Fast Fred

H/T IMAO

Tax Policy

Fred Thompson had a few things to say about tax policy last night:

We need a President who understands that you don't make citizens prosperous by making Washington richer, and you don't lift an economic downturn by imposing one of the largest tax increases in American history.

Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases.

They tell you they are not going to tax your family.

No, they're just going to tax "businesses"! So unless you buy something from a "business", like groceries or clothes or gasoline ... or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small "business", don't worry ... it's not going to affect you.

They say they are not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the "other" side of the bucket! That's their idea of tax reform.

Fred, Federalism, and Medical Marijuana

Fred Thompson was interrogated by some medical marijuana supporters. Here is a link to the video. He gave the right non-answer to the question. However, he looked pained. I think he knows more than he is letting on. If my reading of his expressions is any good.

Which is going to lead next to some rampant speculation.

Fred and Hillary were both Watergate lawyers. This is a fact.

Here is an interesting Youtube on Watergate that asks what did the Mafia get out of its alleged connections to the White House?

Here is my theory. If the Mafia had connections to the Whitehouse perhaps the drug war got ramped up as a favor to them. When the drug war ramped up the country went dry for about 6 months after Nixon "closed the borders" and then Thai Stick flooded in for about a decade or more afterwards.

IMO we are screwed no matter who wins. Things are not what they seem.

In any case I still like Fred on most issues. However, I think he knows where the skeletons are buried and because of his Watergate connections would be a formidable opponent to Hillary. Bill ran his campaign in '92 as a "nod, wink" anti-drug war guy and then ramped up the drug war to heights even staunch Republican's couldn't have imagined. There was something fishy there. Very fishy.

Thanks From Fred - South Carolina

From the Fred '08 Campaign:

I can't even begin to thank you enough for your support of our Red Truck Challenge 2.

Thanks to you we have funded Fred's entire South Carolina media campaign and have gone on to start funding critical voter contact programs that will complement our excellent ground game and give Fred the extra push he needs to win in the state.

So, thanks to you, Fred is poised for success.

Fred's dominating performance in the Thursday debate on Fox is serving as a catalyst for people to take a second look and reconsider their support. Also, there are still loads of undecided voters in the state who are taking their first look at him.

This is important because voters will realize that Fred is the clear conservative choice in this race that has held consistent conservative positions and will:

* Fight amnesty and benefits for illegal aliens.
* Cut your taxes and fight to keep a prosperous economy.
* Protect our security against Islamic radicals.
* Be 100% pro-life

Fred is continuing to make this case to South Carolina voters on his bus tour, and is being received by enthusiastic crowds at every stop.

What's really amazing is that the mainstream media is actually starting to notice and give him credit! Read this story from today's New York Times.

Fred is able to do this because of you--you have been a terrific friend and he will always be appreciative for your support.

So will I. Thanks for all you've done. Let's keep it up...we've got lots of miles to go!

Sincerely,

Bill

William B. Lacy
Campaign Manager

Another Blog Burst For Fred

Eric has put up another Fred Blog Burst For Fred. Again I'm going to crib from Eric at Classical Values.

This is the second time I've linked Rick Moran's Fred Thompson Blogburst (which Glenn Reynolds linked earlier today), and I'm linking it again because I feel strongly that Fred Thompson -- while not perfect -- is the best all-around Republican candidate for people with views similar to mine.

As I stressed the last time, I don't ask readers for much. Hell, I'm not asking readers for anything. Only that they consider donating to Fred Thompson's campaign.

Once again, I remind readers that I do not have a tip jar. Instead, I occasionally ask people to donate to one worthy cause or another.

I suppose some will say that considering his poor performance in New Hampshire, Fred Thompson is a lost cause. To that I'd say that in this insane race in which no one is truly ahead, no cause can be said to be lost yet. But even if you think it's a lost cause, I'd point to history, which is replete with "lost causes" which turned out not to be lost. England was said to be a "lost cause" after Hitler attacked. (Ask Churchill about lost causes.) And in his last blogburst, Rick Moran analogized to Washington's crossing. (Another nearly lost cause, but a retreat led to later victory.)

