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Lazy Gucci-Wearing Fred Thompson Goes To The Iowa Fair With friends like Fox News, Fred Thompson doesn't need Democrats. Fox reports that Fred Thompson played like he's a real candidate by motoring around the Iowa State Fair in a golf cart and taking lots of breaks in the VIP tent, all the while wearing his Gucci loafers at the country fair. Says Fox News in another video (48 sec) clip: "He's been motoring around in a golf cart, something that no other presidential candidate has done throughout the entire two weeks of the state fair." (Video clip below is 4 minutes.) What was it that Jim Cooper said about Fred Thompson back in the 1990s? Oh, yeah, Fred Thompson is a "Gucci-wearing, Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon–spreading millionaire Washington special-interest lobbyist."

Fred Thompson Tries To Get It Right - Again by bigjolly | 08/08/2007 11:38 am | Alert moderator Good ol' boy, regular American guy Fred just can't seem to figure out who he wants to run his non-campaign campaign. Maybe the third time's a charm . Fred Thompson on Wednesday tapped the man he credits with saving his 1994 Senate campaign to take over his likely presidential bid. Bill Lacy, a former strategist for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and Republican National Committee, will run day-to-day operations of Thompson's committee to "test the waters" for a presidential run. "He turned around my campaign for Senate in 1994 Someone better turn this ship around. Lately it's been more like one of those subs in the Hunt for Red October, sinking fast. The all-but-declared candidate collected about $1.5 million less than the $5 million backers had hoped to bring in during June, his first fundraising month. In July, Thompson...

August 17, 2007 New Gallup Poll: Romney Posts Modest Gains Majority of Republicans unaware of his Iowa victory, however by Frank Newport   GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has posted modest gains over the last two weeks, both in his favorable rating and in his positioning in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. One presumption is that Romney's gains reflect the visibility that followed his win in the Iowa Republican Party straw poll last weekend, although data in the new Gallup Poll show that only a third of Republicans nationwide are directly aware that Romney won this unofficial contest. Republican Horse Race Romney now receives 14% of Republicans' votes when they are asked whom they would like as their party's presidential nominee,...

Michael Tams is a great guy and has a great blog. Go check it out! Michael Tams View my complete profile   Friday, August 17, 2007 The Illinois Straw Poll and the Paulaholics So I went to the State Fair on Thursday - took a valuable personal day to make my first trip to Springfield. The Fair itself was an experience, and something I will do again. To my great shame, again I acknowledge this was my first trip to Springfield, and I'll be sure to soon visit again and check out some fun things I'd like to do there. Like this , for example. Who's with me?? At the straw poll, I had a couple of encounters with the young people I've taken to calling the Paulaholics . Ron's kids, in other words. His literature claims that he's had 4,000 ...

Latest Victim Of Racial Bias: John Edwards By LARRY ELDER | Posted Friday, August 17, 2007 4:30 PM PT Elizabeth Edwards, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' wife, wants affirmative action — for white males. OK, she didn't put it exactly that way. Here's what happened. In explaining why her husband relies so heavily on the Internet — as opposed to traditional media — to get his message out, Mrs. Edwards said: "In some ways, it's the way we have to go. We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman. Those things get you a lot of press, worth a certain amount of fundraising dollars. Now it's nice to get on the news, but not the be-all and end-all." So the strong campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., reflects nothing more than her gender. And the competitive campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., rests primarily on his race. Hey, any black guy could pull this off — whether Barack Obama, rapper Snoop Dogg or television perso...

"On the 60th anniversary of India's independence, we celebrate the contributions of Indian-Americans to the United States. Throughout my career, I have seen first-hand how the Indian-American community has enriched our nation with its values and culture. Many Indian-Americans are also at the forefront of building our nation's vibrant economy in various sectors including health care, business, education, science and technology. "As the world's two largest democracies and as partners in fighting terror, India and the United States have a historic opportunity to forge a more powerful partnership based on our shared values and strategic interests. Together, India and the United States can serve as twin beacons of freedom against those who preach intolerance and extremism. We should strengthen our nations' ability to advance our mutual interests internationally in the United Nations and elsewhere, while working closely to build security and prosperity for our peop...

August 16, 2007 Mitt Romney wins Illinois straw poll Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney (CNN)– Mitt Romney added another straw poll victory to his resume Thursday. Illinois state Republican party chairman, Andy McKenna, said Romney won the Illinois Straw poll at the Illinois State Fair. "Congratulations to Mitt Romney, whose strong showing today indicates he has begun to put together a strong statewide organization," McKenna said. "There's no question that Illinois' demographics closely match those of the United States and this could be an indication as to whom Illinois voters are leaning toward this coming February." Romney secured an overwhelming victory with 40.35 percent of the vote. Former Senator Fred Thompson, who is expected to formally enter the race for the GOP nomination next month, came in second with 19.96 percent of the vote. The Illinois Republican party sponsored the straw poll during its Republi...

