Fred's Last Chance (Updated...)
By Tennyson Posted in 2008 — Comments (66) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
This is a post I had hoped I would never have to write.
I write this as someone who:
-
worked as a teenager in the original 1994 Thompson campaign for Senate in Tennessee;
wrote a letter to Senator Thompson to try to pursuade him to run;
was one of the original Friends of Fred Thompson donors (I've been maxed out since the day after the committee was set up);
attended his first trip as a potential candidate to the Curb house in Nashville and brought back part of his inspired message to Redstate readers
I am the last person I thought would be writing a pre-post mortem on the Thompson Campaign. But here I am. And here is Fred's last chance...
Since the Summer, I've watched and hoped with every debate and every speech to see the man I know is right to lead this country because of his character, maturity, and thoughtfulness show his quality. After three months of disappointing and low key efforts, that Fred finally showed up in Iowa for a few weeks and is now making his way through South Carolina hoping for a great comeback. But, the Media (Drive By and Conservative) have already declared his candidacy done.
How did we get here?
How did someone set up to run with the full Republican coalition end up near the back of the back with a ticking dollar meter on the home page that can't cross $1M after being up a week?
How did we end up with a hypocrite like Gov. Mike Huckabee holding the banner of the Southern, Evangelical base of the Republican Party instead of Fred?
(I say this as a committed Christian that is utterly infuriated when someone tosses out Jesus on one side of his mouth while dissembling with the other side)
How can we really be left with Sen. John McCain as the lesser of two evils (i.e. Huckabee)?
How many of you feel the say way I do? I would bet a whole lot.
To win the national campaign, however, Fred needed an army of Fred heads more than he needed money or even great policies. Mike Huckabee is proof that you can have no substance and no real organization and yet pull off a real run at the nomination. And its not just because he can turn a phrase and make up empty platitudes at a rate that make your head spin. Its because he realizes that perception trumps substance in modern America. You have to be better than the other guy at bringing people into your frame and that means meeting people where they are at.
Sen. Thompson, if you read this... I know that you want to do this YOUR WAY. You are your own man and that is a reason that a lot of us called for you to run and why I'm going to vote for you and support you until the end. But, YOU CAN'T WIN THAT WAY. This is the country we live in. You can't run as Abe Lincoln and get elected in our culture. That's sad, but you have to realize that its not going to change unless you meet people half way. We will come the other half.
The solution to getting the buzz back and reenergizing your campaign is simple.
BE A STATESMEN and ACT LIKE AN ACTION HERO.
You are the only guy that really can be both. You have to BE Sen. Thompson and ACT like FRED!
You don't need Chuck Norris. You are Chuck Norris.
How many debates have you Fred supporters watched (like I have) where you see the perfect opening for Fred to take out Huckabee or McCain and he DOESN"T take it. He called out Huckabee just a little bit the other night in New Hampshire and we cheered. If he had spoken like FRED! instead of Senator Thompson, he would have said:
"Gov. Huckabee, how can you claim you've got the competence in foreign policy to be President if you want to set up a situation that might give Miranda Rights to terrorists? Is that what they taught you at the Holiday Inn Express last night?"
If he'd said something like that, we would have been on fire.
You should be making some of these other guys into jokes.
More importantly, you are also the only one on that stage with the Gravitas to call out Senator McCain on how wrong he has been on Immigration, Taxes, Judges, and Global Warming. I know that John is a friend. I was there when he came to Tennessee in 1994 and rode around with you on the Big Red Truck. If you are all in, Sen. Thompson, that means that you have to challenge him too and show that you aren't holding out to be his VP. It's not personal. It's principles. He's a hero and a great American, but he is also wrong on a lot of things and would likely run one of the most moderate/liberal Republican administrations since Nixon.
It's time for FRED! It's time to interrupt these guys when they filibuster in the debate and show yourself to be the grown-up. Its time to show that telling the truth isn't about just waiting for your turn but realizing that you need to fight for every minute the Media gives you. You need to call the Media out. You need to ask the Republican Party if they want to let the Press Corps pick their candidate.
