Posted on 08/08/2007 7:39:29 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Thompson picks prez committee manager
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago
Fred Thompson has tapped the man who engineered his 1994 Senate win to take over his likely presidential campaign, aides said Wednesday.
Bill Lacy, a former strategist for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and the Republican National Committee, confirmed in an interview that he is taking over day-to-day operations of the former Tennessee senator's committee to "test the waters" of a presidential bid.
"I'm here for the long haul," Lacy said from the committee's headquarters in a Virginia suburb. He said he has taken a leave of absence from his current post as the director of the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.
Thompson is expected to officially enter the race Labor Day week.
Over the past few weeks, the all-but-declared candidate sidelined his campaign-manager-in-waiting and watched a few other aides follow him out the door amid consternation inside the operation about the active role of Thompson's wife, Jeri.
At the time, aides said former senator and energy secretary Spencer Abraham and a Florida GOP strategist, Randy Enwright, would take over the campaign. But that turned out to be temporary as the Thompsons sought a replacement for Tom Collamore, who still is advising Thompson.
Lacy's relationship with Thompson dates to fall of 1993 when Thompson approached him to take over his then-sluggish campaign in a special election to replace Al Gore, who was assuming the vice presidency. Thompson came from behind to win the election, and went on to serve eight years in the Senate.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Former GOP, Presidential Campaign Strategist Joins Effort
Washington, D.C.Former Reagan White House political aide Bill Lacy today was named manager of Fred Thompsons testing the waters committee.
Bill Lacy worked in the campaigns of President Reagan, President Bush and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole from 1980-1996, Thompson said. He turned around my campaign for Senate in 1994 and, as I move toward a decision on whether to run for President, I am confident he will take our operations to the next level.
Lacy will have full operational control of the Friends of Fred Thompson committee and will report directly to Thompson.
It is an honor to be working with Fred again, said Lacy, who is taking a leave of absence as Director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. My immediate goal is to provide stable, hands-on leadership and to retool the Thompson operation to implement a non-traditional, message-driven effort.
Lacy was a GOP campaign professional in Washington from 1977-1996. He ran Ronald Reagan’s 1980 Maryland primary campaign, and served as Deputy Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee in 1981-82 before joining the White House staff as Deputy Director of Political Affairs. During Reagans reelection campaign in 1984 he was Political Director of the Republican National Committee and afterwards rejoined the White House as Director of the Office of Political Affairs.
Lacy held a senior role in Sen. Bob Doles 1988 campaign and served as Deputy National Chairman and strategist in Doles 1996 primary campaign. Lacy served as Thompsons strategist and management consultant in his 1994 campaign until Thompson, down 20 points in the polls and written off by most of the pundits, persuaded Lacy to move to Nashville and take over day-to-day management of the campaign.
In 1996 Lacy assumed a senior management role in a privately held family business and in September 2004 was selected to be the Director of the Dole Institute of Politics.
Every day at the Dole Institute I told students and others how important it is to get involved in politics, to take a greater interest in the affairs of our country, Lacy said. This is a tremendous opportunity to serve, an obligation in my view; I am honored that Fred Thompson has given me this chance.
http://www.imwithfred.com/NewsRoom/PressRelease.aspx?ID=9d594519-30fe-4026-83e3-3d5eda6fb1d1
Not until he has a campaign
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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He lost his campaign!
look under the sofa cushions...
Why would he need a campaign? He’s not running (He would have told me if he was)
Good point.
He is too lazy to actually run anyways, ya know what I mean ;-)...
Thank you for the clarification of Abraham’s role. Boy its nasty out there with the MSM and all the hit pieces. Wait till this campaign is announced I assume it will get worse.
My point was about Dole, hence the grammatically permissable .... noting I left something out unrelated to the point I was attempting to make.
“Every day at the Dole Institute I told students and others how important it is to get involved in politics, to take a greater interest in the affairs of our country, Lacy said. This is a tremendous opportunity to serve, an obligation in my view; I am honored that Fred Thompson has given me this chance.”
I guess Fred’s not the only one who’s fickle:
June 6, 2007
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jun/06/institute_director_has_insight_likely_candidate/
“Lacy said he would not consider leaving the Dole Institute to work on Thompsons campaign but might take a minor volunteer role if asked.”
I did like this quote:
My immediate goal is to provide stable, hands-on leadership and to retool the Thompson operation to implement a non-traditional, message-driven effort.
But I'm certain it's all smoke and mirrors.
It’s an act...
First of all, you might notice that the comment that you term “fickle” is not quoted directly. It’s the reporter who is SAYING that Lacy said that. Tell me, do you always believe every reporter you read? For that matter, how credible is LJWorld itself?
Secondly, even if for discussion purposes, we assume that Lacy did make that remark, why does that become fully binding and restrictive?
Are people allowed to change their minds or reconsider a position in your world? Or if one (supposedly/reportedly) opens their mouth at one point in time, that’s it, all other options are automatically closed down as far as you are concerned.
As far as Fred being fickle, sorry, I simply don’t trust your assessment of such matters being the known detractor that you are.
Ronald Reagan is a point applicable to Lacy, which is who it started with. I understood what you were trying to say. I guess I didn’t think it was unrelated to Lacy.
Lacy also worked with Fred on his 1994 campaign, so the two of them go way back. Before Dole. I would consider Reagan and Fred to be more of an influence on him when he was younger.
ElkGroveDan agrees with you, ElkGroveDan was just trying to make a Bob Dole joke.
LOL I didn’t get it.....
Sorry
Oh well, maybe someone else will. I’m too serious too often.
Hey, I am trying to help you with that, remember ;-)
I don’t either, am going to take a nap and hope when I wake things look clearer.
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