The Truth Hurts...

One of my good friends who is a liberal, asked me if I was going to buy into the Sarah Palin pick and spread the word. He told me that my future relationship with him depended on my response.

I replied to him with this question…”Who has more executive experience, Barak or Sarah?”

His response “That is what Hannity says so I knew you would follow suit. Wouldn't that also give her more experience than the top of your ticket?”

He then said that due to my response (one sentence), “ We are done…”

I tell you that so I can share with you my response to him…

__________________________________

You did not answer the question. Who has more executive experience, Barak or Sarah?

It hurts to answer, doesn't it? It is very hard to answer this question for you. The truth of this question hurts you.

Sarah might just be the female version of Clarence Thomas.

The liberals hate her because she is a successful, self made, hard working woman who became governor of a state without the need to play the victim or the need for help from a feminist organization.

She did it on her own and that scares the hell out of the democrats. She really shows that a woman can be somebody.

And the best part is, she reminds most Americans in battleground stats of their mom, sister, friend or themselves. She relates to real Americans. She is not an iconic ideal. She is not full of hope. She is the answer to hope...she is action. She is all about taking responsibility for the course of one's life and doing something with it. She is not waiting around hoping for someone to do it for her. She is doing it.

And this scares the democrats so....

If the American people realize they don't need someone doing everything for them to succeed, they just might learn how to succeed on their own. And if that happens, the democrats are going to be hoping they survive as a party....

Oh and by the way, Palin is a working mother of five, her husband works on an oil rig and is a champion snowmobile racer, and she loves to fish and hunt.

Plus she can field dress a moose. (Nod to Fred Thompson)

And she's just our VP nominee. She really fits as a VP candidate. (Obama might have fared better as a VP candidate)

Our Presidential nominee stacks up pretty well too..

I think we can agree to disagree on the issue of Palin. I think Barak has a good shot of becoming president. But the coronation is on hold now since Palin, like her or not, has electrified the base, exposed the media bias toward Obama, and has put the election into a true race.

Can't we all just get along?

___________________

We will see what my friend says.

What now?

Fred is now out of the race, sort of. He was done in by the media, the fact that Romney, Huck and Guliani split the conservative vote and by the fact that he would't play the election game.

He now must wait for either a brokered convention, which he would be the only logical choice at convention to be the nominee or hope that whoever gets the nod is smart enough to bring him in as VP.

I did my part, I got a chance to vote for him. We should all be ashamed that the republican party did not nominate this man...although we may still have our chance.

She's back! That may not good

Washburn is now grilling the Dems. Lets see if she is fair to the SIX of them.
NOT! It was just as bad for the Dems as the Reps, I think it may be her and her sense of importance. I am very dissapointed.
She did have more leeway with time with only six of them yet she seemed just as rushed. I think that Washburn is probably a moderate liberal that was doing her best to be fair and not cause any major flubs.
Shame.

Iowa Debate - Who was the Winner?

RR's Thoughts on the Debate:

Tancredo

Tom is really fabulous and he is targeted on two issues, illegal immigration and the war against islamofacists. It is too bad that he cannot win a general election.
Keyes The Ambassador really is a great speaker and he is clearly being insulted by a process that allows Paul to speak but not him. Not that Paul does not deserve to be there, he does. But Keys should be allowed to play up to a point (Till After NH.)

Huckabee

He really stepped in it with his video statement regarding faith. Saying that a person stating he is a "person of faith, but it does not guide my decisions" is not really a person of faith. Huckbee is trying to twist and subtly attack Romney. I think Romney is on the high ground in this discussion and Huckabee really looks bad continuing to harp on this. The more he defines his candidacy on his religion and not being Mormon, takes away from his ability to show he has other issue based strengths for other voters who care less about what religion a leader is. I think that is his weakness here, he is a one point candidate (His Christianity) that sounds really good in sound bites,

Thompson
Fred was presidential and the winner of this debate. I am not saying this cause Fred is my guy. (I am not pulling a "KJL" like her support of Romney) I really think he won the debate. Too bad it was at 2 pm on a Wednesday. Fred really nailed why he should be president with this statement,

"When the enemies of this country are at the negotiating table, who do you want representing you? Whoever that guy is, that's the guy you ought to vote for for President."

