Prominent Conservative Says Thompson Acceptable [Current head of The Family Research Council]

A prominent social conservative said Wednesday he finds Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson acceptable as a party nominee but warned many Christian voters would desert the Republican ticket if Rudy Giuliani is the 2008 nominee.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said that, in his view, former U.S. Sen. Thompson "has a record that shows he is conservative socially. I think he has a record that shows he is a fiscal conservative as well as being strong in the area of foreign policy and national defense."

He said former New York City Mayor Giuliani is the only candidate running among the Republicans "who has stated a pro-abortion-rights position."

"I think it would be very problematic to put forth a candidate that's broken with 30 years of Republican history," he said.

Mr. Perkins' comments come as social conservatives prepare for a GOP candidates forum in Washington next week. The Values Voter Summit also will feature a presidential straw poll.

Speaking to reporters in a telephone conference call, Mr. Perkins said he remains optimistic that there will be "one or two candidates potentially (emerging) with a strong consensus of support from social conservatives."

He sought to downplay a dispute between Dr. James Dobson, a prominent social conservative who heads Focus on the Family, and Mr. Thompson. Still, Mr. Perkins said during the call that he finds Mr. Thompson's refusal to endorse a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage "problematic."

Mr. Thompson has said he opposes gay marriages, but he has stopped short of supporting a constitutional ban. Instead, he has said he would back a federalist approach in the form of a constitutional amendment that would let a state refuse to recognize same-sex marriage ceremonies performed in other states.

Thompson spokesman Jeff Sadosky said in an e-mail that Mr. Thompson, who served as senator from 1994 to early 2003, "has a 100 percent pro-life voting record and on issues such as life and marriage, he believes strongly in returning authority to the levels of government closest to families and communities and protecting states from further intrusion by the federal government and activist judges."

Mr. Perkins said the Thompson proposal would stop "judges from redefining marriage or one state imposing same-sex marriage on another state."

Mr. Perkins said he supports the idea of federalism, but "in our complex society, at some point federalism breaks down, and I do believe marriage is one of those areas where that line of reasoning or ideological position does not work." He said Mr. Thompson remains a viable candidate "because he has been very clear in stating that he sees marriage as between a man and a woman."

Mr. Thompson's differences with Dr. Dobson surfaced in March when U.S. News & World Report quoted Dr. Dobson saying he did not believe that Mr. Thompson is a Christian.

Dr. Dobson's representatives later said he had been misquoted. But The Associated Press, meanwhile, recently quoted from a memo sent by Dr. Dobson criticizing Mr. Thompson.

"Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., ... won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?" Dr. Dobson wrote.

According to a transcript of Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" talk show, Mr. Thompson last week described Dr. Dobson as a "a gentleman who has never met me, has never talked to me. I've never talked to him on the phone."

Mr. Thompson said in the transcript that "I don't particularly care to have a conversation with (Dr. Dobson). If he wants to call up and apologize again, you know, it's OK with me. But I'm not going to dance to anybody's tune."

"I'm just telling you I will not vote for a man who will not support the institution of marriage, who thinks every state should establish its own definition of marriage, which will destroy it," he said in a transcript.

Mr. Sadosky did not comment on the Dobson remarks but said Mr. Thompson is "very pleased and humbled by the kind words offered by conservative leaders who know him, such as Dr. Richard Land and Gary Bauer, for his conservative principles and the affirmations of his faith."

EVERYONE should care! “ITS THE STAFFERS STUPID!” is the appropriate mantra. What kind of judges will he pick if the people who draw up the list are a bunch of homosexuals or pro-homosexual marriate types.

Look at Arlen Spectre. His staff is entirely left wing liberals. No conservatives to put in the conservative voice.

If thompson is going to surround himself with mark foley types then that will be the message pushed.

The perfect example is the absurd and laughable legal stance Thompson has taken on the Federal Marriage Amendment. No way any thinking legal analysis can support it unless, someone with an agenda is pushing it in order to leave the door open to homosexual based marriage.

Just as we go after Sander Berger or Poedesta, we absoluly should examine the staffers of those candidates. Guiliani is going to be RIFE with NYC mentality liberals in his staff.

Your facts are wrong. One of many among Thompson’s former senior commnications advisers (NOT his campaign secretary) was Robert Traynham, whose previous job was Rick Santorum’s long-time spokesman. Traynham was apparently outed in 2005:

Santorum defends outed gay staffer — Gay Anti-gay senator calls aide ‘a trusted friend and confidante’

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), considered one of the strongest opponents of gay civil rights in Congress, acknowledged to the media last week that his chief spokesperson is a gay man who he considers an “exemplary” employee and “trusted friend.”

News that Santorum’s communications director, Robert Traynham, is gay and has been open about his sexual orientation to Santorum since he joined the senator’s staff eight years ago stunned gay activists and Pennsylvania’s political establishment.

“It disturbs me that he has a gay person on his staff and yet he is so hostile to the rights of LGBT people,” said Stacey Sobel, executive director of the Philadelphia-based Center for Lesbian & Gay Civil Rights. “If he is open-minded enough to have an openly gay staff member, why is he not open minded about the issues important to his LGBT constituents?”

Traynham’s sexual orientation surfaced in the news media after the Web site PageOneQ.com reported that Traynham had confirmed in a recorded phone conversation that he is gay and out to Santorum.

Nearly all the major press outlets in Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, quickly picked up on Traynham’s status as a gay man. Santorum and some of his supporters charged that the outing was aimed at hurting Santorum’s re-election bid next year, where he trails in the polls to Democrat Robert Casey, Jr., the state treasurer.

In a statement released by his office, Santorum said Traynham has worked for him for eight years. During the past four years, Santorum said, Traynham served as deputy chief of staff for the Senate Republican Conference, which Santorum heads, before returning to Santorum’s personal office to become communications director.

http://www.washblade.com/2005/7-22/news/national/outed.cfm

Traynham apparently no longer works for the Thompson campaign; he has taken the job as DC Bureau Chief for Comcast networks:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ — CN8, The Comcast Network today announced that Robert Traynham will join CN8 as its Washington D.C. bureau chief. Beginning Monday, October 8, Traynham will report from CN8’s state-of-the-art Capitol Hill studio and other D.C.-based events and landmarks to deliver breaking news and insider interviews for CN8’s original morning and issues-oriented programming. Traynham will also support CN8’s D.C.-based coverage of “America’s Next President,” the network’s most expansive political coverage initiative to date, which will track all of the major events and news leading up to and surrounding the 2008 presidential election.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NEW06503102007-1.htm

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