Classic Fred

Here is a link to a post on RedState about some "yearbook" questions the AP sent to all of the candidates and Fred Thompson's responses. Its classic Fred like the Michael Moore cigar video and the "no hands show" at the DMR debate last week.

Fred needs a lot of buzz over the next couple of weeks and stuff like this may get him some. You have to give it Fred, win or loose, he's certainly having fun.

Jerome

Stem Cell Research

Big news yesterday regarding stem cell research. It seems that despite all the protestations from liberal groups about President Bush's veto of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, that the same -- if not better -- cures can be obtained without the destruction of human life. National Review Online has several stories today on this subject but none more succinct than this one by Wesley J. Smith. President Bush did what was morally right and science has now vindicated that decision. This issue will certainly have an impact on the 2008 presidential election. The democratic candidates have been placating to the liberal interest groups by promising federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (a/k/a the destruction of life for scientific purposes) and will now be called on it. The debate on this topic now shifts in favor of those who are and were opposed to federal funding -- and the research in general -- of embryonic stem cell research.

Fred Thompson has consistently been opposed to embryonic stem cell research and in favor of adult stem cell research. He issued this statement yesterday. I applaud Fred for his unwavering stance on this important issue.

I haven't seen a public statement on this issue from Mike Huckabee since the news yesterday but here is a link to his website page on this issue.

This Pew Forum web page summarizes all of the candidates positions and indicates that Romney supports using embryos left over from fertility treatments but prior to 2005 broadly supported embryonic stem cell research. McCain and Giuliani both support increased federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

So Thompson and Huckabee have both consistently been opposed to embryonic stem cell research. To me that speaks volumes of both candidates. Perhaps with this new break through in science the other candidates will change their positions. Preserving human life is important and no life should be expended for the purpose of scientific research.

Jerome

What Will Be Impact of NRLC Endorsement?

There will be many articles and blog posts today and tomorrow about what impact the NRLC endorsement might have on the Fred Thompson campaign. David Fredoso has a pretty good piece on National Review Online where he interviews some people from Iowa. They basically say they'd like to see the reasoning behind the NRLC endorsement before they line up behind Thompson.

I pointed out in my earlier post the rationale contained in the NRLC press release, but is there something we're missing? Why did NRLC issue its endorsement now? Was it to sway voters away from Giuliani and toward Thompson? I don't think so. Giuliani is running in fourth place in Iowa and has basically written off the Iowa caucuses. So Thompson doesn't need the NRLC's endorsement to beat Giuliani in Iowa. What about Romney? Could be. Romney's pre-presidential campaign conversion on the abortion issue has pursuaded some evangelicals and pro-lifers to follow him but not many. Most still can't get past Romney's faith. I think the real reason for the NRLC endorsement and the timing of it has to do with Mike Huckabee. Huckabee has been making great strides in recent days mainly because of his showing at the Value Voters meeting in D.C. A strong showing in Iowa -- primarily among evangelicals and the pro-life community -- would give Huckabee tremendous momentum going into New Hampshire and South Carolina. So Thompson needs to finish ahead of Huckabee in Iowa to keep Huckabee from taking the momentum from there and beating Thompson in South Carolina. And that's what I think is the reasoning and timing behind the NRLC endorsement. Thompson needs the bump to finish ahead of Huckabee in Iowa and NRLC is trying to deliver that for him.

Jerome

Mike Huckabee Moving Up

Mike Huckabee continues to move up not only in political polls but also on Technorati. Technorati maintains most popular lists and "Mike Huckabee" is the 7th most popular search phrase. Click on Huckabee's name and you can see numerous blog entries about Mike Huckabee.

Huckabee is now polling at 7.7% in the Real Clear Politics Average and his best showing is 12% in the Rasmussen poll. Back in the summer, Huckabee was polling at 2% or 3%. Guiliani still leads with Thompson second, McCain, Romney and Huckabee in fifth place. The Iowa caucuses are only about 2 months away and a strong showing there could really propel Huckabee into the top tier.

The media (even international media) continues to report that Fred Thompson's campaign is uninspiring. It will be interesting to see if Thompson's campaign gains some traction in the next few weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses. I hope he does.

Jerome

What's At Stake in '08?

The Supreme Court. And it is likely that the Supreme Court will be a big issue in the presidential campaign.

Tom Delay has an article this month in townhall.com that addresses just this issue. And senate democrats continue to block confirmation of qualified federal court judges.

The best thing that might happen for republicans in 2008 is for there to be a senate battle over confirmation of a Supreme Court justice. With Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito, the Supreme Court is only one justice away from containing a majority of strict constructionists.

Can you imagine one of the democratic candidates being in a position to appoint justices to the Supreme Court? It might happen if republicans and conservatives don't wake up and work hard to elect a republican president.

Jerome

Thompson Closing in on Guiliani

New poll numbers are out and the soon-to-be-candidate Fred Thompson is closing in on Guiliani's lead. Here are some numbers. Rasmussen has Thompson in a tie with Guiliani. These poll numbers has Thompson in second place among the GOP field.

George Will asks whether Fred Thompson's bubble will burst like the dot come craze of the 1990's. Is Thompson all charm and no substance?

Then there is this recurring question of whether Guiliani can win the nomination? In order to do so he'll have to win over the conservative Christians in the republican party.

And if John McCain's campaign is out of money, then will the republican primary come down to a horse race between the late starting Thompson campaign and the pro-choice campaign of Rudy Guiliani? So far it doesn't seem like and second tier candidates such as Mike Huckabee can gain any traction.