He was also good putting down that liberal moderator, Carolyn Washburn, editor of the Des Moines Register. Thompson stuck it to he on the global warming-hand up moment.

"I'm not doing any hand shows today."

Washburn
Washburn was a factor in the debate. Carolyn (I have heard he called Nurse Ratchet) should be led out back and told to walk into the corn field never to return. Or she should be checked to see if she was a Clinton plant ( My guess is that she is a big time liberal.) She did a disservice to the potential republican caucus goers by holding a debate whose main goal was to make the candidates look stupid. I think her questions, time limits (although justified) and overall inability to really bring issues out was disappointing. I am curious to see if she 1. is still moderating the dem debate today and 2. if she asks similar irrelevant questions in similar ways to the dems.

I also thought her slam of the Republicans in the beginning of the debate was uncalled for. (Paraphrasing - the dems have debated a lot in Iowa, you haven't. So I am here to make you pay for that. WHAAA!!!!)

McCain and Giuliani
These two were at the debate? I think they were effectively neutered at this event. The format did not suit them. I think they could have skipped it and gotten a bump from it.

Romney
Other than KJL's love for Romney as a candidate rubbing off at NRO and getting him their endorsement, There really was no true good or bad done to or by Romney in this Debate. He does benefit every time the Huckster takes a crack at Mormons.

I bet today's debate will be very serious and will contrast well with the Repubs.

Stay Tuned,

RR

He did what? Huckmentum Strikes Again!

Chuck Norris must be in charge of getting his endorsements. Mike Huckabee, who I believe cannot win the nomination because of his poor stance on border control and illegal immigration just got the endorsement of Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project. Read more here. I am stunned. I guess that Huckabee's new plan for illegal immigration control must be really good. But it is a definite flip-flop. It is interesting that the position on illegal immigration did not change until he actually had a shot at winning. Now one must gauge the convictions and seriousness of the Huckster commitment to this plan or will he revert back to his old stance once in office. His past liberal tax policies can be forgiven if he seals the border and protects life. But he has a long record as Governor opposing employer sanctions and pushing tax-subsidized illegal alien education benefits. I will have to look into Mr. Gilchrist and his statement more.

Stay Tuned,
RR

Filling the Void

Fred had finally woken up to the fact that he can't just waltz in the the nomination. Perhaps he has just been waiting for the Law and Order "Dum-Dum" sound to signal the kick off of his campaign. He is going to spend the next two weeks living and campaigning in Iowa It may be too late.

Let's look at some of the numbers from RCP.

11/25 - 12/06 Iowa Caucus RCP Average
Huckabee- 29.6 Romney - 23.4 Thompson - 10.6
Giuliani - 10.4 McCain - 6.3 Paul - 5.0
Spread -- Huckabee +6.2

In Iowa, Huckmentum, the corollary to Omentum (Oprah/Obama), has taken hold. The reason seems clear, and it is not really encouraging. The religious right in Iowa has decided to reject Romney for the Huckster. His move up seems to be occurring right after he stressed his christian background, putting Romney's faith in the light.

I do not agree that there should be a religious test for the nomination or to make you a conservative, but seemingly in Iowa, that is what is occurring. Huck is getting the majority of his support from evangelical Christians. From the Caucus Cooler...

"Whether you like it or not (we don't) the guy playing the most important role in GOP primary right now died about 2000 years ago... You can't underestimate the strength of the evangelical block in IA, and they've found their man...And its going to be a tough thing for even the most boffo political organization to stop."

I expect Huck to get brought down to earth before Christmas. Why? Because most people did not know anything about him. He was a blank state. He filled that conservative void that Fred was looking to fill. He may still win Iowa, but not at the margin he is at now. Why? Wayne Dumond, Tobacco Money Payments, and his stance on immigration.

Fred has to step it up and come in second in Iowa or Huckabee needs to lose in Iowa. If neither happens, Fred has no shot in S.C. Huckabee can't win the nomination either, solely based on his immigration position.

The Dems are very happy that Fred, McCain and Guliani are on the ropes. The media loves Huck. Mmm I wonder, do the Dems and media think that Huck would be good for them as a nominee? When you compare policy and position of Fred and Huckabee, Fred is the true heir to Reagan, but Huckabee comes off like Fred was supposed to, affable, quick, serious and approachable. If only Fred could take the void back from Huck.

