So, it is just a rumor - although one which seems well connected.
There will be a lot of pundits criticizing Fred Thompson for a “lackluster campaign”. I won’t be one of them.
McLean, VA - Senator Fred Thompson today issued the following statement about his campaign for President:
“Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.”
Thompson’s statement was not the terrific blow some will talk about - support for conservatism is not what it once was, now that moral relativity is reigning. However, a return to conservatism is not that far-fetched either. We’ve seen the potential. Fred Thompson has given me hope that the core of the Republican party is alive and well. We may have to pull a 1912 some day, but our values have not eroded. Thompson’s numbers have shown we are still a decisive element in the GOP.
What is next? Well, I have to see how the tickets shape up. Given the right VP candidate, I can vote for Romney. Otherwise, my vote in November is going to be a bit different than typical. I will not be filling in a bubble on the ballot sheet. I’ll be filling in a blank - Fred Thompson.
I hope Jim Geraghty’s source on Fred Thompson is correct.
He has not spoken to any other campaign or any other candidates, nor does he intend to at this time.
He will not endorse, I am told by this source close to Thompson.
For someone who is significantly different politically from the rest of the candidates, not endorsing is the best policy. Fred Thompson is the ideal image of the responsible political candidate. I only wish there were less sheep out there in the GOP, willing to accept the careful branding campaigns of McCain, Romney, and Huckabee over someone with a consistent record of responsibility.
Neither Romney, nor McCain deserve the support of conservatives. You know my feelings on Huckabee.
While Fred has not made his immediate plans clear, most of us assume he is going back to his family life. Best wishes to and God bless Fred’s ailing mother.
What if the GOP primaries take a post pattern aspect and become drawn out well beyond giga Tuesday? To my way of thinking it is not a bad thing because I think we need to “shake out” the bugs in this race anyway. Understandably, this is because I view the current front runners as a sure sign the GOP is headed too far left and I am not comfortable with that. the most “popular” candidates are not what I am looking for in a president.
Until today, I thought I might be alone in my opinion of the candidates in general and specifically about my thoughts on this year’s early primaries.
If you think Iowa’s wacky caucus rules make their choice unrepresentative, if you think Wyoming’s caucus rules were too strict, if you think the independents of New Hampshire and the crossover Democrats of Michigan might make those states’ choices somehow invalid… don’t worry. You’ll get your say (well, not all of you, but a lot of you). The Super Duper Tuesday states will be huge, and the Maryland-Virginia-D.C. votes a week later might even make a difference.
Whoever the Republican nominee is, he won’t be a reflection of the quirky preferences of the early states. He’ll have fought and won over a wide variety of political terrain.
The fact that we still have no clear front runner to me negates all of the national polls and solidifies the fact that it is still any body’s race. It also vindicates what I said earlier about the early primaries this election cycle.
Finally, to my thinking, the longer the race goes without a clear front runner emerging, the more probable a Thompson nomination becomes. People are going to get sick of these other baubles as the conservative clear-coat wears off.
Blue Team - Bi-Racial and Bi-Sexual? AND Already with the recounts!
As we learned last week, Hillary Clinton won big in New Hampshire, flummoxing the polls and pollsters. Most of them have had excuses of one flavor or another, but the bottom lines seems to have been, we are not good at Bi-racial polling, nor bi-sexual polling. In the mean time, Hillary has made several statements along racial lines that have not sat well with black voters. The word on the street is there is a lot more faith in Bill on race than there is in Hillary.
After shaking up her staff and bringing in the old-school race baiters, you can bet this campaign is going to get messy fast. The question is will Hillary ruin their chances of a win in November just to get the party’s nomination?Barak Obama has a message for skeptical blacks in South Carolina - “Whites are ready for a black president”. This is something we pointed out here last month. The big question is can Barak fend off the big hit campaign due to be launched against him by a large pro-Hillary group? South Carolina might be more contentious than anticipated. With several activists bringing out the race card, as well as trying to catch Barak riding dirty on his college drug use, he has to come out strong on the issues to get past what we think is simply a very nasty speed bump. Kerry endorsed Obama though - did it help?
John Edwards could be facing Barak alone, unless Hillary can bring out another win. This would certainly change the dynamic of the race. We think there would be a lot less talk of race from the MSM, if there was also not a sex issue as well.
