NASHVILLE, Tenn. --Fred Thompson, a likely Republican presidential candidate, on Tuesday defended his work as a Washington lobbyist, telling The Associated Press that lobbying is an important part of life because "government's got their hands in everything."
The actor and former U.S. senator from Tennessee added, "Nobody yet has pointed out any of my clients that didn't deserve representation."
Thompson, who likes to cast himself as a political outsider, earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government for more than 20 years. He lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulation bill that helped hasten the industry's collapse and a failed nuclear energy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars...
From Boston.com -6/26/07 Full Article HERE
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Fred Thompson defends lobbying record
As Fred Thompson's Entry Nears, Romney Taps Into His Own Wealth
(CBS) Is Fred Thompson Mitt Romney's worst nightmare?
That might be the case based on Romney's decision, announced Monday, to funnel some of his vast wealth into his already well-funded presidential campaign. Romney spent $2.5 million of his own cash to launch his bid, but since then has proven to be a prodigious fundraiser — in the first quarter of this year, he raised $23 million and is expected to again lead the Republican pack in the second quarter, which ends Saturday.
"One of the things I've had to do that you don't have to do if your name is McCain or Giuliani is introduce myself," Romney said at a news conference attended by The Boston Globe. "It would be nice not to have to loan or contribute to your own campaign, but the reality is if you want to have a strong campaign that gets out there and can talk across the nation, you're going to have to do what's necessary."
From CBS.com June 26, 2007 - Full Article HERE
Rudy: Pay no attention to the polls
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. -- In a pitch to conservatives here, Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani downplayed the importance of opinion polls and stressed his own leadership skills and his commitment to principles and the U.S. fight against terrorism.
Hailing Ronald Reagan as the best presidential model in the past 40 years, Giuliani noted that Reagan put accomplishing his two principles -- defeating communism and shrinking government -- ahead of popularity in the polls.
"Ronald Reagan just wasn't focused on public opinion polls," said Giuliani, whose own standing in the polls has been dropping as he has faced his most difficult week of his campaign...
From Newsday.com - FULL ARTICLE HERE
Fred versus Al Gore?
From: "Fred versus Al Gore?", Murfreesboro Post.
Sure, it’s a long shot, but it’s worth pondering: A Thompson-Gore race for president next year.
Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson is just weeks away from officially jumping into the Republican race for that party’s banner next year to see who will succeed George W. Bush.
While Thompson remains officially in one of the prepatory stages to announcing his candidacy, have no doubt that he is running.
The long he remains a could-be candidate, the more media attention and political discussion he generates.
Thompson didn’t give up his lucrative and no doubt enjoyable popular television show gig to just consider running for president.
Full Article HERE
Fred Thompson drops by home state to greet backers, raise money
"Fred Thompson drops by home state to greet backers, raise money" from Jacksonville.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - More than 100 supporters gathered at the Nashville airport on Tuesday to greet probable presidential candidate Fred Thompson.
Thompson told the crowd he's "testing the waters" about a run.
"But the waters feel pretty warm to me," he said.
Thompson shook hands and signed autographs for supporters, but declined to speak from the bed of a red pickup truck they had parked nearby.
A similar red truck was a focal point of Thompson's successful 1994 campaign for U.S. Senate to fill the unexpired Senate term of Vice President Al Gore.
FULL ARTICLE
Rasmussen Reports: National Poll: Thompson 27% Giuliani 23%
The biggest question in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination is whether or not former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson can sustain his warm-up act once he becomes an actual candidate. The actor once did what many politicians could never imagine by walking away from a career in the Senate. Now he is on the verge of doing what few politicians can even dream of by entering a race for the White House on top of the polls for his party’s nomination.