Hillary is smiling....

Stay Tuned,

RR

It Moves Ever So Closer…

Of all the polls that I read at RCP (Real Clear Politics,) I have always thought that the Rasmussen poll was the most realistic and accurate. As time and the announcement on July 4th draws nearer, the polls are reflecting what I have observed anecdotally. Fred Thompson is the front-runner for the GOP nomination.

People that I live work and interact with on a regular basis have heard me talk about Fred. I have asked them what they think and they say the more they know about him the more they like him. Even the ones who do not like W right now, like Fred. I think existing candidates have not fired them up. Rudy McRomney has not excited the base. Mitt is really attractive as a candidate, the more I hear him the more I like him. Rudy is a one issue right, many others not-so strong candidate. McCain is out since Fred jumped in. (If McCain would have been leading or had a chance to win, Fred would not have run). This leave Thompson with a opportunity that many would dream of, stepping into the race on the top of the polls.

Some say that after the shine leaves him after the announcement, Rudy will jump back on to. This may happen, but it is not likely. I believe there are a lot of GOP heavy hitters that are waiting for Fred to fully commit before they jump ship. I think this race for the GOP nomination will be over very quickly when Fred steps up. The second and third tier candidates will drop, McCain will leave gracefully, thanks to the Immigration (Ahhhh- Amnesty-chooo) bill he supports and that will leave Romney, Rudy and Fred.

Romney has the financial advantage, but all from large donations. Small individual donations that signify grass roots support are not there. Mitt can stick around as long as he has money to do so, he will at least stay until after Iowa and NH since his whole plan revolves around decisive victories in those two spots that would spring him to the nomination. If Fred looks to be stealing these from him, he may stay in to see how it plays out. If Fred is second in either or wins both Romney is out, since Fred will win the big super primary with the heavily western and southern states in play. Romney has to win big in both and win one southern state to be in the game.

Rudy is a whole other story. Fred’s entry into this race dooms his chance to win. Rudy needed to be the best alternative to the core of the conservative base to receive the nomination. Rudy clearly is right on defense, Iraq and perhaps immigration (I still have some sneaking doubts in Immigration with RG). But on most, if not all social issues I am out of step with him, in particular, on abortion. Rudy needed weaker opponents that him with similar flaws or more outside the GOP base. With McCain and Romney, Rudy had it made. He could say, “If not me, who can…beat Hillary, keep you safe, lower your taxes??” Rudy would be the choice on the base conservative issues that are top of the list. With Fred in, people can say, Fred can do that, and he’s with us on abolishing abortion too.

Fred now has to earn the nomination outright by filling the role we, as the grass roots effort that pulled him into the race, have created for him. His audition for the GOP candidate role has been completed. He now must fill the big role we have written for him and live up to our expectations. We have made him out to be greater than he probably is due to our longing for a Reagan-like man to lead us during this time of great challenges, both foreign and domestic. If he can just hold the public’s attention long enough to let the rest of the voters see the potential commander in chief, communicator and leader in him, it will be his nomination to lose.

Stay tuned,

RR

Politainment: Hillary Soprano should sound an alarm

I think Hillary Clinton looked electable. I think she was very down to earth and really human.

No don’t try to adjust your browser. This is still the RR doling out truth here. I am not suffering from a head injury or any other loss of my faculties. I am talking about the brilliant piece of Campaign media that Hillary 08 campaign put out the other day. Hillary’s Soprano spoof with Bill’s cameo. It was fantastic. They did something that none of the other candidates, (save one) could do. They took a pop culture event, the Sopranos finale, and made it an endearing show of how Hillary and Bill are just two normal people. They used the new media machine to reach a whole new audience.

I know it was Hillary and Bill re-enacting the final scene from the finale of Sopranos. I know it was heavily produced and planned. The real triumph here was that they were making fun of themselves a little bit, trying to be funny and most importantly, gave people a chance/reason to like them.

They really took advantage of the youtube phenomena with this. A lot of people saw it. If the Hillary 08 team has more of these little vignettes in the hopper, they can be guaranteed some new voters and some old ones to at least take a look at what Hillary has to say. This should sound the alarm to the Dems and GOP that they better be prepared to respond in kind or be left behind by the Hillary machine.

