Good ol’ boy, regular American guy Fred just can’t seem to figure out who he wants to run his non-campaign campaign. Maybe the third time’s a charm.
Fred Thompson on Wednesday tapped the man he credits with saving his 1994 Senate campaign to take over his likely presidential bid.
Bill Lacy, a former strategist for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and Republican National Committee, will run day-to-day operations of Thompson’s committee to “test the waters” for a presidential run.
“He turned around my campaign for Senate in 1994
Someone better turn this ship around. Lately it’s been more like one of those subs in the Hunt for Red October, sinking fast.
The all-but-declared candidate collected about $1.5 million less than the $5 million backers had hoped to bring in during June, his first fundraising month. In July, Thompson sidelined his campaign-manager-in-waiting, Tom Collamore, and watched a few other aides follow him out the door amid consternation inside the operation about the active role of Thompson’s wife, Jeri.
Perhaps Mr. Lacy will fare a bit better than he did in his last stint as a presidential campaign manager.
A White House political director in the Reagan administration, Lacy was Dole’s political strategist for 10 years, including during the Kansas senator’s failed 1996 presidential run. Lacy resigned shortly after Dole lost the New Hampshire and Delaware primaries.
I’ll say this for Mr. Lacy, he sure nailed the reason for ol’ Fred’s turnaround in his Senate race.
“Fred isn’t Superman. His style has some similarities to President Reagan, but he hasn’t been around as long and proven himself as much,” Lacy wrote. “But he has been tested: In the darkest hours of his political career, when the wheels were about to come off his first campaign, he figured out how to scoop them up, put them on a red truck and drive off into the sunset.”
You could write a book from that statement. Certainly, his style is similar to Reagan’s, give him that much. But even though his Senate career wasn’t exactly stellar, you have to give him credit where credit is due. He did manage to get McCain/Feingold passed, even got a loving note from Russ for his efforts.
But I like that last one best, about scooping up the wheels, renting a little red truck and driving into the sunset. What little red truck?
Although some of his campaign staff protested the move as cheesy, they leased Thompson a red Chevy pickup and he hit the road. Cooper attempted to paint Thompson as phony, calling him a “Gucci-wearing, Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon–spreading millionaire Washington special-interest lobbyist.” But voters loved the truck. They didn’t seem to mind that the candidate often switched from a sedan to the truck just miles from his appearances. “We couldn’t believe anyone was buying it,” says Kopp.
There are a lot of good, hard working conservatives running for the Republican nomination in 2008. Hunter, Romney, Tommy Thompson, Giuliani and others. Why settle for style over substance?
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RON PAUL!!!
/here’s hoping you don’t really think that Giuliani is a conservative…
BigJolly
Just a guess, but you do not care for Fred Thompson. Do you like anyone beside Huckabee?
Ramos & Compean in ‘08!
I wonder what all this disarray in Thompson’s camp is about. It sounds like a lot of shuffling for a non-candidate. If it’s all about raising money, he should sell calendars of Jeri.
I wouldn’t even vote for Janet El Renyo in a little red truck.
What is truly scary is all the normally some what stable conservatives who pride themselves on remaining focused in REALITY and fact - are now pinning their hopes and dreams on an actor who they hope will embody the ghost of an image.
Fred “the great white hope” Thompson has an exactly 0% chance of winning the repubby nomination. In 2000 Al Gore was “too boring” and Georgie was just a compassionate conservative we could relate too. In 2004 John Kerry was “too boring” and Georgie was just a good ole boy we wanted to have a beer with. Like it or not personality matters. Thompson is nothing but a stodgy old man who will probably drop out even before he technically enters the race.
I also like how he is sitting out debate season…which is probably a good idea since he has no defined views or positions.
I can’t say who I will support. I have definitley eliminated Giuliani, Paul, and McCain
trl3, I have said in the past that I will vote for Thompson if he survives the primaries. I happen to think that there are better candidates out there. And I don’t recall mentioning Huckabee in that post.
RickG, why would anyone buy a calendar of a woman that looks like a 12 year old?
“he has no defined views or positions.”
Unlike the dhimmicrat position on just about everything:
http://www.pinworld.co.uk/images/bendoverilldrive.gif
BTW, did you do your homework and read up on WW2? All about how those mean ole Americans nuked the poor little guys that brought us Pokemon and Toyotas?