It's time to stop running for Vice President and show us who gave our hearts, money, and effort that you are willing to fight to be President. You are running for us, our children, and your children. This isn't about you and your idea of how to run for President being vindicated. Its about winning so you can make a difference. You owe it to us and them to do what it takes to win. Then everyone else will believe that you will keep the White House and bring integrity and competence to Washington. You can't run the most conservative administration in modern history if you don't win.
Heaven is taken by storm Fred, and so is the White House.
PS- Its also time for your campaign to take whatever help it can get and let the FredHeads do a lot more than make calls, write letters, and donate. You need an Army. And you need it Today. Your campaign should be getting that message out every hour until the polls close on Jan. 19th.
Update...
I don't know if I find this encouraging or not:
We went from zero to third place in Iowa. We’ll be competitive here. retail politics that worked there will work here. Might have been surprising that because I’ve done a few movies, and hadn not slick or scripted or doing Hollywood extravaganzas. That’s not me. Never has been me.
Being myself has allowed me to do some pretty significant things in my life... Only in recent times have we judged presidencies on excitability.
We went all over the state of Iowa in the snow, back and forth, day and night, and we’re doing the same thing here. Some cast the die a long time ago, and they’ve got their things decided.
Sen. Thompson, we appreciate the man you are. But much like the stage, it takes an over projection to get the point across to the live audience. It doesn't mean more caffeine, but I think until you really challenge Sen. McCain, you haven't burned the ships.
Your best weapon is your humor - while Huckabee may be the quickest to turn a quip, you've got him beat hands down on the depth of your humor.
Alright... I'm a supporter not a coach. It's up to you know Sen. Thompson. Godspeed and we are with you.
Do you have the connections to get this to those who matter? The thought of a Hillary/McCain matchup (especially if McCain chooses Huckabee as his VP) is almost too depressing to contemplate.
"All that need be done for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
I passed it along to some people. I think the best thing to happen is for those of you who are working in parallel to help Fred to lay out offers for help and then it is up to them to contact you. They need to rally the troops.
We need people on buses. We need a caravan of Fredheads to invade South Carolina and take back this race. And we need a campaign that is willing to pull the trigger on that so they can attract enough attention to get back into the perception of being in this race as a contender.
There is a big caravan of us headed to SC next Friday to do all we can out of the Greenville Fred HQ.
Let me know if anyone wants to join us.
We are there Friday-Sunday next week.
To paraphrase the Who: "We are going Mobile!!!!"
Max
Max Power and Mark Smann
The Laughing Elephant
http://thelaughingelephant.blogspot.com
One of them just read it, but I have no idea who that person is, and I doubt I will get a response.
I think Romney would be running away with this thing. Perhaps that has gone into his calculations. It may not even be too late. So yeah, go ahead Fred, take down the Huckster and The Mac a notch or two, Romney could use the help.
"Go ahead, make your jokes, Mr. Jokey... Joke-maker. But let me hit you with some knowledge. Quit now". -White Goodman
All Romney supporters need to come to grips with the fact that most conservatives just don't like him because he is a flip flopping opportunist. With all the money Romney has spent he should be running away with this thing. If Fred had half as much he certainly would be doing a lot better. Even so, Fred leads Romney in the national Gallop poll. Mitt should be gone after he loses MI. I hope he does the right thing.
I understand your point and sentiment, but this isn't Fred's last chance...
However, it may be our last chance for a long time... Our last chance to have an opportunity to support/work/vote for a man that embodies the spirit of American leadership not seen in since the early 80's...
And NO, he isn't Reagan, but Reagan wasn't Teddy and Teddy wasn't Lincoln and Lincoln wasn't Washingon but they were all damn fine men and Great presidents!
but even sadder is that I feel the same way, but about Romney. Ain't it frustrating when people don't get what seems so plain to you?
