http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ia-gop/ en-us Thu, 22 May 2008 23:46:28 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2019956/posts Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa is an embarrassment, both to the Senate and to the citizens of his home state of Iowa. It is Harkin that you can see cheering on Howard Dean has he makes his famous "I Have a Scream" speech in 2004, and Harkin is the guy shouting "DO IT FOR PAUL!" as he turned a memorial service into a crass political rally when he exhorted the thousands of mourners to elect Democrats because that's what the recently dead Senator Paul Wellstone supposed would have wanted. Harkin is also known for lies about his own military experience,... Holy Coast http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2019956/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 23:46:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1957421/posts Fred Thompson's political career might very well be over tomorrow. If so, take this post as a postmortem of his candidacy. It is obvious that Senator Thompson has squandered a great deal of good will during the interminable run up to the announcement of his candidacy and his less than stellar performance in the period September through mid-December. The easy analysis is that Thompson was lazy but I don't think it was laziness. I think it was a misguided attempt to run an issues oriented campaign. Thompson's Socratic style of addressing those early crowds was a good way to discuss... Brain Droppings http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1957421/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:52:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1950105/posts LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - When former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided in late September he would not run for president this year, Bob Walker went looking for another Republican he could support. He found Fred Thompson. "I'm interested in somebody who is seriously considering the issues not just as a political gimmick, but has real, long-term ideas in mind for fixing some very large problems we face immediately and down the road," Walker says. "I came to the conclusion that Fred Thompson was the guy in the race who had that kind of serious attitude," says Walker, a Lititz resident... The Lancaster New Era http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1950105/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jan 2008 06:16:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1948635/posts And so it begins.We wanted exciting, we got exciting.As this is written, late on the night of the caucuses, the outlines of the decisions seem clear: Barack Obama won. Hillary Clinton, the inevitable, the avatar of the machine, lost. It's huge. Even though people have been talking about this possibility for six weeks now, it's still huge. She had the money, she had the organization, the party's stars, she had Elvis behind her, and the Clinton name in a base that loved Bill. And she lost. There are always a lot of reasons for a loss, but the ur-reason in... WSJ Opinion Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1948635/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jan 2008 06:44:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1948186/posts Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is already attacking the politician who appears to be his chief rival in New Hampshire, Arizona Sen. John McCain. On MSNBC's Morning Joe, Romney attempted to spin the Iowa caucuses as a defeat for John McCain, lumping McCain with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as the big losers. "The Washington insiders are being rejected," Romney said. Romney placed a distant second to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. McCain and Fred Thompson were in a virtual tie for third. Romney continued to say that placing ahead of big-name candidates Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and McCain in Iowa... The Turner Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1948186/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jan 2008 13:00:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1948063/posts Ed Rollins is a nasty, nasty piece of work. Here he was tonight on Fox News: Rollins: The wise men like you who say Huckabee doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in heck - well, he can still go out and take his message to the people. And we’ve seen all the wisdom doesn’t live in Washington, and all the wisdom doesn’t live in the press corps.” Wallace: You can accuse me of a lot of things, but I would note we’ve had Mike Huckabee on Fox News Sunday several times— Rollins: —and we’re very grateful for the opportunity to take... The Sundries Shack http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1948063/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jan 2008 04:11:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947888/posts It looks like the Politico website has another fascinating scoop full of un-substantiated and un-named sources. That is that John McCain's campaign is literally hanging by a thread. He is low on money and fallen to a fourth place tie with Ron Paul in Iowa. Sources (unnamed) say that a McCain shellacking in Iowa will likely drop him out of the running in New Hampshire where is organization is running on fumes. In Iowa McCain has gone from 13% and high hopes of pulling a surprise to falling to 10% and a tie with a surging Ron Paul. UPDATE: ARG... NW Republican http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947888/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jan 2008 21:00:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947519/posts Johnny Dollar’s got the video of that irascible Ed Rollins shooting off his mouth. Nothing serious. Usually when Rollins shoots off his mouth he finds himself in the unemployment line or wounding the candidate he alleges to support with friendly fire. The Man Who Helped Reagan Win 49 States ™ indeed. Yea. Take “Reagan” out of that bio and what’s left of