More Signs of Social Conservatives Selecting Fred Thompson

This is more good news - its a solid bloc to start with, and it chokes Romney out of that part of the race.

Some of the nation's most influential social conservatives say their movement is quickly coalescing around Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee, for the Republican presidential nomination, a decision that would bolster his expected campaign with money and grass-roots support

"It's almost as if the man and the moment met," said Richard Land, who speaks for more than 16 million people as head of public policy for the nation's Southern Baptists.

Land said he will not endorse a candidate in the primary, but his boosterish comments about Thompson -- like those of other conservative leaders -- leave little doubt about his excitement about the former senator. He said support for Thompson was spreading "almost like a prairie fire" and predicted that some conservative leaders would endorse the 64-year-old [Senator] actor and lawyer in coming weeks.

Courtesy of The Boston Globe

If Focus and Dobson join up, then Fred will be able to secure the base, and go hunting further afield. Plus it keeps Newt on the bench.

Read More...

Summary only...

Ted Nugent Endorses Fred Thompson

Strong 2nd Amendment guy - and he did it on Giuliani backer Dennis Miller's show. Hah! Plus its a fun celebrity endorsement for a Friday Night.

I agree that Rudy has great positive credentials and he has great leadership capabilities that he has displayed like a warrior on that fateful day of September of ‘01, but I am not an endorser of Rudy Giuliani. On a number of issues, primarily the gun control issue, he has really turned his back on the Second Amendment over the years. I really like Mike Huckabee and Tommy Thompson. I admire Mitt Romney. I admire John McCain. But to whittle it down right now I really have the Nugent spotlight, and I’ve been scrutinizing Mr. Fred Thompson. I think he glows a little bit more than those other great gentlemen.

Courtesy of Citizens for Thompson News

I wonder how this will affect the God and Guns crowd here in Colorado, like State Sen Dave Schultheis? He's a good man, and I would love to see Senator Schultheis come out in support of the best Second Amendment candidate we have going.

Read More...

Summary only...

The Arlington Group coming to Fred?

Good catch by Citizens For Thompson News - and if you want to know who is in the Arlington group, they are all listed at CFTN - follow the link a the bottom

After more than a year of fretting, it looks as if many members of the Arlington Group, an informal roundtable of the country’s most influential culturally conservative groups, are fast settling around Fred Thompson as their presidential candidate of choice.

Courtesy of Citizens For Thompson News

Read More...

Summary only...

Fred Thompson gains RPC Chairman endorsement

Citizens for Thompson has another report from "The Hill" about Fred Thompson endorsement - this time one of the House leaders.

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, said yesterday that he plans to endorse former Sen. Fred Thompson’s (R-Tenn.) presidential campaign. McCotter is the second member of the House Republican leadership to throw his support to Thompson.

Courtesy of Citizens for Thompson News

Read More...

Summary only...

George Allen of VA Backs Fred

Citizens for Thompson has the report form "The Hill"

Allen introduced former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) when the probable presidential candidate keynoted the state party’s gala earlier this month. "I think [a Thompson candidacy] is good," Allen said. "I would encourage him to do so."

Courtesy of Citizens for Thompson News

Read More...

Summary only...

Putnam of Florida signs on

For those that do not know him, this is Florida's leading conservative voice in Congress. This is a big endorsement that will go a long way toward securing Florida.

THE THIRD-RANKING REPUBLICAN in the House of Representatives will support Fred Thompson for president. Adam Putnam, who represents Floridians in the suburbs and exurbs of Tampa and is a key player among conservatives in the House, will join the growing Thompson operation in a leadership position in Florida.

As important to the Thompson campaign as Putnam's congressional chops are his extensive ties among Florida Republicans--he served for four years in the state legislature before being elected to Congress. As an early primary state, Florida will play a major role in the selection of the Republican nominee. And because the primary date was moved up only recently, Thompson's late entry matters less than it does in places like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, where his rivals have been building organizations for months. A Datamar poll taken in late May found that Thompson was the second choice of Florida Republicans even before he set up his "testing the waters" committee. The results: Giuliani, 27; Thompson, 22; Romney, 18; and McCain, 12.

Courtesy of Stephan Hayes at the Weekly Standard

Read More...

Summary only...

South Carolina Lawmakers back Fred Thompson

More grass roots coming up from Legislators. Seems to be a pattern.

