(H/T: Ed Morrissey/Hot Air)
Where was this Fred it the primaries? Whatever thoughts Fred had on 2012 ended with the ascension of Sarah Palin. I would be there for Fred, but Palin is the new heir-apparent of the GOP.
Tag Archive for 'Fred-Dalton-Thompson'
I represented BP today at the McCain/Palin rally at Van Dyck Park in Fairfax (City), Virginia. It was arranged on short notice, with word going out two days in advance via several email lists, including McCain’s own Virginia list, and Attorney General Bob McDonnell’s list. I found out by the latter. Tickets were required, but they never really did check them, or at least did not check ours. Tickets were available from various GOP campaign offices throughout the state, and online on McCain’s own website.
Sarah Palin speaks in Fairfax, Va, Sept. 10, 2008
Continue reading ‘BP at the McCain/Palin rally in Fairfax, Virginia’
Last night’s primetime speeches were from President Bush (43), Fred Thompson and Sen. Joe Lieberman. The President was up first, about 8 minutes in length, with a live remote from the White House.
Fred’s speech brought down the house. Some excerpts:
To deal with these challenges the Democrats present a history making nominee for president.
History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President. Apparently they believe that he would match up well with the history making, Democrat controlled Congress. History making because it’s the least accomplished and most unpopular Congress in our nation’s history.
Together, they would take on these urgent challenges with protectionism, higher taxes and an even bigger bureaucracy.
And a Supreme Court that could be lost to liberalism for a generation.
This is not reform.
And it’s certainly not change.
It is basically the same old stuff they’ve been peddling for years. America needs a President who understands the nature of the world we live in.
A President who feels no need to apologize for the United States of America.
Continue reading ‘Fred brings down the house’
A little bit of humor in this debate montage, lamenting the absence of Fred from the debates, from Stephen Spruiell in NRO’s The Corner:
Rel, this one is for you — thought you might find it interesting.
Over at Glamour.com (website for Glamour magazine — shut up, I just read it for the sex quizzes, ok?) there’s a blog entry by Karen Hanretty, who served as deputy communications director for Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign. Hanretty says:
The anticipation and anxiety of the last few weeks, wondering whether Fred would— or even wanted to—stay in the race past Iowa, then South Carolina, was simply depleting.
Running for president is a grueling task. Though Fred’s campaign, in all candor, was not as grueling as others, and it showed. For instance, the week of the New Hampshire primary, Fox News held a debate in Manchester that began at 9 p.m. and ended around 10:30 p.m. Immediately following the debate, Fred boarded a chartered plane and flew home to McLean, Virginia. He had no appearances the following day. By contrast, I saw his opponents—Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee—campaigning and on TV the next morning at 6 a.m. so that voters might catch a glimpse of them before heading off to work.
Running for president requires a near-manic desire to win. Fred’s take-me-or-leave-me nonchalance was refreshing, but perhaps not the right fit for the competitive game of presidential politics.
Ouch.
Word on the wires (at least top of Drudge and related by Rush) is that Fred is dropping out. Drudge gives this AP link. Formal statement here, as posted on Redstate:
Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.
It is a sad day for America. Although he has succeeded in forcing the other candidates to the right, one is left with the doubt of whether they really believe it or not. With Fred, there was no doubt. While each of the remaining four are preferable over Obama and Hillary, I could not in good conscience choose McCain or Huckabee for Virginia’s upcoming primary. Immigration and taxes are key issues why - both have been on the wrong side, even in recent history. That leaves Mitt and Rudy as possible. Rudy is a FisCon but certainly not a SoCon, but has pledged to appoint originalist judges like Scalia and Thomas. Both have cut taxes, and won in places where it was said no Republican could win. I will give them some chance.
Erick of Redstate suggests this isn’t the end of Fred in politics, just the Presidential race, and that he expects Fred to keep the fire to the rest of the candidates party-wide, as if the fight for the Party has just begun.
In the end, at least as of today, I plan to vote for Fred anyway when Virginia gets to vote on February 12.
The Politico has its second ‘hit’ piece [my characterization based on their willful false stories]on Fred Thompson where, once again, its facts are completely wrong. While Roger Simon was responsible for the first hit two weeks ago, this one is the doing of Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen.
Byron York in The Corner relates Rich Galen’s denial on behalf of the campaign:
Good morning from Des Moines. I just got off the phone with Rich Galen, a top adviser to Fred Thompson, and it would be an understament to say that he is strongly denying the Politico story reporting that Thompson “will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in Thursday’s caucus.”
The story cites “several Republican officials close to Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign.” Galen told me, “I’m a Republican official in the Thompson campaign, and I’m denying it.” Galen also said that no one inside the campaign was a source for the story. “I can’t put enough adjectives in front of the ‘deny’ to accurately describe how vehemently I’m denying the story,” he said.
Previously, The Politico’s Roger Simon had argued on December 19th that Thompson was “lazy as charged” in an appearance at a fire station event in Iowa, and accused him of “offending” the fire fighters by not donning their fire helmet. Turns out there was video, by CBS News no less, proving the Politico account was wrong. (H/T for the link here to NRO’s Jonathan Adler in a Corner post from 12-19)
(EDIT - after publication, I found this post from Erick with some $ numbers background that further refutes The Politico, as well as a rant from earlier today here)
Worth listening to is Thompson's final plea to the voters of Iowa in advance of tomorrow's caucuses:
I found it time to give again to the Fred Thompson campaign, not a huge donation, but every little bit helps, and for our means, our max. I noted my previous donations here in September and here back in June. My original endorsement from March 2007 can be found here.
Those similarly inclined can click on the button below:
No pressure, really.
Pejman Yousefzadeh of Redstate (one of “The Directors”, who had been on the fence for some time) has endorsed Thompson in a lengthy post today. From his conclusory paragraph:
Many writers, in praising Thompson, have indicated that one of the more laudable things about his candidacy is that he is more interested in doing something than he is in being somebody. This is true. Ambition is a good thing to have but far too many politicians make ambition an end in and of itself. For Thompson, ambition is a means to an end–a means to implementing the policy positions he and other Reagan Republicans care about so deeply. That having been written, Thompson owes it to his supporters to vigorously campaign for the Presidency of the United States. People like me have invested a lot of hope in Thompson’s candidacy as being the truest campaign there is to the principles of Reaganism. Reaganism deserves a forceful, articulate, tireless and compelling champion for its philosophy. If Thompson is willing to be that candidate, if he is ambitious not for himself but for the beliefs he holds and for the country which can benefit mightily from the application of those beliefs, his candidacy can serve as a powerful standard to which Republicans can rally. And more importantly, it can lead to a Presidency of success and promise.
We have waited a long time for a candidate who puts substance over style. Now is the time for him and for his supporters to put their noses to the grindstone and realize his vision.
Fresh Cracks...