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(Ex-WI-Governor) Thompson Takes Steps Toward Presidential Run
Madison.com via AP ^ | December 16, 2006 | James Carlson

Posted on 12/16/2006 12:40:38 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE - Former Gov. Tommy Thompson is proceeding with preparations for a possible run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, a spokesman says.

Thompson, who resigned as Wisconsin governor to become U.S. health and human services secretary when President Bush took office in 2001, has formed an exploratory committee looking ahead to a possible campaign for the White House.

The committee delivered paperwork to the Federal Elections Commission Wednesday as part of the process, said Thompson spokesman Tony Jewell in a telephone interview Friday night.

"This allows the governor to begin raising money and hire a staff should he decide to run for president," Jewell said.

He said Thompson wouldn't make any decision until sometime next year.

For now, "the next step is he's going to enjoy his holidays," Jewell said.

But he said Thompson, who turned 65 last month, was meeting with people Friday in Iowa, where precinct caucuses early in the election year traditionally launch the presidential nominating season.

Jewell also noted that Thompson has hired Republican activist Steve Grubbs of Davenport to help with his Iowa campaign efforts.

"He'll continue to travel to Iowa and meet with people, talk with as many people as possible and sometime after the first of the year, he'll be making a decision on how to move forward," Jewell said.

Thompson has gone into a number of private-sector enterprises, many in the health care field, since he left the federal post at the end of Bush's first term.


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: gop2008; rino; thompson
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Iowans, if they take the time to talk with Tommy, will be impressed as heck! He is one down-to-Earth kind of guy.
1 posted on 12/16/2006 12:40:40 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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To: Watery Tart; KRAUTMAN; reformedliberal; Mygirlsmom; codercpc; s2baccha; ozaukeemom; PjhCPA; ...

"Tiny Article of Great Importance Buried on a Saturday" Ping!


2 posted on 12/16/2006 12:41:19 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Tommy Thompson - just another RINO, consistently seduced by the prospect of spending other people's money.


3 posted on 12/16/2006 12:44:55 PM PST by brewcrew
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Some factors working against Thompson:

(1) He was inept as HHS Secretary

(2) He works for a firm that wants to implant devices into humans

4 posted on 12/16/2006 12:45:14 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Why can't Republicans stand up to Democrats like they do to terrorists?)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

this could be bad news for Romney.


5 posted on 12/16/2006 12:52:30 PM PST by IOWAfan (We depress easily thinking about Iowa Football, but are packing for the Alamo Bowl.)
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To: brewcrew

Much less of a RINO than many others in the ring right now.

Not that that's necessarily a GOOD thing, LOL!


6 posted on 12/16/2006 1:07:26 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
All well and good, but are there any possibles out there that aren't in their 60's?

Names please...

FMCDH(BITS)

7 posted on 12/16/2006 1:08:02 PM PST by nothingnew (I fear for my Republic due to marxist influence in our government. Open eyes/see)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

He did a lot to get dead weight off the welfare rolls and back out into the workforce in our state.

He did more in that area than many other Governors across the country. Saved me a buck or two...though it was siphoned out of my pocket elsewhere.

Whadda ya gonna do? He's better than some, not as good as others.


8 posted on 12/16/2006 1:09:45 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: IOWAfan

The pubbies are starting to remind me of the germans, start a war, come in second place. Other than Rudy {and he's no gem} the bench looks very weak. We may end up with demonRats all around. Buy extra ammo.


9 posted on 12/16/2006 1:10:51 PM PST by USS Alaska (Nuke the terrorist savages - In Honor of Standing Wolf)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

He has no chance.


10 posted on 12/16/2006 1:18:39 PM PST by streetpreacher (RUDY/ROMNEY 2008: Supporting Marriage between a man and a woman, then a woman, then a woman...)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin; All
I am not incandescently excited over Gov Thompson, but, I do not have any sick feeling in my stomach either. He may be the *exact* candidate needed to fill the position of an experienced executive who can get things done, within the very difficult restrictions of satisfying ALL of the factions of the economic and social conservatives as well as the mainstream or centerist Republicans.

