Thread: Did Thompson Lend a Hand to His Friend McCain's Win in SC?

Originally Posted by WebRanger

I agree with TrueTexan and the others about Thompson he is just in the race for McCain now. Their close personal and political connection tends to prove that. Does anyone have any links that document these facts. If we could find some they would be good to start shareing with our friends in Florida.

Here is some proof!!

McCain picks up Thompson endorsement

August 18, 1999
Web posted at: 1:38 p.m. EDT (1738 GMT)

"KANSAS CITY, Missouri (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain's bid for the Republican 2000 presidential nomination got a boost Wednesday when he was endorsed by fellow Sen. Fred Thompson, who joined McCain's campaign as national co-chairman.

When it comes to personal courage and integrity and the courage to do what he thinks is right, regardless of whether or not it's particularly popular at the moment, John McCain has shown characteristics of leadership like no one else I've ever seen," Thompson said at a press conference.

Thompson, a Tennessee Republican, and McCain are both independent minded senators who have bucked their party, most notably on the issue of campaign finance reform. McCain has repeatedly sponsored a campaign finance reform bill with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) to ban the so-called "soft money" donated to political parties and Thompson has endorsed his efforts.

When it comes to reform of the way Washington does business, John McCain is the leader," Thompson said.

McCain is a three-term GOP senator from Arizona. He was a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam war who spent nearly six years as a prisoner of war.

Thompson headed a Senate investigation into President Bill Clinton's campaign fund-raising practices and was once mentioned as a possible presidential candidate himself.

In preparing for the Senate campaign finance hearings, Thompson irritated several Republicans when he expressed a desire to investigate congressional campaigns, possibly putting certain GOP congressmen at risk for fund-raising wrongdoing. In the end, the Senate approved an extended investigation.

Thompson had endorsed his campaign of his fellow Tennessean, Lamar Alexander, who dropped out of the GOP race after his poor showing in the Iowa straw poll. Alexander said his showing hurt his ability to raise money. Thompson said he had told McCain that he would help him if Alexander left the race, and they both said they regretted Alexander's decision to drop out.

"I regretted the circumstances because it seemed to be about money rather than ideas," McCain said.

At the press conference and in an earlier speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention, McCain criticized the Clinton Administration for its foreign policy, saying it lacked coherence.

This administration has conducted a feckless, photo-op foreign policy which is always surprised, which always reacts and reacts on an ad-hoc basis," he said.

Thompson said that during the war in Kosovo, McCain became the only credible voice in Washington on the subject. Once the U.S. began bombing, McCain was forthright that the U.S. must win the war at all costs once it committed.

"During this last encounter, John McCain became the leading voice on this issue in Washington, D.C., including the White House," Thompson said, adding "the fact of the matter is that he took a strong position early on because he was able to analyze it and he had the courage to go forward with it, and he turned out to be right, which always helps."

McCain did not spare his fellow members of Congress, saying that pork-barrel spending continues to dominate the appropriations process, especially defense spending, which is the largest appropriations bill.

"Congress looks at the defense appropriations bill the way Willie Sutton used to look at banks," he said, referring to the bank robber who said he robbed banks because "that's where the money is."

In his VFW speech, he pounded Congress for not closing unneeded military bases and military depots while armed service personnel qualify for food stamps and veterans' needs go unfunded. "I'm ashamed that Congress finds billions for pork-barrel subsidies but fails to find money for veterans' health care," McCain said.

He also said that both Congress and the Clinton Administration have failed to fund defense spending properly and military readiness has suffered.

"For nearly a decade now, government has failed to meet its most important responsibility -- to provide for the common defense," he said in his speech to the VFW.

Questioned about gun control, McCain said existing laws should be enforced, noting that the Clinton Administration has been "derelict" in doing that. But he also said that he supported the recent gun control legislation passed by the Senate and he also said that in light of the recent spate of shootings, new proposals by the Clinton Administration should be looked at by Congress and not dismissed out of hand."

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/ ... on.mccain/

Thompson may drop out, back McCain

By: Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen
Jan 2, 2008 11:05 PM EST

"DES MOINES, Iowa — Several Republican officials close to Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign said they expect the candidate will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in Thursday’s Iowa caucus.

