Redstate

Thank you for running.

KING HENRY V:

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Thank you for running and pushing the true conservative message!

"The conqueror is always a lover of peace; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed."
- Karl von Clausewitz

Conservatives will give it another shot next time, but thanks for listening to us and getting out there to try for the nomination.

HTML Help for Red Staters

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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

I'm still writing you in for Florida.

While I did not support your candidacy from the beginning, I would have gladly done so had you won the nomination of our party. I fully believe you would have served your country well but I respect your decision to withdraw from the race. May God bless you in all your future endeavors.

Thank you for the effort you made on our behalf.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777

I feel sorry for my country and for my fellow Fred supporters who have worked very hard.

Thank you for trying Fred. Unfortunately there were many things/people/groups lined up against you.

Your party--indeed, your country--may need you to step forward this September to accept a nomination to the vice-presidency, and perhaps even the presidency, in case of a divided convention.

But thank you for your many years of service to your country.

"People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors." -Edmund Burke

Wubbies World, MSgt, USAF (Retired):
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("An argument is a sequence of statements aimed at demonstrating the truth of an assertion.); }

I'm sure all you McCain/Romney/Huckabee/Guiliani supporters will now feel compelled to try and explain to Fredheads why we should switch to your guy...please refrain...if you don't get why we felt this was the one guy we could support wholeheartedly, then please just leave us alone in our sorrow...

"Life IS pain, Highness...anyone who says different is selling something..."

Thank you, sir, for providing the clearest voice of conservative ideals in this race.

They that are with us are more than they that are against us.

who the hell am i going to vote for!

Joe Schmo's blog

for your candidacy.

You provided many great moments.

Please keep yourself and your conservative principles in the public eye. Your country needs you even more now. Some will spin this as a loss for conservatism, and it will be, if you give up the fight all togethor.

Come back soon and often.

Damn, this sucks!

We still need your strong voice and conviction to hold the "Reagan Coalition" together.

"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)

when you agreed to be drafted to run in the first place. You gave all of us who knew your conservative principles hope that we might finally have the advocate we have longed for in the White House. I don't think for a minute that your campaign was wasted time or effort--all of the rest have tacked to the right thanks to you. I look forward to your continuing involvement in helping us move this country to a healthier conservative position in whatever way you can. Thank you, sir, for all you have done.

As a Tennessean, might I ask if you would consider running for Governor when Phil Bredesen gets through spending us to death? We need you!

Your exit leaves me with a Hobson's choice.

I trust we'll be seeing you around.

There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life. - Frank Zappa

bummer.

It is a sad day for conservatism, for the Republican party, and for the nation. I am utterly crest-fallen.

All my best to you and yours, Senator Thompson. Get well wishes going out to your mom. Thank you for all you've done. God bless you.

Hope to see you at the brokered convention!

I can't say it's not really disappointing, but I can say this: Thank you, Fred, for giving it a go. Hopefully, we can make it work better next time.

America's future. I certainly hope you remain politically active. Heck, Reagan lost his first primary. Can I hope you'll run for governor of TN? It might increase your chances next time.

AMERICA STILL NEEDS YOU.

www.scottbomb.com

___________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: I am a member of a state-wide executive committee that is affiliated with Governor Mike Huckabee's campaign for the GOP presidential nomination

Thanks for running a campaign that championed all that is Right with clear explanations and a reasoned and mature approach. Please do not retire from political life, as the Republican party needs the sagacity of your wisdom and the reminder of what it means to be conservative.
You sir are the first politician to whom I donated my hard earned money and I consider every dime of it to be well spent.
Would you please consider moving to south Texas and running for CD14? Barring that, please remain engaged in the national debate. Thanks again.

Your passion and conservative views will not be forgotten. We will continue to trumpet your message to Americans. You will be missed during the rest of this campaign.

It is good to hear that your mother is recovering and we will continue to pray for her full recovery.

May God bless you and your family.

