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President Fred Thompson In Retrospect
The American Chronicle ^ | December 30, 2007 | Ken Hughes

Posted on 12/30/2007 10:10:33 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

If Fred Thompson is nothing else he’s honest, or at least as honest as politics will allow one man to be. Presidential candidates through necessity are forced to make promises they know they can’t keep. Occasionally a candidate will say something in an unguarded moment being totally frank with his or her audience they wish later they hadn’t. At a town hall meeting in Burlington Iowa Fred Thompson was explaining becoming president wasn’t an obsession of his. He had a life before he decided to run and he’ll have a life if he isn’t the voter’s choice. The media’s reporting it as though he doesn’t care one way or the other, which is not what he meant to say.

WE MUST SELECT OUR BEST CHOICE AND STICK WITH THEM, I MUST ADMIT I WAVERED ONCE, NOT AGAIN.

Sometimes a little ass chewing can be a good thing. After I SUPPORTING Fred Thompson I wrote a critical article pertaining to Fred Thompson’s lack of enthusiasm, I received two e-mails from two of Fred Thompson’s State Campaign Managers taking me to task for my disloyalty. I must admit I was guilty of following the media hype. I was allowing Cable TV pundits to lead me on a false path away from what Fred Thompson is all about. I became lazy and wasn’t doing the research and follow-up as a writer I’m compelled to do to be creditable. Political punditry should never be a part time sport.

Like all Monday morning quarterbacks I stood on the sidelines telling the players what they should and shouldn’t do. Some input from the outside can’t hurt but it isn’t going to win in the long run. After receiving some video clips from one of the Thompson campaign managers and seeing Fred Thompson on Fox News Sunday it became obvious Fred Thompson is doing exactly what he has to do to win the nomination. Fred Thompson doesn’t have to win the Iowa primary all he has to do is make a credible showing. Iowa is only one of 50 states, flyover America has yet to speak.

It may seem I’ve flip flopped in my support for Fred Thompson, actually what it shows is when the facts aren’t available even the most devout can falter. I’m a Red States Voter in a Blue State, which means most of the media coverage in my state goes to the Democratic Party. What little MSM coverage Republicans get is devoted to Mitt Romney’s Mormonism and Rudy Giuliani’s sex life, neither of these are of any concern to voters. Mike Huckabee seems to be getting a lot of media attention, this to will pass. Mike Huckabee has a lot to learn before he’s ready for prime time. It seems when Huckabee doesn’t have an answer he always manages a joke. I doubt the country is ready for a wise-ass president yet. Humor is no way to cover up past positions on issues that don’t fit into a political party’s platform.

There’s no question most of the Republican candidates would like to be known as the air-apparent to the Reagan legacy. Any Republican who assumes they can come anywhere near the accomplishment of Ronald Reagan should be arrested for impersonating a Great Statesman. Times change, a cloned Ronald Reagan would fail as a president today. Each of these candidates must come up with their own programs. They should not let the Media and the Democrats set the agenda for them. Reagan picked a few issues [less than a dozen] and concentrated on those, he never allowed Democrats or the media to sidetrack him into fighting their battles.

He was also emphatic about not speaking ill of fellow Republicans.

Things important to Democrats aren’t necessarily important to the majority of the voters. The 1948 election of Harry Truman was an example of a man the media and his own political party wrote off as a loser then he came back to win the election. If conventional wisdom ruled I’d win the lotto every week and Al Gore would be sitting in the Whitehouse.

Like many voters I’ve been letting media hype lead me down a path of discontent. The media’s hammering away as though it will all be over after the Iowa caucus has a mind altering effect on voters. The premise is as Iowa goes so goes the nation, this of course is not true Iowa is only the beginning. One thing we know about the media, what is fact today are never the same facts tomorrow. The media follows the clouds flowing on a path the political hot air directing them to who knows where.

