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DEL.ICIO.USA rational explanation for Fred Thompson’s dithering
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And so we wake up this morning to a Fred Thompson campaign for president, effective Sept. 6. It’ll be on the web.
Good. His candidacy, or non-candidacy, had been taking on the feeling of a bad anxiety dream — the one where you’re trying to punch out an emergency phone number, but you keep hitting the wrong buttons.
But the delay may have been more Machiavelli than Hamlet. We’ll explain below.
First, here is Thompson’s immediate itinerary:
— Thursday, Sept. 6: Des Moines, Iowa; Council Bluffs, Iowa;
— Friday, Sept. 7: Sioux City, Iowa; Mason City, Iowa;
— Saturday, Sept. 8: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Davenport, Iowa; Portsmouth, N.H.;
— Sunday, Sept. 9: Manchester and Nashua, N.H.;
— Monday, Sept. 10: Charleston and Columbia, S.C.
No Georgia stops in sight. That’ll be something for state Sens. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) and Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) — the top-ranking Fred-heads in Georgia — to address.
The press release with much of the above information also includes this sentence: “The [Thompson] committee will file our formal paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission within 15 days, the time allowed by law after Fred decided to run.”
Here’s an explanation on why that’s significant, posted on the Daily Kos.
From the date of the formal announcement, Thompson has 15 days to declare his candidacy officially with the Federal Election Commision. Takes us to September 21, 2007.
From that date, Thompson has 10 more days for his official campaign committee to register with the FEC. Takes us to October 1, 2007.
And what’s so special about October 1? It’s the start of a new FEC reporting quarter.
By delaying the filing of his organizational papers until books have closed on the third quarter of 2007, Thompson arguably will not have to file any disclosure reports with the FEC until January 31, 2008, after the Republican primaries/caucuses in WY, IA, NH, NV, FL …..
That poor financial showing that Thompson made this summer — the one where his goal was $5 million and he showed $3 million? Doesn’t look like it’ll happen again.
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By Steve
August 31, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this
Why is Fred dithering? What is he trying to hide?
I hope Fred doesn’t have some mystery Chinese campaign donors like the ones he investigated Clinton for in 1996. Note Fred’s recommendation in this report: “12. The Committee recommends legislation to require expedited reporting of all contribution activity during the 90 days immediately before an election.”
With all the State primaries moving up in the calendar, we may see the Iowa Caucus as early as December 15, thus by Fred’s own standard, he should disclose campaign donors by September 15, not January 15.
The very fact that he is using secrecy as a campaign strategy suggests Fred is not a straight shooter and lacks what is fundamentally needed in a President: accountability for his actions.
I simply do not trust a candidate for public office who is not willing to disclose his public behavior. If this is how he behaves as a candidate, how will he behave as President?
Steve
By johnny7
August 31, 2007 11:38 AM | Link to this
Daily Kos? What are you… anti-semitic?
By Smith Town
August 31, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this
Steve,
You obviously are a RINO or Democrat! How dare you question Fred? Fred is the second coming! Fred will lead us to victory! Fred is not lazy! Fred is divine! Fred knows all! Do you hate Fred and America?!?!?!?!
By Kory
August 31, 2007 12:55 PM | Link to this
Steve,
How exactly does a person hide, or in your words “not disclose” their PUBLIC behavior? Just curious. Anyway, why should Fred not wait until now (hopefully too much momentum hasn’t been lost) to officially run? He’s ranking number 2 without spending or raising tons of money and without having to participate in a s-load of boring and unproductive debates that nobody even watched. Now he can jump in, avoid the fundraising critics until the next quarter, and start participating in debates that are closer to an actual election and that people might actually care to watch! It has nothing to do with hiding anything, but has everything to do with not leaving people disappointed when you blow your load so quickly and not achieve a disirable result (you probably know what THAT’s like yo!).
By Smith Town
August 31, 2007 1:15 PM | Link to this
Kory,
You tell ‘im! No one questions Fred! Fred is the Master! Fred is Divine! Long live Fred!