What we need in a leader is to tell us not what we want to hear, but what we need to hear.
Fred Thompson 2008
==== 13 ====

and thanks for the dream Sen. Thompson. Hope springs eternal. Gonna be a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth over this - me included. Long live conservatism.

--roxer

I agree with MelZ..... who the hell am I going to vote for?

Thank you Fred Thompson for running for President. I hope and the pray the best for you and your family! (I actually hope and pray this news is not really true. Dang! I hate reality.)

I blame the MSM for manipulating the Republican Presidential campaign and not allowing true media coverage of the most Conservative voices. I blame the Democrats for influencing the vote in SC with Ind./Dem. votes.

God Bless you Fred Thompson! and..... God Bless America!

"Life is too short to be small."

You sir, are a Great American (tm)....

Thank you for giving a voice to those who stand for true conservatism, whose stance on issues match with the definition versus trying to redefine conservatism to match their stance on the issues. I'm proud to have been a supporter, and appreciate what you've done for this election cycle. I'm definitely looking forward to 2012!

I always envied the conservatives who had Goldwater '64 pins and bumperstickers. They seemed like badges of honor forever outside my reach.

I am going to stock up on a couple of Fred08 items and display them proudly.

Thank you Fred--you are a true statesmen!

The march for truth goes on . . .

You were the first candidate that I ever supported financially. Its a shame that more people could not see what I saw in you, honesty and integrity is something that is surely lacking in the current field of candidates.

This is a sad day indeed.

I wish only good things for you and your family.

Regards

Mark Cochran

Stand Strong, Stand Strong.

I know I've only been able to vote for 10 years, but the early ballot I cast for you in Tennessee this past Saturday is the proudest one I have been able to cast so far. Thank you for contributing to this election cycle and I think your contribution will be extremely beneficial to the Republican party, whether you get any credit or not.

If the opportunity for you to serve our country as Vice President or in some other position comes available to you - I think you would be doing our nation a great service.

In the meantime, I hope you get back on substituting for Paul Harvey soon! Your common-sense commentaries always brighten my day and remind me of the conservative principles we must adhere to to keep America great.

You may have dropped out of the race, Fred, but you are still Tennessee's favorite son.

Sincerely,
Scott Foshie
Sparta, TN

Don't underestimate the South in voting for one of its own. Thompson helped pull away Huckabee votes in SC to get McCain a victory.

Of course, some think that Huckabee has been running for Vice President the whole time anyway. Romney and Giuliani is DOA in the South.

------------------------------------------------
Eliminate the IRS and all payroll taxes! http://www.fairtax.org

you forced some of the others to the right. My husband will be devastated when he hears. Thanks also to your beautiful wife Jeri...and most of all I was glad to hear that you are not throwing your support to any of the other candidates.

Stay in the realm of politics though and keep those RINO's feet to the fire. God Bless you.

Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion

And please realize that we need you to lead the conservative movement back towards a consistent vision.

Ronald Reagan did not win in 1976 -- but it is his vision that animated the conservative movement and the Republican Party for a generation.

We need your leadership in these times, if not as President, then as the leader of the conservative movement.

Because none of the men still running in the race, even if victorious, will be able to claim that mantle.

-TS

"When men fear work or fear righteous war, when women fear motherhood, they tremble on the brink of doom; and well it is that they should vanish from the earth." - Teddy Roosevelt

It is with much hope that we will continue to see you in the forefront of American politics. We need your message. Please be very public and very vocal.

I won't make any endorsements before the convention, either. I doubt if I'll have my mind made up before Super Tuesday, when it's my turn to vote in a primary.

Thanks for forcing the conversation towards true conservatism.

lesterblog.blogspot.com

Well through my tears I write this. I am still voting for Fred. I will write his name in. I received my bumper sticker today(I will put it on my car), my T-shirt today(I will proudly wear it),and my yard sign today (I am putting it up.) Come November I will write Fred's name in and as a fellow Red Stater stated a few days ago have a bumper sticker made that says "Don't Blame Me I Voted For Fred" because it really does not matter who wins now. They will all take this country down the wrong road. Never again will I settle for the lesser of two evils.