Remember, this time it's not New Hampshire; it's South Carolina.

Thompson desperately needs to win in South Carolina in order to continue to be a viable candidate. And there are several factors at play in the Palmetto State that makes a Thompson win a realistic goal:

1. Romney has dropped out of the running in SC, having pulled his ads and is transferring staff in order to ambush John McCain in Michigan.

2. That leaves only three candidates with a realistic shot at winning in SC; Huckabee, McCain, and Thompson. Amazingly, none of the three candidates will have an overwhelming advantage when it comes to financing. This levels the playing field considerably.

If Thompson can win South Carolina, he has a shot at the nomination. Remember, right now there is no clear winner, and it's still up for grabs.

As a member of the unorganized and unorganizable group of nonconformists who could be called "small 'l' libertarian bloggers who support the war," I sincerely believe that no other candidate comes closer to being a political match for this group than Fred Thompson. If you fit into that category, you owe it to yourself to donate now to Fred Thompson's campaign.

Hell, I feel so strongly about this that I'd be willing to cry like Hillary (or even like this guy) if I thought it might work.

Hmmm...

Tell you what. I'll spare the tears if you go donate now!

Meanwhile Out West

It is starting to look more and more like Fred is every one's second choice. The candidate that everyone can compromise on. The Washington Post reports that Fred came in second in Wyoming picking up 3 delegates out of 12 up for grabs.

By the time the votes were counted, Romney had won eight delegates while Thompson picked up three and Hunter netted one. Twelve delegates were selected today, while another two will be apportioned in May at a statewide convention.

The Republican National Committee cut Wyoming's number of national convention delegates in half, to 14, in retaliation for its early voting, but Laramie County GOP Chairman Jerry Zellars said the decision to accelerate its caucuses still paid off.

In other election news it looks like McCain is surging in New Hampshire.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — John McCain overtook Mitt Romney for the New Hampshire lead in a new poll released Saturday, three days before the nation's first primary.

Taken in the two days following the Iowa caucuses, the poll shows Romney losing ground after the former Massachusetts governor's disappointing second-place showing in the leadoff state; McCain continued his steady climb since the Arizona senator's campaign hit a low point last summer.

Mike Huckabee, the Iowa victor, didn't get a bounce in the survey from his Iowa triumph, meaning the race in New Hampshire has become a two-man fight.

McCain, who won New Hampshire's primary in his first bid eight years ago and wants a repeat, had 33 percent to Romney's 27 percent in the poll. All others trailed by double-digits; Rudy Giuliani had 14 percent while Mike Huckabee had 11 and Ron Paul had 9 in the CNN-WMUR poll.

It looks like Fred is not even in the running in New Hampshire. He is planning to spend a couple of days in the state before the election. If he gets around 5% I think that would be a fair showing for the effort. If he gets 10% or above that would be spectacular. Below 3% would be a disappointment. Still he will be going on to North Carolina.

Speaking of which. Fred looks to do good there. In a mock election in Langston Focus School in Danville Fred did real well.

“This was a chance for students to learn about who is running for president,” said Jared Coleman, a 12th-grader at Langston Focus School.

Obama beat Thompson, an actor best known for his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch on “Law & Order,” by a tally of 82 to 13. Republican Mitt Romney got a few write-in votes.

In the primary, Obama beat New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton with 50 votes to 25. Thompson beat U.S. Sen. John McCain in the GOP primary with 33 votes to 26. Students and faculty could vote in both primaries.

Coleman and fellow students Jeffrey Keene and Shonteca Henry canvassed voters in each classroom. They would make a brief presentation on behalf of each candidate and the voting took a matter of minutes.

Of course this is not a real election. Still, kids have a tendency to strongly reflect their parent's views. So Thompson did well in the "primary" and got skunked in the "general". I think that is OK for now.

And just for fun: the Paulites who were expected to do well in Wyoming, got zero convention votes. They are crying in their beer. If a Libertarian can't do well in Wyoming, what are the odds?

Update: Well it looks like I screwed the pooch. North Carolina is not going to vote until May. It is South Carolina in January. You can't tell the players without a score card giving the dates of all the primaries.