I couldn’t help think how disappointed viewers were with the end of the Sopranos finale. Bill and Hill took a risk with this spoof and I think it paid off. I believe that they learned this lesson from W. They learned that self-deprecation is good, in small funny doses, for a president to do. Just look at the funny little videos W has put out over the years.

Just to make you feel better, the other candidate that can jump into this type of new media battle is evident here in his response to Michael Moore. Fred can play this politainment game too. Hey, I like that word I just made up. Politainment – the use of entertainment to reach/attain a political objective. Well then, if Hillary and Fred are the nominees, we will have our fill of politainment for the next 18 months.

One last thing, I thought the carrot sticks for Bill were a nice touch too.

Stay tuned,

RR

A Horrible Similarity

The Virginia Tech Shootings are a tragedy. There is no way around that. What that kid did was unforgivable. It was scary to think that this can happen at our colleges. My prayers are with the victims and their families.

What is scarier is what came today. From CNN.com ...

"A package mailed to NBC News by Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui contained disturbing video, writings and photographs of the troubled student. Authorities say Cho killed 32 people and then himself at the Blacksburg, Virginia, campus on Monday, April 16. The network reported the package was mailed at 9:01 am, between two shooting incidents and the photos show Cho handling the two handguns he used in the massacre. NBC News has given the material to investigators."

These documents, pictures and especially the video remind me very clearly of one thing. The messages left behind by suicide bombers. This is a horrible coincidence. Or is it. I am not saying he was a terrorist or a jihadist, nor do I have any proof. His messages sure sound similar to what is left behind by the 'martyrs'. That similarity is chilling.

How many shootings by young men have taken place on college campuses in the last year. I can think of one in Minnesota and one in Montreal. I bet there are more. I am speculating that there are a lot of similar attacks like this, maybe not as large, but just similar in style.

It just occurred to me that this coincidence existed and I had to get it out there. Cho is, hopefully, just a insane maniac and not part of something larger.

Stay Tuned

RR

Fred Thompson is Running for President

Fred Thompson announced today on various websites and during his commentary during the Paul Harvey Show that he was diagnosed two and a half years ago with an indolent lymphoma, a very treatable form of cancer. Since that diagnosis, he was treated for the cancer and is fully in remission. This type of cancer, if it returns, is extremely treatable and most people who do have it die of natural causes rather than from the lymphoma.

Thompson is healthy and his prognosis is excellent. This type of cancer, from my discussions with those in the medical field, is a ‘good’ kind of cancer to get. It is almost ‘curable’ with drug treatments, especially with new drugs that are available. In all likelihood, Fred will live a long healthy life with this lymphoma never returning.

This is a serious subject and should be treated as such. However, this announcement is very encouraging. This admission by Thompson of this condition is not just good because he is healthy; this is good because this is just another sign that Fred is running for president.

Fred is vetting himself as a candidate with his own words, by his own hand, in venues of his own choosing. He is putting out the skeletons that he believes might derail a run before he announces just to make sure he can win if (when) he runs. He wants a fair shot at the White House. Fred wants to be the one setting the agenda for the media, not the other way around.

Let me illustrate this point. Fred is a very smart man. I just got done watching Neil Cavuto’s interview with Fred on FNC. Cavuto was the perfect choice to air this topic since Cavuto himself is in remission of lymphoma-type cancer. Cavuto is also a very straight interviewer. His style of questioning fits Senator Thompson’s honest direct answers. Cavuto asked the right questions, giving Fred time and the ability to answer all the potential criticisms that Fred’s cancer announcement may raise.

Lets look at the main potential hit Fred might face. Neil brought up the Tsongas question. In 1992, Paul Tsongas announced he was in remission from cancer (a more aggressive type of cancer) and shortly after lost support for his bid for the democratic nomination. Bill Clinton won and Tsongas cancer eventually returned. (I know some of you are thinking Clinton had something to do with the release of the Tsongas cancer information, but I don’t think so. I think Tsongas released that info because he thought he had it beat.) If Tsongas had been elected, he would have died in office.

This is the one criticism that Fred will get from the MSM and the liberal operatives. Fred is sick, they will say. Fred cannot be trusted to make it through his presidency, they will charge. Fred easily countered this argument today. First. On his terms with Cavuto, he laid out that he is fine and produced a note from his doctor to prove it. (On a side, the doctor he has is a really, really good doctor.) The MSM will have a tough time creating doubt now on this issue.

