On the Trail with Fred Thompson
By Erick Posted in 2008 — Comments (22) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
In Orangeburg, South Carolina, Fred Thompson fired up the crowds with humor and substance. After a long day of talking, he coughed and took a sip of water. “Yeah, I’m choked up,” Thompson said, “but I’m not getting emotional.” The crowd roared. Then Thompson went into his hallmark campaign routine -- questions from the crowd. Every event ends that way.
An attendee asked Thompson what he would do about Israel and the Palestinians. While complementary of the President, Thompson said, “every President has thought he could solve the problem on the force of his personality, but he can’t.” He continued, “There are a lot of things that are possible in that situation, but one non-negotiable — the right of Israel to exist.” Cue the applause. Another attendee asked about immigration. “A nation that cannot control its borders ceases to be a sovereign nation,” Thompson responded. The crowd drowned him out with applause.
Oh, by the way, it's snowing in South Carolina now.
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On the Trail with Fred Thompson 22 Comments (0 topical, 22 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
This is what's needed - I'm a "message" guy & it seems that crowds are responding to the message. I certainly hope that this is a breakthrough & the result is a big win or a heck of a second place showing.
I am hoping that all the enthusiasm that I am hearing about translates into a win in SC. We need to get Fred to Texas so I can finally vote in a primary and have it mean something.
Erick, thanks for the report from the trail. I just finished absentees blog and I needed this reenforcement.
It's so depressing to watch Fred Thompson campaign right now. Had he started campaigning like this in early November, the Republican race would already be over. Instead, the base has fractured. Mitt has the economic conservatives in his back pocket. Huckabee has the evangelicals in his pew. John McCain has the defense conservatives marching with him.
As Krauthammer said on Brit Hume's show tonight, Fred should have been the one to bring all the groups together. For the life of me, I just don't understand why he waited so long. Now, he has to hope for a miracle in South Carolina and even that might not be enough to get him the nomination.
The establishment and talk show hosts did just what I thought they would do today. In their own ways, Laura, Rush, and others crammed Mitt down our throats. He's going to be the nominee and it's going to be an electoral college nightmare. He'll lose about 370-168. The press and the Democrats will eat him alive with his "evolvinging" positions. I would obviously support Mitt, but he's not electable in a change year.
Erick, are the Thompson people truely optimistic they can win or are they just trying to generate manufactured buzz?
I'm a Fred guy, but I think Mitt could swing Michigan and that will make the electoral math harder especially if he does something like add McCain as the VP.
I'm not a Mitt basher, but he is polling terribly against Hillary. According to the latest Survey USA polls, he trails in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama, TEXAS, New Mexico, and a few other Bush 2004 states. Maybe his name ID isn't very high yet, but I don't buy that argument. This has been the most covered election ever.
While polls can change, they show my Mitt will have to defend a lot of the Bush 2004 states before he can go after any Kerry 2004 states. Right now, he leads in none of those. I don't think he's the right type of candidate for this year. He presents himself as the classic conservative and I just don't think Independent voters are looking for that.
The exit polls from Michigan show across the board support. McCain has begun to use the words "terrorists" and "surge" like Rudy uses 9/11. The simple fact is McCain is attempting to mitigate the growing importance of the economy, but I don't think it will be going away any time soon. With talks of an economic stimulus package and recession, I think Romney will start to surge across the board and throughout the nation. He already has his new buzz word, "Washington-style pessimism," which I imagine McCain is absolutely thrilled about.
I've followed his campaign since day one and it has just not been honestly reported on by the press. He's had many events like this (though not as large as in SC) and it's just not covered. Fox News still tries to bury him, if not for equal time laws, and the commentators couldnt' stand his style.
I love President Bush and was very excited when he won both times and followed his campaigns closely. Also, being from Kansas, I supported Bob Dole in 1996 and found his story inspirational.
But, no candidate has ever inspired me more than Fred Thompson. His beliefs, his story, his demeanor, just the way he carries himself -- all make me so proud to support him. He's the first Presidential candidate that i have given money to this early, and this much money too.
I thinnk he has a great chance to win or place in SC. He's the only candidate moving up in polls -- up 4 in Rasmussen and up 2 in Zogby, and information on the ground from media suggests he will probably do better than that.
OF course, he needs to finish 2nd place ahead of Huckabee and Romney. If he does that, the campaign survives because he emerges as the conservative and the southerner. Huckabee would be done (Huck also needs SC to survive), and though Romney would continue on to Florida (because he'll win NV), I think Fred becomes the conservative favorite in Florida, where he is not that far back (holding his own at 10-11, just 5 or 6 back of Romney and about 10-13 back of the leader McCain).
If I had to predict SC, I'd say McCain gets 25, Fred 22, Huck 19, Romney 18.
Not my first choice, but I wish him well in South Carolina.
What I appreciate about him most is his countrified version of straight talk - delivered with just enough sugar and humor to go down well.
