Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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Posted on 11/13/2007 9:51:30 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The most cynical group currently operating on the American political stage, the National Right to Life Committee has endorsed the most cynical man to seek the presidency in recent memory, Fred Thompson, for the Republican nomination.
It is a perfect match, although not one that can be said to have been "made in Heaven." After all, what brings the National Right to Life Committee and Fred Thompson together is the fact that both the interest group and the candidate have sold their souls to the highest bidder.
National Right to Life gave its blessing to Thompson despite the fact that he has been open during the course of the current campaign about the fact that he does not support what has historically been the highest stated priority of the organization: enactment of a constitutional amendment to ban abortion.
Thompson's an advocate for leaving the issue to the states, which would create a patchwork quilt model where some parts of the country would respect the right of women to make decisions regarding their own bodies while others would not. That's a dramatically more liberal stance than had been traditionally tolerated by anti-abortion activists, and that is supported by a number of Thompson's fellow contenders for the 2008 Republican nod.
This begs the question: Why Thompson?
It is true that the National Right to Life Committee was not going to endorse former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who historically has been every bit as pro-choice as Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. It is equally true that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, while he may now oppose abortion, used to be an even more articulate advocate for the pro-choice position than Giuliani or Clinton. And is surely true that, while Arizona Senator John McCain may have a 100-percent record of opposing abortion, has had his fights with the group over campaign-finance issues and electoral tactics.
But why didn't National Right to Life endorse former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a rising star in the Republican race who has been a consistent social conservative and who is actually running stronger than Thompson in a number of early primary and caucus states? After all, while Thompson rejects the constitutional amendment, Huckabee declares at the top of his campaign website: "I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned."
There is an answer, but it has nothing to do with the abortion debate.
The National Right to Life Committee is no longer best known in Washington as a social-issue group. Rather, the committee is best known as an organization that is in the forefront of opposing campaign finance reform and other moves that might limit the its ability and the ability of organizations like it to use corporate special-interest money for political purposes -- and, of course, to maintain lavish offices in the tonier sections of Washington.
With aggressive lobbying on Capitol Hill, lawsuits at the federal and state levels and grassroots organizing around the country to oppose campaign finance reforms, the National Right to Life Committee has made itself the primary defender of corporate influence in politics.
As such, Mike Huckabee was unacceptable as a contender for the National Right to Life Committee endorsement.
Huckabee is a social conservative, but he's an economic populist. A relatively honest player who is sincere in his beliefs, the former governor of Arkansas argues that it is impossible to talk about "family values" without addressing the threat to American families posed by economic and trade policies that leave working people entirely at the mercy of multinational corporations.
While he's no Ralph Nader, Huckabee's arguments on behalf of corporate responsibility have earned him some surprising support. For instance, the Machinists union has endorsed his candidacy for the Republican nomination.
But it has also earned Huckabee some powerful enemies. The corporation-linked Club for Growth has been attacking the one Republican candidate who might reasonably be described as Reaganesque.
In contrast, Fred Thompson is taking no hits from business-linked interests.
While Thompson may have had lobbying ties to Planned Parenthood, which advocates for abortion rights and in some regions actually provides access to the procedure, the former senator from Tennessee is a 100 percenter when it comes to serving the interests of major corporations. And that's what concerns National Right to Life these days. The group is part of a Washington-based alliance to advance corporate interests by using social-issue appeals to convince working-class voters to oppose their economic interests.
Thus, Fred Thompson got the National Right to Life endorsement instead of the more consistently socially-conservative Mike Huckabee because Thompson is the more consistently pro-corporate candidate.
And an open-borders nanny-state fraud to boot.
Ohhh my! Fred is absolutely terrifying them!
Yep. A grown up has been spotted by the brats headed for DC. They are not liking it!
This article is funny . They can’t hide their anger that the Huckster (a MSM creation) isn’t quite working out as planned .
Their thinking : “ Damn and we were so close , we almost had them fooled” .
Cynical? LOL! Lefties do the pot kettle black routine like nobody else.
Wait till the NRA gets on board for Fred....and they had better or they are going to get Rudy grabguns or Mitt “I don’t line up with the NRA” Romney.
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
WARNING: If you wish to join, be aware that this ping list is EXTREMELY active.
"Most cynical man" to seek the presidency? I think Hillary takes that mantle. And yes I mean MAN for Hillary. LOL.
The left loves Huckabee almost as much as they love Hugo Chavez.
Funny and revealing. Btw, you forgot the Duncanista`s. I figure if Fred is upsetting so many folks across the political spectrum, he must be doing something right.
>>>>>The most cynical group currently operating on the American political stage, the National Right to Life Committee has endorsed the most cynical man to seek the presidency in recent memory, Fred Thompson, for the Republican nomination.
Cynical?! Pure bunkum.
I don’t think the NRA will endorse until the general election. They have to hedge their bets and don’t want to come out against particular candidates until the General election is set in motion .
It’s up to the gunowners to nominate the the most pro-gun Conservative who can win. That man is clearly Thompson .
Typical liberals. To them, there are no personal sins, such as abortion. There are only economic sins, as if hiring another human being and giving them a wage and productivity and self-respect and self-reliance is a form of oppression, as if providing needed products and services is a terrible thing.
In switch, NRA eyeing role in GOP primaries (Might endorse Fred!) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1901746/posts
Here’s a thought...
How about informed conservatives and Republicans ignore what the LWM has to say??
Or, rather, we could continue to buy into their plan and let them incite the kind of internal sectarianism that allowed the liberals to win congress in 2006...
Here’s another off the wall thought...
How about the Thompson supporters react to the endorsement with ‘Goody’, and the other GOP loyalists who may have hoped for it react with ‘shucks, I wish we’d gotten that one,’ and maybe, just maybe, we can move on to the real issues and debates that SHOULD decide this campaign.
If ‘endorsements’ have any singificant bearing on this primary and/or this election we are in dire straits as a country indeed.
“There are only economic sins, as if hiring another human being and giving them a wage and productivity and self-respect and self-reliance is a form of oppression, as if providing needed products and services is a terrible thing.”
Is that another illegal alien post?
This endorsement carries incredible weight and important help when the Pro-life candidate is facing this:
“”””WASHINGTON (CNN) – Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has spent $10.2 million on television advertising this year, a record amount at this point in a presidential campaign, according to new data provided to CNN.
He is spending more than $85,000 a day — $600,000 last week alone — on campaign commercials, according to TNSMI/Campaign Media Analysis Group, CNN’s consultant on political television advertising spending. Romney’s presidential campaign commercials have aired more than 14,500 times. The closest Republican to Romney in ad spending is Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has aired more than $300,000 worth of campaign ads.
In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is leading the way with about $3.9 million spent on campaign commercials.
“Advertising is still by and large a one man band, with Romney leading the way with his record pace,” said Evan Tracey, CMAG’s chief operating officer.”””
I guess I am a Utopian in that regard. I truly hope that people will not let self-procaimed experts and advocates decide for them who they will choose on election day.
Only if you can’t read English.
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