Yeah Rick, we want pictures of fat, old broads!
http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Sex/4-10-10RacyCalendar.htm
11. big
When you put it that way, I feel kinda bad . . .
I want to go on record, in response to an accusation from a commenter on another thread, that a certain nutty presidential candidate was not mentioned once by bigjolly in this story.
13 faster
Who buys that stuff?
12 - lets not derail this thread but yes I did do a little research. And I have concluded that the 140,000 deaths from the nukes dropped on the Japanese did not “save more lives in the long-run”. In fact the Japanese would probably have surrendered in the very near future.
Here is a quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower, “In 1945 Secretary of War Stimson, visiting my headquarters in Germany, informed me that our government was preparing to drop an atomic bomb on Japan. I was one of those who felt that there were a number of cogent reasons to question the wisdom of such an act. During his recitation of the relevant facts, I had been conscious of a feeling of depression and so I voiced to him my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary, and secondly because I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives.”
Now back to the Fred Thompson Show.
“I did do a little research”
Eisenhower fought in the European Theatre. It was not his decision to make.
“Who buys that stuff?”
http://www.crazy-jokes.com/pictures/oldman.jpg
Big Jolly
It just seemed to me from past posts that you were in favor of Huckabee.
Personally the only ones I have eliminated for support in the primaries is Paul, Giuliani, and McCain. I would support McCain or Guiliani in the general against any of the current democrat hopefuls, I just hope it doesn’t come to that.
17 I know it wasn’t his decision because if it was they would not have been dropped.
houstondem
Yes, the Japanese were defeated prior to the bomb. The problem was they did not believe they were defeated until the bombs were dropped. Even then their were many in the military that wanted to fight to the death. I conclude that your conclusions are after the fact fantasies.
Now back to Fred.
#16: Houstondim: Try asking a WW II vet, someone who was there(Eisenhauer was in Eurpoe, and never fought the Japanese); the amount of lives saved from having to go thorough with an invasion of Japan is incalculable.
Now enough for the history lesson: don’t they teach this in school anymore? It’s bad enough they graduate and can’t count change back from a dollar.
But, about the 2008 GOP nominee, I’m telling you all now, it’s going to wind up being Newt; he’s the only with a key grasp of the issues, that can go toe to toe with socialists, otherwise known as the Dims!
And the only one besides Guiliani that has any hope of beating Billary, I would add.
CORRECTION: ‘having NOT to go through with an invasion’, as it we’re……….
22.
Of course it’s not taught in the schools anymore. We are now the bad guys and were barbarians for dropping not one, but two, bombs.
The libs and Dems just haven’t figured out yet how to make Hitler into one of the good guys.
Houstondem - you are simply wrong. Taking and occupying the “already defeated” Japan would have made the current operation in Iraq look like a walk in the park, and would have had incalculable cost in American lives and treasure.
What, no Mike Huckabee?
trl3, I’ll admit, if the Texas primary were held today, I’d vote for Huckabee. After watching every debate thus far and performing an economic analysis to locate a plant in the South, he’s far and away the closest to my views and desires. But the other guys are all good conservatives, far, far better than the other party.
PBFloyd, you might want to view what Newt said about Huckabee.
http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6899608
#22 PBFloyd
And the only one with a proven track record of doing so. But alas, it seems even most conservatives think he’s too “divisive” to win. I wish it weren’t so. He would wipe the floor with any Dem running in a real debate of the issues.
Are you suggesting a draft Newt campaign? Run, Newt, Run!
#27 BigJolly: There is a big difference between, as Nwet said, ‘hope’ he will catch on, and ‘will’ catch on……..I hope I win the lotto, but will be surprised if I do.
#28 Concur with Hamous, but we will see as time goes on with the rest of the current inept field, with no viable candidate in sight, if the GOP will come around and circle the wagons around Newt.
From what I’ve seen, he’s the only real chance I see at beating Hitlary.
Actually, he “predicted” that Huckabee would catch on.
Huckabee, Hunter, or Tancredo!
#29 - I’m still learning about all the candidates. All the sparring done here by the contributors and commenters is for the most part beneficial in my learning process (RPGs excluded). At this point, all I can say is I’ve excluded three candidates from consideration: The Honorable Reverend Doctor Ron Paul, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani. All others have a chance of earning my vote at this point.