State Sen. Larry Grooms said conservative voters in South Carolina are looking for something more than what the current field of Republican candidates has to offer.

"They're all good guys, but there's something lacking in every one of them," said Grooms, who was flanked by six other legislators and U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C., at a Statehouse news conference. "I think Fred Thompson is the type of candidate that many people in this state are looking for."

The Rest of the Story...

"We know he's behind the 8-ball and he's got a lot of ground to make up," Barrett said. This will "help him establish kind of a skeleton crew so when he does announce that we've got some people in place that he can build on."

Barrett said he did not know of any planned visits by Thompson to South Carolina.

Other presidential candidates have been raising money and soliciting support in South Carolina for months. Arizona Sen. John McCain enlisted a majority of Republican legislators here earlier this year for his exploratory campaign.

But some, like state Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens, have said they are considering taking their endorsement elsewhere. Pitts was particularly upset because of McCain's support for the illegal immigration bill now being debated in the Senate.

Joining Grooms at the news conference Wednesday were state Sens. John Hawkins and Ray Cleary and Reps. Michael Thompson, Brian White, Eric Bedingfield and Jeff Duncan.

Courtesy of Jim Davenport Associated Press Writer by way of Brad Warthen's blog at The State

More legislators supporting Fred - and it also shows that amnesty for illegals is costing McCain support.

Read More...

Summary only...

PA Speaker endorses Fred Thompson

Freepers (well the non-Rudybot ones) noticed this...

House Speaker Dennis M. O'Brien, R-Philadelphia, says he's backing actor Fred Thompson's possible bid for president. In an interview on the Web site Human Events, O'Brien said he's backing Thompson because, "I like what he stands for." O'Brien gave no details, but did reveal that he respected the role the former Tennessee senator played two years ago in the nomination of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.

Courtesy of Free republic

I've been banned there (I just created a new account and bypassed it - Freepers can be so stupid). Why did they ban me? I destroyed the arguments of a Pro-Rudy old-timer there with facts and cistations. So he had my account locked out by one of his buddies that is a moderator as his way of responding (instead of being forced to admit he lost the argument). So a warning: if you post Pro-Fred stuff, be careful who you blow out of the water - some of those Freepers are truly morons and sore losers.

Read More...

Summary only...

Reagan Staffers back Fred Thompson

Michael Deaver (deputy CoS), Clark Judge (a speech writer), and Roger Stone (campaign strategist) all speak favorably about Fred Thompson over the other candidates. What is a bit surprising in that there is no US reporting on this yet.

Ronald Reagan's closest allies are throwing their weight behind the White House bid by the late president's fellow actor, Fred Thompson. ...As deputy chief of staff, Michael Deaver was a key member of the "troika" of aides who kept the Reagan White House on track. ...Mr Deaver sees the same raw material in Mr Thompson as was perceived in Ronald Reagan, describing him as someone "that could really make a difference". He added: "He is very popular in his party. He could change this whole thing and turn this primary system upside down.

[The Rest of the Story]

"As Ronald Reagan used to say, after he stole a line from Al Jolson, 'Stay tuned, you ain't seen nothing yet'."

Mr Deaver's intervention is significant. He is very close to Mr Reagan's widow, Nancy, and is seen as the keeper of the Reagan flame.

Clark Judge, a White House speechwriter for Mr Reagan, said: "Fred Thompson, like Ronald Reagan, is a man of tremendous substance. There is a sense in the party that none of the candidates is quite 'it'."

Mr Reagan, he said, had "embodied the mission of the party - entrepreneurial growth, limited government and a strong national defence. Whoever can bring that mission into this age will be the nominee. And it may be Fred Thompson." Roger Stone, who was a Reagan campaign strategist, said: "The president Americans want is, in fact, the guy they see on Law and Order: wise, thoughtful, deliberative, confident without the cockiness of George W Bush, urbane yet country. Fred Thompson communicates all those virtues."

Courtesy of Tim Shipman in Washington for the London Sunday Telegraph

I think maybe the reporter is perhaps overstating things, but it is interesting that those folks are behind Thompson. I wonder if Roger Stone is still active in campaign strategy? He seems to be hard-ball but effective.

Read More...

Summary only...

