Free Republic

Going by unique visitors, Fred Thompson easily leads among the presidential candidates from both parties with 635,000 for fred08.com easily beating second place Obama's 433,000 for whatever his site is. Surprisingly, Ron Paul, whose supporters have nothing better to do than hang out on the internet all day, rank's third among Republicans and sixth overall. I think Fred Thompson's site would get even more traffic if it had like some cool flash games where you control Fred Thompson shooting terrorists and communists in the face and then have a bonus round where you cut taxes with a machete. The first...

The returns are mixed on Fred Thompson's first two months in the presidential race. The Republican candidate has battled criticism for his light campaign schedule, laid-back style and rambling speeches. He's flubbed questions. He's slipped some in national and early-primary polls. Yet, he's still competitive with Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain in many surveys. He turned in a pair of decent debate performances. And he raised $12.5 million over four months from 80,000 donors. "Of all the candidates that are out there, he's the one who most closely represents my values. He has my vote," said Laura Clark,...

This advertisement, the first for Fred D. Thompson since he announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, is to begin running today in Iowa and nationally on the Fox News Channel. PRODUCER Revolution Media Group. THE SCRIPT Mr. Thompson says: “I’ve been a conservative my whole life. I grew up in a little hometown just like this. Started the first Young Republican Club in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. “In eight years in the United States Senate, I fought for tax cuts and for conservative judges. And I’m proud to have had a 100 percent pro-life voting record. “Common-sense conservative principles. Free...

Mclean, VA - Today on the steps of the State House in Columbia, SC, surrounded by numerous veterans, Senator Fred Thompson was joined by Major General James Livingston and Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya to launch Veterans for Fred Thompson. Major General James Livingston, a 33 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, will serve as the National Co-Chair of Veterans for Fred Thompson. On May 2, 1968, while serving as the Commanding Officer, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, he distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty in action against enemy forces and earned the Congressional Medal...

Fred Thompson took his acid bath this morning on Meet the Press. Measured by the traditional standards of Sunday morning political theater, it was an uneven performance. Fred did well on international affairs and "stumbled" on domestic policy. His answer on abortion in particular will come as an uncomfortable revelation to some of his more conservative supporters. I have a team of Jesuits attempting to unravel the yarn-balled logic of Fred's rambling answer, but it appears to boil down to this: "I'm 100 percent pro-life and have voted 100 percent pro-life. I hope one day Roe will be overturned and...

Kathryn thinks Thompson's answer on abortion was muddled. (Between the muddiness and meandering, he's the Mississippi River of political rhetoric.) But I'll just note that for wary pro-lifers, Fred Thompson can say something that Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani can't, which is, "look at my record." Maybe that won't be enough for some people; maybe they'll conclude that Romney is speaking more boldly and making more credible promises. But it seems that one way or another, pro-lifers are going to have to compromise with a less than ideal candidate this cycle. Besides Giuliani's obvious flaws and Romney's conversion on the...

Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson waded into the sensitive issue of American race relations at a campaign stop in New Hampshire, acknowledging that he was raised in a region of the South where many people once saw the issue “through the wrong prism.” But what separated him, he said, was his mother’s morality. “I had my own experience growing up in a small town in Tennessee,” the former Hollywood actor and Tennessee senator said when asked if he had personal experiences with racism and how a U.S. president should handle the issue. “Looking back upon that now, I know that...

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 5 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today the Fred Thompson campaign announced the addition of Shannon Royce, an experienced social conservative coalitions director and former Executive Director of The Arlington Group, who will be joining the Thompson Campaign to serve as Grassroots and Special Projects Director. Shannon Royce most recently served as Executive Director of the Arlington Group where she managed a coalition of over 70 organizations advocating on numerous pro-family initiatives. In that capacity, she coordinated coalition efforts on behalf of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. A former Legislative Assistant to Senator Slade Gorton and...

Senator Fred Thompson appeared for the hour on "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert and it was evident that this is a more comfortable milieu for him then the debate format at this point in the campaign. He talked easily and comfortably about issues of foreign policy such as Pakistan and Iran - and displayed a staunch defense of federalism with some positions that may not please some of the members of the base. Thompson certainly came across as authentic - and his grasp of foreign policy issues gives lie to the contention that those with executive experience have a...

When word began circulating in Republican circles last spring that former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson was considering a run for the presidency, the reaction ranged from relief the party had finally found a suitable standard - bearer to squeals of delight about the actor/politician and his resemblance to former President Ronald Reagan. It was arguably the high mark of the campaign thus far. Thompson seemed to squander the summer as he considered his run and raised fewer campaign dollars than hoped. Once he hit the campaign trail, he was forced to acknowledge ignorance about some local issues when stumping across...

