I never pretended or implied that he's the best fiscal conservative, there you go lying again. But he beats hell out of Thompson. If the only way you can boost Fred is to lie about Hunter (post 76), what can I say?
I’ve posted Fred’s attributes a thousand times over. I’m not going to do it again.
I’m not trying to lie here, and apologize if I misunderstood what you’re implying.
As I said, I have nothing against Duncan Hunter, but the man has NO chance. I’d like to see him in a House leadership position for a while (like minority/majority leader level) first.
Nobody beats Fred fiscally.
- While in the Senate, he waged total war against government waste and fraud. Just one of many glowing reports from Citizens Against Government Waste:
CAGW PRAISES THOMPSON REPORT ON FEDERAL MISMANAGEMENT
Key excerpt: “Once again, Chairman Thompson deserves great credit for exposing the pervasive problems in the federal government,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said. “As CAGW has documented repeatedly, many federal agencies and programs are duplicative, unaccountable, nontransparent, get poor results, lose money, are mismanaged, and outdated. These problems have persisted for decades, and as this report indicates, are growing worse and require rapid action.”
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=news_NewsRelease_06052001b
-He also ferreted out and brought to light federal abuses of power:
KEEPING BIG BROTHER FROM WATCHING YOU: PRIVACY IN THE INTERNET AGE
Key excerpt: This report brings to light one of Orwell’s worst fears—not only are government agencies sharing private, personal information about individual citizens and failing to inform them, but they are also overstepping checks and balances designed to prevent such abuses from occurring. Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) emphasized that the government was technologically challenged when he said that “the Administration is not enforcing the laws that Congress passed” and that the federal government’s underlying infrastructure is “riddled with vulnerabilities which represent severe security flaws and risks to our national security, public safety, and personal privacy.”
- He doggedly held the line on taxes; as one example, he was one of only 36 congress members and only 9 senators to receive the coveted “Taxpayers’ Friend” award from the National Taxpayers Union:
CITIZEN GROUP SALUTES “TAXPAYERS’ FRIENDS” IN CONGRESS: JUST 36 LAWMAKERS RECEIVE AWARDS FOR SCORES ON NTU’S 2002 RATING
Key excerpt: “Not all Members of Congress fought day in and day out during 2002 for the principle of limited government that is the cornerstone of our country’s greatness,” said NTU President John Berthoud. “Fortunately, at least 36 allies in Congress demonstrated an unwavering commitment to taxpayers. We are proud to honor this fiscal ‘coalition of the willing.’”
http://www.ntu.org/main/press_release.php?PressID=113&org_name=NTU
- He has been a tireless champion of federalism/states’ rights:
THOMPSON EARNS “RESTORING THE BALANCE” AWARD FROM NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
Key excerpt: WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, has been selected to receive the 2000 “Restoring the Balance Award,” presented by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The award, given annually to national policymakers committed to federalism and its impact on issues involving state legislators, was presented to Thompson last night at the NCSL’s Leader to Leader Dinner in Washington.
-snip of complimentary quote about Fred just for brevity’s sake-
Thompson’s dedication to the principles of federalism and sound government policy has resulted in the Committee’s advancement of the Federalism Accountability Act, and Senate passage of the Regulatory Right to Know Act, the Federal Financial Information Assistance Management Improvement Act, the Truth in Regulating Act, and revision of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.