August 14, 2007 07:27am The Big Win At Ames A lot of people have written their stories about the straw poll victory we enjoyed at Ames. Having seen the effort and the triumph from the inside, I thought I'd share a few of my own thoughts and photos. 1. Why do you think that Governor Romney won? He won for two reasons. First, my Dad is the best candidate in the race. But the fact is that as the people in Iowa have gotten to know my Dad, they have liked him and his message. He has traveled extensively across Iowa (over 200 events total) and answered hundreds of questions in dozens and dozens of townhalls open to the public and the media. And he has risen from about 5% in Iowa to 28% and first place in the polls in only a few months. The second reason he did so well was the fantastic campaign organization that was built in Iowa. Some journalists have called it the deepest, most organized campaign team ever assembled in Iowa. Matt Lewis fro...

The Romney campaign had a great weekend, and I want to be sure to share the news with you.  First, on Saturday, we won the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll with 31.5% of the vote, a greater percentage than George W. Bush received in 1999. Also, this just in … the American Research Group released their latest nationwide poll this afternoon. 16% support Governor Romney, up 6 points from 10% last month. Here are the full results:   Jul. Aug. Jul./Aug. Change Giuliani 30% 27% -3 Gov. Romney 10% 16% +6 F. Thompson 17% 16% -1 McCain 14% 13% -1 Other 16% 15% -1 Undecided 11% 14% +3   Wow - a 6 point pick up in 30 days nationally.       Best Regards, david   P.S. By the way, the Giuliani camp has tried to diminish Mitt's victory in Iowa by saying Rudy chose to not participate....

On the August 13 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, during an interview with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, host Chris Matthews said: "Let me ask you about [Republican presidential candidate] Mitt Romney. You know, I watched him on the [NBC] Today show this morning. He looks like a million bucks. Everything is perfect. Everything about him is perfect." As examples, Matthews cited Romney's "look," his "manner," and his "shirt," with "never rolled-up sleeves" and "the tie always tied," and asked: "That perfection -- is that the Republican Party of the 21st century? Is that what we're looking for, the perfect efficiency expert?" Huckabee responded: "Well, if it is, I'm not going to get the nomination, because I'm far from perfect. ... I've got a bald spot on the back of my head. My life has been one of nothing but struggle in many ways." Matthews frequently fawns over R...

WASHINGTON ( Map , News ) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama came under fire Tuesday for saying that U.S. troops in Afghanistan are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians." The junior senator from Illinois made the comment Monday at a campaign stop in Nashua, New Hampshire . "We've got to get the job done there," he said of Afghanistan. "And that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there." The comment drew a rebuke Tuesday from the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. "That is a very troubling remark on so many levels," said Romney spokesman Kevin Madden. "Most importantly, it's emblematic of Senator Obama's lack of experience for the job of commander-in-chief. But it's also an entirely inaccurate condemnation of the efforts of the men and women of the United States milit...

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Allen, Alter and Cillizza on Romney and Rove Posted by: Hugh Hewitt  at 7:50 AM Politico's Mike Allen on Romney: Governor Romney looks so strong at this point. I think there was a time, tell me if you disagree, I think there was a time that if you'd put a gun to the head of most Republicans, insiders, they would have said Rudy Giuliani somehow, by hook or by crook, is going to wind up as the nominee. I think pressed now, today, those same Republicans would say Governor Romney, it's his to lose. Allen on Fred Thompson: Just to give you a quick little insight into the Fred strategy? They plan a little bit of a low impact campaign. They're pointing to Governor Bush's schedule in 2000, where his pattern was two events and a fundraiser a day. I think that that is the sort of schedule Senator Thompson's going to stick to....[H]e's not going to do the diner to diner, church to church, break your back sort of campaigning that at leas...

Monday, Aug 13, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390 Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President released Governor Romney's Public Financial Disclosure Report. According to the report, Governor and Mrs. Romney's assets are valued between $95 and $287 million. The 45-page report (SF 278) was submitted after several meetings and discussions with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), conducted over a period of several months, to ensure that the report is complete, accurate, and in full compliance with the financial disclosure requirements. The report, required for all candidates for President, lists income, assets and liabilities for Governor and Mrs. Romney. Aside from some cash and cash equivalents, all of the Romneys' assets are held in blind trusts and an IRA which is managed on a blind basis. The management of these assets has been deemed blind in an opinion issued by the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. These blind in...

