Fred Thompson on the coming election

Funniest thing I read today

ht: Sykes

She was a nice woman. She told me history was in the making. She told me where to get lunch. She handed me back my reporter’s notebook when one of her almost-two-year-old twins, fixing me with a dark look of mistrust, took it away. “Liberal media, eh?” her solemn eyes glared. “Well, watch what you say about my mommy and Our Sarah.”

Do not think for a moment that I was being paranoid.

Fred Thompson had warmed up the crowd, his familiar old district attorney’s voice restored to full bombast, and he’d been in fine form, denouncing – to loud boos from the crowd — the “lawyers and scandal mongers and representatives of cable networks” (boos from the crowd) who were at that very moment descending upon Alaska looking for dirt on their Sarah.

“I hope they brought their own Brie and Chablis with them,” he’d said, to raucous laughter, as I willed myself to disappear, remembering, with a shudder, that my children had demanded Brie for breakfast only that morning.

- Judith Warner

Fred likes her

STATEMENT ON SELECTION OF GOVERNOR PALIN

Senator Fred Thompson Praises Senator McCain’s Vice Presidential Pick

( Nashville ) – U.S. Senator Fred Thompson issued the following statement:

"I am absolutely delighted by this selection. Once again, John McCain has shown that he is an independent thinker who paints in bold strokes. Sarah Palin is a conservative reformer with executive experience who will bring a breath of fresh air to Washington . She will be an ideal running mate for John McCain, and will make a major contribution to our country's future."

The big Spitzer picture

As we consume every salacious detail of the Spitzer story, there is a larger point to all of this.

But as much as we would wallow in the details, can we ask ourselves if there still is a line between the private lives of politicians and their public lives?

As much as that line ever existed, it was a 20th century invention.

Thomas Jefferson’s affair with Sally Hemings was frontpage material in the opposition newspapers. Andrew Jackson was accused of bigamy. When Grover Cleveland ran for president in 1884, his opponents chanted “Ma, ma, where’s my pa?” referring to Cleveland’s possible illegitimate child. Cleveland’s supporters had the last laugh when Cleveland won, “He’s gone all the way to Washington.”

Less than 30 years later Woodrow Wilson’s personal life was mostly off limits.

So it was until the Miami Herald photographed Sen. Gary Hart onboard a yacht conveniently named the “Monkey Business” in midpresidential campaign, um, relaxing.

Of course, we had the momentary backlash during the Clinton era, with Hillary Clinton standing by her man even as he committed perjury. But we forget that at the height of the scandal, Congressman Bob Livingston was forced to resign due to his extramarital affair rather than succeed Newt Gingrich as speaker of the House.

So what’s our standard for interest in politicians’ lives? Does it matter how many divorces Sen. Russ Feingold, former Sen. Fred Thompson, former Speaker Gingrich, Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani had collectively? Probably not, any more than it mattered President Ronald Reagan was once divorced and had strained relations with his children.

As long as we’re limited to mere mortals for candidates, we know that all will carry some flaw. Perhaps a reasonable standard should be if they yield to temptation we should let it remain a private matter unless it involves breaking the law, abusing the trust of their office or somehow impedes their job performance.

But we’re in a celebrity age, and insisting on a reasonable privacy standard is like the Dutch Boy with a finger in the dike. So long as politicians use their families as props and fodder for stock campaign photos, the temptation will be to probe for hypocrisy, or at least entertainment value. Politicians should be warned if they don’t want a Jerry Springer reputation, they should avoid a Jerry Springer lifestyle.

I voted

Just a wild prediction first: I predict Democrats will have higher turnout than Republicans in Waukesha.

Charlie Sykes predicted yesterday in an e-mail yesterday to National Review Online Senator McCain will win Wisconsin in November. I'll take that wager.

Now, for how I voted:

I couldn't vote for Hillary Clinton. Call it HRC derangement syndrome, but if I was responsible in any way for her becoming president, I don't know how I could face my children.

There was no strategic advantage in voting for Obama.

I was not going to throw away my vote. No vote for Fred.

I was not going to take the coward's way out and choose to vote for undesignated delegates. It was tempting.

Ron Paul? I'd sooner cast my vote for Jimmy Carter.

No. I voted for John McCain.

1) Foreign policy. As a lifelong student of foreign policy, I voted for the most qualified remaining candidate.
2) My son Will wants somebody from Arizona to be president in his lifetime. It will mean anybody can grow up to be president. Besides, I have family in Arizona. I don't know anybody in Arkansas.
3) Like Cindy McCain, I've always been proud of my country, too.

