The end of the American Republic?

“The American Republic will endure until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money.” -Alexis De Tocqueville

Politicians, especially since FDR, have long known that they can bribe the people with their own money. But since FDR, a healthy majority of the American people couldn’t be bought. They loved freedom, less government, and a secure nation more than the baubles and breadcumbs that may have flowed from Washington, D.C.

The nation, on the whole, was a conservative nation.

Nothing illustrated this more than the wholesale acceptance of Ronald Wilson Reagan in the 1980s, and of his legacy as borne in the Contract with America that launched the Republican Congressional revolution of 1994.

And nothing spelled out the repudiation of the conservative principles on which this nation was founded than the third place finish of Fred Thompson in South Carolina.

On point after point, from immigration, to national security, to taxes and to life itself, Fred Thompson mirrored the conservative ideals that, when put into practice, have been proven to be so effective in governing our nation since the penning of the Federalist Papers.

If there was anywhere in this nation where it couldn’t have been more clear, it would have been in South Carolina; traditionally a bastion of clear thinking, small government conservatives.

Yet John McCain, in every sense an opportunistic political populist with a liberal voting record as long as the Mississippi, ran the table.

Newt Gingrich caught a lot of flack when he proclaimed that Reaganesque conservatism was in its death throes, and that politicians needed to embrace a more “centrist” approach.

He was right in the sense that South Carolina is current living proof that Reaganesque conservatism is, if anything, on life support.

Maybe Rush Limbaugh was right last week when he said that it took a Jimmy Carter to give us Ronaldus Magnus.

Perhaps 2012 will be the year of Fred… if the liberals haven’t run us into the ground by then.

Rush on Fred Thompson

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh yesterday, and believe me folks, he endorsed Fred Thompson in every way but Sunday. He kept biting his lip from out and out endorsing him, but he went so far as to suggest that it may be better to put up with four years of Hillary or Obama, then 8 years of Huckabee; stating, “It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan.”

Rush knows what’s at stake; he knows that the very future of conservatism is on the line in this election.

Rush knows that Fred Thompson is the only conservative choice in the race.

Fred: First on tackling illegal immigration, First in common sense.

From Numbers, USA

(January 18) The day before South Carolina’s Republican Primary, the Rasmussen Poll of the state shows the frontrunners as McCain (24%), Huckabee (24%), Romney (18%) and Thompson (16%). Of the four, according to NumbersUSA President Roy Beck’s Presidential Grid that rates each candidate in 16 immigration categories, Fred Thompson scores the highest. And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) scores the lowest overall. The ratings are based on how well a candidate’s immigration stances would protect American workers, taxpayers, communities, infrastructure, individual freedom and the environment.

Fred on Gitmo:

SENECA, S.C. --

(AP) -- Republican U.S. presidential candidate Fred Thompson on Friday defended the detention of foreign nationals at the U.S. Navy base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

''The last thing in the world we need is a bunch of enemy combatants over here in our court system,'' the former Tennessee senator said during a radio interview in front of a couple hundred people at a restaurant.

He said closing the detention facility would allow prisoners to demand rights given to U.S. citizens and would not help ``buy off world opinion.''

The Guantánamo remarks were a slap at Arizona Sen. John McCain, the winner of the New Hampshire primary and former Vietnam-held prisoner-of-war, who has called for the facility to be shuttered in part because it is harming the United States' global reputation.

Fred on issues:


No. Contest.

Full Speed Ahead, Fred! (c)

Mike Huckabee...looking more and more like a democrat.

Fred Thompson is mad.

And so am I.

What do you do when you're desperate, when you know that you are lacking in substance and devoid of serious gravitas?

Why run push polls against your Republican opponent, of course:

Fred Thompson Gets Mad

By Joel Achenbach
PROSPERITY, S.C. -- You rarely see Fred Thompson get too riled about anything, but steam was near about shooting from his ears today when he heard at a campaign stop that some of his supporters had received "push poll" calls from a group supporting Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

At a steak house in this small town west of Columbia, a man in the small crowd told Thompson that many people had gotten such calls in the past 24 hours. Thompson asked anyone who had received such a call to raise his or hand. At least a dozen hands shot up. The former senator said he'd heard of push polls accusing him of supporting partial birth abortion.

"They're taking the most outrageous, easily disproved things that they can come up with. It's amazing to me. Its so ham-handed," Thompson said. "I had a 100 percent pro-life voting record over 8 years."

Trey Taylor, 41, told The Post that he'd gotten a call in which, after he'd revealed his preference for Thompson, a recorded voice said Thompson had lobbied on behalf of a "radical" pro-abortion organization. The recording then cited Huckabee's anti-abortion record.