Thompson’s campaign, which last spring and summer was generating fevered anticipation in the media and with some Republican activists, has never ignited nationally, and there are no signs of a late spark happening here in Iowa, where even a third-place finish is far from assured.

This reality — combined with a fundraising drought — left well-connected friends and advisers of Thompson Wednesday evening predicting that he will pull the plug on hype and hope before the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary.

Thompson’s departure could shake up the race more than his continued presence. Friends and advisers said they have long considered it likely that if the lobbyist-actor is forced from the race he would endorse John McCain, his former Senate colleague who lately has been staging a political revival in New Hampshire.

“Without a solid third-place finish, there’s no point in going on,â€

Thanks Bren4824 good work

The next page is interesting as well. It suggests that Thompson might leave the race and endorse McCain. He could then expect to get an important post in a McCain administration. I guess McCain/Thompson realized he could help his old buddy out more by being a spoiler then by endorseing him. So he is undermining the values he claims to hold for his own personal ambition.

Originally Posted by WebRanger

Thanks Bren4824 good work

The next page is interesting as well. It suggests that Thompson might leave the race and endorse McCain. He could then expect to get an important post in a McCain administration. I guess McCain/Thompson realized he could help his old buddy out more by being a spoiler then by endorseing him. So he is undermining the values he claims to hold for his own personal ambition.

PLUS----Thompson threw a wrench in the anti-illegal movement---because he had a lot of people supporting him because they truly thought that he was on our side regarding the illegal issues.

However, it now becomes obvious that this was not the case-----he was only trying to prevent anti-illegal voters from going to other candidates instead of McCain----due to McCain's pro-illegal/amnesty positions!!!!!

The majority of those voters who were supporting Thompson would have probably gone to Romney!!

Originally Posted by Bren4824

Originally Posted by WebRanger

Thanks Bren4824 good work

The next page is interesting as well. It suggests that Thompson might leave the race and endorse McCain. He could then expect to get an important post in a McCain administration. I guess McCain/Thompson realized he could help his old buddy out more by being a spoiler then by endorseing him. So he is undermining the values he claims to hold for his own personal ambition.

PLUS----Thompson threw a wrench in the anti-illegal movement---because he had a lot of people supporting him because they truly thought that he was on our side regarding the illegal issues.

However, it now becomes obvious that this was not the case-----he was only trying to prevent anti-illegal voters from going to other candidates instead of McCain----due to McCain's pro-illegal/amnesty positions!!!!!

The majority of those voters who were supporting Thompson would have probably gone to Romney!!

I think you're right.

Even if Fred Thompson stays in the race, the voters now realize he is not a viable candidate and will not waste their votes on him again, so he will no longer drain many votes away from Romney or Huckster (whom many mistakenly think is an anti-illegal alien candidate).

If Fred endorses McCain, this will have little effect in persuading Fred Heads to vote for McCain since most Fred Heads oppose illegal immigration.

Originally Posted by Skippy

Some of the pundits on Fox News are saying that Thompson stayed in the GOP race to help McCain win SC, takng votes away from Huckabee. Looking back now at one of the GOP debates where Thompson came out strongly critizing Huckabee's previous stance on illegal immigration and a lot of other areas, yet never confronted McCain about the same issues in that debate. The pundits also mentioned that independent voters helped McCain win in SC.

It is beginning to look that way. I would think that Thompson would be more concerned about competing with McCain, than Huckabee.

Maybe it is time for Thompson to give up. He never really acted like he wanted to be in the race anyway. He was late in making up his mind to run, and then a no-show at alot of functions and debates. His attitude was "If I get elected so be it, if not, that's okay."

Originally Posted by Skippy

The pundits also mentioned that independent voters helped McCain win in SC.

Yup, see this from the NYT:

An exit poll in South Carolina offered evidence of the challenge Mr. McCain faces: 8 in 10 of the voters in the primary described themselves as Republicans, and just 3 in 10 of them voted for Mr. McCain. The finding suggests what Mr. McCain’s rivals were saying Saturday night: that he might not have won without the help of voters outside his party.