He was in the Seante 8 years...What did he do there? I can't recall much at all and some rather negative situations like the investigation of the campaign finances. He just doesn't have the background to impress some of us. I'm looking for leadership, not the image of it he projects due to his career in television and movies. What did he accompish in the Senate that impresses some so much, please detail it for those of us who don't seem to recall much of anything. He did go down to Florida during the re-count, that was a positive. I'm not even sure about his stance on abortion....he seems to have had a few of them, like Romney. It takes more than a great voice and communications skills to make a President. Please (and I am sincerely asking) those of you who support him...Tell us WHY.
Can you tell me what Ronald Reagen did as a governer?
12:14:21 AM CDT
BonnieJ wrote: "He was in the Seante 8 years...What did he do there?"
According to Lawrenceburg Online, among FDT's Senate accomplishments were his election as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs in 1997, making him among the most junior senators in history to serve as Chairman of a major Senate Committee. He served as Chairman until June of 2001.
The Governmental Affairs Committee is charged with overseeing the management of the federal government. During his Chairmanship, Sen. Thompson's committee actively pursued an agenda aimed at producing a smaller, more efficient, and more accountable government. Of his efforts, the Kingsport Times-News wrote, "Sen. Thompson is to be applauded for keeping a watchful eye over Washington fiscal matters. There should be more like him."
Sen. Thompson held hearings on topics such as improving the federal regulatory process; reforming the IRS; exploring ways to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse; and a number of national security issues, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile technologies. Thompson also investigated and successfully enacted solutions to information management problems such as computer security.
Thompson was also a member of the powerful Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over taxes, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare reform, and international trade. From this position, he focused on reducing taxes, reforming the tax code to make it simpler and fairer, and restoring the Social Security and Medicare programs to long-term solvency.
While a strong supporter of free trade, Sen. Thompson advocated a balanced approach to trade and national security. He pushed for an export control policy that protects our country's national security without unnecessarily burdening American industry with bureaucratic red tape. He also proposed legislation to curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by China and other countries and to strengthen the United States' response to such activities.
A third committee FDT served on was the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the National Security Working Group, which observes and monitors executive branch negotiations with foreign governments.
And wrote: "I'm not even sure about his stance on abortion....he seems to have had a few of them, like Romney."
You have be poorly informed. Fred Thompson has had only one stance on abortion. He's against it. That why his NARAL rating was a perfect zero, LOL! AS FDT said on FNS last weekend, "I think Roe vs. Wade was bad law and bad medical science."
And wrote: "It takes more than a great voice and communications skills to make a President. Please (and I am sincerely asking) those of you who support him...Tell us WHY."
We've BEEN telling you why in numerous threads and articles here on FR, but you don't seem to be paying attention. Please try to focus on the following facts:
A review of Fred Dalton Thompson's voting record shows that he consistently voted for gun owners (the NRA called him a "staunch supporter of the Second Amendment"), against abortion, for business, against higher taxes, for a balanced budget, for a strong defense, for ANWR drilling, for capping foreign aid, for free trade, for private property rights, for personal retirement accounts, for the Iraq War Resolution and for welfare reform.
Among his interest group ratings, FDT earned a perfect zero from National Abortion Reproductive Rights Action, a perfect 100% from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, only 11% from the ACLU, 85% from the American Conservative Union, 86% from the Center for Security Policy, a perfect zero from the American Federation of Teachers, 6% from the National Education Association, 90% from the League of Private Property Voters, 97% from the National Tax Limitation committee, 88% from the National Taxpayers Union and a perfect zero from the liberal ADA. In a 1995 analysis, Project Vote Smart listed Thompson as having supported Contract With America items 100% of the time. Let me repeat that last: Project Vote Smart listed Thompson as having supported Contract With America items 100% of the time.
Thompson's biggest negatives with conservatives are his stances on immigration (he wasn't a hawk on it while in the Senate) and McCain Feingold (he supported it). But those votes were a full decade ago. On FNS last weekend, Fred told Mike Wallace
"I came from the outside to Congress. And it always seemed strange to me. We've got a situation where people could give politicians huge sums of money, which is the soft money situation at that time, and then come before those same politicians and ask them to pass legislation for them.
I mean, you get thrown in jail for stuff like that in the real world. And so I always thought that there was some reasonable limitation that ought to be put on that, and you know, looking back on history, Barry Goldwater in his heyday felt the same thing."
And on immigration, FDT's position today is the same as that of the conservative House Republicans who said nothing else matters until we can secure the borders. In Fred's own words:
"Well, I'm concerned about the next 12 million or 20 million. So that's why enforcement, and enforcement at the border, has to be primary."
Fred Thompson is media-savvy, has a commanding presence, enjoys superb name recognition (thanks to his Law & Order and movie roles, as well as pinch-hitting for Paul Harvey on radio) and left the Senate with a solid conservative voting record. He's much like Ronald Reagan in possessing those qualities. Also like Reagan, Thompson is that rare sort of conservative who doesn't scare away moderates and independents. And again like Reagan, he may be the only potential candidate who can unite the factions of the Republican Party right now. Oh, and lest we forget, Ronald Reagan was an actor, too.