Fred Thompson - the buzz increaseth

[Perd Hapley]

Fred Thompson is getting more and more attention, and a new poll puts him at number three among Republican contenders.  Whatever that means. 

From what I know of him, which isn't much, I'm fairly impressed.

What is your opinion? 

Do you think the oppo research will find anything truly crippling over which the media might crucify him? 

[Monkeyleg]

Jesus could run for office, and the opposition would come up with something. It's the nature of today's politics.

Imagine if FDR were running for office today. Do you think the opposition wouldn't make an issue of his disability?

The only issue I know of so far that I have with Thompson concerns his judgement in the hearings on the Clinton campaign fund-raising scandals of 1996. He let John Glenn outmaneuver him, and agreed to make December the end date for the investigations. All Glenn had to do, then, was run out the clock.

Thompson's positives are impressive, even despite the fact that he's hairless (something you mentioned in another thread).

Imagine a Thompson/Hillary debate. Thompson looks distinguished, while Hillary looks, well, like Hillary. He has a sonorous voice, while hers is shrill. He has a presence that commands respect, while she invites hatred.

Only days ago I mentioned to a neighbor that Thompson might be running. The neighbor was so excited that he's been checking out the Thompson blogs and giving me daily briefings.

[The Rabbi]

Thompson has energized the old Reagan wing of the party in a way I have not seen since,well, Reagan.  I really hope he runs.

[Thor]

I can't say for sure exactly where he stands on illegal immigration, but I have read that he is a little weak in that area. As far as the rest of his values go, he is good to go, IMO.

[Sindawe]

Jesus could run for office, and the opposition would come up with something.

BWAHAHAHA!  Thats TOO easy.

1. He's an anti-business communist.  Look at his actions when throwing good honest money changers out of the temple.

2. He's pro-alcohol abuse, re: the water to wine trick

3. He lacks moral character. Consorting with a known prostitute, for SHAME!!!

4. He's a dangerous sword-nut. “The one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.”

IIRC, Mr. Thompson is on record in favor of border enforcement, which is a step in the right direction.  He is also a supporter of the "War on Drugs"

Run down of his positions: http://ontheissues.org/Senate/Fred_Thompson_SenateMatch.htm

[wmenorr67]

I still say the Thompson/Brownback is the best ticket for the Republicans in '08.  I would bring in the voters from several sides and I don't believe the Democrats could muster up a worthy enough ticket to beat them.  This ticket would re-energize the Reagan Repubicans and Democrats. 

[MattC]

Sindawe, you forgot that Jesus was a religious zealot.

Some words from Mr. Thompson:
You Tube: Fred Thompson - Fox News Part 1
You Tube: Fred Thompson - Fox News Part 2

I would rather have Ron Paul from the Republican party (he was the 1988 Libertarian candidate), but that doesn't look possible.  I would rather have John McCain or Mitt Romney than Rudy Giuliani--his current lead scares me, quite frankly.  I think that Fred Thompson would make a better president than any of these three, but I do not expect him to commit.

From the Libertarian Party, we have a few options in the race.  My plan is to try and convert as many people currently leaning towards a Democrat vote to voting LP instead.  I'd rather have a Libertarian president, but I'll take a Republican over a Democrat.

The LP candidates:
Las Vegas oddsmaker Wayne Allyn Root, Florida businessman Daniel Imperato, Internet entrepreneur Mike Jingozian of Oregon, physics professor George Phillies of Massachusetts, and retired businessman Alben Link of New York.

Behind Ron Paul, I prefer Prof. Phillies.  Daniel Imperato would draw more Democrat votes, though.

[Sergeant Bob]

Las Vegas oddsmaker Wayne Allyn Root

Must not be very good at if he can't figure the odds against his being elected!

[Perd Hapley]

Wow, seven whole replies in 6 hours.  Look at that buzz there. 

Crickets.   

Thompson has energized the old Reagan wing of the party in a way I have not seen since,well, Reagan.

I'm not old enough to remember Reagan's early days, but I'm aware he delivered radio addresses on conservative principles.  Well, lo and behold.  Look who's been on the radio lately? 