"Where I stand does not depend on where I'm standing." Fred D. Thompson

Thanks for running and trying to keep conservative values alive.

I gave in June when the organization got started, in September when you announced, and I gave again after South Carolina, because I believe it what you stand for. I would hope, like Erick suggests in the top post, that you would be in the fight for the Party for the long term.

Thanks for your effort, and I pray that I get the chance to support you in a future endeavor.

---
Say if ever thou didst find a woman with a constant mind

Thompson impressed me as having the soundest and most seriously thought out positions of any of our candidates. My only reason for not supporting him was doubts about his politician skills.

But there are are other ways to make a difference in politics besides elective office, and I hope Thompson continues to participate in the debate. Whether it's as a columnist, television/radio commentator, at a think tank, etc., Thompson can make a significant contribution in the war of ideas.

If we win in November and the President needs him in the cabinet, e.g. Attorney General or Secretary of State, that sounds pretty good too.

So go home for a while Fred, lick your wounds however long it takes, than get back into the fight.

Sorry to see you go but stay close to the periphery of politics if you can.
Your real problem was that you were not a sound bite man, that you actually thought rather than cough out a cliche. There are too many voters unused to that.
Good luck and prosper.

"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville

It felt good to have a candidate who represented my principles and positions EXACTLY.

Even though things didn't work out in this GAME of an election cycle, I look forward to your beacon of conservative light to guide us through the future.

Take Care..

Senator,
Thank you for your service and your efforts on behalf of this country. I wish you well in your endeavors, and good health and full recovery for your loved ones.
The nation is better for your having been involved.
God speed,

Your clarity of vision and of speech in the candidacy ring will be missed. I dearly hope you will continue to contribute, here at Redstate and to the Republican Party in general.

Although you won't be our next President, I continue to hope that you will be our President sometime down the line.

---
Finrod's First Law of Bandwidth:
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it takes the bandwidth of ten thousand.

Thank you for your time and efforts. We are with you all the way.

God bless you and your family. I hope this will not be the last we see of you publicly speaking on behalf of conservative values.

...the message or the messenger?

Unless we are going back to the "It's America's fault for being too stupid to see the transcendental greatness that is Fred" line of thought, some reflection about what failed here seems worthwhile.

Gar

Thank you for answering the call. Standing with you made me proud.

I hope that you would accept the VP slot of our nominee, because I think you would make an excellent one now that you no longer will be the President. Best wishes in whatever you decided to do, and prayers for your mother as she recovers.

___________________________________
Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.

Your influence may yet keep our party from following the Dems over the cliff of insanity. Time will tell. I certainly hope you continue to work on that effort.

I gave donations to you and only you. No one else will get my money in this election. My stickers, buttons and yard sign are displayed proudly. You are inspiring, Jeri is sensational on TV, and I only wish the best for you and your family.

Thank you, Fred! You gave us hope.

You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.

I feared in recent years that I would never again be as proud of a vote as I left the voting booth. Although, events have denied me the opportunity to vote for you this year (unless we get a brokered convention), I now know that I can be truly inspired by another candidate. Thank you for that.

--------------------------------------------------------------
“Be prepared! Find the bastards. And pile on!”
Karl Rove - "(T)he motto on the unit coin of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the Blackhorse."

If you still have any of my money left in your coffers, do something good with it. And know that you've gotten at least one early vote from Alabama. Bless you, Senator, and thank you for your service.

You briefly gave me hope that the Republican Party could move beyond divisive debates on contentious social issues by embracing the federalism you ably espoused. It saddens me that things didn't work out, but I don't regret even a penny of the money I sent to your campaign.

All the best to you and to Jeri and your family, and good luck with all your future endeavors.

Thanks to all you FredHeads here on RedState. You helped keep me energized knowing there was so much support online. Things didn't work out. That happens in politics. Don't give up. Keep fighting for conservative values. Like Fred said last Saturday night, "Stand strong."

