Fred Thompson WILL run, set to announce July 4 weekend

[npincus]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0507/4243.html

My particular interest is this probably hurts Giuliani most, and in spite of conventinal wisdom (pro-choice GOPer cannot win nomination) I think he is on track to win it and would be the toughest to beat. And of course, Giuliani the nominee would guarantee another terra terra terra-thon, fear fear fear-a-thon and 9-11 exploitation-thon of a campaign. UGH. So, looking forward to a filthy, nasty slugfest on the other side. :popcorn:



Fred Dalton Thompson is planning to enter the presidential race over the Fourth of July holiday, announcing that week that he has already raised several million dollars and is being backed by insiders from the past three Republican administrations, Thompson advisers told The Politico.

Thompson, the "Law and Order" star and former U.S. senator from Tennessee, has been publicly coy, even as people close to him have been furiously preparing for a late entry into the wide-open contest. But the advisers said Thompson dropped all pretenses on Tuesday afternoon during a conference call with more than 100 potential donors, each of whom was urged to raise about $50,000.

Thompson's formal announcement is planned for Nashville. Organizers say the red pickup truck that was a hallmark of Thompson's first Senate race will begin showing up in Iowa and New Hampshire as an emblem of what they consider his folksy, populist appeal.

A testing-the-waters committee is to be formed June 4 so Thompson can start raising money, and staffers will go on the payroll in early June, the organizers said. A policy team has been formed, but remains under wraps.

[whistle]

1. Way to go Fred!!! Cut the GOP pack even further....

....Bring out that pretty young wife of his and parade her often.:applause: :woohoo: :hide: :yoiks: :spray: :popcorn: :rofl:

[npincus]

6. LOL-- Wonkette: "Thompson's Trophy Wife"

http://wonkette.com/politics/divorce/republican-family-values-fred-thompsons-trophy-wife-247154.php

Despite being the only party to repeatedly get actual Hollywood actors nominated and elected, Republicans like to whine about “Hollywood values.”

Somehow, criticizing the idiocy, divorces, obesity, dumb religions and drug addictions of the famous makes regular Americans feel better about being dumb divorced obese Jesus-freak OxyContin addicts who are also poor and ugly, so every GOP candidate for every possible office has to dedicate at least one commercial or mailer to the pursuit of “traditional family values” as seen only on Little House on the Prairie reruns.

<snip>

Here’s what the celebrity-obsessed Republicans are saying about the Big Man:

Unlike Newt and Rudy, Thompson’s second marriage did not overlap with his first wife. Thompson and Sara Lindsey divorced in 1985. He didn’t meet Jeri Kehn until 1996 and they married in 2002.

And unlike WALNUTS! McCain’s latest wife, Thompson’s latest wife isn’t known to be a crazy drug addict! Bring dignity back to the White House in 2008 — elect the serious-looking actor guy!

[blogslut]

2. Hey diddley dee, an actor's life for me...

Hope his wicked past doesn't come back to bite him in the Law & Order. </snark>

[Ganja Ninja]

3. The great thing about a GOP primary is they do all the work for us.

We can just sit back and watch the crap fly. :popcorn:

[Botany]

4. Fred Thompson = S & Ls = Silverado = Neil Bush

Hang the S & L crisis around his neck. How many billion did that cost?

[Blue Belle]

5. Announcing on 4th of July??? Geeze.. let the grandstanding begin.

Will he march to the microphone stand with a Fife and Drummer? riding on a pony? wrapped in the flag?? (Oh wait, he's a republican, the flag toga comes with the party membership card.) You know for all the bitching the right does about Hollywood and the vain emptiness of their ilk, it seems the only politicians with a Hollywood resume are Republicans, and the only substance they bring to office is hollow rhetoric and showmanship. Thompson's banking on the rocket's red glare blinding people to this fact... I wonder if the Republicans ever just get sick of themselves.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Except July 4th is one of the most vacant news days of the year.

Does anyone watch CNN or Fox News on July 4th? Hell no.

To Thompson: Good job, dimwit. Your timing is flawless.

[Blackhatjack]

8. IMHO Thompson, Hagel, Bloomberg offer the best challenge to the Democratic Nominee...

It depends on how heavy the repudiation of Bush becomes, and how widespread it is embraced by Repubs between now and then.