I must apologize to Fred Thompson for doubting his campaign strategy. It would seem he’s on track and doesn’t seem to be all that concerned about winning Iowa. Fred Thompson realizes Iowa is only one state out of 50. Fred Thompson may have more insight to our political system than the rest of us. This nation is 230 years in the making, Those 230 years have produced 43 presidents and 110 sessions of congress. One president resigned and two were impeached, all for political purposes generated by their opponents. No president has ever committed a felony this has to give us comfort in the process of selecting leaders. I’m sure Fred Thompson has already figured this out and is willing to do it the smart way and take his chances. I would like to warn Mr. Thompson to watch his six he’s in a pond of political alligators up to his shorts. May I suggest we all control our hysteria and let the system work its magic? It’s worked for 230 years I’m sure it will work for at least one more election. With Iowa down and 49 states left to go the system will prevail as always. Win lose or draw America will survive to vote again

MAKE YOUR CHOICE AND STICK WITH HIM OR HER TO THE END, YOUR CANDIDATE DESERVES NO LESS THE ONLY WASTED VOTE IS NO VOTE AT ALL


TOPICS: History; Local News; Politics; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: campaigning; campaigns; caucuses; democraticparty; democratparty; democrats; editorial; election; electionpresident; elections; endorsement; endorsements; fred; fredthompson; gop; ia2008; iowa; issues; reagan; reaganesque; republicans; ronaldreagan; thompson; thompson44
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To: Darkwolf377

Sorry you responded to my post to djm. HE has the supersecret plan.


61 posted on 12/31/2007 4:15:26 AM PST by Soliton
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To: reasonisfaith
You’re saying that you let prevaricating pundits define a candidate for you, instead of the actions of the candidate himself.
I didn't say that I do, however it seems that the overwhelming majority of GOP voters do, according to the polls.
I'm not the only one voting this election. If I was, then the correct outcome would be guaranteed...

 
62 posted on 12/31/2007 4:17:59 AM PST by counterpunch (ABH - Anybody But Huckabee)
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To: Soliton
Sorry you responded to my post to djm. HE has the supersecret plan.

Nope, I responded to your post to me:

Posted by Soliton to Darkwolf377 On Bloggers & Personal 12/31/2007 4:08:02 AM PST · 59 of 61

How that's *my* error, I don't know.

63 posted on 12/31/2007 4:19:37 AM PST by Darkwolf377 (Pro-Life atheist hoping everyone had a Merry CHRISTmas!)
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To: Darkwolf377

I thought I was responding to djm. The artical contains this passage:

“I must apologize to Fred Thompson for doubting his campaign strategy. It would seem he’s on track and doesn’t seem to be all that concerned about winning Iowa. Fred Thompson realizes Iowa is only one state out of 50.”

I said I was sorry for the confusion. Grow up.


64 posted on 12/31/2007 4:54:28 AM PST by Soliton
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To: counterpunch
All these declarations are only YOUR perception. It seems to be constantly negative. The glass is always 1/2 empty.

It is his own fault. He let it happen. He made it easy for them. He didn’t define himself. He let their stereotypes stand uncontested, and then he played into them. He had no media management. Snip more BLAH BLAH BLAH.

So you are off your old 'he doesn't trumpet his foreign policy experience' bandwagon to the above.

Please quit wasting time on FR, and go work for YOUR candidate if Fred Thompson and his campaign are not to your liking.

65 posted on 12/31/2007 7:57:10 AM PST by 22cal (Forgiven, not perfected)
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To: counterpunch
No, that was a metaphor. In truth I think it’s several weeks if not months too late. He never did present his resume to the American people when they were listening. Now he’s already defined. And he’s been defined as slow, lazy, uninspiring, lackluster, arrogant, absent, and uninterested — but conservative(!) — instead of as a foreign policy expert, legal scholar, and steady hand in uncertain times.

And he was "defined" by people just like you. Thompson has been ahead of everyone in positing his detailed positions to the public, did you listen to or read them. Thompson has had numerous TV and Radio interviews, did you watch or listen? Thompson has been one of the top candidates as far as making campaign appearances, have you gone to any?

No, you just come onto a conservative forum and bitch and whine using the discredited talking points of the liberal media. You are the lazy one! You are the one with no fire in your belly to get a conservative elected as president. You, if you even are conservative, will be the failure if a liberal Democrat or Republican gets elected as our next president.

