July 18, 2007
Fred Thompson's Waiting Game
Republicans Remain Intrigued By The Former Senator, But Lack Of A Full Campaign Could Be Hurting Him
-
Play CBS Video Video McCain Running Low On Cash Financial woes have increased for Sen. John McCain's campaign. The Republican senator's funds pale in comparison to his Democrat counterparts and some GOP rivals. Jim Axelrod reports.
-
Video Candidate Romney Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has gone from being a long shot to a top candidate. Romney speaks with Hannah Storm about the controversy surrounding his faith and his stands on abortion and Iraq.
-
Video Politico On Fred Thompson Julie Chen speaks with Jim VandeHei, executive editor of Politico.com, about the growing support for senator-turned-actor Fred Thompson's possible run for president in 2008.
The effects of Thompson going so long without a full campaign organization may be starting to show. When the Los Angeles Times story broke, Thompson's staff first denied it outright. A few days later, Thompson, in a radio interview and a letter posted online, did not give a direct answer about the accusations, but noted that in his career as a lawyer, he often represented some unsavory people — a "horrible" response, Fabrizio said: "It sounded dodgy and you cannot be the straight-talking Ronald Reaganesque candidate and be lawyerly about it."
Fabrizio said that if he were advising Thompson, he'd tell him to get in the race now, and make Romney his immediate target, noting that every day Thompson isn't in the race is another day in which Romney's organization grows and more donors commit to the former Massachusetts governor. If Thompson is planning on making a late entry, Fabrizio said, he'll have to do so with a big splash this late in the game.
"When you push off your announcement, they'll expect you to put an A-level show on as soon as you get in and, a few days later, report A-level fundraising," said Fabrizio.
One independent pollster says Thompson should step up his operation soon before Romney, or even a resurgent John McCain, persuades voters who may be looking at Thompson to come over to their side.
"The biggest problem candidates have in a primary race is when they increase their support, they have a hard time consolidating and holding on to that support," said Dick Bennett, president of the American Research Group. "They don't know what to do with it. Fred Thompson has that kind of support. He could wake up one morning and it's gone."
Bennett said Thompson was given a sort of reprieve when McCain's campaign went into freefall after two disappointing fundraising quarters, support for an immigration bill reviled by conservatives, and massive staff defections left the Arizona senator's bid in tatters. The collapse led to a decline in McCain's support in polls, especially among older white men — many of whom shifted their allegiance to Thompson.
"The problems of the McCain campaign have had an overriding impact on what's happened with Thompson," Bennett said. "I would have said up until 10 days ago that it'd be better for him to get in, but he's benefited from men, mainly older men, turning away from McCain. I look at it and say he caught a break, but he's going to have to get in soon to keep them on the reservation."
At this early point in the campaign, however, voters aren't the only people who need to be won over. Thompson also has to draw in donors and a top-shelf campaign staff, and both groups could settle on other candidates if Thompson's entry shows no signs of coming. But Collins says Republicans have the patience to wait for the right candidate, especially in a cycle when their electoral prospects appear dim.
"Operatives are hanging back. Activists are waiting to see. And people who have the wherewithal to write a check are keeping their checks in their pockets," he said. "Only reporters want this to get over with."
But, as Fabrizio noted, even if Thompson somehow manages to enter the race late yet still raise a lot of money and field an impressive staff, he would lose what might be the most important asset of all, one that cannot be regained down the stretch.
"Every day I'm not in is a day Romney's building an organization, running ads," Fabrizio said. "Time is one of the resources in a political campaign you can never get more of."
By David Miller
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The secrets of tennis legend 
- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
See all 56 CommentsDemocratic Presidential Candidates Pander to Homosexual Lobby. Debate to be devoted solely to gay issues. HRC is calling it a historic event.
The 90-minute event is scheduled for Aug. 9 in Los Angeles. According to HRC, all major Democratic and Republican presidential candidates were invited. The list of those who have accepted: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.; former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.; former Sen. Mike Gravel, D-Alaska; Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio; and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
"This event, which marks the first time in history the major presidential candidates will address a live GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) television audience."