"Go ahead, make your jokes, Mr. Jokey... Joke-maker. But let me hit you with some knowledge. Quit now". -White Goodman
Romney may be a great guy and a true conservative, but he doesn't have the credibility. If he manages to burn few bridges, he will still be viable in 8 years of a Fred presidency, particularly if he spends that time being a vocal and conservative VP.
Just my thoughts.
you have talking heads on Faux News saying there is no real conservitive.
"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
John Paul Jones (letter to M. Le Ray de Chaumont,16 Nov.1778)
... evident in this diary, do you honestly think that Fred Thompson or anybody associated with his campaign will read this? Not to be cruel, but I'd say the chances of that are between zero and, well, zero.
Fred is a lot like McCain. His perfect time to become president was back in 2000. Unlike McCain, Fred doesn't seem to be getting a second chance from the voters, and he doesn't seem to have enough energy to create momentum on his own. Sorry, just calling it like I see it.
Hang all traitors and secessionists! Hang them high!
- Me
read it. And how many shots does the internet guy actually call?
Hang all traitors and secessionists! Hang them high!
- Me
And the Thompson campaign has been fairly responsive to commentary in blogs, including this one. Not saying anything will come of it, I was just saying that the Thompson campaign would see it.
These days, these sorts of blog entries can penetrate the campaign consciousness. Particularly if it is part of a trend.
No guarantees but it's certainly in the realm of virtually common these days. Pun semi-intended.
absentee
Thompson | McCain | Romney | Giuliani
Does anyone really think campaign professionals would even in the slightest bit be interested in/admit to being interested in, how we could make them do a better job? I remember early in this campaign sending some rock solid advice to the Rudy campaign on the gun issue. I know that this advice would help the man win the presidency. Did they answer me? of course not. Did I think they would? no.
Fred should have kept one piece of sage advice in mind when he decided to run for president. "If you are going to pull the gun, you damn well be ready to shoot."
___________________________________________________________
Molon Labe!
I went to hear Ann Coulter speak in Charlotte not too long ago. She mentioned Redstate in her speech. She said she reads it, others read it. She called Redstate "magnificent".
Rush Limbaugh, too, has mentioned Redstate.
Flagstaff made it onto the worst person list with that one guy.
Campaign consciousness is penetrated by online trends without question. Less certain but certainly plausible is the notion that individual blog entries at Redstate can also penetrate the barriers of a campaign.
It takes no hubris to make these observations, merely awareness. Individually most of us are, it is true, mere flies. Voiceless, faceless email addresses who labor unheard in the wilderness.
But collectively, we are Redstate, and are increasingly recognizable as holding a leadership position in the Conservative blogosphere. Does that mean one guy with an advice blog entry should think he's a mover and shaker? Of course not. But it sure makes it worth it to try.
absentee
Thompson | McCain | Romney | Giuliani
In no way was I belittling Red State's importance or the value of the diarist's diary. I was only saying that paid and unpaid campaign "professionals" are often too cocky to accept advice. I did recco this diary.
___________________________________________________________
Molon Labe!
It is sad but true.
I am a regular on draftfredthompson.com and earlier today or maybe yesterday I said I wished our group of regulars and the campaign were working together instead of working parallel. We are so willing and able to help out! We have been there from the very beginning and are staying until the fat lady sings.
I wish someone from the campaign would contact our site administrator so something could be coordinated or at least ideas could be shared.
JOSEY: Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you got to get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean! Cause if you lose your head and you give up, then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is.
FWIW.
From "The Outlaw, Josey Wales", Clint Eastwood, 1976
what made Huck popular and that was/is his ability to seem positive and upbeat during what most people feel is a generally negative process. If Fred really want's to have a chance he has to take a page from Huckabee's book and film some ads making him look approachable, friendly and like a guy you want to vote for - even if you don't know his positions. Attacking Huck will backfire even if it will charge up the FredHeads.
He needs to treat him like the joke that he is.
Your point on cheery demeanor is well taken though. Fred should laugh more and especially when Huck starts speaking.