Clinton a drag? Dems fear her negatives By RON FOURNIER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 59 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Looking past the presidential nomination fight, Democratic leaders quietly fret that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at the top of their 2008 ticket could hurt candidates at the bottom.   They say the former first lady may be too polarizing for much of the country. She could jeopardize the party's standing with independent voters and give Republicans who otherwise might stay home on Election Day a reason to vote, they worry. In more than 40 interviews, Democratic candidates, consultants and party chairs from every region pointed to internal polls that give Clinton strikingly high unfavorable ratings in places with key congressional and state races. "I'm not sure it would be fatal in Indiana , but she would be a drag" on many candidates, said Democratic state Rep. Dave Crooks of Washington, Ind. Unlike Crooks, most Democratic leaders agreed ...

Monday, August 13, 2007 Grasping at Straws Posted by: Dean Barnett  at 11:43 AM So how much did this weekend's little event in Ames, Iowa matter? On the one hand, you had some guy at the Beauchamp Gazette gushing that "it's hard to overstate the significance of Huckabee's performance here" before predicting that Huckabee-mania would swamp the nation like a global-warming induced tsunami. On the other hand, you had analysts like John Podhoretz bluntly opining , "I hate to be nasty, but anybody who takes the Ames Straw Poll results seriously is an idiot. A bunch of people spent ludicrous amounts of money to bus-and-truck 14,000 people to a big picnic, and the guy who spent the most bought the win with a mammoth 4516 votes. Goshers! 4,516 votes." Yes, unduly nasty, but his comments hit close to the mark. When all the frontrunners bailed on Ames except for Mitt Romney, the straw poll instantly became a freak show for fried-Twinkee craving politi...

Listening to NPR this morning and they mentioned T Thompson is out, but did not mention who won...   Interesting... perhaps they found out who cut the most Government jobs while in office (Mitt Romney) and are scared of him getting into office...   I think that is a great measure of who would be a good president... Who NPR least wants... I listen to NPR, but hate about 1/4 of what they do, and the way they do it...   I would be sad to see them go, but see no reason for Government support, and they pathetic attempts at sounding like a needed charity is very presumptuous...   What really galls me is the self righteous way they say they don't run commercials (they do) and so they don't have any bias. Well, yes, they get their money from somewhere, and so follow the money for NPR bias. PRO BIG GOVERNMENT BIAS!  

Sunday, August 12, 2007 Brownbackfired Posted by: Patrick Ruffini  at 5:24 PM Of all the second tier campaigns, Sam Brownback's was the best at the blocking and tackling of grassroots campaigning. They moved impressive numbers of people to Ames, spending $600,000. They placed an improbable third at CPAC. They have rock stars like Leon Wolf and Billy Valentine running their e-efforts. And yet… This aggressiveness also led them into running the most overtly mean-spirited campaign of the cycle. They haven't been shy about trashing Romney, and unlike McCain, always having their name plastered all over the attack. They paid for robocalls trashing Romney and Tom Tancredo, whose pro-life credentials have never been in question so far as I can tell. They even questioned Baptist minister Mike Huckabee's Christian bona-fides. At Ames, all of Brownback's targets either won (Romney) or performed far better ...

Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "A solid win for Mitt Romney. Is this a sign of things to come?" (ABC's "This Week," 8/12/07) U.S. News & World Report 's Michael Barone: "It's a plus for Mitt Romney." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 8/12/07) Mason City Globe Gazette 's Todd Dorman: "Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney strengthened his front-runner status in Iowa by winning the Ames straw poll Saturday - capping a super-sized event that mixed caucus politics with heaping plates of barbecue, inflated carnival rides and sticky summer heat." (Todd Dorman, "Romney's The Big Ames Straw Poll Winner," Mason City [IA] Globe Gazette , 8/12/07) The Boston Globe 's Lisa Wangsness: "Mitt Romney won the Republican straw poll here decisively last night, delivering 31.5 percent of votes cast and solidifying his position as the man to beat in Iowa, the stat...

Transcript: Mitt Romney on 'FOX News Sunday' Sunday , August 12, 2007 DES MOINES, Iowa —  The following is a partial transcript of the Aug. 12, 2001, edition of "FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace": "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: And joining us now, the winner of the Iowa straw poll, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney . Welcome back to "FOX News Sunday," Governor, and congratulations on yesterday. 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY: Well, thank you, Chris. And it's already warm here in Des Moines. WALLACE: It sure is. What do you see as the significance of your victory yesterday? M. ROMNEY: Well, it's a big start getting ready for the caucuses. You want to do well in the straw poll so that you can build the organization, get your fundraising machine under way, make sure that your message connects with the people of Iowa, because if you can do well in the straw poll, it gives yo...