Hey, look, I voted for the guy who won!

Tough choices tomorrow

In November, I'll probably vote for Senator John McCain. But tomorrow I get to vote for whomever I want.

Do I vote for the first amendment-killing, embryonic stem cell-destroying, Andy Jackson prototype?

Or do I vote for the tax-hiking, God's Law guy who doesn't believe in evolution?

Could be worse. I could be a Democrat and be stuck with two candidates that there's not a dime's worth of difference between them.

Hey, look! Fred Thompson is still on the ballot!

Fred likes John

Not unexpected, but Fred Thompson is endorsing John McCain.

"This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republican should close ranks behind John McCain," Thompson said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.

Fred Thompson out

Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson is ending his presidential campaign. I realize this is a sad day for Fred Heads, but there wasn't much else he could do at this point. Now conservatives can look forward to Thompson campaigning for the eventual nominee and conservative ideas outside of the political arena.

Time for the other Thompson to withdraw

There are only three, possibly four likely winners of the Republican nomination at this point. After losing in South Carolina, Fred Thompson is not one of them.

Of the remaining choices, Romney, Huckabee, McCain and Giuliani, only former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has a chance of carrying the conservative standard in November. None of the other three candidates are capable of pulling together all the fragile strands of the Republican Party and still present a conservative program. None of the other three would want to.

Senator John McCain is the front runner. Within the GOP there is a certain sense of "It's his turn", always a strong sentiment with Republicans. There is also a sense of gratitude for the senator's long service, his military record, and his willingness to stand firm in support of sending more troops to Iraq before even the White House had the idea.

If resume alone were the determinant of the Republican nomination, McCain would have to be the Republicans' first choice.

However, McCain has been wrong on so many issues, and has been willing to put his personal vanity ahead of that of the conservative movement and the Republican Party. Conservatives fear less that he'll be another Eisenhower than he'll be something else entirely, maybe an Andrew Jackson. McCain's stands on immigration, tax cuts, health care, global warming and even judicial nominations would make most conservatives wary to support him. But there should not be one conservative supporter for the senator given his disdain for the First Amendment, especially his continued support for suppressing free speech in the name of "campaign finance reform."

I have no doubt Senator McCain would willingly die for his country if it was asked, but who could speak up for our country if he was elected?

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is a strong voice for the unborn. Huckabee also has appeal in that he is a strong voice for returning religious values to the public arena. But Huckabee demonstrates the limits of one faction within the GOP trying to succeed without the others. Abandoning economic conservatives in the hopes of getting Democratic populist voters is not a winning coalition and undermines the very ideas of American conservativism.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has finally decided to contest a primary, only to see his national standing gone and real alternatives to his candidacy emerge. If Fred Thompson is to be criticized for a lackluster campaign, Giuliani should be disqualified for squandering every advantage he had.

Setting aside the issues for a moment, Giuliani's personal scandals are not the personal story of a president. Even Ulysses S. Grant's drinking and Grover Cleveland's child out of wedlock pale in comparison to Giuliani's story.

Giuliani's strength is his commitment to the War on Terror. Perhaps more than any other politician he understands how much the world changed on September 11th. However, if foreign policy were the only issue, why wouldn't Senator McCain be the first choice?

Giuliani's commitment to lower taxes is admirable. His record on crime unsurpassed. But when it comes to the social issues, Giuliani would be a disaster to the Reagan Coalition. While he has committed to supporting strict constructionists to the Supreme Court, that is not the only role of the President when it comes to defending life and standing for traditional values.

Which leaves us as Governor Romney. While Romney is a recent convert on the issue of being Pro-Life, his record in Massachusetts is one of a sincere conversion. Romney fought for traditional marriage. On economic issues, Romney is a fiscal conservative. And on the War on Terror, Romney also has a mature world view that sees the war as ongoing and necessary. No candidate is perfect, but Romney is one candidate capable of bringing the whole of the Republican Party together in time to win in November. Romney is also the once candidate remaining that could defeat McCain, Huckabee and Giuliani, all of whom would be counter to the interests of the conservative movement.

The next contest is Florida on January 29th. A Romney win there, with all four of the major candidates in a contest for the first time, could give him the momentum needed to win a clear majority of delegates on February 5th.

By withdrawing now and endorsing Romney, Thompson's support could be enough to provide Romney the edge needed to win. But the key is to withdraw now so the endorsement has time to affect the voters' choice, especially as early voting has already begun.

It pains me to offer that advice. As regular readers know, Sean Hackbarth of the American Mind is on staff with Thompson and my wife is a "Fred Head."

