Fred Thompson Suckered The Conservatives (Vanity . . . and yes, Fred Thompson Suckered YOU)

1/23/08 | Greg F

[Greg F]

Every conservative is gone from the race now and Fred proved he had no stomach for a fight. He was behind after a few rounds and didn't even come out to see if he could win a last round knockout. He was a stalking horse for somebody, in my opinion. He froze up conservative money through the early campaign season and dissuaded dark horse conservatives from testing the waters . . . and then dropped out after campaigning in one state. Thompson has screwed up everything he's touched in politics . . . from his crushing of Nixon with his "what did you know, when did you know it question" through Howard Baker, to his campaign finance "reform" with McCain, to his botched 'leadership' of the Clinton impeachment, to his 2008 candidacy that ousted every true conservative from the race. Free Republic Republicans got suckered. I will add the perfunctory, in my opinion. There. I feel better.

Also, the idea of old man Fred as a VP candidate is plain stupid. We already have seen what we get when we make an uncharismatic older guy with health problems VP . . . which is that we get absolutely nothing. Cheyney just left us without a presumptive nominee and a main challenger to him in this race. We end up with a media driven campaign and RINO's running the show.

[papasmurf]

A perfect example of why we should never be nice to idiots.

[Greg F]

What good did Fred do conservatives? Why bother to defend him now anyway? He’s gone.

[papasmurf]

Are you always so stupid or is today a special occasion?

[Shelayne]

LOL. I love that one!

[cva66snipe]

Yep that’s exactly what he did. Fred has about as much leadership ambition as Duke the hound on the Beverly Hillbillies. Too bad people forgot about it the last time.

[CedarDave]

ROTFLMAO!!

[Nonstatist]

Where were these dark horse conservatives who were supposedly willing to undertake a run for the presidency

Duncan might have gotten more support in the Fall if Thompson had stayed out. JMO.

[Greg F]

My hope is for one the conservative Governors to be chosen at the convention.

[NautiNurse]

You make more sense in your rationale voting for Rudy than in your initial conspiracy post. FDT simply ran (errr shuffled) a half-hearted campaign effort. It was obvious months ago in Orlando. Whether he thought everyone would flock to him because of star power, or whether it was horrific campaign strategy advice, it doesn’t matter. It was not a conspiracy, and to claim such is silly tin foil hat antics.

[Greg F]

I wasn’t so stupid as to not see this failure of Fred’s coming from a mile away. I was saying from day one that we needed to support the other conservative candidates or we’d be left with nothing if Fred didn’t catch on. In reality, Fred barely campaigned, so it wasn’t even a matter of catching on.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

to his botched 'leadership' of the Clinton impeachment

Yeah, that was a big red warning flag [it was the Chinese funny-money scandal]:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Dalton_Thompson#Senate_career

Ann Coulter was the only commentator who remembered that sorry episode.

Also, Fred voted against impeachment on the perjury count.

If his sorry performance here, in the 2008 primaries, wasn't an intentional feint to draw off the conservatives, then it sure was just another piece in a long line of evidence that, when it the time comes to fish or cut bait, the guy just doesn't have the fire in his belly.

Also - good point about the age of the VP - Fred is already 65 [he turns 66 in August], and if he were to serve two terms as VP, then he'd be 73 [going on 74] come 2016.

[Greg F]

The reason I’m open to the stalking horse scenario is the sudden openness of Fred Thompson to the VP post. Maybe he was just looking for a do nothing, comfy “role.” He’s an old man to be hunting a VP slot.

[papasmurf]

Be gone, troll!

I have a steaming hot cup of 8 O’ Clock (beans, ground and roasted to perfection), don’t make me spit it on my keyboard.

[Nonstatist]

FDT simply ran (errr shuffled) a half-hearted campaign effort

I agree. .. This is just one of those years where everything is conspiring against conservatives.. if you really want to assign blame, it should be put at the feet of GWB, IMO, whose inarticulateness and fiscal sloppiness has quite possibly given us four years of Shrillery, despite her massive flaws. That is, if we're into assigning "blame"...

[GQuagmire]

Hmmmmm....................

[AxelPaulsenJr]

In normal circumstances I could see why Fred would drop out. Given our tanking economy, the war, and coming off eight years of a Republican Presidency. The pendulum would naturally tend to swing to the dimocrats having the best shot at the White House.

But there is Hildabest and Obama and anyone who saw the dimocrat debate the other night, knows that the dims are FAR from having the race for the White House locked up.

I just don't understand why Fred gave up so early.

[cripplecreek]

I may as well be called a troll too. After all, I said early on that he seemed to be acting as a spoiler.

[NautiNurse]

I know more than a handful of Florida folks who are voting for Rudy in an effort to open up the delegate count.

Regarding Fred as a VP candidate...if it's McCain/Thompson, the Grumpy Old Men jokes would never end.

[cva66snipe]

My hope is for one the conservative Governors to be chosen at the convention.

I'd rather see a Conservative Congressman chosen myself. They are far more closer to being in touch with the real world and we get a good idea as to their record. The GOP has several congress-critters who would be fine. Rorhenbaucher {sp}, Paul, and Jimmy Duncan, for starters.

[Dick Vomer]