Posted on 09/18/2007 10:44:03 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Let Fred be Fred.
Help Fred be Fred: https://www.fred08.com/contribute.aspx?RefererID=c637caaa-315c-4b4c-9967-08d864cd0791
Rudy won't be the nominee. In the general election, the pro WOT Reagan Democrats will vote for Fred.
Ironically "Folksy" is not what Fred calls himself nor is it a description so-called Fredheads use.
Instead it's what the Drive By Media and other malcontents call Fred.
You were saying?
ALERT! ALERT! BRING THE BIG BOTTLE !
It is for those FredHeads that are playing the "FredHead Drinking Game"- Every time "Folksy" is mentioned on a thread, hey must take a shot (or a swallow, or some such).
Just a bit of fun and FRiendly opposition. No offense meant.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. Thompson is NOT a McCain clone. He’s his own man, as evidenced by his multiple holdout votes (99-1) in the senate on questions of states’ rights.
During the eight years that Thompson and McCain served together, they cast votes on 102 CQ-defined key votes and agreed on 83 of them - or 81.4 percent of the time. They disagreed 18.6% of the time, that’s pretty high considering that both are Republicans and both are considered relatively conservative. Just as an example from one year, among the instances in which Thompson and McCain differed were votes in 2002 to effectively extend a repeal of the estate tax beyond 2010, to authorize oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and to postpone tougher automobile fuel efficiency standards. Thompson voted “aye” and McCain voted “no” in all three cases.
*****
Ed Morrissey, posting on Captain’s Quarters:
“Thompson also had some significant issues with McCain’s policies. He supported the BCRA, but now says that campaign finance reform has done nothing to solve the problems it intended to address, and that a new approach is needed. Thompson supported the Bush tax cuts from the beginning. He also pushed back against some of McCain’s bipartisan efforts, such as on the “patients bill of rights”, on federalist grounds.
In the end, though, the biggest difference is trust. The base simply does not trust John McCain, not after the BCRA, the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill, and especially not after the Gang of 14. No amount of banging on podiums about the war will repair that damage in the primaries. With Thompson, the base gets the best parts of the McCain platform, with a healthy dose of federalism and lower taxes, and some measure of reliability. As much as the [Washington] Post wants to tie them together, Fred and John are quite different — and the GOP base understands that.
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/009894.php
*
Thought Mesh blog puts it more succinctly:
“But even my passing glance is enough to see some very substantial differences [Thompson has] from McCain.”
http://blog.thought-mesh.net/archives/2007/05/its_always_the_beam_in_o.php
*
Fred Thomson, in a recent Orange County Register interview:
“A Republican, especially a conservative Republican - you’re going to have a large group of people you line up with on most votes. John and I certainly fit that category. But we have different views on some issues. We’ll have a good discussion about it. But John is my friend and will remain my friend, regardless of what we do.”
http://blogs.ocregister.com/buzz/2007/05/oneonone_with_fred_thomspon.html
*
Some key SenateMatch responses for Fred Thompson and John McCain:
“Abortion is a woman’s right”
Fred: Strongly Opposes (voted to ban partial-birth abortion)
McCain: Opposes (voted to allow partial-birth abortion)
“Sexual orientation protected by civil rights laws”
Fred: Strongly Opposes
McCain: Favors
“More federal funding for health coverage”
Fred: Opposes
McCain: Favors
“Replace coal & oil with alternatives”
Fred: Opposes (Voted to preserve budget for ANWR oil drilling)
McCain: Favors (Voted to kill budget for ANWR oil drilling
I think we need to review the rules regarding an "own goal" like this one. The opportunity for mischief is too great!
Which of course was THE main issue we were talking about back in June when this was written. It was the litmus-test issue that was being used to knock down Romney & Rudy. Like I said, I don't know if this article is accurate but it didn't inspire hope that Reagan Democrats will simply flock to Thompson just because he is who he is. It sounded more like Hillary had accounted for Reagan Democrats and was addressing the problem in some way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.