But by supporting Romney now, Thompson will have done his part to advance the conservative cause and propel a conservative to the Republican nomination.

Spare some change?

This is too funny. Ht: Illusory Tenant

I should send out a press release, part III

I think I've got it figured out.

Romney wins Michigan. Thompson wins South Carolina. Romney wins Nevada. McCain wins Florida. McCain gets skunked on Super Tuesday. Thompson wins a majority of the delegates Super Tuesday. Giuliani wins New Jersey. Huckabee wins Arkansas. Conservatives, seeing that the choice is now between Thompson and Romney, choose Thompson. Thompson seals the deal in Wisconsin.

I should send out a press release, part II

Romney wins Michigan. Huckabee or Thompson wins South Carolina, McCain comes to the end of the road. Florida goes to Romney, knocking out Giuliani. Romney cleans up Super Tuesday. Romney wins the nomination, picks Thompson as his running mate.

I should probably send out a press release

I'm predicting Senator John McCain will be the Republican nominee for president. Senator Fred Thompson will be his running mate.

McCain will win Michigan, knocking out Romney, and possibly Florida and South Carolina. If not first, he'll finish second in one of those states. From there its just a matter of winning big February 5th. The dominos are tumbling his way.

Update! Great minds think alike:
Real Debate sees a National Unity ticket:

I believe the reason McCain is gaining momentum is that he is viewed as a centrist but he is strong on defense. That is a powerful combination in today’s world.

Now enter the 500# gorilla in the race, Joe Lieberman. I strongly believe Senator McCain will go on to win the nomination and will enlist as his running mate Joe Lieberman.

A centrist Republican and a centrist Democrat running on the same ticket will resonate strongly with the people who wish more than anything for their government to become less dysfunctional.

Don't write any candidate off

The contest for president is still wide open, as I explain in this week's column.

The day of the New Hampshire primary, the news broke on Fox News that Clinton was reorganizing her staff. By the end of the evening, Clinton was giving her victory speech, a quick and inexplicable turnaround.

Funny how things change. It wasn’t long before the Iowa caucus that Sen. Barack Obama was being written off. Now he’s won Iowa decisively and finished a strong second in New Hampshire, two states with a minimal black vote.

Fox News reported Tuesday night their exit polls showed Clinton finished much better among women, while Obama did much better among men. As the two candidates head into states with larger black populations, it will be interesting to see if Obama can bring the black vote home and if that will be enough of a margin to defeat Clinton’s hold on traditional Democratic voters.

Former Sen. John Edwards (not to be confused with the television psychic Jon Edward) finished a distant third in New Hampshire after finishing second in Iowa. Most analysts are writing him off. But then again, most analysts wrote off Clinton and Obama.

The Republicans debated tonight and this time (according to the post-debate analysis focus group) it was Fred Thompson's turn to shine.

Romney wins Michigan, Thompson wins South Carolina, Giuliani wins Florida, this thing could go all the way to the convention.

Well, except for Ron Paul:

And if you’re wondering about former Libertarian candidate for president Congressman Ron Paul, currently running as a Republican, his supporters are trying to raise money to fly a blimp and staging virtual campaign rallies in the "World of Warcraft" online game. Paul will sew up the Orc vote, even as The New Republic publishes revelations about the racist screeds published in Paul’s newsletters.

The Michigan primary is Tuesday, and then place your bets, folks. Four days later is the Nevada primary, and anyone can still win on both sides.

Update!Re-watching the Republican debate with the lovely Doreen from Waukesha. Doreen's chanting, "Go Fred Go!" But what we're laughing at is the different candidates' reactions to the crazy old man on the end, Ron Paul. Romney looks concerned, like Paul might hurt himself. McCain can't decide whether to laugh or beat the snot out of Paul. Huckabee just kinda glances upward when he's not thinking, "This guy is wasting my time." Giuliani looks like he's trying hard not to laugh. Fred uses the time to think about his next one-liner. Meanwhile Paul looks at the others like they're all members of the Tri-Lateral Commission.

Cheeseheads for Fred

Blogger Josh Schroeder is off to South Carolina to volunteer for Fred Thompson's big stand. Wisconsin blogger Sean Hackbarth is already on Fred Thompson's campaign staff. We wish them both good luck in the Palmetto State primary January 19th.

Two parties

Rich Lowry of National Review points out something interesting:

Here's one way to look at it: 60% of voters were evangelicals. Huck beat Romney among them 45-19%. 40% weren't evangelicals. Romney beat Huck among them 33-13%.