Speaking with reporters, Thompson looked like he was ready to strip the bark off Huckabee. He suggested that Huckabee isn't trying to "win the legitimate way" by focusing on the issues. At the most recent debate, he said, "I confronted him man to man, with regard to the issues. This is the response I get."

Not only does Huckabee govern like a democrat; he's campaigning like one.

The Thompson Awakening

As the GOP primary season rolls on, and the issue of substance rears its head, it's becoming increasingly clear that Fred Thompson remains the only true conservative choice:

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — John and Ann Berenberk dutifully watched the umpteenth Republican presidential debate on television on Thursday night and had an epiphany. It was about the candidate they had previously referred to as the tall, silent one. Fred D. Thompson.

The last of the candidates to enter the race, Mr. Thompson, 65, a former Tennessee senator, has so far seemed to distinguish himself mainly by a laconic style that has made him almost invisible beside the others on the stage in past debates, the Berenberks said.

“But then last night — we hadn’t even been thinking about him — all of a sudden it was clear he was the one,” said Mr. Berenberk, a retired teacher. “The bluntness, the forcefulness. He was really impressive.”

Whether this was a new Fred Thompson, or just a sign of mirage-inducing campaign fatigue among voters, many people attending Mr. Thompson’s campaign rallies here on the day after the debate reported having similar revelations.

[SNIP]

Mr. Thompson has made all the same points during campaign events throughout the state, aides said. But many voters who flocked to his rallies on Friday had never heard him make them until they heard him in the latest debate on the Fox News Channel.

Jim Sickles, a retired corrections officer; Natalie Bankowski, an office manager; and Maryanne Gasper, who said she was “a waitress, with two other jobs,” were among a dozen people randomly interviewed who said they had been undecided or leaning toward other Republican candidates — mainly Mr. Huckabee — until Thursday night.

The more the campaign wears on, the more that everyday people are starting to realize that, far from being a slick re-packaged candidate that speaks in focus-group tested soundbites, Fred Thompson is a genuine man who has, and will continue to deal in true conservative principles and ideals. To Fred, they're not soundbites, nor trite platitudes. They're the core of his being.

As time goes by, epiphanies to that effect will become the norm, not the exception.

***UPDATE****

Joe Sixpack isn't the only one awakening to the merits of a Fred Thompson presidency; the major media pundits are taking note as well.

See Flopping Aces for a great compendium of thoughts around the MSM as well as the blogosphere.

So, what's Romney afraid of?

In a "reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated" moment, the story that Fred Thompson would concede and support John McCain has been proven to be a total falsehood. The rumor, which was initially reported to be coming from officials "close to the Thompson campaign" did not come from the Thompson campaign, nor anyone connected with it. The question remained, who would put out such a rumor?

From here, via The Corner:

Published reports that Fred Thompson soon will withdraw from the Republican presidential contest and endorse Sen. John McCain have been traced in part to Mitt Romney's campaign, trying to stir up strife between McCain and Thompson.

Why the dirty tricks, Mitt? Are you afraid of running on the substance of your convictions and ideas?

Oh wait. There is no substance, is there.

Carry on.

Fred Thompson receives another pro-life endorsement!

This time, from Minnesota's own MCCL:

The NRLC board of directors announced today (11/13/2007) that it had endorsed Fred Thompson for President of the United States. The key factors in the announcement were his long term pro-life voting record and his demonstrated ability to raise the funds necessary to remain viable.

Other candidates were worthy of endorsement but have not been able to demonstrate viability. Sen. Sam Brownback dropped out of the race earlier this year because he could not gain the financial support he needed to remain viable as a candidate. Because of this he was lagging in the polls as well.

In response to questions about the Thompson endorsement NRLC said that a candidate must not only be pro-life but have sufficient backing to remain in the running. Political endorsements are not merely a popularity contest. The candidate also must demonstrate the ability to contend against all other candidates for president in terms of both finance and polling.

As to the timing of the endorsement: Super Tuesday is February 5th 2008. By this date a majority of the Republican national delegates will be chosen and those delegates could determine the nominee of the Republican Party for president and vice president. Certainly the candidate that comes out ahead on Super Tuesday will heavily influence the choice of the remainder of the delegates.

UPDATE:

The MCCL board of Directors, after a thorough review of all options, unanimously passed the following resolution at its November 17, 2007, meeting: "Be it resolved that the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life board of directors supports the National Right to Life Committee’s endorsement of Fred Thompson for President of the United States."