You've already shown an inability to lead or even follow. Please, just get out of the way.

66 posted on 12/31/2007 8:47:43 AM PST by Prokopton
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To: Darkwolf377
Darkwolf377 wrote: "...I think we need to stop comparing everything and everyone to Reagan..."

True, expecting another Reagan is a bit much to realistically expect. I doubt if I will see another candidate who can fully measure up to the lofty mark left by Reagan in my lifetime. But I do (subconsciously or otherwise) tend to stand a given candidate against the Reagan "yardstick" to see how they measure up.

With the current crop of candidates, Thompson is the clearest choice for me and most everyone I know (except for the two Huckabee supporters I know who seem to want a national Pastor, rather than a POTUS). To be sure, I am not claiming that Thompson is the next "Reagan", just that he is our obvious choice given what we like in a candidate.

Among the other candidates, we see:
Romney as an oily "Kerry" type poseur wearing a GOP hat.
Huckabee as a tiger attempting to change his stripes and trying to hide behind his religion.
Giuliani as having SCOTUS nominee and 2nd Amendment "issues".
McCain as personably likeable, but sadly misguided.
The rest, though likeable in some cases (ie. Hunter), just don't seem electable this go round.

It has been mentioned by some that Thompson should be doing far more to gain media attention. I can understand that point of view because we feel (and this is a *very* sad reality) the media's influence on voters can be disregarded only at a candidate's peril.

On the other side of that coin, we can also take note of the MSM's penchant for biased coverage. I don't think it's too hard to guess which party the majority of the MSM would prefer to gain the Presidency, so we keep their bias in mind when considering any of their political coverage (or lack thereof).

Speaking of which, I have never been contacted by the MSM or any polling entity regarding my preferences. Neither has anyone else that I know of. Frankly, we are tired of pundits, journalists and faceless polling firms presuming to tell us how we should vote. I so dearly hope that would become a common sentiment across our country.

Finally, Fred Thompson is the first candidate in a loooong time that has motivated us to personally ante up some cash -each month- to a campaign. Ya'll surely don't know me (or my close circle of friends) from Adam. But if you did, that last statement would speak volumes.

But ultimately, we will support the GOP candidate in the primary. We just *really* hope it's Thompson!
67 posted on 12/31/2007 9:32:58 AM PST by jaydee770 (What can not be remedied must be endured)
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To: Prokopton
And he was "defined" by people just like you. Thompson has been ahead of everyone in positing his detailed positions to the public, did you listen to or read them. Thompson has had numerous TV and Radio interviews, did you watch or listen? Thompson has been one of the top candidates as far as making campaign appearances, have you gone to any?

No, you just come onto a conservative forum and bitch and whine using the discredited talking points of the liberal media. You are the lazy one! You are the one with no fire in your belly to get a conservative elected as president. You, if you even are conservative, will be the failure if a liberal Democrat or Republican gets elected as our next president.

You've already shown an inability to lead or even follow. Please, just get out of the way.
I don't have the power to get Fred Thompson elected, only he does. Does it matter if I've tracked down his position papers or scoured the internet for his interviews? Is that going to make other people vote for him any more?

The problem isn't with what I know or thing about him, the problem is with his effectiveness in educating the public about himself and his own qualifications, and the his problem has been with his message itself. He's spent the last several months downplaying his own experience and playing up his folksy conservatism. That's a recipe for disaster against Giuliani and McCain in a post-9/11 GOP primary. If I didn't know about his experience then I wouldn't be nearly as angry about the fact that he hasn't bothered to promote it much. Thompson has been defined by what he has chosen to highlight about himself. And that's why he's not considered the foreign policy or national security heavy weight in the GOP field when he should be. He needs to be running as that, not as the "true conservative".

 
68 posted on 12/31/2007 2:58:33 PM PST by counterpunch (ABH - Anybody But Huckabee)
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To: counterpunch
New Fred Campaign Ad Link
69 posted on 12/31/2007 3:01:21 PM PST by stocksthatgoup (Number 1 FredHead)
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