Thompson Drops Out
Written by Sam on January 22nd, 2008Told you so:
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.
“Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” Thompson said in a statement.
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Yep, we’ve all been waiting for that. But see what Erick at Redstate has to say, which I agree with:
But, this is not the end of Thompson. I’m told we’ll be hearing much more from him in a few days. His mother is recovering from an illness and he is with her. But, I suspect he’ll be engaging in forums around the country to talk about conservatism and make sure we hold the other candidates to some consistency — no more talking populist in Michigan, Mitt Romney.
Likewise, it would not surprise me in the least to start seeing Fred showing up and engaging in Republican primaries where a corrupt Republican who has lost his way might find Fred supporting an opponent in the primary.
The race for the Presidency is over for Thompson, but the fight for the party might just be beginning for him.
http://www.redstate.com/stories/elections/2008/its_not_the_end_of_fred_thompson
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Langley,
I read the above and think to myself: “That is what a campaign is!”
Also, Thompson dropping out helps Huckabee I think.
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Well, you could say it’s what a campaign is. Or you could say it’s one’s attempt to become more involved in the political conversation, to either shape the party or run for some position of power in the future (either in the party or in the country - think Howard Dean becoming DNC Chair).
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I think the same thing that prompted Fred to get into the race is still in play–the party has lost its way. Through this campaign, Fred has gained some some capital to spend calling us back to conservatism.
Yes, I think we will see more of Fred–and not in a TV drama.
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You gain capital by WINNING, not by losing by an embarrassingly large margin.
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David, I’m not only shocked that you said that, but you said it after I already pointed out what I’m about to say again against your point - Howard Dean came back from losing pretty bad in his primaries to becoming the Chairman of his party.
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2 down.
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If Thompson endorses McCain now, the effect of the Thompson campaign won’t be to leave conservatives right back where we started–no, it’ll leave us worse off than before he announced he might run.
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Alan, you’re right on. It’s a shame to see Fred go. Like so many others, I was one of the Fred Heads excited about Thompson’s candidacy back in late spring, early summer.
In my opinion, Mitt’s the only all-around conservative (economic, foreign policy, and social) candidate left in the race. Giuliani’s a pretty solid conservative candidate, as well. But Huckabee and McCain are, in my humble opinion, just plain awful.
Conservatives and Fred Heads (who are certainly conservatives), unite around Mitt! And Fred should be VP!
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Romney will get at least 75% of the Thompson voters…he’s the only conservative left in the race. I know that myself and a bunch of my friends were all strong Thompson supporters and now we will all vote Romney.
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Dean was doing well at one point and then fell. Thompson was never doing well. Also, is trying to be like Howard Dean the goal now?
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No, it’s not the goal now, I was just pointing out the blatant inaccuracy of your assessment (after I’d already offered the fact already in fact). Thanks for the snark though.
Thompson was 2nd in national polls, 1st right after he got in, and was doing very well in state polls before he fell short. Dean was doing very well then got 3rd in Iowa…. which is where Thompson placed in that state as well.
I’m not a fan of Dean, and am not claiming that or encouraging Thompson to “follow his footsteps,” only pointing out the blatant shortcomings of your argument using a guy on your side to disprove your claims.
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Thompson’s showing in Iowa is nothing to brag about. He was basically tied for a very distant third. Not to mention only four points ahead of Ron Paul.
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Who’s bragging? I’m pointing out that Shiffman is wrong to act like Howard Dean did amazingly in the primaries and Thompson did horrible, when they both did about the same.
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Why do people think Romney is a conservative? Because he says so? What about his record?
I’m sure that people will respond negatively to those questions, but they’re genuine and I’m not trying to be snide. I really don’t understand how someone can look at Mitt Romney’s past and call him a conservative. Someone please explain. . .
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Romney’s record is what makes him a conservative. He ran for the Senate against Ted Kennedy as a more or less moderate Republican…he lost. He then ran for governor of Massachusetts on a platform of tax cuts and spending restraint…still claiming to be pro-choice but not making it any major part of the campaign.
Then he started governing. He cut taxes and spending. He allowed the state troopers to ask immigration status and work with the INS. He cut regulations on business. He fought against judicial imposed gay marriage. He opposed stem cell research funding by the state and in the process of that opposition came around to a pro-life position. He also used a private sector approach to health insurance (though I actually opposed this plan) instead of a big government public sector approach. He also signed into law a GI Bill for Massachusetts National Guard recruits when the recruitment was falling that resulted in a 30% increase in recruitment.
So his record itself is solidly conservative. And these accomplishments were in the most liberal state in the nation and with an overwhelming Democratic majority in the legislature.
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The reason that Fred now has “capital” in my terms has to do with the fact that if he writes or does anything NOW, it will be analyzed as coming from a legitimate conservative voice.
Before this campaign it would have been coming from a ex-Senator and actor pundit.
It is a different kind of capital than what comes from winning elections.