I don't want Fred to be an action hero, because that's not who he is. I admire his statesman-like qualities, and the strength and courage of his convictions, and his policy proposals are beyond compare. However, I would like to see him make a major speech, as he did in his 17 minute video speech to Iowans and stand up for the true conservative we all know him to be. However, he can't just say it; he's got to show the world he owns it.
From what he told me we may get what we want in the debate.Fred understands what he needs to and will make a strong showing tomorrow night.
www.fred08.com
Redneck Hippie
that I'll keep giving until my wife tells me to stop. I've been delivered that edict, but if there's a strong debate performance I'll do what needs to be done.
--
"If you're looking for a real conservative, why are you supporting Huckabee? He's completely discredited himself. What about Fred Thompson? If you're looking for a real conservative?" -- Rush Limbaugh (1/7/08)
My perfect 6 point plan to win! :)
Thank you so much for saying this. I was just thinking today what else could we do. It's up to Fred to sell himself.
If he wants to prove to us that he is the man to be sitting across from our enemy, then he has to prove that he can make the deal with the best of them.
Now, if only he would read this and take it to heart as it's intended and not as criticism.
and I share some of your frustrations. I would not characterize South Carolina as his LAST chance but rather as his BEST chance.
Like it or not, attached to something resembling reality or not, The Republican nomination race is wide-open. And at this point, many of the candidates have seen the best they are going to see.
We hear just today that Gov. Romney has pulled all advertising from SC and FL. This is significant. Even with his considerable personal wealth to float a campaign on, he has made a decision not to throw good money after bad.
There is opportunity in SC and in FL and if one candidate wins both of those states, the race will become for the vice-presidency.
Fred Thompson is very well-positioned to take advantage of these opportunities. So I would say Gov. Romney's LAST chance is for a win in Michigan, which is hobbled by a reduced delegate count. SC and FL suffer no such handicap.
No, this is not Fred Thompson's "LAST" chance, it is his "BEST" chance. And OUR BEST CHANCE to nominate and elect a true conservative who has lived his life as a conservative, not one who seeks to redefine conservatism!
To find out more, go to:
Reality: Romney hasn't done that bad so far.
Perception: If Romney doesn't win Michigan or come close, he is toast.
The media makes the perception true. If what you say about Romney is true, then it is equally true for Thompson and South Carolina. He has to displace Huckabee in SC to carry most of the South and fight for Florida and win Texas. Only then does he have a shot to get enough delegates to run to the convention or get enough money to carve out some delegates from California.
Your right on substance, but the point of my post is that in modern America that isn't enough.
I agree wholeheartedly. It's his best chance, not his last.
That said, unless he wins or places a VERY close 2nd, I think Fred will accept the verdict of the voters and bow out.
Which is all the more reason for him to WIN IT!
If Fred can do in South Carolina what Huck did in Iowa, he's in the driver's seat for Feb. 5. The only thing holding him back thus far is the perceptions about how bad he wants it and the MSM "lazy" narrative. He can turn both on their head with a victory in South Carolina.
Go Fred!
Fred should have been visiting all those rural Iowa churches that Huck was for so many months.
I hate to tell you guys this but Fred has a very good chance of coming up on top but it is going to be a long fight.
Hang in there. If he aint the nominee, he may be VP.
I keep trying to tell you but you aren't listening. This is a different kind of election. It appears to be headed toward a showdown at the convention. Any candidate that has some elected delegates will have a impact if he stays in the race. Fred has won some delegates and will win many more if he hangs tough and stays in the fight. No one has broken out of the pack so far and I don't think anyone will go to the convention with the required number to win it outright. If i'm right we are looking at a consensus candidate to come out of the convention who will appeal to the most voters in the general election. Even if Fred isn't their favorite guy, they will vote for him because he has the least negatives. As long as he is gathering delegates I think he should stay the course and see how it plays out.. We could all be surprised..
I've felt for a long time that absent the emergence of a Republican Barack (ie a great communicator with conservative bona fides that has wide appeal) we are stuck in a miasma of choices among the "almost right" I too think it doesn't really shake out for us until the convention. This could have something to do with why Republican wallets have substantially remained closed as well.