See the POLL and full Article HERE
The New Republic: Can Fred Thompson Win in 2008?
by Jonathan Chait & Jason Zengerle
Only at TNR Online | Post date 06.26.07
Editor's Note: This is the second installment in a four-part debate between TNR senior editors Jason Zengerle and Jonathan Chait about whether Fred Thompson has what it takes to be elected president in the 2008. If and when Thomspon enters the race, will he steamroll the competition or fail to live up to the hype? Read Part 1.
Dear Jason,
I think Fred Thompson has a very strong chance to become the GOP nominee, and every time I see somebody argue against that proposition, it just seems to make me think it even more. Let's start with his trip to London. I thought it was a brilliant move myself. Thompson is looking for ways to hint to the conservative base that he's one of them without harming his general election viability. The Thatcher trip was...
Read the full article HERE
Tennessean.com: Office puts Fred Thompson step closer to running
By ANNE PAINE
Staff Writer
Republican Fred Thompson will be inching closer to a possible run for the presidency when he opens a "testing the waters" office today in the historic Fall School Building on Eighth Avenue, a source close to his potential campaign said Monday.
That's one rung below a formal "exploratory" committee phase — which is just behind a full-blown campaign announcement.
Workers were trimming hedges, sweeping and otherwise sprucing up Monday around the historic Fall School Building at 1130 8th Ave. S., where U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander — himself a former presidential contender — has an office.
Read full story HERE
DesMoines Register: Hire puts run closer for Fred Thompson
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Former Sen. Fred Thompson has taken his first step toward organizing a campaign for Iowa's leadoff presidential nominating caucuses by hiring a top Iowa Republican campaign staff member, aides to Thompson confirmed Monday.
Thompson has signed Andrew Dorr to serve as his Midwest political director should the actor and Tennessee Republican run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
Full article HERE
NY Times: Fred Thompson Makes the Rounds
By Susan Saulny
Although he has not officially declared his presidential intentions, Fred D. Thompson, former senator of Tennessee, kicks off what looks a lot like a campaign in Nashville today, with stops this week in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
In those critical early primary states, Mr. Thompson will be meeting with Republican party officials and supporters, and raising money, mostly behind closed doors. While he has yet to announce his bid for the Republican nomination formally – and is expected to do so soon _ he’s already set up a committee for donors, called the First Founders.
FULL ARTICLE
Webpronews.com: Fred Thompson Gets All The Media
Submitted by David A. Utter on Tue, 06/26/2007 - 09:31
Potential Republican Presidential candidate Fred Thompson has a website that should be a model for anyone aspiring to political office.
Well over a year remains before the 2008 Presidential election takes place. Candidates like Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and John McCain have been staking out spots online, with the aid of their campaign machines, in the hopes of engaging voters.
At this early date, money remains the first, second, third, and probably twenty-fourth most significant concern for White House aspirants. The Thompson website, I'm With Fred, features links to donate and raise funds should the actor/Senator pursue a bid for the Presidency, just as the other candidates do...
Read full article HERE
The Tennessean: Donut Den offers muffins for Fred Thompson
By Danica Wright Booth
Donut Den has an offer Fred Thompson may not be able to refuse.
The Green Hills eatery has posted a sign to offer the actor turned potential presidential candidate a free blueberry muffin if he announces his presidency.
“He used to be our regular customer,” said Donut Den owner, Dr. Norman Fox, “and that was what he’d eat.”
FULL ARTICLE
CNN.com: Fred Thompson has history as political insider
As a lobbyist for more than 20 years, billion-dollar corporations paid Thompson for his access to members of Congress and White House staff. During that time he was close to two Senate majority leaders, both from his home state of Tennessee -- his political mentor Howard Baker and, more recently, his former colleague Bill Frist.
During Baker's tenure, Thompson lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulation bill that helped hasten the industry's collapse and a failed nuclear energy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars.
More recently, while Frist led the Senate, Thompson earned more than $750,000 lobbying for a British reinsurance company that wanted to limit its liability from asbestos lawsuits.
