Fred Thompson

[kayman]

As I mentioned about 2 months ago, I had a feeling Mr. Thompson was going to throw his hat in the ring for president. Well, according to the AP stories, he is now hiring people for his campaign exploratory committee and could possibly filing paperwork to run as Republican candidate as early as next week.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18938109/

Political experts are already dressing him up to be Regan, Part Deux.

[monsoon]

Ahh, the GOP doesn't like any of the current ilk running for their nomination. Unfortunately the last thing this country needs is another Reagan.

[michaelskis]

Does anyone know where he stands on the major issues? While I still don

[ironchapman]

Does anyone know where he stands on the major issues? While I still don

[michaelskis]

The website On the Issues might be your best chance of finding out where he stands on major issues. However, since he was last in Congress in 2002, some positions may have changed or certainb issues may not be recorded.

Anyways, it'll be interesting to see how this affects the rest of the Republican contenders. Who will he steal support from? A lot of polls show supporters migrating from Romney to Thompson as well as a few from McCain and Giuliani.

I certainly am happy to see him entering the race.

[monsoon]

Do you have any other websites? That one makes it sound like St. Hillary is running for the left seat of God.

[Charlotteman]

MSNBC has been running the news clip of this all afternoon. They also mentioned several times "Thompson is a Baptist"~~

[BrandonTO416]

There are a few inaccuracies in the latest media reporting.

Fred Thompson has a background as a Church of Christ, not Baptist.

Fred Thompson is himself a rabid womanizer and loves to sleep around. He's more of a Hollywood Republican on moral values, so he felt obligated to vote against the Clinton impeachment. Personally I do not care who he sleeps with. He could have a different woman every night for all I care. We'll see if he can act this off, however, for the christian contingency.

Thompson won Al Gore's old Senate seat by running around in a red truck and flannel shirt, as if he was a common man. Its that image he'll portray - being an outsider - when he's anything but.

But Fred Thompson is an amazing actor. He'll play the part of a minister in chief, and vote accordingly, if that's what gets him into office.

Thompson has a good chance at getting the nomination at this point. He's an Alabamian by birth, a Tennessean while he was raised, and with a political degree from Memphis State (now the University of Memphis) he has the accent and acting skills to pull off a slick solid south win (including Florida). All he will need to do is peel a few midwestern and rocky mountain states off to win the Presidency.

Fred Thompson is a bona fide Ronald Reagan II. I can't stand him...

One thing you will soon learn about Fred Thompson is that he's very scripted. He will not play his act without having the script, and you'll see a lot of Bush-like characteristics when he refuses to be direct with the public. Thompson is good at zingers and one-liners and jokes, but beyond that he's scripted just like Bush. He's so scripted that I don't recall a public interaction from him that is actually genuine.

[Charlotteman]

There are a few inaccuracies in the latest media reporting.

Fred Thompson has a background as a Church of Christ, not Baptist.

Fred Thompson is himself a rabid womanizer and loves to sleep around. He's more of a Hollywood Republican on moral values, so he felt obligated to vote against the Clinton impeachment. Personally I do not care who he sleeps with. He could have a different woman every night for all I care. We'll see if he can act this off, however, for the christian contingency.

Thompson won Al Gore's old Senate seat by running around in a red truck and flannel shirt, as if he was a common man. Its that image he'll portray - being an outsider - when he's anything but.

But Fred Thompson is an amazing actor. He'll play the part of a minister in chief, and vote accordingly, if that's what gets him into office.

Fred Thompson is a bona fide Ronald Reagan II.

[kayman]

There are a few inaccuracies in the latest media reporting.

Fred Thompson has a background as a Church of Christ, not Baptist.

Fred Thompson is himself a rabid womanizer and loves to sleep around. He's more of a Hollywood Republican on moral values, so he felt obligated to vote against the Clinton impeachment. Personally I do not care who he sleeps with. He could have a different woman every night for all I care. We'll see if he can act this off, however, for the christian contingency.

Thompson won Al Gore's old Senate seat by running around in a red truck and flannel shirt, as if he was a common man. Its that image he'll portray - being an outsider - when he's anything but.

But Fred Thompson is an amazing actor. He'll play the part of a minister in chief, and vote accordingly, if that's what gets him into office.

Thompson has a good chance at getting the nomination at this point. He's an Alabamian by birth, a Tennessean while he was raised, and with a political degree from Memphis State (now the University of Memphis) he has the accent and acting skills to pull off a slick solid south win (including Florida). All he will need to do is peel a few midwestern and rocky mountain states off to win the Presidency.

Fred Thompson is a bona fide Ronald Reagan II. I can't stand him...

One thing you will soon learn about Fred Thompson is that he's very scripted. He will not play his act without having the script, and you'll see a lot of Bush-like characteristics when he refuses to be direct with the public. Thompson is good at zingers and one-liners and jokes, but beyond that he's scripted just like Bush. He's so scripted that I don't recall a public interaction from him that is actually genuine.

[Charlotteman]

Why am I not surprised? One of my first instincts is to sense out a phony persay, and I got that vibe from Thompson from jump. He is actor, and that should have been a dead giveaway that he will "act" a role to get into any office. Sad, just plain, sad.

[Cadeho]

What's the hoopla about this guy?

Besides, no more actors as Presidents.

