Fred Thompson on the reality of our choice

This nine minute video by Fred makes clear the choice you have and what the consequences of an Obama victory would be. This video is part 1, there is a three minute part 2 in the right sidebar at Youtube.

Fred was my first choice, and as always is direct and to the point.
     

The Mortgage Crisis Bailout: a Necessary Evil?

I've posted plenty about my opposition to the mortgage crisis bailout. But could it be unavoidable, because letting Fannie and Freddie fail could cause damage to stock markets world-wide, and push us all into a full-blown global recession? And will US taxpayers benefit, more than they would if the bailout did not occur? John McCain addressed this recently.

McCain: Aides may work for $1 a year
Never mind the headline (you can read the rest for that), but it was this particular part that was interesting to me:

[...] Schieffer also asked McCain about the administration’s plan for a takeover of the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to be announced Sunday afternoon.

“I think it has to be done, Bob,” McCain replied. “I think that we’ve got to keep people in their homes. There’s got to be restructuring, there’s got to be reorganization, and there’s got to be some confidence that we’ve stopped this downward spiral. It’s hard, it’s tough, but it’s also the classic example of why we need change in Washington. It’s an example of cronyism, special interest, lobbyists, a quasi-governmental organization where the executives were making hundreds of — some, [a] billion dollars a year while things were going downhill, going to hell in a handbasket.

“This is the kind of cronyism, corruption, that‘s made people so justifiably angry. I did have a long conversation with [Treasury] Secretary [Henry] Paulson — a man I admire and respect — and he did say that when the housing market starts back up, and it will, it will in America — then the taxpayers are going to be the first to be paid off. They’re the ones that are going to be reimbursed when the values of their homes start, hit bottom and start back up, and they start getting more money back in. And that has to be in it, a vital part of it. And again, this is a system that cries out for reform.”

Of course, Fannie and Freddie are government entities that should never have been created in the first place. But the Democrats insisted on giving loans to people who were not qualified. Now we HAVE TO clean up their mess, the problem they created, to keep things from getting worse. Government should not be in the mortgage business. Why? Follow this link:

Fred Thompson on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

Pat gives us the most relevant quotes in the above link. I agree with Pat: Let's hope Mac has plans for Fred in his cabinet - as well as Phil Gramm.
     

Is the Reagan Coalition Gone? What's next?

It was often said that Fred Thompson was appealing to the "Reagan Coalition". JB Williams at AmericanDaily.com contends that it wasn't just Thompson's failure to unite that coalition that caused Fred to drop out, but that it was the Republican's failure to support an actual conservative:

No Conservatives Please

The Writing on the Wall in South Carolina - Thompson didn't fail the Republican Party. The Party that failed to present a conservative themselves, or support one even when conservatives drafted one, failed Thompson.

Shade tree political pundits, who worked around the clock to douse ice water on Fred Thompson’s conservative campaign for President, are busy with their “I told you so” follow-ups. For them, Thompson’s departure from the race is interpreted as hard proof that the candidate was indeed “too old,” “too unhealthy,” “too lazy” and “too disinterested” in winning or leading. But for those who know Fred best, those who drafted him and worked to support him, his departure confirms something quite different…something much worse.

Thompson is simply too Conservative

At a time in history when conservatives are referred to as only a “fringe” of the Republican Party, and when fundamental American values and principles are called “extreme right-wing ideas,” a truly conservative candidate can’t win.

Conservative candidates never do well in liberal strongholds like New Hampshire, where nearly 50 percent of all voters are registered Independent and even Republicans vote liberal, or Michigan, the labor union capitol of the United States. Losing in liberal stronghold states is no surprise; in fact, it’s more a confirmation of one’s conservative credentials.

But not so long ago, there was no such thing as “too conservative” for South Carolina and that’s why Thompson bet his farm on South Carolina. Due to how early primaries are scheduled in liberal leaning states, a conservative candidate must begin his quest for national office in South Carolina, the first traditionally conservative state to hold a primary.

The History Thompson knows too well

For any conservative (or Republican) to win a national election, he must unite at least two of the three primary branches of the Republican Party. History provides a vital lesson in this regard. [...]

I think this explains a lot about why Fred quit after South Carolina. But I still wish he had not quit so soon. Independents were allowed to vote, which skewed the results. The weather was bad for voter turnout. There were too many candidates on the playing field... oh well. It happened the way it did.