Gravel published an open letter to the GLBT community.
"I promise to use the HRC forum to advance the gay rights agenda and educate the American public that gay rights is one of the great moral issues of our time," he said. "I will call upon all Americans to stop listening to the televangelists, psychologists and politicians and to do what is right & feels good".
In other words, Mackey said, the GAY AGENDA will come across loud and clear.
Kerry: No Bloodbath In Vietnam After US Redeployment
Sen. John Kerry said during a C-Span appearance that fears of a bloodbath after the US withdrawal from Vietnam never materialized. He says he's met survivors of the "reeducation camps" who are thriving in modern Vietnam. An award-winning investigation by the Orange County Register concludes that at least 165,000 people perished in the camps.
http://www.breitbart.tv/html/3274.html
Posted by arealtexan at 09:44 AM : Jul 19, 2007
Yep, just like sh*it, republican presidential candidates always float to the top.
So, I say run now Fred. That way in 2012 someone decent will float to the top and we can elect him.
help end fascist nazi terrorislam apartheid
http://new.petitiononline.com/CDHR2005/petition.html
http://new.petitiononline.com/CDHREU/petition.html
http://www.dhimmi.com/petition.htm
http://www.petitiononline.com/dhimmi/petition.html
http://www.dhimmi.com/action_campus.htm
http://www.dhimmi.com/action_community.htm
Either get in or get out! We dont need any more Waffaling Polititions we have plenty already. Get off the POT or Move along I am so tired of Politations in general. like Lawyers they all ought to be tossed out in the lake with lead waiters....
Posted by torocaca at 11:30 PM : Jul 18, 2007
As was Reagan for sure. I get so sick of people trying to deify Reagan like he was some sort of saint or even a good president. He stunk as a president. He was terrible! Awful. Corrupt. Sold arms to Iraq (including WMD's in the form of chemical and biological weapons) and sold arms to Iran at the same time. he started this whole ignorant deregulation craze that the republicans are in that has resulted in gutting of the EPA, OSHA, MSHA and cost American lives and taxpayer dollars. He lied about wanting smaller government when in fact all he wanted was bigger business interests at taxpayer expense. He cut taxes for the rich and scr*ewed the middle class. he was without any doubt whatsoever the 2nd worst president of modern times, behind only the current chimp in the White House now. Any other president and every other president of the 20th century was head and shoulders above that clown actor. He sucked!
The Issues
IRAQ WAR
Senator Gravel's position on Iraq remains clear and consistent: to commence an immediate and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops that will have them home within 60 days. The sooner U.S. troops are withdrawn, the sooner we can pursue aggressive diplomacy to bring an end to the civil war that currently consumes Iraq. Senator Gravel seeks to work with neighboring countries to lead a collective effort to bring peace to Iraq.
One of the leading opponents of the Vietnam War, Senator Gravel was one of the first current or former elected officials to publicly oppose the planned invasion of Iraq in 2002. He appeared on MSNBC prior to the invasion insisting that intelligence showed that there were indeed no weapons of mass destruction, that Iraq posed no threat to the United States and that invading Iraq was against America%u2019s national interests and would result in a disaster of epic proportions for both the United States and the Iraqi people.
The National Initiative for Democracy
A POPULIST CONCEPT OF DEMOCRACY
%u201CLet the People Decide%u201D
The central power of government in a democracy is lawmaking %u2013%u2013 not voting. Those who make the laws determine how, when, and if voters can vote. Florida and Ohio are but recent examples. Governments throughout history have been tools of oppression; they need not be. American citizens can gain control of their government by becoming lawmakers and turning its purpose to public benefit, and stemming government growth%u2013%u2013the people are more conservative than their elected officials regardless of political party.
Are the people qualified enough to make laws directly to govern their lives? They%u2019re qualified enough on Election Day to give their power away to political candidates who manipulate the electoral process to get elected. In fact, it%u2019s easier to decide one%u2019s self-interest directly than it is to guess the mind of a representative who will naturally put his or her self-interest first.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I've been watching you in these debates and you seem to be having the time of your life.