[nowensone]

Why am I not surprised? One of my first instincts is to sense out a phony persay, and I got that vibe from Thompson from jump. He is actor, and that should have been a dead giveaway that he will "act" a role to get into any office. Sad, just plain, sad.

[Charlotteman]

Have ya'll noticed how GRIM Thompson looks in photographs? His facial expression is almost a snarl. Not exactly the kind of mug you'd wanna see on a campaign poster. Unless maybe Peggy Noonan and her crew can soften him up some......

All the Rep candidates this time have shockingly sinister expressions. Is that a rule this time for them to get in the game? Rudi doesn't look scary and nefarious like the others. He actually looks presidential. He's gonna be their nominee.

Forget Thompson.

[ironchapman]

Do you have any other websites? That one makes it sound like St. Hillary is running for the left seat of God.

[Charlotteman]

When it fully comes out, maybe Thompson's womanizing might even be seen as "cute" or "quaint".

After all Bill Clinton's polls soared through the roof when his improprieties were exposed. European leaders always get bumps in their polls when their extra marital affairs are revealed. Even Gov. Gropenator stayed popular when sexist behaviors were made public.

Maybe Thompson will be the second swinging Baptist in the White House!

[nowensone]

It is an interesting side topic to be sure, there is a lot of morality and importance heaped upon that which is simply a reproductive process common to nearly all forms of life on this planet (or rooted in such). In a vacuum, who gives a f*&k, might as well attach a similar importance to arm pits or the physical contact from shaking hands with a person.

[Cadeho]

Have ya'll noticed how GRIM Thompson looks in photographs? His facial expression is almost a snarl. Not exactly the kind of mug you'd wanna see on a campaign poster. Unless maybe Peggy Noonan and her crew can soften him up some......

All the Rep candidates this time have shockingly sinister expressions. Is that a rule this time for them to get in the game? Rudi doesn't look scary and nefarious like the others. He actually looks presidential. He's gonna be their nominee.

Forget Thompson.

[convulso]

i have a feeling the womanizing won't burn him with the conservative republican base, and might even endear him to a small number of moderate dems who could confuse fred's overall persona with the more elegant man-of-the-world personae of kennedy & clinton.

conservatives who don't yet have a candidate to champion their full social agendas would much rather embrace a womanizer who's a hard right on the moral / social stuff than a straight-laced nominee who's socially moderate. if anything kills rudy with the conservative base, i think that'll be it. i'm not a great fan of rudi's bush-like fear-mongering speeches that seem to indicate that terrorism essentially trumps civil liberties. nuh-uh. then again, what else would a 9-11 'ro run on?

and have you seen fred's wife?

and am i the only person who loves to watch FDT and sam waterston match wits on LNO? stay put, fred. proud you're from sheffield and all...just stay put. i don't want to have a reason to dislike you.

[snoogit]

Fred Thompson reminds me of Dick Cheney with the way he scowls, and sneers just like an actor would.

Really though, Thompson is probably too old to be running anyway. Hasn't the GOP ran enough Wal-Mart greeters for office already?

[Charlotteman]

Fred Thompson reminds me of Dick Cheney with the way he scowls, and sneers just like an actor would.

Really though, Thompson is probably too old to be running anyway. Hasn't the GOP ran enough Wal-Mart greeters for office already?

[Charlotteman]

Another aside: as long as a president keeps his/her personal hanky-panky OUT of the White House, and it doesn't interfere with presidential duties, and the spouse practises "don't ask-don't tell", I could care less about presidential extramarital issues.

Did most of the country really care that Bill Clinton had extramarital affairs? I think not. His polls got better and better as more affairs were made public. It even caused Jerry Falwell to admit that he and his ilk were not the majority, since the country rallied around the sex-scandaled Clinton.

One thing though---bottom line, I think most of the country was embarrassed by Bill Clinton's behavior. I'm no prude, and believe in sexual freedom, but PLEASE don't drag the presidency and the White House into a gutter of sleaze. The leader of the free world should not be involved in vulgar Oval Office shenanegans of the sort Bill Clinton and John Kennedy apparently enjoyed.

That being said, if it is consentual, and his wife is okay with it, and he keeps it discreet, I have no problem with Thompson's history of womanizing. If he is respectful and discreet, and would keep it away from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, I'm not gonna care that much. Of course I'm not a conservative voting in the Republican primaries.

[monsoon]

^The tactic worked. Al Gore lost votes in 2000 because people were basically voting against Clinton's behavior. Little did they know that by the time the president leaves office they voted for instead, what happened with Clinton would be view with a sense of nostalgia given the horrible mess that Bush has made of the United States.

[Gusterfell]

One thing though---bottom line, I think most of the country was embarrassed by Bill Clinton's behavior. I'm no prude, and believe in sexual freedom, but PLEASE don't drag the presidency and the White House into a gutter of sleaze. The leader of the free world should not be involved in vulgar Oval Office shenanegans of the sort Bill Clinton and John Kennedy apparently enjoyed.

[BrandonTO416]

Agreed. The media and Republican Congressional political witchhunt over a blow job reinforced the prude puritan image of America that we can't have fun and can't respect privacy.

Its kind of sad it happened in the present day and goes to show you how a vocal minority can affect the nation as a whole for the worse.