Responding to the resolution by the MCCL board of directors, the MCCL Federal PAC formally endorsed Fred Thompson for President of the United States. See: MCCL endorses Fred Thompson for president

Pro-life citizens should not be surprised that the media have cast former Senator Thompson in a negative light; his record in the U.S. Senate is 100% pro-life. Therefore any misstatements he might make on our issues become national headlines. Most national polls show that he runs within a few percentage points of defeating pro-abortion candidates Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Several other states have already followed NRLC's lead in supporting Fred Thompson.

Fred's Message to Iowans (and the nation)

Fred Thompson's Christmas Salute!

Thoughts on the Day...

I don't have a lot of time to post tonight, but just a few thoughts on the day...

First, when I heard the NIE's report the other day that Iran hasn't been seeking nukes since 2003, it hit me as just a little bit more than a brain disconnect. After all, it flied in the face of everything I've been hearing, since 2001 (this year included).

The report concludes that Iran "bowed to international pressure" in its decision to supposedly halt its nuclear program in 2003.

My question: If Ahmawhackjob did indeed bow to international pressure in its decision to halt its nuclear ambitions, ostensibly to give the message, "Hey, don't invade us--we're really not all that bad!" then why the even-recent rhetoric to "blow Israel off the map?" If one abandons nukes because they're afraid of international pressure, then wouldn't it be defeating the purpose by continuing to talk as if you had nukes or were still looking for them? Wouldn't that be the same kind of denial that ultimately got Saddam into trouble? Wouldn't a government wanting to avoid an invasion rather take a Qaddafy-like approach?

The more I look into this matter, the more putrid-smelling it becomes.

My main man Fred Thompson makes the most sense of anyone I've read or heard on the subject.

---

Next on the agenda--the Romney "JFK'esque "Don't be afraid of my religion" speech.

Truth be told, I was never afraid of Romney's Mormonism. I was more (and continue to be more) afraid of his being a "successful" governor of one of the most liberal states in the Union. The perpetual home of Sens.- for- life Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, for cripe's sake! For all we know, a Romney candidacy will be George Bush v. 2.0 in terms of social spending and lack of immigration enforcement, and without George Bush's lifelong convictions on the abortion issue, to boot!

As far as I'm concerned, there's a lot more 'splainin' and cowtowing to do in those departments than WRT Romney's possible allegiance to the ideals of Joseph Smith.

At the very least, Romney sucked up all the political oxygen for the day, which was a brilliant move on his part in keeping his name at the forefront of the news cycle.

When it comes down to it, I truly suspect that's what it was all about to begin with.

Fred Thompson--out and about

There have been a lot of doomsayers out and about saying that Fred Thompson's campaign for President was "dead in the water" before it started, that Fred is a political lightweight, and that Fred was doomed to be a flash in the pan, among others.

But there is one important fact that all the nattering naybobs continue to ignore:

The voters aren't listening to them:

Over the past four months, Rasmussen Reports polling has consistently shown Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani holding the top two slots in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. During that time, the weekly poll results have shown Thompson’s support ranging from a low of 20% to a high of 28%. Giuliani’s range has been similar, from 19% to 27%. Although Thompson and Giuliani are the frontrunners, both men still have plenty of detractors who say they can’t possibly win the nomination.

For the week ending September 23, it’s Thompson 26% and Giuliani 22%.

Occupying a precarious niche somewhere between the frontrunners and the also-rans are John McCain and Mitt Romney. Both men were early favorites of Washington pundits but haven’t done as well among Republican primary voters. During the past four months, McCain’s support has ranged from 11% to 14%. Romney’s range has been from 11% to 15%.

Also, despite claims that Thompson won't be well-received by core conservative voters, the NRA gave Thompson no less than three standing ovations during his stump speech at their convention (more on Thompson's success over at National Review).

Despite continued attacks by the conservative establishment on Fred's character and ability to win, Fred and the voters continue to prove them wrong.

So, if the nattering naybobs of the conservative establishment continue to downplay Fred Thompson's effectiveness as a candidate, they continue to do so at the peril of their own credibility.

Get used to it, folks.

Fred has hit the trail running, and he's not looking back.

Full Speed Ahead, Fred! ©

(Cross-posted at Minnesotans for Fred)

Fred's (real) Announcement Video..

From the Fred.08 website



Now, conservatives... tell me he's not everything you look for in a candidate!

More of Fred on the Issues

BREAKING NEWS--FRED TO ANNOUNCE TONIGHT ON LENO!!

