a nonbinding vote taken before an election to gauge support for each candidate. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani took second, with 12...

Like most good Southern yarns, the Fred Thompson story is steeped in legend. His small-town upbringing in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., is humble and distinct on a campaign trail worn by front-runners in suits that match their polished images. In his methodical drawl, the Republican mentions his early years at every opportunity -- from his announcement speech Sept. 7 in Des Moines, Iowa, to his Oct. 15 appearance on Fox News. The details sometimes differ, but the effect is the same. "My story is an American story," Thompson, 65, said in Des Moines, "one that's happened many times across this great nation...

'08 candidate Fred Thompson said he didn't know his friend and campaign adviser had twice been busted for drugs. A close ally to Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson resigned his post Monday as a top campaign bundler, FOX News has learned, a day after his drug-dealing history was revealed. Phil Martin, a businessman who has lent Thompson his Cessna to fly around the country, was one of four campaign co-chairman for the '08 Republican candidate. The Washington Post reported Sunday that Martin also posted a guilty plea in 1979 for selling 11 pounds of marijuana and a no contest plea...

By Kleinheider November 1st, 2007 - 8:13 am Steve Gill pens a column this morning counseling Fred Thompson to hit the immigration issue hard — especially Hillary Clinton’s rambling answer in Tuesday night’s Democratic debate regarding drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. An answer she has now retracted. Steve Gill on Fred’s immigration opportunity: Thompson has the opportunity to pounce on the issue and make it his, which would give him an advantage in both the Republican Primary as well as the general election. Granted, Thompson’s personality and style do not fit well with the image of a quick, cat-like “pounce.”...

Thompson might still be hanging in there in national polls , but those trading money on the probability of Thompson becoming the nominee are increasingly bearish on his chances. At one point, the probability of Thompson winning the GOP nomination was trading at 35% at Intrade . Over the last month his position has deteriorated, and in the last several days crumbled. At Intrade Thompson is trading at 8.4%. At Iowa Electronic Markets 7.1%, The validity of future’s markets is sometimes questioned. No one was questioning them, however, when Fred was trading at 35% .

CONCORD, N.H. - Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson told New Hampshire voters Monday that efforts in some states to recognize same-sex marriage are a "judge-made controversy." Civil unions will become legal in New Hampshire on Jan. 1, allowing gays to apply for the same rights as married people. Same-sex unions from other states also will be recognized in New Hampshire if they were legal in the state where they were performed. Questioned about civil unions after a speech at a dental benefits company, Thompson said, "I would not be in support of that." But when he elaborated, he switched from...

Dear Fred, You know, I really like you. I think you are great. I like your wife and I like the team you've built. I hope you're the GOP nominee for 2008. But if you don't pay attention to this, you are going to be a footnote in history. So pay attention. Fred, I've run a lot of campaigns in the past decade. I may have never run a Presidential race, but by God what I'm seeing from you are classic novice mistakes. Fred, you've bought into the hype. You thought people really wanted a guy who was too cool...

Fred Thompson, running for President as the "plain-speaking consistent conservative," was asked about campaign finance reform by Laura Ingraham on her radio show the day after his Presidential announcement. She said, "One of the things that also happened in the Senate was McCain-Feingold and it was initially called McCain-Feingold-Thompson. Of course that's campaign finance reform. As you know, Senator Thompson, the Supreme Court has struck down part of that as unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds, you know, issue ads that you can't run before a general election or a primary contest, which for conservatives like me are just anathema to...