I will have to research his record to determine my final stance vis a vis his candidacy, and to make myself sure that he does not have any baggage of personal or economic corruption, nor a moral sword of Damocles hanging over his candidacy. With a vibrant VPOTUS running mate such as a Duncan Hunter, or a Michael Steel, or a Lincoln Diaz-Balart; that is a strong personality or has the potential to continue a conservative political philosophical line, I may be more comfortable than I have been with the chances of a Republican victory in a very, VERY long while.
11 posted on 12/16/2006 1:25:39 PM PST by Gideon Reader (" All of us know who the enemy is, and where the threat comes from, except for the politicians.")
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I still hold Thompson in high regard and he might just be the guy who can unite the RINOs and the conservatives - far more so than Rudy, Romney or Traitor John.

He's not everything we want but he is still well-regarded in an important swing state/swing region. We could do a lot worse (and probably will).


12 posted on 12/16/2006 1:31:11 PM PST by Tall_Texan (NO McCain, Rudy, Romney, Hillary, Kerry, Obama or Gore in 2008!)
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To: Gideon Reader

People liked him in our left-leaning state:

Electoral history

* 1998 Race for Governor
o Tommy Thompson (R) (inc.), 60%
o Ed Garvey (D), 39%

* 1994 Race for Governor
o Tommy Thompson (R) (inc.), 67%
o Chuck Chvala (D), 31%

* 1990 Race for Governor
o Tommy Thompson (R) (inc.), 58%
o Tom Loftus (D), 42%

* 1986 Race for Governor
o Tommy Thompson (R), 53%
o Tony Earl (D) (inc.), 46%


13 posted on 12/16/2006 1:39:09 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Tall_Texan

He certainly knows how to run a campaign. He was elected here for FOUR terms. Unheard of in many places for a Governor.


14 posted on 12/16/2006 1:39:50 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

"Iowans, if they take the time to talk with Tommy, will be impressed as heck! He is one down-to-Earth kind of guy."

Have you ever sat down and talked with him? My experience with him, and his governors office, which he really didn't even run, left me quite a ways away from "impressed".


15 posted on 12/16/2006 2:04:56 PM PST by Prokopton
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To: streetpreacher
I'd like to think so. But then again I said the same thing when he announced for governor in 1986, then he went on to be the first 4 term governor in Wisconsin history. I think he doesn't get very far this time - but he has fooled a lot of people in the past. On a state level.
16 posted on 12/16/2006 2:09:08 PM PST by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Ditto to # 3. I also blame Tommy for McCallum's loss in 2002. We didn't need Ed in the mix.

When Tommy announced to the world that our food supply would be easy to sabotage and he "didn't know why the terrorists hadn't tried it," on his last day in office in 2004 as Sec. of Health and Human Welfare, he lost any remnant of confidence I ever had in him.

Don't waste your money, Tommy.


17 posted on 12/16/2006 2:10:25 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Did you think about what you just wrote? "People LIKED him in our left leaning state." Just what does that say?

He's certainly not conservative. He rides the fence, playing both sides, until he suffers from crotchrot. My neighborhood (including one of his best friends) was engaged in a 10 year battle to prevent a high speed highway from cutting through our neighborhoods. NOBODY wanted it, there was NO NEED for it, the State had NO MONEY for it, he could have stopped it with a stroke of a pen, but he came to a stupid compromise that just put off the widening for 10 years because the DOT wanted to do it. Well, the 10 years is almost done and the State has gobbled up all of the right of way. We still don't need it, or want it, but it looks like we're going to get it.


18 posted on 12/16/2006 2:17:52 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Out of curiosity, are there any RINOs who aren't running for President in 2008? Between Giuliani, McLame, Romney and the longshots Pataki, Bloomberg (not even a RINO!), Chuck Hagel, etc. I think there can be no more than a dozen or so RINOs in the country who haven't at least flirted with running for President. Thompson just adds to the list.


19 posted on 12/16/2006 2:21:09 PM PST by Alter Kaker ("Whatever tears one sheds, in the end one always blows one's nose." - Heine)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
People liked him in our left-leaning state:

That's because Tommy Thompson is a far-left socialist. If you want a candidate who will give you universal state-funded healthcare, why not just vote for Hillary?

20 posted on 12/16/2006 2:24:34 PM PST by Alter Kaker ("Whatever tears one sheds, in the end one always blows one's nose." - Heine)
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