Disclaimer: I used to work for Friends of Fred Thompson, Inc.

www.theamericanmind.com

You and your wife are welcome in conservative circles any time. It would be nice if Jeri would consider running for office herself--you and she are both impressive people and strong conservatives. We need more like you and Jeri.

...had a couple of analysts discussing the Democrats and the Hillary/Obama food fight.

And then one said something strange: "Conservatism is dead" and she drew the knife slit across the throat sign. "We do not have to worry about those kooks anymore."

And then Fred's news hit me later in the day.

How sad that I am a kook without a candidate when all I want is National Security, a smaller and controlled government that draws less taxes from its citizens, that protects its citizens from millions of illegals pouring over open borders, that does not act like my nanny giving me my fair share of anything when I worked hard to create everything I have.

So Conservatism is dead and I am a dinosaur. Fred, my last hope as a candidate is gone. How sad that my only vote now is "against" something rather than "for" something - ABC or anybody but Clinton. I suddenly feel very sleezy.

I guess my only job now is to figure out where I can put my money so the Liberals won't steal it from me (the person who worked for it) and give it to others who don't and never will deserve it. I wonder when they will seize my second house and give it to some homeless folk.

The United Socialist States of America - kind of a catchy little name isn't it - hope we all get used to it.

to have supported Senator Thompson in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Thompson/Jindal 2012! Sign me up!

I have been shilling for you before you were in, I was thier at Draft Fred, I proudly wear a T-Shirt with your name and face along with:

Kill The Terrorists
Protect The Borders,
Punch Hippies In The face

I have your bumber sticker on my Red Truck. I send my non political Junkies Updates on where you stand a few times a week.

I have never donated to a candidate until you entered the race. I am a Fred Head true Red! Stay in the lime light, keep our message alive, make those in the race keep them in the fore front.

I have always said we should not leave the future of this country to the mindless drones of the Nation. If they were involved, this would have ended differently.

God Bless you and Your Family Senator Thompson.. God Bless

Talk Radio Junkie and Friend of Fred

When I was a boy my mom loved Ronald Reagan because he said the things she was thinking, things that needed to be said, that no one else would say. As an adult I have had the pleasure of hearing you do the same thing. THANK YOU! Please keep saying the things that need to be said that no one else will say. God bless you and all your family.

and for your family. I hope you don't become a stranger at Redstate.

1. McCain
2. Thompson
3. Giuliani

I thank you. You are the first candidate I have ever truly -wanted- to win, the only one to whom I have ever donated money, and for whose campaign I was actually active.

You'll be missed as a candidate, but for God's sake, please continue in the public eye, spreading the message of true conservatism.

God bless, and Godspeed.
r2streu (Randy Streu)

Fred Thompson, 2008

A sad day for all republicans that so few bellwether states could determine the outcome for so many.

I am convinced that true republicanisim needs to purge the RINOs in our mists because every other candidate is NOT a true republican. Our leaders must espouse our principals and stop yielding to a more centrist view in order to become more electable.

A sad day indeed. No matter who I am now forced to pull the lever for in Nov, it will really be for Sen. Thompson, my first and our best choice.

_____________________________

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
--Aristotle

God Bless you and your family. We wish your mother the best. I hope your willing to consider a VP slot as we need your conservative voice.

Thanks for your efforts.

Not a conservative of any degree left to vote for

"Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out"

Joanie
RV Wanna-be
Maddie the Wonderdog
http://www.apackof2-theworldaccordingtome.blogspot.com

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Lamentations 3:22

And I hope your mama gets to feeling better. We've been praying for you guys.

I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100 percent.

I am proud to support you and look forward to the next opportunity to do so. The last time our party seemed to be in such dire straits was the 1976 primary fight between Ford and Reagan. This situation looks very similar.
It seems our party needs another good house cleaning.

“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.”
Calvin Coolidge

for all your efforts. This would have been one of the few times I would have counted voting for someone as an honor.