Posted on 03/31/2007 5:46:49 PM PDT by SE Mom
April 9, 2007 issue - It looks as if Fred Thompson is getting ready to run for president. Friends of the former Tennessee senator turned actor (anonymous to protect their relationship) say he's increasingly tempted to enter the 2008 Republican primaries, fueled in part by new polls that show he's got a serious shot at the White House. A Gallup poll released last week found Thompson ranked No. 3 behind front runners Rudy Giuliani and John McCain with 12 percent support among Republicans—all before he's even formally launched a campaign. Last week Thompson was spotted in Washington lunching with former Senate majority leader Bill Frist, who has publicly urged his longtime friend to run for president. On April 18, Frist and Tennessee Rep. Zach Wamp will host Thompson on Capitol Hill, where he'll meet with House and Senate members to discuss his possible candidacy. Wamp, who heads a draft-Thompson committee, told NEWSWEEK that so many lawmakers have expressed interest in the meeting that organizers had to reserve a bigger room and extend Thompson's visit from one hour to almost a full day. "I really believe he's in," Wamp says. "I think it's only a matter of him getting his personal affairs in order".
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Here's an interesting tidbit:
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/COLUMNIST0101/704010371/1092/NEWS01
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"Back in January, I had no idea that Fred was even thinking about it," Welch said. "I went ahead and committed to (Massachusetts Gov.) Mitt Romney because I thought he was the best of the lot that had shown interest in running. It would be very inappropriate and very unfair for me to say to Mitt Romney, 'Hey, Fred Thompson decided to run and I'm gone. Bye.' I'm not going to do anything like that. I made
a commitment, and I'm going to stick with it, so long as he is in the race.
"If he, for some reason, were to drop out, my choice would naturally be Fred Thompson."
Welch made sure to say that last sentence several times: If Romney's out, Thompson is Welch's guy.
That's a big deal. Welch estimates it will take $100 million to win the GOP nomination. If anybody can raise it, he can.
He was the Republican National Committee's finance chairman from 1977 to 1978, co-founder of the Republican Majority Fund in 1981, and he raised money for former President George Bush in 1988 and 1992. He was the national chairman for Victory '92 and a leader in President Bush's election fundraising committee. Welch was Alexander's key fundraiser when he ran for president.
Thompson, Welch said, is "a dear friend. I love him. I was heavily involved in his campaign for Senate. I've always admired him and enjoyed him and respected him, and none of that has changed."
Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Bob Davis Jr., one of Thompson's confidants, disagrees that Thompson would need to raise $100 million.
"He doesn't have to have as much as everybody else," Davis said. Because of Thompson's television, radio, legal and political careers, people already know who he is, so it would cost less money to run a campaign. He's already showing up in national polls, and hasn't spent a penny.
Other nationally respected fundraisers have contacted Thompson, Davis said, adding that "a lot of people are just keeping their powder dry at this point."
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and his numbers are growing just fine without him doing so just yet. with a LOOOOONG primary season ahead of us, why is it do or die to get in now. don't tell me it's about $, bc if/when fred declares the money will MOVE to him from the other candidates. i read somewhere that Allen's campaign is interested in him, so it is hardly fatal that he isn't in the race this second. as MANY have said, he is getting the buzz FOR FREE at this point, the minute he declares he will have to start paying for it. this is a nobrainer.
oh the rudyfans aren't above a cheap shot i see. why don't you start ragging on his youthful wife while you are at it? that is always especially choice coming from a rudyfan, the serial adulterer's supporter. Fred has a trophywife, Rudy is on his second in a series. if Fred is old, what does that make Rudy? why don't you concentrate on their POSITIONS ON ISSUES instead of this superficial crap.
stop posting that stuff, you are going to have the rudyfans blood pressures up with that kind of talk! ; )
He's still taking quite a bit from Rudy, too. Most of it is from Romney.
So, you think if Fred decides not to run all those previous Hunter/Romney supporters will switch to Giuliani or McCain? That's non-sensical.
"If Rudy cut and ran against Hillary the first time around, why give him another shot?"Deliciously brutal.
That is not what I'm saying. I'm saying that Hunter and Romney are losing out on fundraising because Thompson is freezing that in place. Will be hard to replace that time.
Well, we've been told by a self-proclaimed "republican insider" all the big donors are already committed and there's no way Thompson can possibly raise the amount of money he'll need to compete. So, there can't be much of it out there anymore. They're all committed to Rudy, dontchaknow. <]:)~
Stinging rejoinder! You must be so very proud!
Always Right wrote: "I wish he had more on the experience side especially as an executive, but there is a plus on being an outsider."
Executive experience is always a plus, but the lack of it certainly didn't seem to keep Harry S. Truman or John F. Kennedy from doing a pretty good job as our nation's chief executive. And having prior experience as a governor didn't prevent Jimmy Carter from being arguably the worst American president ever.
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