By Mr Elliott's Son
August 31, 2007 1:57 PM | Link to this
You guys are stoned or something. Obviously Thompson was waiting for rerun season to come to an end on Sept 1.
By opditch
August 31, 2007 2:00 PM | Link to this
Many people have been hitting the right buttons for Fred. VETERANS have been signing up for Fred @
Link: (http://Vets4Fred.net)
By S Shiver
August 31, 2007 2:48 PM | Link to this
I’m a Fredhead.
By TimD
August 31, 2007 3:16 PM | Link to this
Fred Thompson will add something that has been missing for a while in leadership,common sense! With McCain all but out, and Gulianni’s personal life a “Extra Extra” discovery movie in the making we can only hope that the entrance of Thompson will give the conservatives a true voice of reason. I see him as against the fluff pieces and political double talk, a ‘let’s do the job right the first time’ sort of fellow, and thats what I want in the White House.
By jack
August 31, 2007 5:33 PM | Link to this
If the country simply needed to be maintaned, then Fred would be a could candidate. However, we have complex problems and issues to resolve and frankly Fred is not up to the task. I can’t imagine that we would vote into office a man who barely has any significant accomplishments at the national level. Or any significant executive accomplishements that actually require running something. His campaign so far should give clues to how his adminsitration would be. Go Rudy or Mitt!
By Gus Burk
August 31, 2007 6:50 PM | Link to this
LMAO Way to go Fred. Yeah, this guy is dumb! Like a Fox. His manuverings show he can take the best Hillary, Obama or Rudy have to give and run circles around them. Play by the rules to the letter, while the others expend cash shredding one another. I love it and it is a great strategy. GO FRED GO!!!
By DISTANT
August 31, 2007 8:37 PM | Link to this
amen GUS. as the socialist idiots on the left, led by HR of course, wallow in their regurgitated past … or lack of common sense … or lack of credibility, etc. … AND the doofs we have to choose from on the right - Rudy with his being OK with his city as a sanctuary city … Mitt being a 2nd amendment faker … and who cares about the rest - Fred is biding his time …
By Rich Piotrowski
September 1, 2007 12:48 AM | Link to this
yawn… Fred’s gonna run, BFD. So a big time lobbyist is now going to enter the race and we’re all supposed to be excited?. My decision early on to support Ron Paul is looking better and better each day.
By Ragingideas
September 1, 2007 12:55 AM | Link to this
He was a terrible actor on T.V. but pretty good at it in politics. I can see why he is going back.
By FRedStates.com
September 1, 2007 3:05 AM | Link to this
Just a minor correction… nobody in the Thompson campaign said they would raise $5mil in the first month… what they said was they hoped to raise $5mil during the testing the waters phase of the campaign… and he didn’t raise $3mil in the first month… he raised more than $3.5mil in the 1st month… (and before you say 16% is nothing… I doubt you would accept a 16% pay cut) This was more than any other GOP raised in their 1st month of fundraising (except Romney but it took him 8 months to raise $8mil in his 1st month)… and lets keep in mind… Romney’s spending has been outpacing his fundraising… so I don’t matter how much you raise… if you’re spending more than that number… you’re going broke. A fiscal conservative Romney isn’t!
And with regard to the Fred Haters… the ones who simply attack him personally… I guess that’s all they can attack since they know nothing of his strong stance on National/Border Security… nothing about his support of the 2nd amendment… nothing about his stand on Roe V Wade… and certainly nothing about his Federalist beliefs… that’s why they call him old… say he’s ugly and make fun of or insult his wife… oh yah… they usually throw in something about him being a big time K street lobbyist (actually most of the lobbying firms are on E Street) but he only made about $40K a year working as a lobbyist… you can hardly call that big time especially in DC where a typical lobbyist brings home a half million a year… (maybe that’s the difference between the K Street and E Street guys)
Fred will do well… very well… why else would so many people be attacking him personally? They apparently feel they’ve already lost on the issues.