Unfortunately, he is not the only candidate that has cancer as a potential issue. McCain, Giuliani and Edwards are dealing or have dealt with cancer. If Fred were the only one, I would say it was a potential issue. With Fred joining three main candidates in this, I think he will be ok.

Neil also brought up the question about why Fred released this information now. Fred responded, correctly, that the American people needed to know about this. Fred said he would judge their response and weigh it in his decision to run or not. He mentioned checklists he was working though in this process and how they were really small issues. From the interview...

"The American people have a right to know this. And they have a right to voice their opinions whether they think it's a big deal or not. And I know it's not a big deal as far as my health is concerned, as much as a person can know things like that. But other people have a right to look at it and weigh in and I have a need to factor that into my decision in terms of the reaction I get of that," he (Thompson) said.

Cavuto used this to chance to get more info on Fred decision process. That is exactly what Fred wanted. This interview will stoke the already burning fire for Fred’s candidacy into an inferno. People will be moving to his camp now more than ever. Neil helped by asking about money too, how Fred was already way behind. Fred looked like he knew something that the rest of us didn’t. I got the feeling that he knows that if he gets in the race, he will have all the money he need. He said the right thing too, (paraphrasing) 'It’s not about how much you have, it is all about the trust the American people have in you leading the country. If you have that, the money will come.'

Today we have seen the strongest indications that Fred is running for President. I think he is running for sure now. He is setting the tone, insolating himself from attacks and setting up his campaign as the right man for today’s world. Another candidate did this exact process as well. Back in 1979, and we all know how great that turned out.

Giuliani May Have Taken Himself Out. The Pitfalls of the Early Election Cycle

With Mr. Giuliani's statement today confirming his support of taxpayer funded abortions, he has shown social conservatives, pro-life republicans and independents that he is not the candidate for them. This is exactly why conservatives were worried about Rudy. Figures that he would make this statement on CNN (Video). This statement will get a lot of play in the next month or so and will probably eliminate his front runner status, perhaps knocking him out the top tier entirely.

I, in good conscience, could not vote for him now in the primary. I think a lot of his support will move to someone else, Romney or Fred. Most likely Fred.

But this brings up something else. As this gaffe by Rudy during a set up during a CNN interview illustrates, this early extended election cycle only benefits the democrats. The MSM now has almost 2 years to dig up dirt, try to get candidates to make mistakes, and document wrongdoings before the election. The MSM will only really go after Republicans to try to weaken them in the eyes of independents and moderate republicans. Yes Hillary is also hurt by the length of time she is exposed, but the MSM will cover for her the best they can. (The more you get to know Hillary, the harder she is to take.)

This early election cycle gives the MSM time to stockpile ammunition and take more shots at our candidates. This is why Fred and Newt look very wise, trying to wait it out as long as they can. Maybe they are waiting to see which of the big three are left by August to decide whether or not to get in. One thing is for sure now. Unless Giuliani pulls himself out of this quagmire,(yes I used the Q word- I better credit Kerry for it's use) and pull himself out quick, he won't be around in August.

Stay Tuned

RR

Pelosi, there you go again...

This picture shows why the Democrats are really not on our side. I think it speaks volumes.

Yes, she was going into a mosque. Yes, she was a guest of Syria. Yes, you could say she was being diplomatic. There is a lot to be said for respecting another's culture in their lands.

There is, however, a tenant of liberal doctrine that she is breaking. Democrats preach tolerance and acceptance of other people's beliefs and their right to exist. They believe that others should be allowed to practice what they want with no fear of retribution or discrimination.

Unless you are in a country deemed a supporter of terrorism. Then, as Nancy Pelosi showed, you must give your rights to practice what you believe and bow to their intolerance.

She put on a scarf/hijab during parts of her trip to Syria as to conform to the Baathist regime and the Islamic elements. She conformed to them because they would be offended if she didn't. Why can't Nancy ask them to respect her position as an American woman and let her go without covering her head? Why not ask them to be tolerant? Why not ask them to be respectful of the office of the Speaker of the House???

Why? Because that is not why she is there. She is not there to fact find. She is there to show them solidarity in their struggle against W. She is there to reassure them that the US is on their way out of Iraq and the Syrians have nothing to worry about.