Read full article HERE
Monday, June 25, 2007
Letter: As president, Thompson would show backbone
Monday, June 25, 2007
BillingsGazette.com
The time is now for all conservatives to wake up from their slumber and act!
We have sat on our hands the last 20 or 30 years and assumed our elected representatives and leaders have been "minding the store" as we saw fit. But it seems our elected officials have softened their stance on conservative values ... partly because of our lack of support and involvement and partly due to all the socialist influences and lobbyist pressures and a lack of a leader at the top with a stiff backbone.
Now is our chance to save this great country from terrorism, illegal immigration, full-blown socialism, individual irresponsibility, illegal drugs, and foreign and Hollywood corruption. Now is our chance to turn the corner for a country headed down the road to ruin.
Fred Thompson is a strong, no-nonsense, focused, fearless man who has the grit and backbone to stand up to all the influences that would see America die. The 2008 election will likely determine whether America remains the greatest country on earth or sinks into the sewer of socialism.
Thompson is waiting for your response. Get up and get active and show him we care and that we are not ready to let America die. Work for and vote for Thompson for president - 2008!
Randy Gerhardt
Billings
Read full article HERE
Thompson Rally in Nashville: Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tomorrow night (June 26th) there will be a rally in Nashville that will be attended by Mr. Thompson himself. If you are available please drop by and say hello to the future President of the United States.
Here are the details.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
9:15AM
Mercury Air Center, Nashville International Airport
635 Hangar Lane, Nashville TN 37217
Donuts & Coffee provided, along with the chance to meet Fred!
Directions:
From I-40
take Donelson Pike, Exit 216, toward the Airport (south)
Then right onto Hangar Lane - then stay to the right at the fork
Mercury Air Center, Nashville International Airport
635 Hangar Lane, Nashville TN 37217
Republican Thompson endorsed by ex-girlfriends
By Steve Holland
Reuters
Monday, June 25, 2007; 6:46 PM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Things must be going well for prospective presidential candidate Fred Thompson because even his ex-wife and former girlfriends are endorsing him.
One-by-one they've said the Tennessee Republican is their man -- at least for president, according to London's Sunday Times newspaper.
The former senator and Hollywood actor is to hold the first fund-raising event for his potential campaign on Tuesday in Nashville, ahead of stops in early primary states of South Carolina and New Hampshire this week.
An announcement on a Thompson candidacy is expected some time in July. "He's making up his mind as to when's the best time," said spokesman Mark Corallo.
Thompson, 64, dated for a long time after his 26-year marriage to his first wife, Sarah Knestrick, ended in 1984. In 2002 he married Jeri Kehn, who is 24 years younger than he.
Read the whole article HERE
Dems Aim For Fred Thompson
Origin: "The Stump: AOL's News Election Blog"
Published: June 25, 2007 4:47 PM
Title: Dems Aim For Fred Thompson
The appeal of Fred Thompson as a candidate will be huge and the Democrats know it. They've launched a pre-announcement salvo at Thompson's non-campaign campaign:
Democratic strategists say Thompson's populist style and show-biz allure could prove extremely appealing in a general election at a time when voters are so down on Washington. So the party has launched a preemptive campaign against him that includes a DNC fundraising e-mail branding Thompson, "The inside-outsider."The gist of the Dem attack will be that Thompson is an insider when he portrays himself as an outsider. They also are hitting him for his lack of legislation pushed through when he was a Senator from Tennessee.
Full article HERE
Read More......
All Agog Over Thompson
By Kenneth T. Walsh, US News & World Reoprt
Posted 6/24/07
He has a resonant baritone voice and an imposing physical presence. He has strong conservative credentials and a background in both government and the private sector. He has proven communication skills honed by his work on television and in the movies.