Go Fred - Beat Hillary!
By DISTANT
September 1, 2007 6:18 AM | Link to this
Come on Libs … silly personal attacks are meaningless, and if this is the tact taken, yes this means that Fred is looked upon as a major threat. And whats more, it will be the reason that Hillary/Obama will lose in a near lanslide and the reason that the worst Congress in my lifetime will be sent packing, God willing. Ron Paul and Huckabee are fine men, but the lack of momentum speaks volumes on their chances. As major news sources slobber maniacally over HR, and FOX news and other outlets like them push Mitt, Thompson will have a rough way to go, but i believe he is the man for the job. Government controlled medical care sucks, ex. France and taxing the rich to a greater degree is not only stupid but a childish knee jerk reaction by those who consider themselves have nots, which in this country, if you actually believe you fit this category, check the mirror fool. Thats the problem. Not the system. Securing the borders,keeping taxes low and finishing Iraq are the real issues. We do not need a Socialist that will not enforce our Sovereignty, that will raise taxes on those who do the employing in our country, that wants the money/power grab of Federally ran medicine or wants to pull out of Iraq just to put a finger in the eye of Bush. Freddy is ready … his stance on issues align perfectly with the needs of the country. Do we really want the Clintons back in control? Obama will only be a black face used for securing that block of the vote. He will most certainly be a distant second to the real VP, Billy boy. Go Fred Go!!
By Unaffiliated Voter
September 1, 2007 6:58 AM | Link to this
Yawn…uh, Mr. Ferd …yer wastin yer time buddy…you are known as a lazy, no energy procrastinator…
You tease with no punchline. You ‘play’ a politician on TV. You married a woman YOUNGER than your daughter. You seem to have the Southern Baptists fooled along with Hucks… I dont know why anyone would vote for such a doofus…Presidunce Ferd?
Hope not….
By Unaffiliated Voter
September 1, 2007 7:02 AM | Link to this
www.RonPaul2008.com
www.RonPaulPlanet.org
Dr. Ron Paul is running the most extraordinary online campaign, but notice how the mainscream media FAILS to report his many straw poll successes with say 81% of the votes!!!
By GodHatesTrash
September 1, 2007 9:25 AM | Link to this
Thompson will be the 2008 GOP candidate. The morons in the GOP bought the phony Texass bootlicker from Crawford in 2000, they’ll line up to buy the cornpone lazy hillbilly from Tennessee.
Let’s face it - the typical Tennesseean is the archetype of the GOP voter - drunk, lazy, Bible thumpin’, gummint hater. Fred is their boy.
Trash elects trash, and there ain’t no state trashier than Tennessee, ‘ceptin’ maybe ‘bama…
By Laura
September 1, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
I don’t know of a single voter who steps in the voting booth and chooses a candidate based on how much money they raised for a campaign. I’m more concerned with him dodging the FOX debate not so much because it is a debate but because it’s FOX. I’ve just finish The Robert Novak book and members of the media can be so petty when they are slighted.
By DISTANT
September 1, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this
whoa … i like gummint haters. sorta like WASHINGTON and JEFFERSON. any ol who .. when leftists feel threatened the name callin starts. its a great sign.
By curtis41
September 1, 2007 11:09 AM | Link to this
It is a great thrill to see someone dancing to a different drummer. Fred Thompson is capable, thoughtful, plain speaking, is willing to tackle hard problems, unlike other politicians. We have a real choice between a southern conservative or a moderate on one side and a socialist and a newbie on the other side. I look forward to grits being on the White House breakfast menu, lower taxes, 2nd amendment rights instead of denial, less Congressional back-biting, NO cut and run, rather than lip service to defense. All in all, we get to choose between a conservative federalist or more socialism. THAT should be a no-brainer. I too am with Fred.