So what about South Carolina? Glad you asked. Jim Geraghty of National Review has a puff piece by a Thompson operative and some words of caution.

My only note of skepticism in this thinking is that there's not just New Hampshire before South Carolina, but Michigan as well. Thompson has gone to a midwestern state of Iowa and did, meh, okay I guess. He won't do well in New Hampshire, and might be in asterisk territory, as Suffolk and Zogby have him at 2 percent. There isn't a ton of polling on Michigan, but what there is doesn't have Thompson making much of a splash. So it may be a long stretch before Thompson is back on friendly territory in South Carolina.

But the potential secret weapon? Wyoming, this Saturday. The Thompson Associate tells me, "Fred has actually spent time there. And don’t forget Liz Cheney is working with us."

Well Fred did OK in Wyoming. The rest is for the future. Which is hard to predict.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

I'll Support The Socialist

I have thought for a long time that we needed a more libertarian oriented party in America. Huckabee's Republican socialism just doesn't cut it for me.

I have been flirting with the idea of voting Dem in the general election. Especially if Clinton gets the nod. I like her evil underhandedness. I figure she will be as hard on America's enemies as she will be on us.

Then I got to reading around the blogosphere. I'm looking at Backyard Conservative and Power Line and Town Hall and Politico and Yahoo News and Outside Report and World Net Daily and Right Thinking from the Left Coast. They all seem to agree that Huckabee is splitting the Republican coalition. I agree.

So I have decided that if the nominee is Huckabee over my favorite Fred Thompson then I'm going to give Huck my support. I think it will be better to have a split coalition (in the hopes of a Reformation) than to keep going on the way things are going with the party. And my campaign theme for the Huckester? Support the Republican Socialist. That should help don't you think?

If that sort of scenario doesn't appeal to you might I suggest: send Fred Thompson some money. Fred of course is quite popular among the blogging set. He is not a one issue candidate. Based on his positions, he could have socon support, Federalist support, neocon support and fisc-con support. In other words every ones (outside a the blogging cons) second choice. So if you don't wish to see the Republican coalition break up (just yet), may I suggest giving Fred a hand and some money.

And if the above doesn't put the fear of God (har) in you, consider Obama vs Keyes '004. The Dems wrote the book on defeating a big name socon.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Jeri Thompson For First Lady

After my most recent bout of depression about Fred's chances in Iowa, I thought it might be a good idea to raise morale a bit. There is nothing like a picture to explain "why we fight".

For God, for country, for the Constitution, for Jeri. And we get Fred in the bargain. I call that a twofer.

Thanks to commenter linearthinker who is one of my low bandwidth readers, but asked for the picture anyway.

Fred Is Moving Up

The American Thinker is reporting that a McClatchy-MSNBC poll shows Fred in third place.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney has 27 percent;
Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee has 23 percent;
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson has 14 percent;
Sen. John McCain of Arizona has 13 percent;
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has 5 percent;
Rep. Ron Paul of Texas has 5 percent;
Rep. Duncan Hunter of California has 1 percent.
Undecided: 12 percent.

This compares quite favorably to several weeks ago when Fred was in the low single digits.

One thing I can report is that the Thompson campaign raised over $250,000 by Friday evening giving him the money needed to air the TV spots his campaign hopes will keep him in the running. Politically Fred has been known to be a slow starter and a strong closer. We shall see.

Support Fred

A great story and why you should support Fred

Please Help Fred

I'm shamelessly lifting a post from my friend Eric at Classical Values. So what he said:

I'm glad to join Rick Moran's blogburst for Fred Thompson, which Glenn Reynolds linked yesterday.

Analogizing to Washington's perilous crossing, here's what Rick said this morning:

To be brutally frank in appraising the situation realistically, Fred Thompson's chances of winning the nomination are not good. I will not attempt to snow you, gentle readers, with the idea that the Thompson campaign is anything but a hope and a prayer at this point. But where there is a will to fight, so there is a will to win. It doesn't matter how many pundits, pollsters, and assorted "experts" have written off Fred Thompson. What matters is that there is still a chance, still life in the campaign, and still a belief that the race can be won. Your support is absolutely crucial to propel the campaign forward, to build on the momentum generated by Thompson's bus tour through Iowa by giving as much as you possibly can.