Last week, Sturm, Ruger & Company (NYSE: RGR) stock took a licking in the marketplace after Ruger officials admitted their revitalization plan wasn't quite on the rails the way they had envisioned. Yesterday, Smith & Wesson Holding Company (SWHC) received a similar spanking after earnings came in below analysts' expectations of 12 cents a share. Notice there were earnings, they just weren't the earnings the market analysts expected. Rather than 12 cents, earnings were a nickel less. In exchange, Smith & Wesson Holding Company took a big tumble, losing nearly 40% (39.67) in heavy volume with more than 14 point...

Influential Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen trashes Fred Thompson today and hails the underfunded, Chip Saltsman-managed campaign of Mike Huckabee. Yepsen says Thompson "has fallen flat." "After Thompson's late start, he's lighting no fires in Iowa," Yepsen writes. "His speech at the big Reagan Dinner Saturday night was a boilerplate thing he could have given anywhere. Romney didn't show. Huckabee got the only standing ovation." The Wall Street Journal today reports on Thompson's risky Southern strategy and points out that he's all but bypassing Iowa and New Hampshire. Yesterday, he made only his second appearance in New Hampshire since...

If it’s Monday morning, it means I’m talking to one of the Thompson Associates, who offers his thoughts on Jay Cost’s contention that Fred Thompson is running against the mainstream/drive-by media and its expectations as much as his rivals. The Thompson Associate said that he and others close to Thompson had studied the campaign of McCain in 2000, and began to wonder if glowing profiles from the mainstream media, and the traditional definition of ‘good press coverage’ no longer applied in Republican primaries. “What happens if you start from the assumption that the conservative base has no respect at all,...

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson today discussed his new immigration proposal which, he said, distinguished him from his key rivals on the hot-button issue. “This does draw a distinction between myself and others,” Thompson said in a Des Moines Register interview before attending the Iowa GOP’s annual Ronald Reagan dinner in Des Moines. Thompson, a former Tennessee senator, said he would end the policy of sanctuary cities, where illegal immigrants can obtain government benefits without fear of deportation. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also is seeking the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, has been criticized by some Republican candidates...

This morning I received an e-mail from a crusty lady in Sheridan Wyoming who happens to be a Fred Thompson supporter. This lady has e-mailed me before adding a little to each of my articles supporting Fred Thompson. Charlotte isn’t the only one who tells me they are behind Fred Thompson 100%. I would have used the popular Democratic statistic of 110% except like so many things Democratic 110% doesn’t exist. Democrats are always trying to convince the voters they can go several steps beyond what’s physically possible. Every time Hillary opens her mouth she goes 110% beyond reality, she’s...

So I come across this piece over at Real Clear Politics, which tries to sort out this whole "Thompson doesn't dazzle and therefore must go NOW" business, and I get to the money quote: "If you have the intelligence to see which rules are real and which are fake, the respectfulness to follow the real rules, and the guts to break the fake rules - you can get ahead in this world. In fact, people will love you for breaking the fake rules." I must admit up front that this follows a Bob Dylan reference about breaking fake rules in...

There are few people more profoundly different from me than Sen. Fred Thompson. I am, or so I have been told, a high-energy New York Italian-American. He is a laid-back Tennessean. I root for the Yankees. He couldn’t find Yankee Stadium even if his plow horse knew the way up the Major Deegan blindfolded. I come to an opinion quickly. Fred takes his time to look at all sides, study the implications, review the options and then proceed with the dedicated focus of a laser. He is what New Yorkers may describe as “folksy,” and by doing so they miss...

MT. PLEASANT, SC -- This morning Thompson invoked the name of Ronald Reagan at a retail stop here at Alex’s Diner, saying that many of his opponents are late comers to Reagan’s party and the former president must be sitting up in his grave, “looking down and shaking his head saying who are these fellows that are using my name so often in these debates.” A day after rolling out a new proposal for how to handle illegal immigration, the former senator continued to criticize “sanctuary cities” and emphasize his plan to strip cities of federal funding if they refuse...

The Boston Globe’s lead: "The eight Republican candidates for president held a fiery debate last night filled with charges and confrontations about who is a true conservative and "real Republican" as they defended their stands on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and taxes." The Los Angeles Times headlines the Thompson-Giuliani skirmishes. And it adds, "With groans and cheers, more than 3,000 spectators in the convention hall punctuated the scrappy back-and-forth among the candidates." The New York Times: “The debate stood out for the intensity and personal nature of the exchanges, as Republicans tried to distinguish themselves — a tactic...

"Helped Themselves a Lot Tonight: Fred Thompson" - National Review "We had been waiting for any speech, any debate appearance, any event with Thompson to be a 'wow, that was fantastic.' Well, tonight was that moment we've been waiting for." - National Review "Fred Thompson delivers the first blow..." - ABC News Political Radar "Fred going on offense." - Politico "Thompson revved up." - Time "Kudos to Fred Thompson for coming out swinging tonight." - Townhall "He [Fred] ought to get serious points for guts." - National Review "'If a man can do all that and be lazy, I recommend...