Posted on 09/16/2007 2:41:31 PM PDT by Plutarch
LAKELAND, Fla., Sept. 15 — At his second campaign stop of the day on Friday, just after 2 p.m., Fred D. Thompson was deep into a riff on the benefits of high-quality American health care.
“It’s allowing us to live healthier lives and to live longer,” Mr. Thompson said at a Jaycee park here. “That’s good news. But we have more retired folks. I hope to become one of them one of these days.”
Nervous laughter from the audience.
“Not too soon,” he added hastily.
So much for dispelling the idea that he is too lazy to run for president...
His critics, already pointing to what they call Mr. Thompson’s skimpy Senate record, might find even more ammunition in his campaign schedule... Mr. Thompson has made a languid three-day swing through Florida ending Saturday. The pace has kept him on a jumbo air-conditioned bus far more often than he is actually campaigning.
Since Thursday morning, when the tour began, Mr. Thompson has made no more than three campaign stops a day, with long stretches in between. In recent spins through Iowa, he kept a similarly relaxed schedule. Mitt Romney, by comparison, often does six town-hall-style forums a day when in Iowa...
But once off the bus, Mr. Thompson has shown occasional signs of discomfort. In a speech here on Friday, he sweated profusely under the afternoon sun, breathed heavily and, while struggling over a question, asked no one in particular if his microphone was on. (It was.)
Some audience members winced as Mr. Thompson sweated through the question-and-answer session.
“I’m surprised they didn’t pull him out of there,” said John Chambers of nearby Punta Gorda, after the speech ended. Suzanne Miranda, who watched the event from a lawn chair, said, “I felt bad for him...”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
If you come across one, you should post it.
>>> You seem to be under the spell of media telegenic political hunks. I was referring to normal in our society, not typical handsome politicians. Remember, we were discussing health, not pinup quality<<<
Nope. I supported Tom McClintock over Arnold back in the day. But I don’t hold anything against someone taking pride in putting forth a professional appearance.
What Dem has Romney endorsed? Giuliani infamously endorsed Mario Cuomo over George Pataki in 1994, only to see George Pataki win. Is that what you are thinking about?
You need to go back and listen to that you-tube video again because you are flat wrong about your assertion.
Thompson does not say that he’s pro-choice at all. He strongly asserts that the Federal government shouldn’t be involved at all, and that it should not be settled in the courts. (Unfortunately, the “born and naturalized” wording in the 14th doesn’t make it easily adaptable to the unborn. We even needed an amendment to allow women to vote after the 14th and 15th Amendments.)
I, too agree that women should not be punished as criminals for seeking abortions, that the medical and legal code should make abortion a crime for physicians or the one who actually carries out the abortion. We discussed this exact subject a few weeks ago, here on FR. ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1882154/posts see my post # 35) Abortion for the woman or girl carrying the child is similar to self-harm or suicide, requiring treatment and psycho-social support, not criminal prosecution or punishment.
>>>You need to go back and listen to that you-tube video again because you are flat wrong about your assertion.<<<
No, you are. What do you think (roughly) “let the hearts and minds of the community work it out” means? He’s saying he’s personally opposed to the practice of abortion but not willing to ban it. He’d rather just argue against it so that the people adopt an anti-abortion stance as the local ethos. But he’s unwilling to ban it. And hiding behind the federalist banner isn’t going to cut it here. This is a matter of life and liberty and thus absolutely under federal jurisdiction.
>>>Abortion for the woman or girl carrying the child is similar to self-harm or suicide, requiring treatment and psycho-social support, not criminal prosecution or punishment.<<<
Or more accurately, similar to murder.
I don’t believe the life extinguished played any part in the decision to end its life or to mutilate its body, so frankly, suicide and self-harm don’t fly.
If you’re going to take this stance, I’d hesitate to call yourself pro-life. Perhaps anti-abortion. Or more accurately, anti-professionally-performed abortion.
If it is morally wrong to kill an unborn child, it is morally wrong. If it is criminally punishable, it is criminally punishable. Outlawing a woman getting medical assistance to perform an abortion yet allowing her to get away with it using her own coathanger sounds a bit off-kilter to me. It doesn’t punish the actual wrong, and it encourages further harm to this woman who you are suggesting needs psycho-social support.
You evidently haven’t been engaged in the abortion arguments and fights as long as I have, have not worked to turn the domestic violence community around to see abortion as further abuse of women.
You must not have yet testified before legislatures in an effort to restrict abortion and make at least some headway against Roe v. Wade by criminalizing certain acts that result in and which are intended to cause abortion. Have you even spoken to your State Medical Association House of Delegates on this issue?
I wonder whether you read the thread I linked to or watched the video of Romney saying “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country .. . and have since my mother when she ran for office..`.Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land for 20 years and should be sustained . . . I sustain that law.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IJUkYUbvI
The law in Texas, which Roe v. Wade overturned did not criminalize the woman seeking an abortion. The State regulates the practice of medicine. This is the best way to make abortion illegal.
It gets rid of the appearance of being anti-woman, avoids the “how do you police the women who miscarry or document that her period is normal each month,” argument that the pro-aborts throw at pro-life activists. It leaves those pro-life activists the open door of providing support, counseling, and all the other things we do to make girls and women no longer feel as though they don’t have a choice, rather than forcing us all to actually police each girl or woman who comes to us. It avoids turning doctors who sew up torn uteruses and who must perform hysterectomies into the police.
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If Romney is the best we've got, we've got a serious problem.
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Too late. I'm pretty sure a Romney fan has announced that Fred's already dead.
He's doing pretty well for someone who recently expired.
Meow.
To spite who? The voters who didn't select the candidate you prefered? Our military? This nation? Your own nose?
That's a gutless plan and slaps at every person in this nations history that suffered, fought and died so that you COULD VOTE. I'm glad at least to know that you can't be counted on in a real fight. It's important to know who is capable when the chips are down and we certainly won't be counting on you.
Enjoy the reign of President Mrs. Bill Clinton then, except if that (perish the thought) she actually wins you will probably one of the loudest moaners and pissers on this forum about it. Actions and non-actions have consequences.
Just pointing out the disengenuousness of your statements.
All of them.
Have you been away so long that you forgot about common courtesy of pinging other freepers when discussing them?
Perhaps you’d care to bring Jim Robinson’s attention to all of your concerns about FR.
I believe what’s reflected in the polls is the media administering CPR to McCain’s campaign. Yes, he does have ego....of a malicious sort actually. But I don’t think he’ll team up with Hill. Nor go independent.
But time will tell..and you might be right that he’ll be one to dig his heels in beyond all reasonable hope and keep beating that dead horse he calls a campaign.
Exactly right. Splendid post and good luck to you.
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Amen.
Yes, and childish.
Posting more little white ones, eh?
Good morning, just catching up on the latest gnat snit.
As far as sliding in to “Paul” mode, none of us, including pro and con Fred folks, need worry about that I think. There will be zingers of course...
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