Florida Voters Are Wondering: Why is Fred Thompson Running For President?
October 22, 2007
Washington, DC - Fred Thompson is in the Sunshine State today after gaining a reputation for campaign cancellations, no-shows, and policy gaffes, causing Florida voters to wonder: why is Fred running for president at all? At the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit Friday, Fred's apathy for the issues facing our country was clear when he told the group, "I really don't know what I would do in my first 100 days." [Chicago Tribune, "The Swamp," 10/19/07] Then, at the Florida Republican Party's convention Saturday, Fred spoke for only four minutes. [New York Times, 10/21/07] Finally, Fred's flip-flops and lackluster performance during last night's Fox News debate led the Wall Street Journal to report Thompson "didn't stand out." [Wall Street Journal, 10/22/07]
Fumbles and bumbles have plagued Fred Thompson's campaign since the very beginning. But his campaign missteps have not just been about style, but also about substance. From inaccurately claiming Saddam Hussein had WMDs to covering up his true record on abortion to saying he didn't know enough to comment on the Terri Schiavo case to not doing his homework on the issue of drilling for oil in the Florida Everglades to suggesting Cubans fleeing the Castro regime would bring suitcase bombs into the country, it's clear that Thompson isn't ready to lead. Thompson's failure to articulate why he's even running has clearly hurt him with voters as he went from tied for first at 27 percent last month to just 19%. [CNN Poll, Released 10/16/07]
"Fred Thompson isn't going to win any awards for his performance on the campaign trail. With no plan to get our troops out of Iraq or provide health care for America's children and no vision for his first 100 days in office, why is Fred Thompson running for president? After years of incompetent leadership by the Bush Administration, Americans want a president who will tackle the important issues facing our country, not four more years of the same," said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton.
THOMPSON: NOT SO GOOD ON PUBLIC POLICY, EVEN HIS OWN
Thompson Continues To Push an Argument Even Abandoned By Bush: Fred's Time Machine: Thompson Asserts Iraq Had WMD. While on the campaign trail in Iowa, Fred Thompson said "he was certain Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction prior to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, a point of contention in the 4.5 years since the war began. 'We can't forget the fact that although at a particular point in time we never found any WMD down there, he clearly had had WMD. He clearly had had the beginnings of a nuclear program,' the former Tennessee senator told an audience of about 60 at a Newton cafe." [Des Moines Register, 10/1/07]
- Bush Admits Finding Confirmed Earlier Experts. As President Bush himself said upon the release of the Iraq Survey Group's final report in the fall of 2004 "The chief weapons inspector, Charles Duelfer, has now issued a comprehensive report that confirms the earlier conclusion of David Kay that Iraq did not have the weapons that our intelligence believed were there." [Bush, 10/7/04 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A14897-2004Oct7?language=printer)]
1996: Thompson Supported Public Financing of Abortions. According to a 1996 Tennesseans For Choice questionnaire, Sen. Thompson indicated that he supported using public funds for abortions. When asked, "Under what circumstances should public monies be used to pay for an abortion for an indigent family?" Thompson indicated "woman's or girl's life threatened by pregnancy" and "pregnancy due to rape or incest." [CBNNews.com, Brody File, 6/14/07]
- 1994: Thompson Opposed Criminalizing Abortion. "On a 1994 Eagle Forum survey, Thompson said he opposed criminalizing abortion. Two years later, on a Christian Coalition questionnaire, he checked 'opposed' to a proposed constitutional amendment protecting the sanctity of human life." [Newsweek, 6/25/07]
- FDT Not 100 Percent with National Right to Life. According to the Washington Times, "although the Politico reported June 13 that Mr. [Fred] Thompson's spokesman claimed the former senator had a 100 percent voting record from the National Right to Life (NRTL) organization, NRTL's Web site reports that Mr. Thompson received scores of 87 percent (1997-1998), 78 percent (1999-2000) and 33 percent (2001-2002)." [Washington Times, 6/23/07]
Thompson Doesn't Do His Homework on Drilling for Oil in the Florida Everglades. While in Florida, Thompson was caught completely off guard when asked about a major local issue, oil drilling in the Everglades, saying, "Gosh, no one has told me that there's any major reserves in the Everglades, but maybe that's one of the things I need to learn while I'm down here." Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist had to distance himself from Thompson responding "I wasn't completely overjoyed with the positions ... but I think he'll take some time to respond to them." [Associated Press, 9/18/07]
Thompson Suggests Cubans Fleeing the Castro Regime Would Bring Suitcase Bombs Into the US. During a speech, Thompson "decried the flow of illegal immigrants from Cuba,saying: 'I don't imagine they're coming here to bring greetings from Castro. We're living in the era of the suitcase bomb.'" [Associated Press, 6/27/07]