I've been partial to Fred Thompson's candidacy since before he was running, and I've already made a modest donation. I plan to donate more, because he's by far the best the GOP has to offer right now, and now is an especially important time. Because, if Huckabee gets it, we'll see eight years of Hillary.

That last statement is of course a Machiavellian argument for Fred Thompson -- intended for those who consider themselves in the ABC (Anyone But Clinton) category. But Fred Thompson is the most experienced candidate the GOP has, he goes way back, and I think he has integrity. Moreover, he dares to be a Federalist -- someone who actually publicly supports the Constitution as it was written. As a strong constitutionalist who believes the Constitution has been disregarded for far too long, few things could appeal to me more. It's music to my ears. Sure, the cynic in me could argue that he's "just saying that" and "doesn't really mean it," but this is where his years of experience and political wisdom tend to kick in. Simply for being the only vocal federalist of the bunch, he deserves support.

Any readers who feel the same way, I hope you'll join in the blogburst. I say this as someone who does not usually join things or participate in blogbursts.

I also remind readers that I do not have a tip jar. Instead, I occasionally ask people to donate to one worthy cause or another.

So please, any of you who aren't into having Hillary as president and who like this blog, I hope you'll consider clicking on this link and donating to Fred Thompson.

Thompson Will Run

I'm heartened by this. Thompson is a communicator. A skill sorely lacking in the current White House.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Politician-turned-actor Fred Thompson plans an unconventional campaign for president using blogs, video posts and other Internet innovations to reach voters repelled by politics-as-usual in both parties, he told USA Today.

Thompson, a former U.S. Senator from Tennessee, has been coy about his intentions with audiences, but made clear in an interview that he plans to run.

"I can't remember exactly the point that I said, 'I'm going to do this,' " Thompson says, his 6-foot, 6-inch frame sprawled comfortably across a couch in a hotel suite. "But when I did, the thing that occurred to me: 'I'm going to tell people that I am thinking about it and see what kind of reaction I get to it.' "

Actually telling people what he is thinking. A novel approach to politics to ne sure.

Well Fred was thinking about Michael Moore a while back. And told people what he was thinking.

H/T Instapundit

Cross Posted at Classical Values

No Blood For Trade

The Fred Thompson report has this bit on American and Marine Corps history. An excerpt:

After the Revolution, U.S. ships were sailing the world in search of trade without British protection. With no real navy to protect our merchants and travelers, American vessels and citizens were being targeted for looting, enslavement and ransom. The enemy was the so-called Barbary pirates -- agents of the North African provinces of the Ottoman Caliphate.

Ransom and protection money were demanded and paid. Stories of terrible treatment of American men and women in the dungeons of North Africa were well known. Behind it all, the country was having a pro- and anti-war debate.

On the one hand were those who took the "no blood for trade" approach. They had legitimate concerns about the cost and political impact of maintaining a standing military. They favored negotiations and payments rather than fighting. For a long time, their side was winning the argument. In 1786, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams even went to London to negotiate directly with the envoy from Tripoli.

Several historians and writers have reminded us recently of the ambassador’s nearly forgotten answer. Fortunately, Jefferson prepared a written report for the government and left other records of the incident. Here’s a description from The Atlantic Monthly in 1872:

“Disguising their feelings as best they could, they ‘took the liberty to make some inquiries concerning the ground of the pretensions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury.’ The ambassador replied that it was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave.” He claimed every one of their guys who was “slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise."

This answer may have helped sway the debate to the side of those who favored military response over further attempts at diplomacy. Some believe it had a personal impact on Jefferson himself, though higher and higher ransoms probably helped too. Congress finally acted, creating the US Navy in 1794. This included approval for the construction and manning of six frigate warships, including the USS Constitution -- which is afloat and commissioned to this day.

There is more. It is pretty good stuff.

H/T Reliapundit at The Astute Bloggers.