The conventional wisdom had Fred officially announcing his candidacy tomorrow on his web site, followed by an appearance on Leno tomorrow night.

But Fred is just full of surprises!

From here:

Fred Thompson makes candidacy for president official on 'The Tonight Show?

30 minutes ago

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Fred Thompson, a veteran actor and former Republican senator, launched his bid for the presidency Hollywood style.

"I'm running for president of the United States," Thompson told Jay Leno in a taped appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show" airing Wednesday.

Thompson also is calling attention to his candidacy with a 30-second ad being broadcast during a Republican debate in New Hampshire that he is not participating in. He also will explain the rationale for his candidacy during a 15-minute webcast on his website just after midnight.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!"

For all the latest Fred News, be sure to check out Minnesotans for Fred!!

***UPDATE***

Watch Fred's Formal Announcement Video, now up at Fred '08.com!

Listen closely. Yep. He's the REAL article!

The Latest on Fred's Announcement

Dear Friends,

On September 6, 2007, Fred Thompson will be announcing his intention to run for President of the United States with a webcast available to millions at www.imwithfred.com. The launch of the video will be followed by a five-day campaign tour through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. On the evening of the 6th, there will also be a National House Party, during which there will be a conference call with Fred.

We enter this campaign in a strong position. Fred is consistently near the top in the polls, and conservatives across the country have put together the closest thing to a draft in recent presidential campaign history in an effort to bring about this day. The next few weeks will only serve to build upon those efforts, with house parties, visits to the early primary states, and a homecoming in Lawrenceburg, TN on the 15th. To view the dates and locations of Fred's bus tour, please click here, and check back soon for more information on attending one of these events.

By announcing via webcast, Fred is able to take his consistently mainstream conservative message directly to the voters, who are already responding to that message with a strong upwelling of grassroots support. The webcast and the following campaign tour will play to Fred’s strengths, a consistent record of conservatism, his ability to clearly spread his message, and his ability to work with and connect with Americans from all walks of life. Be apart of this historic occasion by signing up to host or attend a house party today.

Sincerely,

Bill Lacy
Manager, Friends of Fred Thompson, Inc.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL SPEED AHEAD, FRED!

As Fred's campaign picks up speed in the coming weeks, look for the latest Fred Thompson news at Minnesotans for Fred (http://mn4fred.com)

My Impatience Paying Off?

I made a post out of frustration yesterday, asking Fred to "Shit or Get off the Pot."

I was rightly admonished by a fellow Fred Head, but was still a bit discouraged.

Not anymore.

A round of applause, please, for former Virginia Sen. George Allen, who finally got likely GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson to hint when he plans his big announcement. Filling in for Richmond's WRVA morning host Jimmy Barrett, Allen just came out with it, asking the Law & Order star what's up.

Said the Fred, who's been testing the political waters: "Well, the water is pretty warm. I like the temperature a lot." He also told Allen, "It won't be very many more days" before he declares.

During the five-minute chat, Thompson addressed the complaints that he is taking too long to make up his mind.

"This is not an attempt to be cute or game the system," he promised. Thompson said instead that he's just working on more of an old school schedule, when candidates didn't announce until the fall before the election year.

And he said that running for president isn't something he's planned all his life. "I'm doing in a few months what people have taken a long, long time period to do," he said.

Okay.

Full Speed Ahead, Fred!

****UPDATE****

Fred will have a speech carried live on C-Span tonight at 6:00pm Central.

There is scuttlebutt afoot that he may just announce. Others with some amount of cred say that he will do so by video.

Stay tuned.

Fred Thompson to be at the Minnesota State Fair

From Marty Seifert:

Greetings!

It's my honor to host a State Fair visit by former Tennessee Senator, actor, and - possible - presidential candidate Fred Thompson at the Minnesota State Fair. Fred will be making the rounds with me and you can catch up with us at 11:45 at the Minnesota Republican booth.

As you may have heard, hundreds of Republican activists gathered at the St. Paul River Center to cast ballots in a non-binding Presidential Preference Straw Poll on Wednesday. Thompson won a narrow victory, although his name was not even on the ballot. As Thompson is not an officially announced candidate, voters had to physically write in his name as their preferred candidate.

Click here to view the Straw Poll results.

It was an exciting event and the margins were close. This shows that the opinions of the Republican Presidential candidates in Minnesota are mixed and up for grabs.

Please join us at the State Fair on Monday if you can!

Date : 8/27/2007
Time : 11:00:00 AM 1:00:00 PM
Location : MN GOP Booth (Link)

Thank you again,

Marty Seifert
Republican Leader
House Republican Campaign Committee
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This is significant, as much of the established Minnesota delegation has been for John McCain up til now.