Unless Fred Thompson actually declares he’s a candidate, I don’t think any serious money is coming his way. Besides I think there is still time to enter and mount a good campaign. He has name recognition and public exposure and the media keeps his name in the news just like LST.
That Edwards fella is looking pretty good:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/john_edwards_vows_to_end_all_bad
He’s soooo dreamy!
Some one hose down Hammie, he’s getting over heated. (You thilly thavage boy…) But have him return my lingerie he borrowed first.
Uh oh. It wasn’t edible?
Do not give me Guiliani the conservative….. NO NO …. You can call hiim Guiliana the opportunist politician……. but conservative, hardly. He may be what we have to do to beat Hillary, but it’s gonna be another 4 years of wondering which way he will go on what bill. He’s a smart politician who wants to win , period. Everyone who sets out to belittle Fred THompson’s wife, better look at her credintias. No house memeber has ever been elected President…… so that leaves the most conservative candidate out……. it’s not logical
there is no rule. but that’s the reason……. he can’t win cause he is a member of the house. ludicrous. We will elect Guiliani and hold our noses, ONE MORE TIME. It’s nuts! I am for a woman’s right to choose, but I will elect judges to the supreme court who are prolife…… ( just trust me). I won’t do any kind of firearm banning ( even tho I have done this in the past. I think I am sick of this campaign already.
I left out Duncan Hunters name sorry… Duncan Hunter most conservative
AW, in the landscape of politics, Giuliani is more conservative than 50% of the politicians. Therefore, by definition, he is a conservative.
Perhaps not as conservative as you are or I am or most that regularly visit Lone Star Times but still, by definition, a conservative.
There you go, disrespecting your own candidate by not even remembering his name. If you, a supporter can’t, how the heck do you expect the rest of the country to?
And you won’t see me belittling his wife.
I’m not even sure that Giuliani is “more conservative” than 50% of the politicians. I think he’s a moderate-to-liberal running as a Republican.
jimb, surely you jest. Down here in the South, that is probably true. But in the North and West, it’s not even close. The Mid-West is a mixture. And we have to remember that it is a national election, not a southern or regional one. Giuliani is easily more conservative than 50%.
He’d never be elected in Texas. But he might be the only choice the Repubs have to win a national election.
Big Jolly, Duncan Hunter is not my candidate, I lean towards Fred, but……not sure of any of them yet. Remember when we took that test that ranked our personal choices for pres? Hunter came up as #1 for me. I just think its so ironic, we cry about rinos and keep electing them
What a hoot!
#43 - he won’t get my vote, under any circumstances…
The yankees I talk w/ can’t forgive him for divorcing his exwife when she had cancer.
#47 I thought that was “Neutered Newt”
Fred! will declare. There is no point in him spending millions before a normal campaign is actually ripe. Obama Hussain steppped out way too early, which led Shillery to step out, which led to…. and on and on. Fred! is doing the smart thing and staying out of the fray, except some people just don’t get it. Bigjolly, you have a personal vendetta against Fred! that you shouldn’t post threads about him because you cannot be non-biased. You are pro-Huckabee. Your bias is showing in what you write. I don’t appreciate it.
PBFloyd
Newt is an incredible intelligent person. The success of the ’90’s is sometimes attributable to him and his “Contract with America”; however, most of that success should be attributable to the 1980’s and Reagan. Newt is a great ideas man, he is an idealist, but he is not great on the follow-thru. I love Newt, but he would not be a great president, IMHO.
Neocon - He got most of the Contract with America pushed through the House. Some of it became law even with a Democratic controlled White House and Senate, welfare reform being a major piece of legislation. The line item veto made it, only to be overturned by a liberal SCOTUS. Had all of the items in the Contract become and stayed law America would be a different, and better place.
All of the above have too big of egos to be vice president, but I’m willing to bet that Newt would just on the chance he might win the next round as the Prez.
I think it will be Fred and Newt to go against the monster machine of Hillery…
And if it is played right, they will kick her ass.
Just guessing, like everyone else, but the American People need someone who can sling the Sh!t and make it believable. Someone who will stand up to the crats, the brown invasion and the Islamic nutcases and their moneybags like Saudi Arabia.
Most Americans see Style as substance and if they like it, they will believe it. They want people that act like they know what they are doing.
Anyway, if they will pardner up, Fred will do it, and Newt might if he is offered enough.
It’s politics, that is all it is.
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
Well, that will definitely make me stop.