Vallejo’s finest? Ed Rollins - guiding the gay, yet somehow married to Arianna, Michael Huffington to Senate defeat? The mastermind behind billionaire Ross Perot’s Presidency? Claiming that he bribed black ministers to suppress the black vote to help... Six Meat Buffet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947519/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jan 2008 04:30:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947490/posts Well, that's the rumor from Zogby polling. Musing on the Thompson campaign, there was an interesting post earlier this week by Paul Marks at Samizdata: "Fred Thompson: Too Sane to Be President?" Marks writes that the media equates a passion for campaigning with a passion for governing and serving one's country -- I'd note that "Campaign Carl" Cameron of Fox News has been particularly derisive of Thompson in this regard -- but that they're actually two different things. Marks: "But what sort of person is passionate about the political process? Not getting things done - but the process of gaining... Laura's Miscellaneous Musings http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947490/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jan 2008 03:13:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947324/posts Ok, yeah I have small children. But that’s beside the point. I think Fred Thompson has a strong shot at 2nd place in Iowa. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high because it is more likely that he will finish 3rd. But if, as I am getting from the news coverage, this McCain, Huckabee, Romney food fight on the airwaves in Iowa is souring voters to those candidates, Fred Thompson could be the beneficiary of that sentiment. Going negative in Iowa has always carried risks and Iowa is the place where dark horses rise to the top.... SoCalPundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1947324/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jan 2008 21:07:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946649/posts His liberal record went right up until his final days in office as governor. Despite what he has said since leaving office, he was always there, ready to help out to keep abortions safe and legal. His new claim is that he would have blocked it if he had the chance. Of course, Mitt. Of course you would have done that. If only the track record didn't get in the way of facts. Why do facts always have to get in the way of a good story? More hypocrisy from Mitt, after the jump. Former governor Mitt Romney's economic development... America Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946649/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jan 2008 08:02:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946639/posts In a last attempt to convince Iowa Republicans to vote for him this coming Thursday, Fred Thompson has put a video on YouTube in which he speaks to them for 17 minutes. In a last attempt to convince Iowa Republicans to vote for him this Thursday, former Senator Fred Thompson has put a video on YouTube in which he speaks to Iowans - and Americans as a whole - for more than 17 minutes. Instead of putting out a 30 second ad, Thompson decided to take voters seriously and to carefully to explain to them why he’s the man to... Poli Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946639/posts#comment Tue, 1 Jan 2008 06:53:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946477/posts This morning Fox and Friends concentrated on three candidates in relation the Iowa caucuses on Thursday night: the two lead candidates in the polls, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney - and John McCain... this was in spite of the fact that Senator McCain is not in Iowa (he is in New Hampshire) and that Fred Thompson is ahead of John McCain is most of Iowa polls. This is a part of pattern: last night Fred Thompson was on Fox News Sunday, but in the panel discussion, later in the show, the panellists ignored Fred Thompson. He is attacked by people,... Samizdata Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946477/posts#comment Mon, 31 Dec 2007 22:08:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946484/posts The man who America is not particularly interested in electing president doesn't really want the job, anyway. And while it's possible he's just playing hard-to-get, statements like this one the other day aren't helping: "I'm not particularly interested in running for president..." - Fred Thompson He defends his remark, saying it's out-of-context, but who would go into an interview and tell the employer that they hated the process that goes along with getting hired? The Democratic Party http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946484/posts#comment Mon, 31 Dec 2007 22:25:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946149/posts On the Internet as of sometime this afternoon, Fred Thompson’s closing argument to the people of Iowa. Whereas Romney is saturating the airwaves with attack ads, Thompson pays the voters the courtesy of speaking calmly, and in detail—the video runs to just over 15 minutes. Why should the good Republicans of Iowa support Thompson? Because, the candidate argues, he can win. I believe I am the only candidate in this race who can bring our party to victory in the fall. First, because of the firmness of my principles and the trust that that engenders. Secondly, because of the detailed... The National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946149/posts#comment Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:57:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946085/posts David Yepsen has a horrifically bad column in the Sunday Des Moines Register. In it, he distills each candidate down to the usual cliches of the leftist/"centrist" newspaper agenda: Mike Huckabee The former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister has soared in the GOP race following his second-place finish in the Iowa Republican straw poll in August. He has rallied party social and religious conservatives as well as supporters of a big national sales tax to replace