Fred, it's time to shit or get off the pot.

Details over at Minnesotans for Fred!!

Fred to shake up the status quo

David Broder had the chance for a two hour conversation with Fred, and had this to say:

The approach Thompson says he's contemplating is one that will step on many sensitive political toes. When he says "we're getting a free ride" fighting a necessary war in Iraq with an undersized military establishment, "wearing out our people and equipment," it sounds like a criticism of the president and the Pentagon.

When he says he would have opposed adding the prescription drug benefit to Medicare, "a $17 trillion add-on to a program that's going bankrupt," he is fighting the bipartisan judgment of the last Congress.

When he says the FBI is perhaps incapable of morphing itself into the smart domestic security agency the country needs, he is attacking another sacred cow.

Thompson repeatedly cites two texts as fueling his concern about the country's future. One is "Government at the Brink," a two-volume report he issued as chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee at the start of the Bush administration in 2001 and handed to the new president's budget director as a checklist of urgent management problems.

The difficulties outlined in federal procurement, personnel, finances and information technology remain, Thompson said, and increasingly "threaten national security."

His second sourcebook contains the scary reports from Comptroller General David Walker, the head of the Government Accountability Office, on the long-term fiscal crisis spawned by the aging of the American population and the runaway costs of health care. Walker labels the current patterns of federal spending "unsustainable" and warns that unless action is taken soon to improve both sides of the government's fiscal ledger -- spending and revenue -- the next generation will suffer.

"Nobody in Congress or on either side in the presidential race wants to deal with it," Thompson said. "So we just rock along and try to maintain the status quo. Republicans say keep the tax cuts; Democrats say keep the entitlements. And we become a less unified country in the process, with a tax code that has become an unholy mess, and all we do is tinker around the edges."

Thompson readily concedes that he does not know "where all those chips are going to fall" when he starts challenging members of various interest groups to look beyond their individual agendas and weigh the sacrifices that could ensure a better future for their children.

But these issues -- national security and the fiscal crisis of an aging society with runaway heath-care costs -- "are worth a portion of a man's life. If I can't get elected talking that way, I probably don't deserve to be elected."

Thompson says he feels "free to do it" his own way, and that freedom may just be enough to shake up the presidential race.

Should be an interesting ride, to say the least.

Go get 'em, Fred!

For the latest in updated Fred Thompson news and videos, check out the sidebar at Minnesotans for Fred. If you have a blog and want to support Fred, consider joining the Minnesotans for Fred blogroll!

Fred and the Question of Money

Many in the leftosphere and in the "Ron-Paul" osphere have been proclaiming the Fred Thompson campaign dead in the water, due to Thompson's raising "only" 3.5 million during the month of June.

But given that Fred is not yet an official candidate, was that amount really that deficient?

Not so, says the Arkansas Republican:

(1) In his first exploratory month, Thompson raised well over $3.5 million - more than 10 times what Giuliani did in his first month and about 3 times what McCain raised. Here’s the comparison to the other top three Republican candidates during the initial exploratory month (from the time they started taking money):
· Giuliani - total raised in first month (Nov. 15-Dec. 15): $258,660
· McCain - total raised in first month (Nov. 14-Dec. 14): $1,130,351
· Romney - raised more money in his first month, but largely because he organized his big-dollar donors ahead of time to give himself a bit splash and he loaned his committee at least $850,000 weeks before filing his statement of candidacy on Jan. 3.

(2) Under FEC rules, a candidate is not allowed to raise funds “in excess of what could reasonably be expected to be used for exploratory activities”. Thompson has raised an appropriate amount for an exploratory phase. Considering these rules, it is interesting that . . .
· One month ago, the DNC attacked Thompson (in the Politico) for potentially raising more money than he’d need for the exploratory period and said they’d “argue aggressively” against him. The DNC rolled out the hit piece at Daily Kos claiming that Thompson was “Raising Funds Beyond What You Need To "Explore"” and the liberal activist outlet CREW said Thompson “appears to have raised far more money than necessary…”
· After being attacked for raising “too much” money, Thompson is now being attacked for not spending his entire Exploratory focus on raising money.

(3) An inquiry to the Fred Thompson campaign revealed that they have not even used any direct mail or telephone fundraising and their expenditures have been very low meaning that an estimated 80% of funds will be available for the primary.

So, Ron-Paul-ites and DNC-- don't be so quick to turn out the lights, cause the Fred Thompson party is far from over.

As a matter of fact, it's only just begun.