TV Star, Former Republican Senator Fred Thompson Mulls '08 Presidential Bid

Fox News ^ | March 8, 2007

[West Coast Conservative]

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is facing increased calls to get into the 2008 GOP nomination race.

Sources told FOX News that Thompson, 62, now one of the stars of the popular NBC prime time series "Law & Order," has not ruled out a presidential bid, and has authorized advisers and supporters to continue to gauge support.

Advisers are holding regular strategy sessions, investigating fundraising avenues and private polling to measure enthusiasm. Perhaps pre-eminent among a number of prominent Thompson backers working behind the scenes is former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker.

Baker has been a mentor to Thompson since before the Senate's Watergate hearings, for which Baker hired Thompson as majority counsel and for which Thompson earned fame for having Baker ask the key question that led to President Richard Nixon's downfall: "What did the president know and when did he know it?"

Baker ran for president himself in 1980. Thompson eyed the White House in the 1990s.

While Thompson, who also helped raise money and advise I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's legal defense fund, continues to mull a bid, sources said he has been inundated with calls from GOP donors and supporters urging him to run.

Thompson has a solid and consistently conservative voting record that his supporters said makes a stark contrast to Republican frontrunners Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

This week, he told radio news host Mark Levin that he would have something to say about his plans, but not yet.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Could you please add me to your Thompson ping list? If so, thanks much.

[The Pack Knight]

Rudy Giuliani is a Moderate Libertarian.

Take these grids with a grain of salt, alright? They're overly simplistic at best. Every issue is given the same weight, and they aren't corrected for lack of data. This site's a nice idea, but no substitute to listening to doing your own research and using your own judgment.

[The Pack Knight]

Wow, I need coffee.

[jellybean]

Could you please add me to your Thompson ping list? If so, thanks much.

You've been added. :)

[The Pack Knight]

and we have to place all our chips on Ohio again - that prospect scares me.

I don't know how much this means, but we have had a massive influx of Ohio expats down here in NC in the last few years. The preponderance seem to be from the northern half of the state, particularly from the Akron-Canton and Cleveland areas. When I moved down here from Ohio 10 years ago, I was the only Ohioan I knew down here. It's anecdotal, but it could be indicative of a population shift in Ohio since 2004. If northern Ohio is losing people faster than, say, southeast Ohio, then that works in our favor.

[jellybean]

Ping to #380

If I have to choose one right now, it would be:

Side note: I heard Paul Harvey say he will be gone for a few days for some family stuff. Fred usually sits in for him when he's gone, so he may be on next week. :)

[RockinRight]

Not good for NC though...

[RockinRight]

[The Pack Knight]

Tell me about it.

"Waah, waah, Bush made the economy bad so we got laid off by the big mean corporations and had to move down here to live with you rednecks, waah, waah." Like a broken friggin' record.

[mware]

Agreed babygene. I checked Thompsons record with ACU, on all life issues. He votes for the ban on partial birth abortions every time it came up for a vote in the Senate.

He may claim to be pro-choice but his record indicates that he is pro life.

Perhaps his choice is for LIFE.

[Howlin]

Oh, I despise those people! I see them everywhere here in Raleigh.

I always remember a bumpersticker a friend of ours had: "We Don't Give A Damn HOW You Did It Up North."

[bushfamfan]

What about campaign finance reform? I seem to remember Fred Thompson supporting his buddy McCain in that effort if I'm not mistaken?

[bushfamfan]

Thank you. You answered my question on the campaign finance reform.

[upcountry miss]

I want to thank you for making me aware of the Thompson ping list. For a long time I have toyed with the idea of Fred for Pres. but never saw any similar thoughts, so thought I might be just dreaming. Then a few days ago, I got on your list and it has been a ball since then.

I do like his stance on most of the issues and that means a lot, but in addition to that, his mien, intelligence and command of the English language would make him a very formidable debater and in this world of TV, a necessary attribute.

Also and very important to me, his well known image. I watch news and Fox talk shows entirely while the rest of my family watch what I call "junk". Mention Law and Order and they associate with Fred. Up here in the wilds of Maine, I guarantee the majority of folks have never heard of the other candidates (at least this is true of ALL of my family), but they have heard of Hillary, so if they even vote at all, they vote for name recognition and I know Fred has better name recognition than Hillary in these parts.

I originally favored a Thompson/Newt ticket, but either Watts, Rice or maybe Santorum sounds equally like a "winning" ticket and surely, that is what is important right now.

That said, unlike many others on this forum, I will vote for the chosen candidate, as whomever it is, it will be better than the alternative.

[papasmurf]

Thanks for your replies and the FT ping list.


:O)

P

[PhiKapMom]

If Thompson ran, the group that syndicates Law and Order and SVU would not be allowed to do any more syndication with Thompson in the shows which would leave out a lot of programs and break contracts with the stations who are showing the current reruns.

When Pres Reagan ran in 1980 and again in 1984 none of his movies or TV shows could be showed on TV.

We are talking much bigger bucks this time and he is under contract for Law and Order and SVU including getting residuals from reruns.

[jmc813]

This is even getting better, here's a picture of him and his wife:

I'd hit that.

[jmc813]

It's the kind of thing we really mean when we say we are going to need to make some compromises to find a good candidate. I think it's the kind of thing we COULD compromise on if we had to. It's nothing like having to sell your soul, like you would for Rudy Guiliani.

Very well said.

[freeangel]

Please add me to the list, too. Thank you.

[phillyfanatic]

He had a good record in Tenn. but I think by pulling out of another race, that weakens his stances. If his stances look good, and he polls well as a lower tier candidate, perhaps he is actually running for the VP slot. And that would be fine with me.