SCOTT SPRADLING (Debate moderator): (From tape.) If you are elected president, how, if at all, would use former President Bill Clinton in your administration?
SEN. GRAVEL: (From tape.) Well, I'd send him as a roving ambassador around the world. He'd be good. He could take his wife with him, it will still be in the Senate. (Laughter.)
SEN. GRAVEL: I don't know if I would say - characterize it as "the time of my life." I'm a passionate person. I feel deeply. And so what I want to do is I want to fight. We are a great country, and we are at the tipping point. I don't know which side we're going to tip on, but '08 is as important election as 1877 when they made the decision that changed the South. Right now, we're going to make a decision in '08 whether we continue to go downhill with our empire building, and I will tell you very frankly that with respect to Hillary and the president, I view them as a package of one. They knew what was going on, but they made a political vote. And that political vote was to give Bush the power to go to war. That's what it was all about. In my mind that is a vote that showed they were morally tone- deaf - the both of them.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: So Hillary Clinton's not going to get your vote. Who is?
SEN. GRAVEL: I'm going to vote for myself. What are you talking about, George?
REP. PAUL: We have a lot of responsibility, but it's to the American people. We have it to our troops. We need to get them out of a bad situation, we need to get them out of harm's way, and we need to protect the American taxpayer. It's a tragedy of what's happening, what we're going to leave behind, but we don't know it's going to be as bad as those who are predicting bad things. Just remember, people who are predicting these very, very dire things to happen are the same ones who predicted it would be a cakewalk.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: So you are willing to pay the price even if that is the price?
REP. PAUL: Well, it's not - it's not much of a price to save our men and save our taxpayer and change our foreign policy to be more sensible. Think of Vietnam. It worked out much better than anybody predicted. We're achieving with Vietnam what the founders' advised us to achieve with everybody: friendship and trade, not a belligerent attitude of forcing our wishes on other people.
REP. PAUL: Hi, how are you?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: He also came with a little news. After a burst of fundraising in a second quarter, he has more campaign cash on hand than the former frontrunner, John McCain.
REP. PAUL: I think some of the candidates are on the downslope, we're on the upslope, so can you imagine what it will be like if we do as well on the next quarter and quadruple our income and our numbers.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: How do you count for? What do you think happened?
REP. PAUL: To simplify, I would say I think people have underestimated the number of people in this country that are interested in a freedom message - just being free, free of the government, you know, oppression of us whether it's on our personal liberties or economic liberties and they certainly like the foreign policy of nonintervention; you know, just to stay out of the internal affairs of others.
all of this buzz." Posted by Keithle1 at 09:55 PM : Jul 18, 2007
- - - -
If he hadn't been an actor he would be just another one-term mediocre ex-senator unknown outside of Tennessee. His mediocre acting, like that of Reagan's, is an omen to his abilities, or inabilities, as president. Not to mention that he avidly supports the war.
Reagan's ability to "act presidential" fooled a lot of people, including historians. Thompson is no different, and with his arrogance, would be a terrible president.
all of this buzz. Sure, he looks Presidential I guess. Got a nice voice. But is there any substance? Why vote for him? Give me some reasons.
____________________
YOU CAN HAVE FRED!!! LOL!!!!!
You want someone new and you think it's FRED!!
Fred has no new ideas. Look up his record during his 8 or 9 years in the senate. His record is "run of the mill."
Look up his lobbying record. Check out his flip-flopping on abortion.
FRED...NEW!!! ROFLMMFAO!!!
Elect FRED and your friends'/kids' tours in Iraq will be EXTENDED.
Seems like most of the candidates are telling us about the other runners, not what they will do.
AND What has those that are now running been doing while holding their offices?
Absolutely nothing, except talk.
I hope someone will jump in this race that will really represent the legal citizens of this country.
And not just talk
LOL
- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
See all 56 Comments