This article looks at the history of the Reagan Coalition and Republicans in elections since then. It's an interesting history, with lots of plausible explanations for what we are seeing now. It's not a really long article, and worth reading the whole thing. It's an education. But I won't necessarily agree with the conclusion.

The fight is not over yet. In the end, we work with what we have. I don't know if it's even realistic to talk about the "Reagan Coalition" anymore. That was then, this is now. Reagan created the Regan Coalition in his time. He's gone, and so is the coalition... as it was. Something else new could spring from the roots of that, but if it does, it will be NEW and different. Perhaps inspired by the former, but not the same as.

That is the reality. Lets deal with it, and keep moving forward. Something good may yet come of it.
     

Fredheads and the Mitt Romney Campaign

What a concert it was! The hall was too small, the show started late, and it ended too soon. Yet it was great while it lasted. But now that Fred has dropped out of the race, what are all of us Fredheads supposed to do now?

It seems some folks at Mitt Romney's campaign website have some suggestions for us:






It's almost like they read my mind. I have a suggestion for them to consider, too:

Fred for Veep!

For us Fredheads, the debate continues about what comes next. Visit the link to see a discussion about Romney, and other issues Fredheads are dealing with. What's a Fredhead to do? See what other Fredheads are saying.


Related Link: Patrick Cox: An Epilogue to Fred's Campaign
     

Oh no... Fred's out

Was it too good to be true? Seldom have I been so enthusiastic about a candidate as I was for Fred.

So long, Fred. It's been good to know you

A farewell to Fred

Here's something to remember as we move forward from here:

The perfect is the enemy of the good
     

Don't give up on Fred, it's not over yet

Hang in there, Fred

Some people are discouraged that Fred didn't do better in South Carolina. I say with this many people still in the race, it's too early to give up. One has to take into account all the independents who were allowed to vote too. The results weren't entirely a reflection of Republican opinion. Then the bad weather also kept some people away, some polling places ran out of ballots... it wasn't an ideal situation.

"At the Last Minute, Thompson Shines"

“The Founding Fathers had it right from the very beginning,” Thompson said. “The wisdom of the ages, the fact that our basic rights come from God and not from government, the notion that a government big enough and powerful enough to give you anything is big enough and powerful enough to take anything away from you…respect for the rule of law…the institution of the market economy…[the belief] that if a person earned a dollar, that dollar belonged in the person’s pocket…” Those should be our guiding principles, he said.

“We’re having a little discussion in the party nowadays about what that means for the future,” Thompson told the crowd. “Some people think we need to get away from the Reagan coalition, because it doesn’t exist any more.” The audience erupted into boos. “Some people seem to think that we need to be a little bit more what they called progressive…Well, I reject that concept with every fiber of my being.”

[...]

Thompson, for his part, answered with Southern-fried aplomb. "Did you ever see the movie 'Walking Tall'?" he said, referring to the 1973 action flick about Buford Pusser, a Tennessee sheriff who single-handedly rid his town of crime and corruption. "You know the ax handle that old Buford used to carry? I got me one of them. I knew Buford Pusser. His daughter gave me one of those ax handles and I still got it. I thought about it many, many times. There's a lot you can do with that."

Yes, and there's a lot that NEEDS to be done like that. Read the rest for the bits in between.

Pat's also got a good summary of the South Carolina exit polls.

     

Fred Thompson tells it like it is

It's not as if he hasn't said these kinds of things before. But I think it's the first time such comments by him have gotten major coverage on national TV. Therefore, it's the first time many people have heard it from him.

We need to hear a LOT more from Fred. Go Fred Go!


UPDATE 02:10pm

Michelle Malkin has a post about possible combinations of candidates for a GOP ticket. She offers a poll where you can vote for your favorite:

Choose or lose? A look at two possible GOP ticket pairings


In the poll four pairing combinations are offered, and a "none" option. I voted for Thompson - Romney, and so far that combination is the most popular. In fact it's far ahead of the others.