Look at this from Breitbart...

'Syria treated the visit as a diplomatic victory. State-run newspapers published news of Pelosi's trip on their front pages, with one daily publishing a photograph of Pelosi next to the headline: "Welcome Dialogue."
But there were some warnings against high expectations.
Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, described the visit as a "positive step" but said "it does not necessarily mean that the Bush administration would suddenly change its position" from Syria.
In comments to the state-run Al-Thawra daily published Tuesday, he said the visit should be a "reminder that even though we might disagree on politics, we should remain diplomatically engaged in dialogue to reach some understandings."
Pelosi is traveling with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers, including the first Muslim member of Congress, Keith Ellison, D-Minn.
In Israel, Pelosi said she would tell Syrian leaders that Israel will talk peace with them only if Syria stops supporting Palestinian militants. She has said she will also talk to the Syrians about Iraq, their role in neighboring Lebanon and their support for Lebanon's Hezbollah militants. '

Pelosi went over there to say, 'We are with you. And soon, so will the new president. So just hold on. Help is on the way' I thought that only the president and his administration can conduct matters of foreign affairs.

These are just my thoughts on this, don't get me started on Pelosi and Reid's move to cut funding...

Stay Tuned

RR

(Picture from Drudge)

Fred's Boss says he can win, plus the first polls of spring...

Each day that goes by, May is closer and so is Fred announcement to seek the presidency. Here are just a few of the morsels I have been savoring today.

When your wife tells you to do something, you better do it. I feel a whole lot better now that I know that Fred's wife is telling him to run.

A lot of initial polling out there done by reputable firms have Thompson in this race before he even officially announces he is in. This article talks about how he's already tied with Hillary.

Another straw poll of a few counties in Georgia show how strong Fred would be in the south. He would clean up.

In Ohio, with no infrastructure or organization, Fred is in a strong third behind Giuliani and McCain.

Again the Pundits are starting to see Fred as the man to win in 08. My favorite has to be Paul Mirengoff 's Powerline piece.

And I will speak to this rumor that Fred is being groomed to take Cheney's place...as soon as I find out more about this from McLaughlin

Stay Tuned

RR

On the Fred/McCain Bait and Switch

H/T to Blonde Sagacity

There is this horrible speculation out there regarding a bait and switch by Fred to McCain.

"...There is, however, another theory circulating about Thompson, one being floated by critics of the Tennessean. Some Republican insiders suspect that Thompson, who makes no effort to hide his close friendship with McCain, instead might be working a behind-the-scenes, McCain-orchestrated strategy to build support among conservatives for the Arizonan. According to this theory, Thompson – who backed McCain in the 2000 presidential primary race – would build support and anticipation among conservatives for his own campaign, and then abruptly direct them instead to McCain's camp. Sources note that Thompson and McCain had an extensive telephone conversation on March 9, just two days before Thompson discussed his presidential ambitions on "Fox News Sunday." And both camps have worked hard to keep the substance of that conversation private. Whether or not he runs, Thompson might benefit McCain, if only because he appears to be slowing the momentum enjoyed recently by McCain's two main rivals, Giuliani and Romney, among conservatives..." (source)

I don't think Fred would do that, and If he did, I would lose a lot of respect for him. Why would conservatives, who are excited about Fred, jump to McCain, who is not a conservative...

I would not go to McCain. I would fall back to Giuliani or Romney, or pray Newt could roll on it. I don't think that Fred will drop out, seeing that he could be the front runner and even be president. If the opportunity is there to serve, great men find a way. I think Fred might be one of those men.

Stay Tuned

RR

Stand Up and Take Notice!

When Larry Sabato takes notice of a candidate, then there is fire at the end of the smoke. In this article he is quoted as saying...

"If the current Republican candidates destroy themselves in some sort of demolition derby, then Thompson is one of a small group of top Republicans who could ride the horse over the hill to save the damsel in distress," Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said recently in a NewsMax interview. “Of course, he'll have to fight the other Republicans who are also riding other horses," such as Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Tommy Thompson and, possibly, Newt Gingrich."

