Replies

No, some only voted for the second one which only made sure everyone played by the same dreadful rules. They were AGAINST CFR, but once passed, it had to be implemented fairly.

What Thompson did was argue for it from the start. He was very instrumental in getting it passed, right up there with McCain. In fact, Thompson is pretty much McCain without the temper. That beats Romney, but it sure doesn't make him a saint.

Your reminder is selective. I'll remind you that all the candidates have voted for Campaign Finance Reform.

No, some only voted for the second one which only made sure everyone played by the same dreadful rules. They were AGAINST CFR, but once passed, it had to be implemented fairly.

LOL! So it's okay to vote for the second unconstitutional bill and not the first one?

Voting for either unconstitutional bill is wrong.

Like I said they all supported Campaign Finance Reform.

I am so sick of having to post this....

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

“Allow churches to provide welfare services”
Fred: Favors
McCain: Opposes

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Fred_Thompson.htm

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/John_McCain_VoteMatch.htm

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Below is a list of campaign finance “reform” votes where Thompson’s and McCain’s votes differed. Most significantly, Thompson introduced an amendment that would increase hard money contribution limits. McCain voted to kill discussion of Thompson’s amendment, but Thompson prevailed, and the amendment passed (with McCain ultimately voting for it). In the discussion of this amendment, Thompson specifically noted that individual contributions are free speech.

CFR related items where Thompson departed from McCain:
March 19, 2001 - April 2, 2001
Votes 00037-00064

Hat tip to ellery!