Related Links:

Fred kicks Huckabutt

The SC GOP debate: Fred was the winner
     

Why Fred is The Man for the GOP

I believe Fred Thompson is the ideal choice for the GOP's presidential candidate. Patrick has had some many really good posts on his blog about Fred. Here are links to a few of the latest ones:

The Media and Fred Thompson

Fred Thompson, Reagan Conservative

Law professor Garnett supports Thompson

Rush Limbaugh Should Endorse Fred Thompson Now

The more I hear about Fred, the more I like him. I heard yet another talking head on Fox News today, complaining that Fred is not a viable candidate because he's not "exciting". Please. Have we become a nation of morons, wanting our political candidates to "entertain" us? If that is what our nation has become, then I doubt that it can survive. Nor should it.

Yet I don't think the American people are that dumb, no matter how much the MSM panders to the lowest common denominator. In fact, the MSM seems to be just getting in the way in the whole vetting process. I hope they become increasingly irrelevant. They already have for me. I'm sick of THEIR agenda.

I have joined the Blogs for Fred Thompson blogroll, and urge you to do the same if you are so inclined.

GO FRED GO!
     

The Farm, Winter, and Political Posts

For the past month or so, I've been sticking mostly with "easy" posts, with not too much politics. I'm not trying to avoid politics, it's just that such posts need more time and care than I've been able to give lately. I've been really busy getting the farm ready for Winter. We've got a lot of projects to finish before the really cold weather and heavy rain kicks in full-force.

One of the political topics I've wanted to post about is the candidacy of Fred Thompson for President. While I've not had the time to do it, I'm happy to say that Pat's postings about it have been far better than anything I could have done anyway. If you haven't had a look at them, I highly recommend them:

Pat's Posts about Fred Thompson

His commentary on this is spot-on, and well worth your time to read.
     

Fred Thompson: Restore the Reagan Executive Order on Federalism that was revoked by Clinton

I'm with Fred 100% on this. Here are some excerpts from one of his blog posts:

On Federalism

[...] The federalist construct of strong states and limited federal government put in place by our Founders was intended to give states the freedom to experiment and innovate. It envisions states as laboratories in competition with each other to develop ideas and programs to benefit their people, to see what works and what does not.

This ingenious means of governing a large and diverse nation prevailed for more than a century. But today our Constitution and the limited, federalist government it established, are considered by many to be quaint or out of touch with the world we live in, to be swept aside by political expediency. [...]

Fred understands the importance of the separation of powers, and has seen firsthand while serving in the Senate the consequences of disregarding those principles. He also has some good ideas as to what should be done about it:

[...] A good first step would be to codify the Executive Order on Federalism first signed by President Ronald Reagan. That Executive Order, first revoked by President Clinton, then modified to the point of uselessness, required agencies to respect the principle of the Tenth Amendment when formulating policies and implementing the laws passed by Congress. It preserved the division of responsibilities between the states and the federal government envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution. It was a fine idea that should never have been revoked. The next president should put it right back in effect, and see to it that the rightful authority of state and local governments is respected.[...]

(bold emphasis mine) Do read the whole thing. Fred's understanding of, and respect for, the Constitution, and his understanding of where things have gone so terribly wrong in Washington D.C., gives me hope that we can re-drain that swamp and take our country back from the extremists of both parties.

Run Fred Run!

Hat tip to Born Again Redneck Bourgeois
     

Fred Thompson: Run Fred Run!

I've been wanting to post about Fred for a while now. Pat at Born Again Redneck Yogi has been doing many great posts about Fred.

The latest post today was from Pat's Fred Roundup, which was excellent. Here is a portion of Fred's speech he gave recently in Connecticut:

In his speech, Thompson criticized Democrats as he discussed terrorism, Iraq and national security. "Our choice is not whether or not we're going to fight. Our choice is where we're going to fight," Thompson said. "And the only debate going on right now with regard to this most important issue facing our country on the Democratic side of the aisle is the date of our surrender."

He added, "My friends, I don't think that the American people are going to turn the keys of this country over to a party that invests their political capital in defeat."

But Thompson also stressed his own party returning to their key issues and warned his fellow Republicans to "get nervous if they go the wrong way."

"Someone once said that a cat won't sit on a hot stove twice, but he won't sit on a cold stove ever," Thompson said. "Here we had an election that was traumatic for some people, and the media blamed it on Iraq. I think it had more to do with pork barrel spending and corruption than it did Iraq." [...]

(bold emphasis mine) In that speech he also criticized "Open Border" immigration policies. Then regarding Memorial Day... well follow the links, it's worth it. Pat's posted a good video there by Fred, called "The Soldier".