Had he campaigned in Michigan I'm sure that he would've taken on Romney's economic plan for the state - what one pundit called th "Marshall Plan for Michigan."
Romney pitches himself as a fiscal conservative and a believer in free market forces, but when the chips are down he's not afraid to turn into Santa Claus and propose a government funded "recovery" plan in the tradition of Soviet-era command economies for an ailing industry (that ails in large part because of union power, btw).
Maybe as a gesture of gratitude Ford will come out with a hybrid version of the Explorer called the "flip-flop" in his honor. :-).
More seriously, this promise of a government bailout should worry any fiscal conservative who believes Romney would implement it if elected.
Thanks, Erick, for the SC update.
most! I am going to enjoy my snow day at home tomorrow here in Charlotte.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
www.fred08.com
It's great to read these up close and personal accounts. A strong showing in SC is the first order of business in knocking down the Thomspon barrier in the Republican Party... electability.
We've seen the covergage, heard the pundits, and had plenty of discussion when each of the first three "winners" had their day... but can you imagine the potential groundswell if the Fred can contend?
There is no other candidate on the Republican side capable of the momentum that Fred could generate...if there were, wouldn't we have seen it by now?
rarity of the event, there is a snowman in my complex's yard made from the 3 inches or less of snow we have accumulated tonight. It is glorious.
It's time for another little Wolf story. He was DYING to go outside. In Nashville, snow happens once, maybe twice a year and we never accumulate. It's a beautiful thing both to have the warmth that means we never get it, but to be cool enough that we get it a couple of times a year. Little Wolf was outside making snowballs off of the snow he could pull off the top of other people's cars (I know, I know) and one of our teenage neighbors came home. Little Wolf looked at him, smiled evilly and threw a snowball at him. After a second of surprise, this teenager looked at my little boy, grinned and threw one back. Little Wolf said "Want to be my friend?" the boy said "Sure!" and they played in the snow for a half of an hour. There was at least a 6 year difference between them and I was grateful for the kindness the older child showed to my son in not looking at him as a baby or someone who was beneath him, as many teenagers do.
Now if only we adults could get along as well.
"I'm just beginning...The pen's in my hand...Ending unplanned"
and I was planning an evening drive up to Greenville to work for Fred.
Not sure if that will work out now or not.
Guess we'll find out tomorrow.
About a foot in my backyard right now. I love it though!
It may keep the others away, but The Fred will march on!
It's obvious that the talking points is to try to claim that Romney will lose in an electorial college landslide. When I saw this a few times, I assumed it was from naive young kids who don't understand. Now I suspect it is part of a campaign. They claim they are part of Thompson's campaign, but then they talk about how John McCain will win. Funny how that happens.
Ray J. Tuleya
most polls have thompson showing 4th in south carolina. after he loses there he'll drop out and head on back to hollywood.
Forgive me, I didn't know they'd voted yet? Recent polls show Fred on an uptick, & the more who hear his message the more who will vote for him.
Are you for anyone or just against? If Fred's message doesn't get out enough & he drops out, I for one will have a clear conscience about my support for him & then go to my #2 candiate, Mitt Romney. Do you have anyone to support?
I will allow the voters to choose & go from there with a clear mind & heart - can you say the same?
"Recent polls show Fred on an uptick"
yeah an uptick to 4th place. i am obviously not a fan of his and think he is phoney and will be better suited to his old job back home in hollywood acting on tv.
did you donate to his campaign?
Past romney. And the Rasmussen poll had him essentially tied for 2nd with Huck and romney.
Average them he's probably behind Huck by 3-4 points and tied with Romney for third.
He's the only candidate movign up -- Huck is moving down, Romney is moving down, and McCain is about even though may head down.
From: RCP
McCain: 28.4
Huckabee: 23.2
Romney: 15.6
Thompson: 13.2
In the latest Rasmussen polls, he's still behind Romney. In fact looking at the Rasmussen polls, he hasn't been ahead of Romney since September (though they were tied in December).
From Pollster:
Romney is 16.5 to Thompsons 12.5 (though the sensitive trend line has it a tad closer)
Ultimately, we're not talking about Thompson challenging for first place, we're talking about a third place battle that appears to be in the mid teens in support.
(disclaimer: Thompson is my second choice candidate, so I'm rooting for him, but right now, I just don't see it happening.)
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"The bass, the rock, the mic, the treble, I like my coffee black, just like my Metal." - MSI
I am really hoping those enthusiastic people we are hearing about are carrying the message to friends, family, co-workers, and the like and that Fred is going to do very very well in South Carolina.
Good news is that he came out with a critique of the Bush JD filing the amicus in the DC gun control case. I don't think any of the other candidates have issued equivalent statements in support of our Second Amendment Rights. Now it will be up to voters in S Carolina to do the right thing and push back against the incredible effort by the liberal press to keep him buried and marginalized.
Thanks for your commentary.