If Fred Thompson sounds like the conservative candidate from central casting—a latter-day Ronald Reagan—that's exactly the image he wants to project as he prepares to enter the race for the White House, probably in the next few weeks. Thompson's plan is to make as big a splash as he can, to generate both a tidal wave of positive publicity and an outpouring of campaign contributions that would propel him to the top of the GOP heap. Adds a Republican strategist who is ready to join Thompson's bandwagon: "If he gets into the race, as we all expect, he will be a strong contender from Day 1."
Read Full Article HERE
Fred Thompson May Announce Presidential Campaign Next Tuesday
Fred Thompson May Announce Presidential Campaign Next Tuesday
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 25, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Fred Thompson may announce his campaign for the Republican nomination for president as early as next Tuesday and reports indicate the former Tennessee senator may select Nashville as the site of his campaign headquarters. Thompson may announce tomorrow from the steps of the Fall School Building.
WSMV in Nashville reports that a knowledgeable source says the Thompson campaign has leased the historic building to house a national campaign headquarters.
It houses the state's oldest school and also has office space.
"Everything's in place for Tuesday," the source told WSMV. "There are three major events built around his announcement."
However, Bob Davis, the Tennessee Republican Party chair and Thompson's former chief of staff indicated there is no plan for an official announcement.
Earlier this month, sent a video message to the 1,200 attendees at the National Right to Life convention and said he opposed both abortion and embryonic stem cell research.
Read full article HERE
Looking at Thompson's lobbying past
Looking at Thompson's lobbying past
By TRAVIS LOLLER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Republican Fred Thompson, who likes to cast himself in the role of Washington outsider, has a long history as a political insider who earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government.
As a lobbyist for more than 20 years, billion-dollar corporations paid Thompson for his access to members of Congress and White House staff. During that time he was close to two Senate majority leaders, both from his home state of Tennessee - his political mentor Howard Baker and, more recently, his former colleague Bill Frist.
During Baker's tenure, Thompson lobbied for a savings-and-loan deregulation bill that helped hasten the industry's collapse and a failed nuclear energy project that cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars.
More recently, while Frist led the Senate, Thompson earned more than $750,000 lobbying for a British reinsurance company that wanted to limit its liability from asbestos lawsuits.
That history as a Washington insider is at odds with the image Thompson has sought to convey to voters. When he first ran for the Senate in 1993, Thompson cast himself in the part of the gruff, plainspoken everyman, leased a red pickup truck and drove around Tennessee in his shirt sleeves.
Read the full article HERE
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Republican Fred Thompson aims for blogger-in-chief
Republican Fred Thompson aims for blogger-in-chief
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
Reuters
Sunday, June 24, 2007; 9:05 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If Republican Fred Thompson enters the presidential race next month as expected, the actor and former senator will be aiming to add another title to a crowded resume -- blogger-in-chief.
Thompson has been contributing frequently to conservative Web sites as he gears up for a 2008 presidential bid, posting thoughts on topics ranging from the French election to the Middle East and the immigration debate.
Read full article HERE
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Newsweek Weighs in on Fred Thompson
By Andy Selepak
Accuracy in Media
Monday, June 25, 2007
Although Fred Thompson has yet to formally announce that he is running for President, the media are already looking for ways to take down his campaign and make Thompson less appealing to Republican primary voters. Thompson, referred to as "a Southern-fried Reagan" by the Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land, was the subject of an article in the June 25 issue of Newsweek magazine that ran with the subtitle: "The right has a crush on Fred Thompson, but his own papers suggest he is less conservative then they think."
By questioning Thompson's conservative credentials, Newsweek writer Holly Bailey appears to be discouraging the rise of Thompson's poll numbers within the Republican Party. According to the article, conservatives have "latched onto him as something of a political messiah" because they are "underwhelmed" with the current 2008 Republican presidential candidates. According to the latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll cited in the article, Thompson is running a "close second behind the current leader, Rudy Giuliani―and beat everyone, including Giuliani, among self-described 'religious right' voters."
Read full article HERE
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Thompson addresses the Policy Exchange in London, England on June 19, 2007
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