Dishonorable mention goes to Dennis Kucinich, who first demanded a recount in New Hampshire and then sued to be included in the debates in Nevada. He doesn’t seem to understand he has already been voted off the island of Wannabedaprezi!
Red Team - No Clear Front Runner!
Rudy Giuliani wants your prayers and he really needs them right now. South Carolina is not going to be friendly to him and Michigan is not going to be nice either. With cash problems and staffers going without pay, his campaign doesn’t have much steam left.
Mitt Romney needs a Michigan win to remain viable and he’ll probably get it, although the McCain surge could bump him into a second place finish. We’ll know soon enough! I don’t expect him to drop out before Super Tuesday, as he has enough money to stay in as long as he wants. Romney is also getting a lot of support from Leftists, according to Daily Kos - the idea being that Romney loses against Hillary and Obama in all polls thus far.
John McCain is still surging and it is paying off. As he gains popularity, he also becomes a magnet for abuse from the GOP base. take into account also that GOP leaders are not supporting him. Romney has garnered a lot more support from party leaders and congressional leaders, while McCain is gaining on popularity chatter. I still don’t believe McCain is going to get the nomination.
Mike Huckabee is losing fast. His campaign is in disarray and his true colors are starting to show. As others attack his policy - which is natural when you become the front runner - he began making his attacks more personal. As he slides in all the national polls, we are hearing a lot less news about him. I think he is close to being done.
Fred Thompson is still rising and expected to finish strong in South Carolina. In our minds, he does not need a win in any of the early primaries. As long as he can keep his campaign afloat money-wise, he can stick through to super-Tuesday and find out what America really thinks. There is a big difference between the primaries elections and the feeling the waters early primaries. His message is resonating well, as his campaign gets better at communicating. There is a rumor that a presidential ticket is shaping up with Fred. How does “Thompson - Watts ‘08″ sound?
Ron Paul is still in the race and we predict this will continue as long as the money holds out, despite poor results and not so subtle hints from the field that his policy ideas are crazy. We predict he will struggle to remain viable until just shy of Giga Tuesday and then swing his support to no one.
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Today the Democrats debate in Nevada and the Michigan primaries are today!
January 19th - Nevada caucuses!
Stay Tuned and watch the drama unfold! Who is next to leave the island of Wannapedaprezi? Find out what happens the next time - “The tribe has spoken”!
Last night, Fred said what has been on our minds. Huckabee is not a Conservative.
Oh - and then there is that endorsement from Human Events.
The 2008 presidential election is the most unusual and most important in many years. It’s been more than five decades since such a race didn’t feature an incumbent President or Vice President. Since World War II, America has not had a presidential election at a time when the stakes were higher. Conservatives have to win this election, and to do so, we have to identify a candidate around whom we all can rally.
So, you have the National Right to Life endorsement. Then, while everyone else is on stage making proclamations about their own “Reaganism”, Reagan’s news source does it for Fred. Stop supporting these baubles and get behind the only real conservative in the race.
[youtube s3FHiscIDeU nolink]
The Huckster might play the bass, but only Fred Thompson has this kind of game!
I took some free play loops and put this together for your listening pleasure.
Hat Tip to VA for the idea.
Blue Team - Joe Who?
Hillary Clinton has lost a lot of favor among Democrats, losing to Obama in Iowa and probably losing to Obama and Edwards today in New Hampshire. She will win Michigan, as the other candidates asked to be removed from the ballot when Michigan changed the date of their primaries to earlier in the season.
Yesterday, Hillary had a human moment as she teared up talking about the grueling campaign schedule and her passion to create change in America. Some think this was calculated to show her humanity. Others think it was calculated to allow her an excuse to back out later. We think it was simply Hillary bending to too much pressure and that this is her “Dean Scream”.
We will find out son enough!
Barak Obama has got everything going his way right now. By our analysis, he will sweep most of the early primaries and will probably get the Democratic nomination. The problem so far is, Barak Obama has not come out with anything definitive - this is starting to look like 2004 all over again. What exactly is he going to change - that he is able to change?
John Edwards seems to have gotten a springboard from Clinton not doing so well. he is still in the race, but his days are numbered by our estimates. We predict Edwards will put his considerable base behind Obama sometime shortly after Michigan.
Red Team - Who is the real conservative?