I think Republicans and other conservatives are enthusiastic about Thompson because we perceive him as a real conservative.  As opposed to some other people we know.      Rush Limbaugh has been remarking in the past few years that, unlike Reagan, Bush does not view himself as leading a conservative movement or any other movement.  Fred Thompson seems more like Reagan in that sense.  To me, he's beginning to look like an honest-to-goodness ideologue.  And coming from me, that's high praise. 

[Perd Hapley]

Jesus could run for office, and the opposition would come up with something. It's the nature of today's politics.

True, but some are more vulnerable than others.  He has a Senate record to be criticized, but even worse, I hear he used to be a lobbyist - and everyone knows that lobbyists are the high priests of Satan.  Unless the lobbyist is on your side, in which case he's a tireless and dedicated advocate for justice. 

[Antibubba]

Thompson does have something the other GOP candidates don't:  Consistency.  (Think Mitt "I AM the NRA!" Romney).
He's a former "B" actor, people know his face, and he's media savvy.  He has a commanding presence.  He supports RKBA.  I'm not seeing a downside here.

[MattC]

CNN has taken an interest in Thompson:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/27/gop.polls/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Giuliani 31%
McCain 22%
Thompson 12%

I think that CNN's speculation about Giuliani coasting on name recognition is an important factor this early, but does not indicate a long-term strength.

[Sergeant Bob]

CNN has taken an interest in Thompson:

I think that CNN's speculation about Giuliani coasting on name recognition is an important factor this early, but does not indicate a long-term strength.

I agree. About the only thing Guiliani has going for him is 9/11, just because he got a lot of face time.
Hell, there are even people who think Chief Moose did a great job.

[Perd Hapley]

It's pronounced "Moof," get it straight.   

[Manedwolf]

CNN has taken an interest in Thompson:

I think that CNN's speculation about Giuliani coasting on name recognition is an important factor this early, but does not indicate a long-term strength.

I agree. About the only thing Guiliani has going for him is 9/11, just because he got a lot of face time.
Hell, there are even people who think Chief Moose did a great job.

And constantly declares himself the hero of New York, too.

[Dannyboy]

True, but some are more vulnerable than others.  He has a Senate record to be criticized, but even worse, I hear he used to be a lobbyist - and everyone knows that lobbyists are the high priests of Satan.  Unless the lobbyist is on your side, in which case he's a tireless and dedicated advocate for justice. 

Not only that but he's been married twice and his daughter overdosed and died a few years ago.  I would consider these things to be petty and insignificant but the religious conservatives might not think so.  Rudy's numerous marriages are one of the reasons the religious right doesn't like him.  Personally, I hope the guy runs.  I'll definitely vote for him.

[The Rabbi]

Reagan was married several times, has a son who's gay and he was the hero of the religious right.  It all depends on how you position yourself.

[Perd Hapley]

Wait, which son is gay and how many times was he married?  I thought it was twice, not several.  Not that I'm okay with twice. 

[RJMcElwain]

Jesus could run for office, and the opposition would come up with something.

BWAHAHAHA!  Thats TOO easy.

1. He's an anti-business communist.  Look at his actions when throwing good honest money changers out of the temple.

2. He's pro-alcohol abuse, re: the water to wine trick

3. He lacks moral character. Consorting with a known prostitute, for SHAME!!!

4. He's a dangerous sword-nut. The one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.

IIRC, Mr. Thompson is on record in favor of border enforcement, which is a step in the right direction.  He is also a supporter of the "War on Drugs"

Run down of his positions: http://ontheissues.org/Senate/Fred_Thompson_SenateMatch.htm

And you know someone would make an issue of His being Jewish. The rock-crawlers would be all over His being middle aged and single.

Bob

[Ron]

Wait, which son is gay and how many times was he married?  I thought it was twice, not several.  Not that I'm okay with twice.

President Reagan was married twice.

Everyone assumes Non (Ron) Reagan is gay because he was a ballet performer. I don't think he is gay and seem to recall that he is married.