But, Sabato added, Thompson has many admirers – inside the Beltway and around the country – some of whom view the folksy Republican as the second coming of Reagan. "He might be able to rekindle the views people had of him back in 1994 as another Ronald Reagan, someone coming out of Hollywood, on a white horse to rescue us," he said. "He's got some strong pluses. He's smart and certainly has a good television presence, and of course that matters quite a lot."

The push, a real grass roots, net roots push for Fred is starting to work.

Go Fred Go!

RR

Why Fred Thompson isn’t on the Pajama Media Straw Poll…Yet.

After the Fox News Sunday (FNS) and the Hannity Radio Show interview, it seemed that Fred Thompson had the momentum. He had exposure, excitement was building and all he did was speak on the air for less than thirty minutes. Fred had ‘blown up the trial balloon.’ Now it was time to see if it floated, and took off.

It did. Big time. People across he country started to notice that Fred would be a great president. They liked the answers from the ‘lightning round’ on FNS. They were the ‘right’ right answers. People liked his positions on the issues, and especially liked the fact that he seemed to truly believe what he said. He is the package that delivered what the other big three candidates did not. Fred Thompson is a true conservative and would govern as the chief executive with conservative principles guiding him. No wobbling, polling or flip-flopping.

It was strange. There seemed to be a ground swell of support from the people for Fred and the support of a conservative candidate. (I am not saying the other big three are not conservatives but each of them has an issue that they support that deviates from the conservative platform. See previous posts for an explanation.) There wasn’t a movement to support him or even recognition of his potential impact on the race in the Right punditry and media. They seemed to brush off Fred as someone who wasn’t going to run.

For example, Mort Kondracke and Fred Barnes (two of my favorites,) both said he wouldn’t run. Charles Krauthammer, (I call him The Kraut respectfully since he is the best political analyst period,) also said that Fred was not in. The fine crew over at National Review blogged on The Corner that it was nice but nothing would come of it. The right punditry and media didn’t want to ride the Fred bandwagon, or even acknowledge it was up and had wheels.

I think I know why. A lot of the right punditry and media have already picked a preliminary horse to ride in this race. Since this is so early, there is an unbelievable ability for this group to have their say sway voters to their side. Their comments will have a great weight on people decisions in this election since the new media is the main way republicans, both conservatives and moderates, get their information.

Kathryn Jean Lopez (KJL) at NRO already has interest in Romney. Other pundits and writers also had people they particularly liked, and they were not pushing but pointing others toward. Pundits and writers really want their predictions/support to come to fruition. That’s why they write. They want their beliefs and ideas to become reality; just like every blogger and myself. (Now I am not on the same level as them but on this topic I think I am spot on.)

This was going on all week, until today. KJL wrote an article that basically says, “Hey, why not Fred?” As of this afternoon, I am noticing other writers and media types are wondering why not Fred. Then comes Pajama Media. I love them. The website and the whole effort is awesome. They run a straw poll each week on presidential candidates. The week following Fred Thompson’s appearance on FNS, the Right media they did not include him in the Poll, even though they include Newt. I think the reason is the same. PJ has people they want and that’s fine, Fred isn’t in yet and they want to stick to their current people. But without gauging Fred’s s support with their audience, how do they know he’s not in. Fred is waiting for the groundswell of people to carry him into this race. PJ and others need to bite the bullet and test the waters to see if they are right, or if Fred is the right man for 2008.

Stay Tuned

RR

Bernie Kerik is in Hot Water

It looks like Bernie Kerik, Rudy's top cop back when he was mayor, is about to be indicted. In the article, it lays out that he may be charged with tax evasion. making false statements and other items. Whether he did it or not, I do not know. Kerik seems to be a little on the mischievous if you ask me. I would not outright reject the possibility he did this stuff.

What is interesting is the timing. Giuliani is the 'front runner' (till Fred announces). Hillary and Obama are behind him in the polls everywhere. This just doesn't seem to smell right to me. The Dems will jump on this most assuredly. They will ride this hard trying to tie this both to Giuliani and Bush. I went to a liberal blog I frequent and saw these comments...

Another quality Bush appointment. A Senate confirmation process is the only thing that stopped this creep from heading up the Department of Homeland Security

I think the Bush admin brings out the worst in people. This guy would have been honest on the application, but heard he had the inside track and to not worry about it. I think that kind of thing has happened quite a bit. People who have never crossed the line before, feel they can do that now, because of the corrupt Bush administration. We call it the “culture of corruption”.