Jerome

Fred's In (Probably)

If you haven't already heard, the word on the street is that Fred Thompson is definitely running for president. He is expected to announce around the Fourth of July. Also, check out this article. There are several articles today on this topic. This blog questions whether Fred really wants it. Another article debates whether he will play well outside of the south. And still another discusses what other republican candidates a Thompson campaign will hurt (and this one does too). This recent buzz was generated as a result of a fundraising conference call Thompson had recently with large donors.

Frankly, I'm glad he's getting in. I think it will give some energy to the republican primary that is lacking so far, and if he wins the nomination I think he has the ability to beat any nominee the democrats put forward.

Jerome

Fred Thompson & Abortion

Many bloggers have already covered this ground but I also wanted to mention it here. When Fred Thompson announced on Chris Wallace's show that he was considering a run for the White House, he curtly answered "pro-life" when Wallace asked him his position on abortion. Since then, this video has been posted on YouTube, and this survey from Thompson's 1994 senate race was posted on Project Vote Smart.

If he decides to run (and indications are that he is leaning that direction), then Thompson will need to clearly and succintly clarify his position on abortion. Is he absolutely pro-life and opposed to abortion under any circumstances or does he believe there should be some exceptions? I think that it is clear he is not pro-choice as most would define that term. His voting record in the senate was completely pro-life. But I think that he will need to clarify his position for evangelicals and the religious right. The issue is important to many in the republican party even if they are not one issue voters.

Jerome

The Religious Right Kingmaker

I found this article in the Wall Street Journal particularly interesting. It labels Richard Land as the "would-be" kingmaker among conservative Christians. Clearly he doesn't like or support Guiliani. I get the impression he could get behind Mitt Romney if he takes a lead -- and Land's advice. And then there is the litmus test of electability. While Land likes candidates such as Huckabee, Brownback and Hunter, he doesn't find them electable. And he certainly isn't in favor of a Gingrich candidacy. But one thing did catch my eye in this article. Land is quoted as saying that a Fred Thompson candidacy was "tantalizing." That's interesting.

Land is clearly playing his cards close to his vest and hasn't endorsed a candidate yet. But we conservative Christians are in a strange predicament this presidential election. The lending contenders are far from perfect. Of the top tier, Land clearly finds Romney's candidacy as the most likeable. He refused to describe Romney's changing position on abortion as a flip flop but rather as a journey to the truth.

Speaking of Fred Thompson, he has also generated some interest in the British press. This report in The Telegraph indicates that many former Ronald Reagan allies are lining up behind Thompson. And the Draft Fred Thompson campaign has moved into Texas. I think an announcement by Thompson is imminent.

Jerome

Stem Cell Funding Headed for Another Veto

The senate today voted to authorize federal funding for stem cell research that would lead to -- either directly or indirectly -- the destruction of human embryos. The president is expected to veto it. I hope he does. If allowed to pass, the federal funding would result in the destruction of embryos for scientific purposes. It would result in the further disrespect of the sanctity of human life.

There are other promising scientific discoveries that should be pursued instead of embryonic stem cell research. Adult stem cells should be further researched as should the recent discovery of stem cells in amniotic fluid. I'm interested to see what Professor Robbie George will have to say about this most recent attempt by the democratic controlled senate.

I recently read an article about other stem cell research that would not promote the destruction of embryos. This research which some republicans seek to fund would allow research on embryos which scientist determine are not capable of surviving in the womb. This opens another interesting discussion -- and scientific avenue -- which must be considered instead of embryonic stem cell research.

The debate about embryonic stem cell research is an important one. It will (at least should) be an important part of the debate in the upcoming presidential election. If a democrat is elected president, and we still have a democratic controlled congress, then we certainly will see federally funded embryonic stem cell research. All the more reason to support (and elect) a conservative republican back to the White House.

Jerome

Catching Up

I was out of town most of last week and have been catching up on some reading since I returned. There was an article in Friday's Wall Street Journal that, as a writer, interested me. It was written by Carl Bialik, The Numbers Guy, about online bestseller lists like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. The article certainly doesn't explain how the sales rankings, particularly Amazon, are created but it is interesting to read how those are manipulated.

The article quoted Rick Frishman who I heard at the Mega Book University earlier this month in Los Angeles. Frishman is a bestselling writer but also heads up the New York PR firm Ruder Finn. Frishman is connected with Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup fame, and claims that for a mere $10,000-$15,000 he can get a book propelled to the on-line bestseller lists. Frishman, Hansen, Alex Mandossian, and the other marketing professionals I saw at Mega Book are certainly successful and I wouldn't discount anything they say. Obviously they are trying to make money but what they say about the publishing industry and marketing carries a tremendous amount of weight.

On a different front, I continue to be amazed and pleasantly surprised at the interest in a Fred Thompson presidential campaign. It has been over two weeks now since Thompson said he was considering a run, and he still garners more attention on the web and in the media than any of the republican candidates who have announced that they are running. Robert Novak mentioned Thompson in his article this week. One blog has had several posts about Thompson's position on abortion I haven't posted in over a week, but I still have hits on my site from people all over the country (and from some outside of the country) looking for information about Fred Thompson's positions on different issues and about his faith. It will still be several months before Thompson decides to run but he is already sucking air out of some of the other candidates campaigns.

Personally I hope Thompson gets in. It will make the republican primary interesting and if he wins, he will be tough to beat in the general election.

Jerome