[Dixie_Amazon]

I think he must be related to Chuck Norris. 

AWESOME FACTS ABOUT FRED THOMPSON

* Fred Thompson has on multiple occasions pronounced "nuclear" correctly.

* Fred Thompson has blasted more people in the face with a shotgun than even Dick Cheney.

* He's Fred Thompson. You're nothing.
 
* The masked executioner of Saddam Hussein: Fred Thompson.

* Not only does Fred Thompson cut taxes, he cuts tax collectors.

* Fred Thompson is the only person to have ever bested Miyamato Mushashi in a duel. The reason Musashi is so vague about the book of the void is because the fifth ring of combat is really Fred Thompson.

* The reason Fred Thompson didn't want to stay in the Senate for long is because all the extra scrutiny kept him from doing his favorite hobby: Prowling the streets at night killing drug dealers.

* Every night before going to sleep, Osama bin Laden checks under his bed for Fred Thompson.

* Fred Thompson took over what was Al Gore's Senate seat, thereby dramatically reducing the Senate's carbon footprint. Fred Thompson then created carbon offset offsets by wastefully burning hippies.

* The Fremen consider "Fred Thompson" a killing word.

* Fred Thompson reconsidered running for reelection after 9/11 but later decided to handle things on his own. He was soon seen entering the Middle East with a bottle of tequila in one hand an a handgun in the other. They're still counting the dead.

* Though Fred Thompson left the Senate in 2003, Harry Reid still hasn't stopped wetting his pants.

* Fred Thompson's gaze can kill small animals.

* Fred Thompson once ended a filibuster by ripping out a Senator's heart and showing it to him before he died.

* The actual cause of global warming: Fred Thompson's burning rage.

* The budget to Law & Order was dramatically increased when Fred Thompson was added to the cast because he has to be digitally inserted into the scenes since anytime he's near Hollywood liberals, he kills them.

* Only two things can kill Superman: Kryptonite and Fred Thompson.

* Fred Thompson once stood on our south border and glared at Mexico. There was no illegal immigration for a month.

* Scientists predict that when Fred Thompson dies he'll explode taking out the five nearest planets before collapsing into a black hole.

* At a campaign stop, a Belgian Hound tried to hump Fred Thompson's leg. That breed of dog no longer exists.

* Fred Thompson vows not only to win in Iraq but also to forcefully free Vietnam from Communism, thus giving America a perfect win/loss record for wars again.

* If you purchase a weather radio, it will wake you up with an alarm to warn you when Fred Thompson is pissed off.

* An abortion doctor tried to kill Fred Thompson when he was still in the womb, but he cut off the man's hand with scalpel while shouting, "Do you know who I am? I'm Fred Thompson!"

* Webster's Dictionary defines "conservatism" as "how closely one's views resemble those of Fred Thompson."

* Fred Thompson's sense of strategy is so great that he can checkmate you using only a pawn and a knight.

* Fred Thompson can know both the exact position and momentum of a particle. Furthermore, he knows Schroedinger's cat is dead because he personally strangled it.

* The most efficient airline security is to have Fred Thompson stare down everyone entering a plane.

* When terrorists get to the afterlife, they'll find that none of their seventy-two women are still virgins. Why? Because of Fred Thompson.

* Fred Thompson can open clamshell packaging without the slightest trouble.

* In a butterfly ballot, no matter where you punch it the vote goes to Fred Thompson.

* Why does Iran want nuclear weapons? Out of fear of Fred Thompson.

* Some versions of the Bible have Mathew 5:5 read, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth... unless Fred Thompson wants it."

Source: http://www.imao.us/archives/cat_fred_thompson_facts.html

[Tallpine]

Fred Thompson can open clamshell packaging without the slightest trouble.

Now there is a man that I would vote for 

[Antibubba]

* The Fremen consider "Fred Thompson" a killing word.

Not as well known is that the Fremen consider "Hillary" a retching word.

[mountainclmbr]

I hope Fred runs. Not perfect, but better than Mc Julie Annie.