I think a big win in SC by Fred will help open up some of those wallets. I think they have been waiting to see Fred win one. Not only will it generate huge buzz in the media, it will make the two weeks leading up to Florida very exciting.
Excellent! I have emailed my contact with the campaign. Let's hope they see this VERY important post!
FRED! is the only true conservative in the race. We need to flood the MSM with that message and constantly encourage the campaign to stick it out. Michael Handley is right - the convention will be the point where it is all decided, and any viable candidate will have a voice. I absolutely detest the MSM attempt to declare the nominee after one caucus and/or one primary; they do it every time.
Fred should fight like I would fight for my kids. With everything he has in him. He's our last best hope.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100 percent.
That polls can be wrong and that anything can happen. Fred may still have a role to play, but with all the money Romney has spent, I am not sure he still has a chance. I guess we will have to wait and see.
You people are baffled because you refuse to see what the Thompson campaign is about.
You want him to run for President and he is not.
He is in this race to pave the way for John McCain to be POTUS.
Thompson will drop out for sure and he will time it so that it helps McCain just when he needs it.
Congratulations to all you Fred supporters who helped John McCain and Mike Huckabee create an opening neither had before Fred got in and one that neither deserves.
What a ridiculous accusation to suggest that a principled man would use and abuse his supporters in such a way. All for the righteous cause of a President named McCain? Silliness....
Got Data?
Iustum et tenacem propositi virum non civium ardor prava iubentium, non vultus instantis tyranni mente quatit solida.
-Quintus Horatius Flaccus
If you ever find that you only have an hour to live,spend it with a liberal and it will seem like a year."-Rush Limbaugh
Iustum et tenacem propositi virum non civium ardor prava iubentium, non vultus instantis tyranni mente quatit solida.
-Quintus Horatius Flaccus
"If you're looking for a real conservative, why are you supporting Huckabee? He's completely discredited himself. What about Fred Thompson? If you're looking for a real conservative?" -- Rush Limbaugh (1/7/08)
Fred gave up two jobs to do this (Law and Order and a radio spot he was doing). He has given up his income, his time... He has taken his wife and two small children on the campaign trail. McCain may be his friend, but he would NOT do all of that just to help a pal. Fred is in this because he saw that there was no strong conservative in the race. He is concerned about the future that his children and grandchildren will face. Fred wants to turn this country back around to her core principles. It is just plain silly to think that Fred would disrupt his life to this extent to pump up McCain. Fred WANTS to win this, and I hope and pray, pray, pray that he does. He is the only man I trust in this race. He is the only consistent conservative who has walked the walk as well as talking the talk. God bless him for what he has done and is doing. He has my money, my prayers, my heart and a heck of a lot of my time these days. Go Fred!!!
Fred knows what he needs to do. He is giving it his best shot. As things stand, his chances look remote, but he's getting his hearing in South Carolina. If he can't win there, he can't win anywhere.
"How did we end up with a hypocrite like Gov. Mike Huckabee holding the banner of the Southern, Evangelical base of the Republican Party instead of Fred?"
Blame your own candidate there, Bucko. If Fred weren't so listless and hadn't been so gall-derned arrogant before he stumbled out of the gate, and if he had the political smarts of something more than a Tennesse box turtle, maybe he would have been able to claim a share of the Evangelicals in the GOP. Plus, if the evangelicals, as a whole, weren't so stupid, they wouldn't be supporting Huck. So there's a whole lot of stupid going around, to answer your question.
...and Fred has not proven as popular with voters as the other fellows. The successful candidate is the one who makes the most people like and trust him over the others, in no small part through savvy handling of the media. Shallow or not, that's what it comes down to. I really don't think that this is a year in which "gravitas" matters very much to the average voter.
Accept it. Human beings are motivated by emotion and illogic. Voters, by and large, don't read policy papers or party platforms or long-winded web pages or most of the other flak that candidates throw up to capture the 1% that bother consuming this material. They decide who they trust to take care of them and vote accordingly.