Dateline: NASHVILLE U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson says he seldom hears about abortion in campaign travels throughout Tennessee and hopes the issue is downplayed at the Republican National Convention. The Tennessee Republican, an abortion-rights defender in a party with an anti-abortion tilt, is preparing for next week's convention in San Diego . He said the party must avoid distracting issues and focus on electing Bob Dole as president. ''We need to concentrate on what brings us together and not what divides us,'' Thompson said in an interview with The Tennessean published Tuesday. Thompson said he opposes making early-term abortions a crime,...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Members of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church are urging Fred Thompson to support their stance on homosexuality _ a position on which they say the Republican presidential candidate once "saw eye to eye" with them. Thompson was hired for a mid-1980s legal case in Kansas on the recommendation of Margie Phelps, daughter of Westboro founder Fred Phelps. The Topeka, Kan.-based church is now best known for protesting at soldiers' funerals, claiming their deaths are retribution for the nation's acceptance of homosexuality. Thompson campaign spokeswoman Karen Hanretty on Wednesday dismissed the church as "a radical fringe group, looking...

WASHINGTON -- Republicans, it seems, have already decided they're running against New York Senator Hillary Clinton, and have made the Democratic presidential candidate a frequent target on the campaign trail. References to "Hillary-care'' and other derisive remarks about Clinton's platform might rile up the conservative base. Rudy Giuliani, the GOP front-runner in national polls, argues incessantly that he's the one who can beat Clinton next November. But the focus on Clinton makes for a bad general election strategy, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson warned today. Addressing a polite, but unenthusiastic, audience of the Republican Jewish Council, Thompson said his party...

By Alexander J. Madison – October 15, 2007 Many conservatives across the fruited plain breathed a sigh of relief with the much delayed and much anticipated arrival of Fred Thompson into the official 2008 fray.  The pre-campaign campaign worked quite well.  It generated much buzz in both the blogosphere and the MSM.  Fred's folksy homilies on ABC radio and his Youtube broadcasts also gave him a format to address the issues of the day in his deep, southern, actor-trained voice.  Whether the topic was illegal aliens, Michael Moore, or the Virginia Tech shooting, Fred tossed out red meat to...

(CNSNews.com) - On Tuesday, the day Fred Thompson made his debate debut in the 2008 presidential race, two conservative commentators criticized how the former Tennessee senator handled the 1990s Senate probe into Clinton campaign fundraising corruption. Thompson was chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in 1997, when the committee probed Chinese money that allegedly poured into the 1996 re-election campaign of President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. "Had there been a legitimate investigation of Chinese money laundering, the results would have been very different from the results of Monica Lewinsky," said John Gizzi, political editor for Human...

All I know to say is that...it is definitely on now! Fred plows in and looks ready to play the game.

Fred Thompson's Big Flopby Matthew Cooper November 2007 Issue In his only attempt to manage a high-profile Senate hearing, the lawyer-turned-actor blew it.In his many film and television roles, Fred Thompson has almost always played a strong executive. On Law & Order, as Arthur Branch, the inexplicably Southern and conservative Manhattan district attorney, heÂ’s invariably telling Sam WaterstonÂ’s deputy-D.A. character to settle the case. In The Hunt for Red October, he commands an aircraft carrier, fighting the Soviets. Closer to the White House, heÂ’s an irritable chief of staff in In the Line of Fire, and in two other films...

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Mitt Romney was in Michigan, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada and then went back to Michigan. Rudy Giuliani visited Florida, Michigan, South Carolina, Alabama, Washington and New Hampshire. John McCain went from Michigan to Iowa to New Hampshire. But where was Fred, as in Fred Thompson? Besides participating in his first presidential debate in Michigan last Tuesday, Thompson was missing from the campaign trail. The former Tennessee senator and star of NBC's "Law & Order" was scheduled to be in New Hampshire this weekend, but canceled. New Hampshire voters noticed. "He's a late entry. That will probably hurt...

BREAKING NEWS! Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has won the inaugural Conservative Leadership Conference straw poll. Despite not appearing at the conference, Paul won convincingly with 33% of the vote. Mitt Romney, who addressed the conference in a town hall meeting and during a general session, finished second with 16%. Duncan Hunter, who also delivered a major address during the three-day event, finished third at 15%. The Full Results: Ron Paul 32.80% Mitt Romney 16.13% Duncan Hunter 14.52% Undecided 11.29% Fred Thompson 7.53% Rudy Giuliani 6.45% Alan Keyes 3.76% Mike Huckabee 3.23% Tom Tancredo 1.61% John McCain 1.08% Other 1.08%...