Support Strong In Texas For Fred Thompson

More good news from Texas. Looks like Legislators are stepping up to take the Republican Party back from the power brokers. Bravo to Texas and Missouri! Ok Colorado, what are you waiting for? Readers, call your Colorado Republican Legislative Leaders and let them know who you want to see them endorse - Fred Thompson! (see the article below for the phone numbers)

The Draft Fred Thompson 2008 Committee announced that 54 of 81 Texas State House Republicans and several Republican Texas State senators "have joined the growing effort to encourage former United States Senator Fred Thompson to seek the presidency."

Texas Land Commissioner and Draft Committee leadership team member Jerry Patterson said he has spoken with each Legislator and "found an increasingly strong desire to see Thompson become a candidate. ... In Texas, the momentum in the race for president is clearly with Fred Thompson. If he enters this campaign, we can put him in the lead within 30 days,” said Patterson

[The Rest of the Story]

State Representative Robert Talton who serves from Harris County, Texas said, “People recognize Thompson’s leadership, his integrity and his remarkable ability to touch Americans from all walks of life. We need him in this race and we need him in the White House.”

The Draft Fred Thompson 2008 Committee’s leadership team includes Texas Rail Road Commissioner Victor Carrillo and Republican National Committeewoman Denise McNamara from Texas.

Courtesy of Chatanoogan Blog

Denise McNamara is working wonders down there - Go Denise!

Read More...

Summary only...

Rep Buyer (R-IN) Announces Support For Thompson Candidacy

A Congressional Rep signs up to drive the bandwagon in Indiana.

U.S. Representative Steve Buyer, R-Ind., Wednesday announced his support for Republican Fred Thompson’s 2008 presidential campaign. "At a time when the country is split on so many issues, it beacons a man of leadership and vision,” Buyer said in a news release. “Fred Thompson is Presidential and has the ability to reach out and touch Americans and to lead us."

[The Rest of the Story]

Buyer was among more than 50 current members of the U.S. House who met Wednesday with Thompson as he considers a run for the White House in 2008.After the meeting, Buyer encouraged Thompson to formally enter the campaign and promised to help him succeed in Indiana.

Courtesy of Wire Report at the Indy Channel

Getting more on board!

Read More...

Summary only...

Kinder: "Fred Thompson is the Man"

More on the story in Missouri

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder endorsed former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, for president - a marked departure from the state's top Republican officeholder.

Kinder provided his rationale in an editorial to the Cape Girardeau-based Southeast Missourian. Kinder served as the associate publisher and frequently wrote columns on governmental affairs for the paper throughout his political career.

[The Rest of the Story]

Trust me, fellow Republicans, when I say this: Fred Thompson is the real deal, the closest thing to a natural we’ve had (or are likely to see) since Reagan.

Begin with this: Sen. Thompson is a conservative solidly within the mainstream of his party in a country that still wants to be governed by a center-right coalition. That is, if we Republicans can prove ourselves once again worthy of the trust of Americans who became progressively more disgusted with congressional Republicans through 2006. Thompson, who left Washington four years ago, is untainted by the debacles of 2005-’06.

Courtesy of Jason Rosenbaum blogging at the Columbia (Mo) Tribune

The article amplifies how this is more than a bit unusual for Missouri politics.

Read More...

Summary only...

On the move in the critical swing state of Missouri

Some recent endorsements here - showing that Fred Thompson not only plays to the south, but to the middle as well.

Move over Mitt and McCain. House Speaker Pro Tem Carl Bearden, R-St. Charles, has endorsed former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee, for President of the United States...

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder of Cape Girardeau announced today in an editorial that he will back former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson for the Republican presidential nomination.

[The Rest of the Story]

“I call on my fellow elected officials and other Missouri Republicans to join me in encouraging and supporting a Fred Thompson presidential candidacy by signing our petition,” [Missouri] Speaker Pro Tem Bearden said. “Fred Thompson possesses the character, the charisma, and the vision to win the White House and lead our great country.”

Missouri Lt. Gov Kinder believes Thompson's staunch conservatism and potential mainstream appeal as a movie star are reminiscent of former President Ronald Reagan. "Fred Thompson is the real deal, the closest thing to a natural we've had (or are likely to see) since Reagan," wrote Kinder in his editorial.

Courtesy of Columbia tribune Politics Blog

This is a key state in the general election - if you go back and read the analysis of any of the prior presidential elections since about 1960, you'll see that Missouri is considered a bellwether state. For Sen Thompson to be running well here without even declaring is very indicative of a viable national candidate.

Read More...

Summary only...