Poll: Thompson Gaining Support Among State Voters

WRAL.Com ^ | 7 May 2007 | WRAL.Com

[Doofer]

Raleigh — A recent poll suggests a prospective Republican presidential candidate would make a strong showing in North Carolina. According to the latest Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey, Fred Thompson would place second in the Republican primary race with 25 percent of likely Republican voters. The former Tennessee senator has not yet announced whether he will run for president. It was the first time PPP included Thompson in the monthly primary tracking poll. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani would be first among potential Republican voters with 32 percent, followed by John McCain at 16 percent and Mitt Romney with 13 percent. Presidential nominee John Edwards still remains on top with likely Democratic primary voters with 33 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton ranks second at 27 percent with Barack Obama third at 20 percent.

[Doofer]

[Politicalmom]

PING!!

Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference

Please FReepmail jellybean if you want on/off this list. WARNING: This ping list is EXTREMELY active.

[EagleUSA]

Fred could be our man — if so, he needs to get rolling in the race and cover some ground with the people and ISSUES. I think he could put the Dmes under the table because he will go after the REAL issues facing the country, and not the stream of lies and deceit that the libs use to hide their socialist agenda.

[gpapa]

At least in North Carolina, Fred seems to be drawing support from McCain and Romney.

[upsdriver]

Thompson has yet to announce he is running and I, for one, would like to know what he intends to do as president before I am ready to jump on his bandwagon. This reminds me a little of the adulation that was heaped on Colin Powell at one time. No one knew what he stood for but everyone wanted him to run for president. I do know that Thompson is a better conservative than most, but what are the issues he is going to be promoting? Looking good on the outside isn’t good enough. I want to know what he believes in his gut!

[publana]

He has no need to “get rolling”. He’s kicking fanny right now following his current game plan. It shows ingeniuity imo.

[upsdriver]

So what does he stand for? Not critizing, I just want to know what he is on fire about! What drives him?

[The Pack Knight]

I'm more than ready to help with Fred's organization here in Raleigh. I already tell my friends about him, and even those who are disgusted with the current state of politics are intrigued by his federalist philosophy.

As an aside, it's interesting to see the turn Fred Threads have taken now that the Rudybots are gone. The current anti-Fred sentiment comes from a predictable source.

[The Pack Knight]

So what does he stand for? Not critizing, I just want to know what he is on fire about! What drives him?

Below is a column/interview by John Fund from the Wall Street Journal that serves as a primer..

Lights, Camera... Candidacy? (John Fund, WSJ, 17 Mar 2007)

Most important paragraph...

Mr. Thompson has also been criticized for failing to back some comprehensive tort-reform bills because of his background as a trial lawyer. Here he insists his stance was based on grounds of federalism. "I'm consistent. I address Federalist Society meetings," he says, noting that more issues should be left to the states. For example, he cast the lonely "nay" in 99-1 votes against a national 0.8% blood alcohol level for drivers, a federal law banning guns in schools, and a measure limiting the tort liability of Good Samaritans. "Washington overreaches, and by doing so ends up not doing well the basics people really care about." Think Katrina and Walter Reed.

Indeed, the federal government's inability to function effectively would likely be a major theme of any Thompson campaign. "Audits have shown we've lost control of the waste and mismanagement in our most important agencies. It's getting so bad it's affecting our national security."

You can tell a lot about a legislator by the unpopular stands he takes. For further reading, here is an archive of Fred's commentaries for ABC Radio..

Fred Thompson Archive on National Review Online (Includes Audio)

You can also find posts on redstate.org and ABC Radio's own site. Hope that clarifies a few things.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Who is Franks?

[Doofer]

Who is Franks?

I'm thinking it must be Tommy Franks.

[The Pack Knight]

GEN Tommy Franks, USA (Ret.), CINCCENTCOM from 2000-2003. Just an idea I'm throwing out there.

Of course, there could be confusion that I mean Tommy Thompson and GEN Fred Franks, USA (Ret.), but even fewer people know who either of them are.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Oh OK, the General!

[upsdriver]

Thanks, I will check out these links.

[Politicalmom]

Yep. Sure are a lot of lazy people around here. Can’t even do their own research when it is laid out in nice little links in EVERY SINGLE Fred thread.

D’ya suppose they might have some OTHER motive than wanting to know more about Fred?

[The Pack Knight]

Not only does he have ample executive and military experience, but he could continue Cheney's tradition of profane one-liners!

[stephenjohnbanker]

We could use a bit of profanity from our administration: )

I’m pro military anyway, as our troops are the best example of true patriotism.

[The Pack Knight]

Just for the hell of it, here's the "shadow cabinet" I have on my profile page. Some of the names are a bit out there, and there are potential problems with some, but it's just my stream of consciousness endorsement.

President - Fred Dalton Thompson
Vice President - General Sir Tommy Ray Franks, USA (Ret.) KBE
Secretary of State - Ambassador John Robert Bolton
Secretary of the Treasury - John Francis Welch, Jr.
Secretary of Defense - General John Philip Abizaid, USA (Ret.)
Attorney General - Theodore Bevry Olson

All other Cabinet offices and their attendant departments to be abolished. Essential subordinate agencies to be transferred to the appropriate remaining departments.

I also have the following...

Secretary of Homeland Security (temporary wartime department) - Rudolph William Louis Giuliani III

...as I thought it was a good use of his talents and a place where his social liberalism is irrelevant, but I'm becoming more and more convinced that DHS is a failed experiment that needs to be put out of its misery. Defense and Justice should be able to do what Homeland Security does.

Anyway, those are just names I'm throwing out there for general consideration.

[kevkrom]

Secretary of the Treasury - John Francis Welch, Jr.

Not bad... also consider Herman Cain here...