Fred Thompson may have been the buzz candidate coming in and he held up well but Mitt Romney was as sharp as he’s ever been tonight. It was Mitt Romney's night.I’ll have more on Romney in a moment. First, let’s talk about Thompson. Thompson’s performance was measured and pretty strong. He spoke faster which helped him appear more in control and presidential. He didn’t offer up a whole lot of specifics but he did answer questions directly and forcefully. And he displayed a keen sense of humor too when asked about his entry into the race. What people wanted to...

Townhall's Matt Lewis: "Romney makes a good point about the line item veto. He used it 844 times, he says. Romney also points out that Rudy fought against it all the way to the Supreme Court. This is what he sees as a clear contrast..." (I strongly agree with Romney about this)." (Matt Lewis, "Live Blogging The Debate," Towhall, http://townhall.com/blog/, Posted 10/9/07) - Lewis: "Matthews asks all the candidates how Republicans can win back the voters. ... Romney, perhaps answering Huckabee and McCain, says we need to be confident and optimistic. Amen!" (Matt Lewis, "Live Blogging the Debate," Townhall, 10/9/07)...

Candidates sparred over economic and domestic issues and at times showing differences on the issue of trade and war. CNBC fumbled on the debate allowing Giuliani and Romney much more time than the other candidates followed by Thompson and McCain, which was a disservice to the voters watching that actually were watching to hear what all of the candidates had to say. It was most likely not the intent of the network, but the apparent favoritism with the amount of questions asked and the time allotted to certain candidates gave the impression that they were attempting to manipulate the results....

Hmmm...Ann is just one more who have come to the truth about this blowhard

Fred Thompson and his spinners contend that the overwhelmingly critical reception he has garnered in the media is limited to inside the Beltway “liberal media” which do not appreciate his charms and folksy appeal. The New York Times coverage this week of his visit to Iowa was typical: “Iowans saw a subdued, laconic candidate who spoke in a soft monotone, threw few elbows and displayed little drive to distinguish himself from his opponents.” There are two problems with the Thompson explanation: 1) conservative pundits have been equally harsh and 2) local media has been even worse... ________________________________ ...Out in the...

The Brody File is working around the clock and this time has found video of Fred Thompson talking this week to the Des Moines Register editorial board. He’s explaining his view of a federal marriage amendment. This video has not been out there before. It is now, courtesy of The Brody File. Watch it here. Part of the transcription reads: “A judge couldn’t impose this (gay marriage) state or federal unless they had the acquiescence or unless the state legislature moved on its own to put it into law. If a state chose to recognize it (gay marriage) and the...

On a campaign stop in Coralville, Iowa, Fred Thompson claimed that he helped guide John Roberts' Supreme Court confirmation through a Democratic-controlled Senate, despite Republicans holding the majority at the time. (more)

Twenty-four minutes after he began speaking in a small restaurant the other day, Fred D. Thompson brought his remarks to a close with a nod of his head and an expression of thanks to Iowans for allowing him to “give my thoughts about some things.” Then he stood face to face with a silent audience. “Can I have a round of applause?” Mr. Thompson said, drawing a rustle of clapping and some laughter. “Well, I had to drag that out of you,” he said. Mr. Thompson is a former United States senator, television actor and Watergate investigator. His entry into...

Yes, he's an actor. But that doesn't mean he can perform. The New York Times presents a searing portrait of Fred Thompson's lackluster performance on the campaign trail, with the worst damage done within the quotes attributed to the candidate. "Can I have a round of applause?" Thompson is forced to ask a silent Iowan audience at the end of his 24 minutes of remarks. After a rustle of clapping and some laughter, he grumbles, "Well, I had to drag that out of you." Drag seems to be the operative word here. Iowans saw a "subdued, laconic candidate who spoke...