By edjones
September 1, 2007 11:46 AM | Link to this
Fredstates: I haven’t seen personal attacks. The campaign said they hoped to raise $5 million and did NOTHING until the last minute to downplay expectations. STUPID MOVE! Explain his support of McCain Feingold. Explain why he lobbied, no he didn’t, oops here are the billing records for an abortion rights group.
By DISTANT
September 1, 2007 1:17 PM | Link to this
edjones, I think that some people are a bit thin skinned when someone says something about their selected person. but the mud slinging has not started quite yet, fer sure. well, yep. they were hoping for more cash, but if i can use myself as an example, i was waiting to see what the man was going to do before i sent my hard earned cash in. why waste it on one of the leading doofs of either party? the money should move a bit free - er now. as far as supporting the Mn/Fd bill, well we all do not walk in lock step now do we? So he was a bit mo centrist here. its cool. we have all made are share of mistakes or at least marched to the beat of our own drummer. hey, if some can take monies from felons and if some can buy an NRA lifetime membership just recently and call their self a 2nd amendment champion while supporting anti gun legislation in their own state and if some can go along with shielding illegal aliens of a specially violent nature from the Feds by declaring their city a sanctuary and if some can naively speak of what they would do to kill OBL in the Pakistani border mountains … well i guess we can at least try and understand what Fred did and unabashedly stood for even as the firestorm of his own party washed over him. Go Fred Go !!!
By AmericanMan
September 1, 2007 9:31 PM | Link to this
Wow Kory you sound an awful lot like a Ron Paul supporter. His supporters treat him as though he were omnipotent and will save America also. So, which one do you think I should be saying my prayers to everyday? As for me, I don’t believe Fred Thompson or Ron Paul, nor will I be saying my prayers to any candidate.
I think his secrecy is a serious issue especially to the media. As I did a search of Fred Thompson on Google, an overwhelming majority of articles on him are negative. That ought to offer him a major disadvantage in his candidacy. But, it is alright with me if his secrecy allows his competitors to define him as a candidate.
By FRedStates.com
September 2, 2007 2:15 AM | Link to this
Ed Jones: You haven’t seen any personal attacks? C’mon… look no further than this blog! As far as your other points… read my 1st post again… I’ve already addressed each one of your concerns… except McCain Feingold… and he’s already addressed that… Thompson says what he supported and what we see as McCain Feingold today are two different deals… I’ll take his word on that one… Aye?
Laura: Very good points… but I think Fox will come around once their guy Rudy is out of the picture… Fox big-wigs (Roger Ailes is a life long friend and even worked on Rudy’s Mayoral Staff) are in lock step with Rudy’s campaign for now… and though I don’t think there’s been a memo to Fox anchors and reporters instructing them to slant toward Rudy… I do feel that when you know how the boss feels about something… and you know the boss is Watching… you might tend to shade your comments so as not to anger the boss… why else would Carl Cameron make fun of Fred’s shoes at the Iowa State Fair? And why else would he make such a big deal out of Fred riding around in a Golf Cart in Iowa? (Especially when Romney had a fleet of golf carts)… but consider this… on September 5th… 8 GOP Candidates will be fighting for one microphone in front of about a million viewers while at the same time trying not to screw up… also on September 5th… Fred will be on Leno… in front of about 6 to 7 million viewers… one on one… who’s message do you think will reach more people? Rudy’s? John’s? Mitt’s? No… I think Fred will be the big winner on the 5th… and it’ll be a great promo for his official entry into the campaign on the 6th!
Go Fred - Beat Hillary!
By FRedStates.com
September 2, 2007 2:23 AM | Link to this
AmericanMan: I Googled “Fred Thompson” and the first negative entry I see is on the 2nd page… some cheap shots with no real meaning or substance… about how his wife is trying to run the campaign… (even if that’s true… way to go Jeri!)… Most of the articles are good information based on fact… You say “overwheling majority” of the articles are nagative? I don’t see that at all…
By Ted
September 3, 2007 3:53 PM | Link to this
Fred Thompson is the only Republican who can win against Hillary.
www.fredthompsonforum.com