Reminds me of a different campaign, the Petak Recall. Tommy! came in to campaign at a fundraiser for George Petak. My friend Bob pointed to the bar and to the tables. You could see the regular GOP crowd at the bar and George's other base (except for those too angry with him to show up) sitting at the tables not drinking. There was not much mixing.

Meanwhile, John O'Sullivan, a former editor of National Review urges a rallying to Romney:

It seems clear that we should do all we can to help revive the Romney campaign. If that fails, we face a choice between Huckabee and McCain. Neither looks like a good bet against a surging Obama candidacy.

As much as I respect O'Sullivan and the editors of National Review (who also endorsed Romney) I think it premature to panic and rally to one candidate yet, and if it is time, I'm not sure the candidate should be Governor Romney - or Fred Thompson.

Fred Heads will not want to miss this

Brian Fraley profiled Sean Hackbarth of the American Mind and of the Fred Thompson national campaign staff.

Blogging has led you to… Washington, D.C. and getting a quick education in the art of eCampaigning. I’m weblogging for a Presidential candidate. For a political weblogger that’s a huge stage. Along with that I’m learning so much about all aspects of campaigns. I’ll be able to actually know what I’m talking about in future writing.

I know some bloggers (and some political science professors) won't believe it, but there's no substitute for actual political campaign experience when talking about politics. Unless you've been somebody wondering if you're going to be collecting a paycheck after the next election, you'll never know what a political campaign is really like. It's always too easy to criticize from the sidelines. Good luck to Sean today.

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Ouch

From Byron York in The Corner on National Review Online:

From the Thompson campaign:

"Americans do not respect believers of convenience. Americans tire of those who would jettison their beliefs, even to gain the world." — Gov. Mitt Romney

We Couldn't Agree More.

Iowans don't take a dump without a plan

...Or something like that. Former Senator Fred Thompson is staking everything on Iowa, according to an article in the Weekly Standard.

FORMER TENNESSEE SENATOR Fred Thompson has decided to take his campaign and virtually all of its resources to Iowa in an all-or-nothing attempt to register a strong showing in the caucuses here on January 3. "We're getting ready to make this not only our second home, but our first home," he told a small gathering of supporters at the Polk County Convention Center on Friday night. Thompson and his wife Jeri chatted with the crowd before making their way through the exhibits at the Iowa Farm Bureau's annual meeting in downtown Des Moines.

Beginning Monday, December 17, Thompson will launch a bus tour that will take him throughout the state. From the beginning of that trip through caucus night, Thompson will essentially live in Iowa, taking only a one-day trip out of the state to celebrate Christmas at his home in Virginia.

"Iowa is critical to our campaign, and it may in fact be everything to our campaign," says one Thompson official. "If we don't do what we need to do in Iowa, it will be tough to compete effectively down the road."

Thompson has said publicly that he needs to finish in the top three in Iowa. Campaign officials say that a strong third place finish--presumably behind new frontrunner Mike Huckabee and former frontrunner Mitt Romney--would likely give them enough momentum to survive New Hampshire and compete in South Carolina and beyond. A second place finish would be a victory.

Wisconsin Right to Life endorses Fred Thompson

If the early primaries split and Wisconsin's primary comes into play, this could be important:

The Wisconsin Right to Life Political Action Committee, the state's premier right-to-life PAC, today announced its endorsement of former Senator Fred Thompson for President of the United States.

"The Wisconsin Right to Life PAC is proud to endorse Fred Thompson," said Susan Armacost, WRTL/PAC Director. "Fred Thompson's stellar 100% right to life voting record and his personal commitment to the protection of human life is deeply appreciated by our organization. We strongly believe in his ability to win the presidential election."

In making its endorsement, WRTL/PAC considered the positions of candidates on right-to-life issues, their records on those issues and their ability to win.

Fred Thompson has had an impressive and consistent right-to-life record throughout his eight years in the U. S. Senate. Thompson strongly believes that the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion-on-demand Supreme Court decision was wrongly decided and must be reversed. Thompson consistently opposed the use of taxpayer dollars to promote or pay for abortion in the United States and overseas. He supported all of the many pro-life measures such as parental notice prior to a minor's abortion.

Fred Thompson strongly opposes the type of stem cell research that requires killing human embryos. He supports ethical stem cell research that does not harm or destroy human life and that has produced impressive results in alleviating over 73 diseases and conditions.

The Wisconsin Right to Life PAC endorsement follows the lead of the National Right to Life Committee PAC which endorsed Thompson several weeks ago.

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