Maybe Fred was to good for us...maybe we were just...unworthy...Pray for America....
I’m sure grateful that we had George Washington and not Fred Thompson commanding our revolutionary troops at Valley Forge.
Fred Thompson’s abrupt announcement, while leaving no doubt as to its finality, leaves every question as to his rationale.
Frankly, I don’t understand it, especially when the announcement comes on the very morning that Huckleberry gives up on Florida, eliminates most staff pay, and no longer keeps the press around. Huckleberry’s campaign is running on the fumes from an oily rag. Basically, it’s as dead as Fred’s.
Rudy Giuliani is also failing badly in Florida and is just days away from his own denoument.
The field is already winnowing, and Fred’s time was coming. All of us who had volunteered, sent money, made phone calls, talked up our friends, were still there with him, and we let him know it, too. All he had to do was live up to his own words.
He was funded and finding his voice.
And he quits. Just like that.
Speaking for myself, I’m questioning the kind of man Fred Thompson really is. From here, today, as I type, he looks like a very different man to who I thought he was.
Just the kind of man we DIDN’T have at Valley Forge.
Thank God.
Oh STFU National Review. Now all the “conservative” media comes to praise Fred only after they buried him all campaign.
The guy just wasted everybody’s time and money.
from Best of the Web Today: Bye-Ku for Fred Thompson
They called him “tortoise”
But now the man with no hair
Has got out of ours
Stop crying like little freeking school girls.
A lot of people invested time and money and loyalty in the guy. It could have been better spent.
For me, this is a big one. I had done something I hadn't done in a long time. I had faith, in a politician, because of that though I know fred had his reasons, some I suspect we will never know and some I hope I'm wrong about.
Thanks Fred.
The socialists have taken over the democrat party, driving many JFK type democrats (strong military, cut taxes, but domestic big government liberals) into the republican party.
The result is the republican party now consists first of moderate liberal democrats - Huckabee and McCain and moderate democrat/old liberal republicans - Giuliani and Romney. I omit the code pink libertarian.
Conservative Republicans, of various types, including genuine evangelical - political conservatives are now a minority in their own party. Unless there is a genuine renewal of the GOP upon its foundational principles conservatives will continue to be a minority.
To me the problems are obvious. We have had no conservative leadership in a long time. The GOP is no longer a conservative party.
Any Republican running anymore is termed a conservative if he has one or two principles to tout. Kind of like GWB.
The definition has changed. Look no farther than right here on FR. It is often hard to tell if FR is a Republican site, or a conservative sight. If every person around here was zotted every time they displayed a notion that didn’t seem conservative, there wouldn’t be many left.
Many who post here, really do believe they are a conservative, but they are not. That is why Fred had so little support.
The strong tent Reagan built has become tainted. All the factions that worked in unison to create the perfect machine are at war, each looking to get the most power and show the other guys who’s in charge. Sad thing, because as a result, the whole tent has fallen.
We had some conservatives in Congress, but we didn’t have a total conservative in the WH. The Compassionate conservative was created to disguise what we see openly see on display now.
As to Fred, he was kind of drafted, he entered later than the others. He was expected by most of us to be what we wanted him to be and not who he is. I commend him for making an effort to try to fill the void and unite the GOP.
Problem he had is that the GOP obviously does not want a conservative in the WH.
Fred talked about the issues, the rest talked about who was the 'holiest'. So in the end, those that are too easily taken in by the plastic appearance, get what they deserve.
As for me, I will leave my vote out of the Presidential side. There are too many lesser contests that are by far more important now. Senators, Representatives that need to be elected to keep that super-majority away from the Dims.
I will also be doing a few more things.
1. Buy more 'black guns'
2. Buy more ammo by the crate if possible.
3. Buy components for reloading.
But for me, it was not a waste. Look at what good did come from this. I've made very good connections with new and old conservatives. We have a bond that we can use to fight the morons/libs locally and in the state. Now that he's gone, I've heard comments like, "What will conservatives do now? Where will his votes go?" That shows me that he was the remaining conservative candidate otherwise it would be obvious where Fred's voters would go. Also, some people are now interested in courting our votes. None of them are worthy of my time but for the rest of my fellow FredHeads, you'll do what you think is best.
His departure highlighted the need for a conservative voice. I was not involved in the other campaigns that called it quits, Hunter and Tancredo, but the amount of wailing from this both from us and commentary nationally shows we made an impact. It is what it is.
Even if the worst happens and the country collapses. We're not going anywhere, unless we're carted off to concentration camps for our stalwart beliefs in limited government or our faiths. We'll be here to rebuild it. If the worst doesn't happen then we get back together again and fight them again.
Next time we can't just make an impact, we have to get going, get organized, get active and do better at convincing people to coalesce around the conservative candidate. Next time, we can't just make an impact, we need to win!
One thing Fred did in coming into the race was raise the bar on discussions and awareness. The other candidates were forced to adjust positions in the light of those challenges he set before them. A few even adopted points from his white papers.
Before Fred this was missing. Now look at how many people are talking about it.
If anything he gave us back the vision of what should be and what we lack.
I sure hope that we don’t have more like Fred. We need some leaders who will stand up and be counted, and persuade people that his ideas are right.
Reagan did it before we have the pajama media online. He accomplished it in the face of only the big broadcast news networks.
Thompson could not get it done even with the hope of offered of today’s modern access granted to everyone via the Internet.
MSM is hyping the news that Thompson will be backing McLame.
“In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination.”
“January 22, 2008 — Former US Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, Fred Thompson’s top New York supporter, is set to switch sides as soon as today and endorse John McCain for president, The Post has learned.
D’Amato, a former New York GOP powerhouse, endorsed the former Tennessee senator and “Law and Order” star last fall, as he sought an alternative to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his longtime political foe. D’Amato, who spent the weekend in Florida, was on his way back to New York.
“Alfonse realizes that Thompson has no chance and may be getting out of the race and so he’s decided to endorse his old friend John McCain,” said a source close to D’Amato. McCain will be holding a campaign event in New York today.”
“It had long been assumed that if Thompson dropped out he would almost certainly support McCain. Thompson was one of a handful of senators to support McCain’s 2000 presidential bid, and the two men had been friends and allies in the Senate.”
If she liked Fred that much, why didn’t she support him all along? Might have been a help to his campaign.
It is really sad. The peeps, the masses, go for show. They go for that desperate glint in the eye that they see in their soap opera and movie stars. Abe Lincoln would NEVER have happened.