Posted on 08/26/2007 11:48:33 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Indianapolis — “I’m with Fred” enticed the placards set up here at the Midwest Republican Leadership Conference at a table touting the noncampaign of actor, ex-senator and possible presidential candidate Fred Thompson.
In exchange for a $250 check, the faithful and the curious could enter a private room to meet Thompson, a political insider playing the outsider who might be the nation’s next Ronald Reagan — or might not even run.
Some walked away from the closed-door fundraiser on Saturday afternoon convinced.
“He looks presidential,” said Jeff Cardwell, 47, a conservative Christian lumber and hardware retailer. “He talks about going back to the basics. Putting God first in our country. I think he’s the person everybody looks to as being the true conservative of our party.”
But many of the party activists attending the conference from a dozen heartland states said they were seriously turned off by what they saw as Thompson’s ambivalence about whether to run months after other presidential hopefuls have been hard at it.
Thompson’s testing-the-waters bit is about to come to an end — supporters expect an announcement early next month — but here in the Midwest some said he’s waited too long.
“You can’t wait to get a mandate from the people,” said Elizabeth Morris, a community publisher and councilwoman in Dearborn County, Ind. “Either a person has a fire in the belly or they don’t.”
I’ve never counted Howard Baker, for whom Mr. Thompson first worked (Watergate committee), as a bona fide member of the “conservative movement.”
Thompson also worked on other projects for the Tennessee GOP establishment with Lamar Alexander, again not a member of the “conservative movement.”
I analyze this honestly and don’t see Thompson being as conservative as a Newt Gingrich for instance.
Fred was making millions in DC as a lobbyist, then came back to Tennessee in 1994 campaigning in a pickup truck to create an image.
Its honest analysis from this Jesse Helms, Ronald Reagan, Phyllis Schlafly, Ann Coulter type of conservative.
I’d vote for Fred if he were the nominee and am still considering him as a choice among half a dozen or so candidates.
But when I consider him I have to think about it honestly and truthfully without any hype and image making to push me towards him or any other candidate.
A lot of time is spent here on FR with propaganda posts promoting the various candidates as “conservative.”
“Conservative” should be a verb instead of a noun.
Lets get past the polls and use them with great caution and skepticism.
We need to focus our energy on a real conservative challenge to the big boys out there who have seduced many of us.
Thompson has gone from the Exploratory Committee to announcing (presumably next week) in three Summer months. I would wager that no other candidate has made that transition in less time.
The difference is that everybody else got buffaloed into starting their campaigns about nine months too early. McCain, Romney and Giuliani have been spending money for nothing as they try to woo voters who are just not paying attention. There is plenty of time between now and the first primaries (which are now in late October, I think...). Starting earlier than Labor Day is just a waste of time and money.
The ridiculously early primary season is a tactic by Hillary!, because she has all the money in the World and opinions about her are pretty much set in stone. By going in early, and getting the rest of the field to commit early, she is giving the voters plenty of time to get as tired of the rest of the field as they are of her. It is a good strategy, and every Democrat and Republican, except for Thompson, is playing along.
If you want a Republican Nominee who can be stampeded by Hillary! into doing something stupid, you have a lot of choices. If you want a Republican Nominee who take an intelligent course and not be pressured by group-think, your only choice is Fred Thompson.
Or perhaps Newt Gingrich, if he hops into the race. But given the choice between Newt and Fred, I'm with Fred.
I find it easy to ignore Fred at this time as he isn’t in the mellee. When or if he does jump into the fray, I’ll then think about his campaign.
Right now there is only one true Conservative in the running, and that cannot be ignored.
Hey, Fred's a SOUTHERNER. Southerners are more laid back and low key. They don't get up and "pound the pulpit" for hours on end like Castro (or Hillary).
The problem with Tancredo is that, even though he is the most consistent conservative across the board, he is perceived as a single issue candidate and odes not have the ability to convince the American public to buy into a conservative message. I’ll wait for Fred.
Mom? Is that you?
Style over substance. There's a lot worse choices than Thompson, but sometimes I get the impression that a lot of the pro-Fred impulse is based on appearances, emotions and rather shallow political reasoning. It's almost like teenage girls' reactions to their favorite boy band.
The same guy goes on to say:
"I think he’s the person everybody looks to as being the true conservative of our party.”
Not for everybody, not for me. To me he's speaking for the people who would rather look at Thompson than listen to Duncan Hunter.
2%? Breaking 1% would be tripling his support!
He loses a third of his support when one of them gets up to go to the bathroom.
There is nobody else I like, but I will admit that I am tired of waiting.
I am impatient with Fred, although still a supporter....unless he drags this out a whole lot longer.
My favorite is Hunter, but unfortunately he’s financially broke.
I’m a Southerner, and Fred’s VFW speech was REALLY low energy. I’ve seen him much better, and it was actually pretty shocking (too many ‘uhs’).
Laid back is one thing. But the overall lack of passion in the VFW speech was disconcerting, considering Fred’s better performances.
“Fire in the belly” is usually a precursor to explosive diarrhea.
If your candidate was accomplishing things, you’d be way too busy to come around and gripe about Fred. If you want your candidate to take off, perhaps you should be griping to him about what he is doing or not doing. People who don’t have anything to do have more time to complain.
“...Tancredo...”
ROFLMAO...OK, Two then. I forgot about him.
But tell me, does he have "gravitas"
I get the feeling that the only people impatient for Fred are those already supporting other candidates and see thier candidates hopes floating down the drain because Fred has a lot of support without yet announcing.
You posted that to my comment #19. What was my gripe, what was my complaint? I was excoriating polls and didn’t even mention Fred.
In my original comment, I was somewhat defending Fred, and I don’t recall “complaining” about Hunter not doing well. Did you just see my tagline and decide to chide me? Given your profession, I can only hope the ability to discern the meaning of the written word is not completely lost on you.
The post was at 5:19 am, just before work and I have been home less than an hour. So not having anything to do is not something with which I am acquainted. I think you saw my tagline and decided to call down the Hunter supporter.
Oh, and since you brought it up, my candidate is accomplishing a great deal. How about being the leader in the fight for our sovereignty? How about writing a bill and getting it passed into law for 854 miles of double-fence along our Southern border? How about working tirelessly to make sure our brave soldiers have what they need when they engage our enemies? What about fighting for his country as a Ranger in Vietnam? There is so much more, but I’ve a feeling you meant “accomplishment” in terms of poll numbers, which I abhor.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.