According to these folks, Kerik's problems are Bush's fault. They will try to flame Giuliani on this. They will say "Well if Kerik was dirty how much did Giuliani know?"

I hope Giuliani can stay about the fray here. If these accusations set him on fire, Giuliani will have tough time getting firefighters to put it out.

Stay tuned

RR

"Going to leave the door open."

He is going to run. Fred Thompson is going to run for president. He did what every potetnial cananidate has to do, float out his canandiacy and see who's buying. Now all the major polling firms will have to add him to the lists. All the donors and money makers will have to consider him. The other big three canidates will either court him or prepare to run against him. Unless Romney or Giuliani moves way right, or if McCain takes the lead before May, he will not run. I think he's running.

Chris Wallace really helped Thompson out. He asked about every issue that at least on of the other big three canaindates have a non- conservative position on. Pro-life, For Immigration Control, Pro-Gun, For equal rights for all, not special rights for some, Against Gay Marriage, Civil Unions is a States issue, reduce dependance on forgien oil, For originaists judges, Stay the course and win in Iraq and finally putting an end to ridiculous prosecutions by pardoning Libby today.

At the end of the interview he gave us all a snipet of how engaged he is on current forgien policy issues, and he explained it in a way we could understand. Check it out for yourself.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258222,00.html

More tomorrow all.

RR

The Right Man for 2008

We need Fred Dalton Thompson to run for president in 2008. He is the only candidate that can unite the conservatives and the rest of the republican party. He was there to help get Reagan elected in 1980 and now its his turn.

About three weeks ago I was wondering who I would vote for. I knew McCain, who I initially supported in 2000 (Sorry W, I did come around) was not an option for me. Even though he's strong on the war, some of his social positions are a little wobbly. That left Giuliani and Romney. I like Rudy, but his abortion position is troublesome. I know he would not impose his views on this issue on the country, but I just think that I want a stronger pro life candidate in the White House. And Mitt is Mitt. He's seems to be pretty good, but I just don't know enough about him.

That left me asking, who else could their be. I really like Tancredo, but he's 'not in it to win it' (Sorry Hillary, but the line fits.) Tancredo is there to really stir the pot on illegal immigration. I think he will do that, but I don't think he can win. The other second and third tier guys and gals are all good but not great. That's when I remembered the 2004 Republican convention speech/introduction by Fred Dalton Thompson. I remember that when I saw that, I thought, " WOW that guys got it all." They now call that GRAVITAS. And Thompson's got it.

I won't go into all his positions or why he is better than the other top three, but as a slew of conservative writers are saying, there is a conservative void in this group of candidates. Fred fills that void and carries with him the rest of the conservatives and republican party. His strait talk and understanding that DC is dangerous place for an honest man (W learned this lesson early on too.) will help him become the best option for the country in this time of need.

I believe he is currently gauging interest in a run. His mentor, former senator Howard Baker, is making the rounds measuring interest and setting up fundraising commitments, since if he does do this he will need $$$ in a hurry. With the advanced schedule he has to make up his mind soon. I think he will announce to run in April. I think if he decides to run, conservatives and republicans will RUN, not walk, to him as the front runner.

In the next couple of days I will outline why I think Fred is the man to lead us in 2008. Check out the Fred 2008 Buzz links to keep up to date with the latest news.

RR

"Mr. Gorbachev... Tear down that wall!"

President Ronald Reagan, June 12, 1987, Berlin Wall.

And so my little part of the effort has begun. I am going into this endeavour with two distinct goals. First, to provide my two cents about today's political topics and secondly, to remind every one that Reagan was Right. As this blog grows and evolves, you will see how Reagan's lessons in political discourse still apply and are more relevant today than ever. I hope to get one or two of the lost flock back into the fold and help us find a path toward that shining city on a hill once again. And if I help someone get fired up and involved, that's even better. I hope to use my experience and insight to comment on daily events. I will try to post daily and keep up to date on news and special events. I do have a few friends that will post as well to this so that my opinions are checked once and awhile. I also have a few favorite topics that I will favor, like the 2008 Elections. Feel free to comment. I will try to be as open as I can. Remember, Reagan was Right, does that make the Left Wrong...Let's find out.

RR.