This is why candidates test phrases and positions with focus groups, wear makeup, pepper their speeches with buzzwords that create group identification, and seek to create a specific emotional state in their audience. This works. More broadly, this is why the advertising industry works.
And reading the Fred threads, I can see this at work. They are filled with emotion and expressions of identification with the candidate and simply chock full of every bit as much "I like him" talk as the pages touting any other candidate. Unfortunately for Fred, the response he evokes apparently occurs in only a small fraction of the electorate.
And that's why he is going to lose.
A certain, fairly large, measure of cynicism when it comes to the brainpower of our electorate is always in order. But you've basically written a script that says that this is a beauty pageant, no more, and no less.
And I'm telling you this. On the GOP side, McCain will be beaten down when he faces real conservative states (in other words, THE SOUTH, and MIDWEST). Huckabee will be beaten down because Fred has exposed him. Those are not questions of focus-polled phrases and pretty candidates. Those are substance.
At least in Republican-land, stances on borders, on GWOT, on judges matter.
Stare decisis is fo' suckas -- Feddie
here on RedState, Townhall, LGF, and Powerline, a WHOLE BUNCH of us Fredheads can go chapter and verse with you on what Fred stands for and why we agree. Start anywhere, if you wanna see.
Stare decisis is fo' suckas -- Feddie
I'll just take a wild guess, but I'd bet that 80% of this audience almost wants to join the Marine Corps every time they see those adverts which basically equate a Marine to a gladiator or knight of old. And this is an educated and well-read audience...but that kind of advertising is directed and set for young, civic-minded, even patriotic folks who would be enthralled with that vision of themselves. Can't help it if 40-, 50- and 60-year olds who see the advertising feel the exact same emotion.
I bet this group laughs every single time they see that Volkswagen commercial of "Sign then Drive". The VW ad folks know you "get" it and that you equate VW as smart.
Why do I know this and why should Fred's folks know this - because it is advertising 101 - straight out of school for advertising and marketing.
Why are newspaper subscriptions at an all time low? Because the majority of Americans can't be bothered reading tiresome and longwinded prose. That's why USA Today blossomed until folks got tired of reading even that much news (besides their news being awfully dated in this instant news generation.
Fred desperately needs sound bites and exposure on the Networks. To get that, he needs to either be whispered by rumor or he has to stumble or say something completely unexpected.
Why do we have Huckabee on center stage? Because the Clinton campaign needed him to take the Evangelicals away from the Conservatives. One little whisper of the idea that a Baptist minister HAS to be the Evangelical's candidate has beautifully split the Republican vote. Every single night Huckabee is gently whispered to the TV audience as the Christian candidate. Regardless of the fact that every candidate is more or less a Christian candidate. Every single surface rooted Evangelical Republican has the TV's permission to think that Huckabee is good for them. Done deal.
The MSM (basically TV) has been dying to be the new Kingmakers as the newspapers were of old. To predict, root, comment and deliver a President is their lovely goal. But you have to be fooled just like newspapermen of old did. You have to believe that there is a real contest - it has ups and downs - you have to read the newspaper or tune in every day to see the latest results. And in the end, they disclose some evil dirt and write an Op-ed piece and name their favorite candidate - and crown their King.
No one from Hillary's or Obama's camp had to make Huckabee - the media saw him as the perfect foil to deliver their King. He splits the Republicans and creates a huge divide.
I'm sure the Kingmaker's have their eyes set more on a Queen, but she'll do.
Campaign dollars are chicken feed to the advertising dollars sold on the News broadcasts. Why is Katie Couric almost gone?
Because the difference between #1 and #3 network is huge.
We are the only ones with time to read and digest facts, figures and discourse. We are an incredible minority. Noisy, but still a minority. Now, how do we get Fred to stand on his head - at least that will get him 15 seconds on the News broadcasts.
The masses are to be manipulated.
(In light of the SC debate tonight, I am re-posting this from earlier in the week.)