Hagel is a real threat to step in and win the Repub nomination as the war in Iraq goes from bad to worse, and incredibly damning evidence of incompetence and corruption in the Bush Administration is revealed by Congressional Invesigations.

Bloomberg is the wildcard --with $1 Billion available to put behind his effort, if he decides to jump.

[TornadoTN]

13. Bloomberg would just be better served just sitting it out

The NRA is devoting more time & money to tearing down Mayor Bloomberg than any Democrat could even imagine. All of the recent issues of the American Rifleman and America's First Freedom have been fixated on destroying Bloomberg and painting him as a double-speaking "liberal in Republican clothing".

I love it when they eat their own.

[npincus]

14. Bloomberg is too smart to run

He's just flirting, and likes the attention. It's probably good for (his) business, too.

[TwilightGardener]

21. Bloomberg/Hagel (if running as Indies) would wait until the Fred-media-blowout

is over--probably August or Sept. I expect they would be the last in the race, at least on the other side. Neither of them are going to sit this one out, I believe, and will probably join forces.

[TwilightGardener]

9. Such a heartthrob! Can't wait to see Jowls

deliver a rousing down-home Tennessee red-pickup drivin' flannel-wearin' speech, full of Terra!, I-luv-Amurka, Mama's biscuits, and Baby Jesus-- on the FOURTH of JULY, no less! Freeper orgasms! I don't think there will be any mention of his 18 years as a sleazy lobbyist, or his "family bidness" of collecting PAC funds for family enrichment. Or the fact that no one can remember what he did in the Senate besides "act" like a Senator. Should be fun, though.

[TornadoTN]

15. Ask any Tennessean - even the business community

Ask us about Senator Thompson and most everyone will say he was the most useless Senator we have ever had. He accomplished nothing, absolutely nothing, in his tenure aside from getting to wear the title "Senator". He was away from work and missed more votes than Harold Ford, Jr. did in Congress (yet somehow, that was what the Republicans drove home with regards to Ford in the last election). His office was generally unresponsive to the point that most people wondered openly why we even had a second Senator, because at least with Frist you knew he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to regurgitate talking points.

Thompson is an empty-suit, selected by the G.O.P. because he has that folksy draw that the idiots in our society are drawn to. All talk, no substance. Now we see why the G.O.P. gravitates to actors as candidates, even though they wouldn't miss a beat tearing down Hollywood.

[dancingme]

10. He needs a script in front of him

I don't think Thompson will be able to effectively handle off the cuff questions on the campaign trail and in debates - uh, not debates sponsored by Republicans.

[npincus]

11. agree, yet the GOP nominees are often folksy dimwits (Reagan, B*sh)

Thompson comes off like a major-league lightweight.

[Quixote1818]

12. His attack of Michael Moore was just bizarre!

If he thinks he can just get by doing weird stuff like that he will likely be in for a rude surprise. He is no Ronald Reagan when it come to acting the part.

[TwilightGardener]

20. Agreed--that was weird. Even creepy.

[TornadoTN]

16. Now we need to urge Clooney to run against him!

Since apparently all it takes is to run an actor in the election to assure your victory, we should urge Clooney to run! He would humiliate Thompson. Unlike Thompson, Clooney can actually think on his own and articulate issues without having to have a teleprompter and a folksy southern drawl.

[npincus]

17. just keep Ben Affleck away!

I find his supreme, smug self-confidence annoying... whenevr he's on Bill Maher I want to throw things at my tv.

[Blackhatjack]

23. Can Pay-Per-View Be Far Behind? LOL

[bryant69]

18. Damn. I'm going to be too busy watching that Transformers movie

to pay any attention to a TV "star"/Congresscritter running for President.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[gatorboy]

19. All right. Freepers, please answer my question.

I know you're reading this and I mean this with the deepest sincerity.

What is it with you guys and Hollywood? You love actors, admit it. Regardless of all the grumbling and chastising about Hollywood, the minute a conservative actor announces they'll run for office, you scoop them up as the next Second Coming. So what's up with that?

[IntravenousDemilo]

22. As far as actors go, those who can, do -- those who can't, run for President. n/m