Rudy Giuliani has shot his wad. No, he doesn’t have a new mistress - that we know of - but he is not generating the excitement he once was. We liken him to one of those tourist luaus. It’s very beautiful in pictures and exciting when you get there - but the drinks are watery, the food is dry and bland, oh and you have to go get it yourself.
Mitt Romney is still polling well and performing well on stage. However, the veneer is rubbing off, and we are starting to see the blue under the new coat or red paint. Romney recently mentioned how he is a big proponent of mandates on health insurance. Yet, studies of his health plan in Massachusetts show they are becoming a fiduciary nightmare. We predict Americans will wake up and prompt a Romney break up. Romney did take Wyoming though.
John McCain is the man of the hour, but no one knows it just yet. It looks like he is set to win New Hampshire and he might do well in South Carolina. There are a lot of people in the Republican party pushing John McCain’s name more forcefully now. We’ll have to see if the mustang overtakes some of the thoroughbreds - they are known for their endurance. If McCain is anything, he’s enduring.
Fred Thompson is reportedly on a rise in the field. We don’t predict a strong finish in New Hampshire and neither does Fred. Fred has made very clear statements regarding his policy and has not been required to clarify his statements, unlike every other Republican candidate. While most of the other candidates have been reported by Fact Check on numerous occasions as having distorted or outright lied about their positions, Fred has simply pointed to his legislative record.
Fred’s campaign is the most dynamic in this race from the standpoint of the possibilities his campaign represent versus the actual poll results.
Mike Huckabee saw a big surge leading up to Iowa and it carried him through that early primary in good position. Yet, recent questions have emerged about his policy stances as Governor of Arkansas. The cost of popularity in this race will always bring with it a greater degree of scrutiny - watch for Huckabee to place second in New Hampshire or a very close third. Has anyone had a Huckaburger yet?
Ron Paul is still in the race and we predict this will continue as long as the money holds out, despite poor results and not so subtle hints from the field that his policy ideas are crazy. We predict he will struggle to remain viable until just shy of Giga Tuesday and then swing his support to no one.
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Tthe New Hampshire Primary Elections are today!
Michigan primaries on January 15th!
Stay Tuned and watch the drama unfold! Who is next to leave the island of Wannapedaprezi? Find out what happens the next time - “The tribe has spoken”!
I will never vote for McCain.
He is being sold to us by a lot of people in the Republican party as the only Republican who can beat Barak Obama.
Presumptuous drivel.
Although Hillary may have had her Dean Scream today when she got teary eyed by a question about how she manages to get her hair done every morning on the campaign trail (”It’s just so hard to do, but I am passionate about these issues. It’s personal!”), the fat lady is not even on stage yet.
As for McCain, what makes him an electable Republican? That he is to the right of Obama? I am supposed to accept a right-leaning socialist over a left-leaning socialist? What kind of logic is that?
Oh - yeah. Those committee seats in congress! We’re not talking about the values and commitments of our party anymore - that’s out the window, as long as we retain our positions on the “good committees”. Forget it. I am not supporting that drivel. The RNC needs to get this train back on the rails because the alternative is a Democrat in the White House for the next 3 elections. You want good positions in the good committees? Earn them! Coalesce the party along the ideals of our conservative, federalist roots.
You guys prop up one of the 4 paper tiger “conservatives” in this race and you will find your base opt out of this election faster than you know what through a goose. We’ve had enough. We want the party to support the conservative - Fred Thompson.
So, this could be an elaborate hoax by someone trying to take a poke at Romney, but if these images are in any way a representation of the truth - wow!
[youtube rpmbHvX9KtY nolink]
Here is a comment regarding the video though -
RollyMolly123 (5 hours ago) Show Hide
+1
Reply
I called News 5 ABC in Boston, whose cameraman is there on the right and they confirmed that these are in fact paid Romney staffers - not volunteers and not plants. That they would do this in front of cameras just shows how dirty and brazen these people have become. Unreal. Call for yourself to verify….
Coupled with allegations that the “Thompson will bow to McCain” rumor also emanated from the Romney campaign, I would say this does not bode well for Romney. This is, to my thinking, more damaging to a campaign than simply rigging your audience participants, as Hillary has done.
Mitt needs to either out these allegations as false or jump with both feet on his staffers and get this stuff done and gone. It will only get worse if no action is taken now.
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