Everytime the MSM and Gov. Huckabee try to "ignore" the national security issues facing our country, another item comes slapping them in the face. It is the elephant in the room they do not want to discuss. Last was the ramifications of the assassination of B. Bhutto in Pakistan and now the events this weekend.
On Sunday, Iran speedboats 'threatened suicide attack on US' ships in Strait of Hormuz
http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article3147217.ece
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080107/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_navy_iran_20
In a little covered September 29th speech, Gov. Huckabee came out in favor of normalizing relations with Iran. He also criticized President Bush for naming Iran as part of the "axis of evil." "We haven't had diplomatic relations with Iran in almost 30 years, my whole adult life," Huckabee said. "A lot of good it's done us. Putting this in human terms, all of us know that when we stop talking to a parent or a sibling or a friend, it's impossible to accomplish anything, impossible to resolve differences and move the relationship forward. The same is true for countries."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/01/huckabee_criticize...
Gov. Huckabee continues to try to run from his Foreign Affairs article and as he did in Saturday's ABC debate. Challenging Romney on whether he had read the whole article. This from the author whose first line of defense in December was to claim "eight or ten" had a hand in writing the article (with him) and feigning ignorance over it's contents. Alas, it was Huckabee's name on the piece:
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2007/12/21/condoleezza-rice-slams-mike-hu...
Huckabee tries in vain to claim that executive experience as governor trumps the need for foreign policy experience. Rudy even called him on it by contrasting Ronald Reagan's extensive foreign policy credentials before he became president as an example showing how Huckabee paled in comparison.
Gov. Huckabee's final arguement is his belief in his own judgement on critical matters. Between his multiple and continual gaffes on international affairs and national security and his proven rather poor "judgement" in relying on a "foreign policy team" to help him author such a contested article as his Foreign Affairs sophamoric piece, he only demonstrates that he is not ready for primetime.
This is a post-9/11 world. With respect to the demanding domestic issues facing our country, to discount our nation's defense and national security when choosing a president, only leads to failures adn attacks on our homeland. That is a large part of Clinton's legacy.
New Hampshire may not recognize it. Iowans did not. One can be sure that South Carolina (with the highest military and veterans residence per capita) will get it, despite the MSM and Hucksters trying to "ignore" the elephant in the room.
They did indeed. Thanks to everyone who forwarded this along. Now I have to work on that "Return of the FRED!" post...
That's the one I've really been waiting to write.
Tonight, tomorrow, when facing Michael Moore and one fine day a year from now when he swats Helen Thomas down in a press conference so hard she lands in Georgetown.
Tell your friends, the giant is awake, and he was not sleeping he just believed in the 11th commandment and was loathe to break it until he saw that the legacy of that great man was circling the drain without him.
"If you're looking for a real conservative, why are you supporting Huckabee? He's completely discredited himself. What about Fred Thompson? If you're looking for a real conservative?" -- Rush Limbaugh (1/7/08)
I am curious if anyone has been using the tools on Fred08 to "Phone for Fred." I was considering giving it a go for SC.... feeling motivated further due to Fred's performance last night.
BUT- the script... I have a hard time keeping to a script. I need to interact with someone. Additionally, reading the script, it is hard for me to understand in what manner these types of calls are intended to be useful. The script seems rather uninformative and unconvincing. So what good is it???
Further, I never get these sorts of calls living in Texas. But I am sure these people are bombarded with them. Anyone have any thoughts or experiences they would care to share?
Many thanks in advance!
This morning (Friday) on FOX news (I think, I also watched ABC briefly) they said something to this effect: "Senator Thompson had a good night at the debate, so if he can do well in SC then that's great; and if not, well then he can help out his friend John McCain more, so it's a win-win." If Sen. Thompson really wants to win he needs to call a press conference and clear up this misperception or at least get so busy that it's obvious that he really wants to win. But for me it's between Thompson and Romney, and my vote certainly won't go to Thompson if I think it's just giving my vote to McCain.
Laura Ingraham for president!!
One of the best posts I have read here!
Fat lady may be warming up, but we can still keep her from singing if he is willing to fight.