the income tax. He's a witty speaker and an affable politician whose criticisms of the nation's economic policies sound a lot like the populist... State 29 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1946085/posts#comment Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:24:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1945932/posts Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn, accused some of my colleagues of "journalistic malpractice" just now on Fox News Sunday. He's referring to coverage implying that Thompson said he's "not particularly interested in running for president," like this story. As our awesome ABC News off-air reporter with the Thompson campaign advised us last night, and as Jim Geraghty at National Review points out that may not be the fairest characterization of Thompson's complete remarks. The larger point Thompson seems to have been trying to make is that he's not interested in the process of running for president, but he wants to... ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1945932/posts#comment Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:16:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1945381/posts Fred Thompson has picked up endorsements from three state representatives - Kraig Paulsen of Cedar Rapids, Jeff Kaufmann of Wilton and Jamie Van Fossen of Davenport -- bringing his total to six. Mitt Romney still has a prohibitive lead with 16, followed by John McCain with eight. (Table at link) John Deeth Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1945381/posts#comment Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:18:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1945041/posts Please post any information that Fred Thompson supporters would like to know here... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1945041/posts#comment Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:21:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1944978/posts DES MOINES – Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) is making a big push with supporters to raise funds to go on the air with one more ad here before the Jan. 3 caucuses. In an email from supporters with a subject line “$109,789 and counting,” campaign manager Bill Lacy makes a plea with supporters to continue contributing online to get to the campaign’s target goal of $248,846. The email contains a link to the already-filmed ad that the campaign is set to run if it meets its fundraising goal. “If we can make a big enough buy, we have a... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1944978/posts#comment Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:56:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943958/posts As Rush points out at the top of the excerpt, he does not endorse candidates in primaries. But that does not stop him from taking note of a fact that many Reagan Republicans are seeing Fred Thompson as the only true conservative in the field of Republican candidates. (VIDEO) With 13.5 million weekly listeners (some have suggested the number is closer to 20 million), Rush’s comments will not go unnoticed. Question is, is it enough to keep Fred in the race through? SoCal Pundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943958/posts#comment Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:13:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943696/posts Power Line hits us to a Reuters report that says illegal immigrants are going back to Mexico. A] growing number of illegal immigrants across the United States … are starting to pack their bags and move on as a crackdown on undocumented immigrants widens and the U.S. economy slows, turning a traditional Christmas trek home into a one-way trip. *** There is no tally of the number of illegal immigrants who have already left the United States, many of whom simply head south over the border with their belongings packed into a car during the annual Christmas exodus, or board... SoCal Pundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943696/posts#comment Mon, 24 Dec 2007 04:00:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943671/posts Nashville, Tenn. - This week, PETA sent a letter to all the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates--including Sen. Fred Thompson--explaining that a 10-cent-per-pound "sin" tax on meat could go a long way in protecting the environment, reducing health-care costs, and adding dollars to the U.S. Treasury. PETA points out that meat is the leading cause of global warming--according to a 2006 United Nations report, the meat industry emits 40 percent more global-warming gases than all the cars, trucks, SUVs, Hummers, airplanes, and ships in the world combined--and has been conclusively linked to serious illnesses, including heart disease, some types of... PETA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943671/posts#comment Mon, 24 Dec 2007 02:40:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943664/posts Steve King (R-Iowa), in his endorsement of Fred08, reveals quite a bit about his presidential assessment techniques. The GOP lawmaker says the former Tennessee senator is the only candidate who epitomizes the full spectrum of conservative values. In the past few months Steve King (R-Iowa) has had the opportunity to meet personally with all but one of the GOP presidential hopefuls. He says he carefully evaluated each man on issues he considers important for the future destiny of the United States. "I probed them and tested them on the values that I think are important," King says. After the face-to-face... Pam's House Blend http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943664/posts#comment Mon, 24 Dec 2007 02:14:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943654/posts Kraig Paulsen, the Iowa House Republican Whip is backing Fred Thompson for President. Paulsen represents Linn County - which is where my home town of Cedar Rapids is located. (Endorsement Video at link) Blogs For Fred Thompson http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1943654/posts#comment Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:56:28 GMT