(2007-04-02) — Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson yesterday declared his intention to leverage his fame as former secretary of health and human services into a 90-day run for the U.S. presidency.
Mr. Thompson also hopes to garner an initial flurry of campaign dollars until donors figure out that he’s not former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, the actor who stars in NBC’s Law & Order, who has not yet indicated his presidential intentions.
By announcing on April 1, Mr. Thompson takes advantage of the full 2nd-quarter fundraising cycle before his planned news conference in early July 2007, at which he’ll withdraw from the race because “the political process is too focused on big money donors and special interest groups and not enough on the people,” according to a leaked draft of his scheduled July remarks.
Mr. Thompson’s many trips to Iowa have paid off, with polls showing that he’s running a strong 5th-place in a hypothetical race for President of Iowa, in the event the state should secede from the Union.
Campaign insiders said that if the White House bid goes well, Mr. Thompson has “a decent shot at getting a seat in the next Republican presidential cabinet, perhaps as secretary of health and human services.”
34 responses so far ↓
1 upnorthlurkin // Apr 2, 2007 at 8:35 am
God Bless America!
2 Darthmeister // Apr 2, 2007 at 9:01 am
I still have my money on the centrist ticket: Clinton/O’Donnell 2008.
3 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 9:09 am
Somehow-with some vague, awkward sense of a skewed perspective at work in the electoral “system”-it bugs me that presidential hopefuls are ranked, like seeds in a tournament, according to the value of their war chest rather than their stand on the issues.
Call me naïve or idealistic or whatever, but it would sure be nice if a candidate’s credentials included more emphasis on their actual abilities, track records and intentions and less on their ability to hustle people for money or their alleged, so-called “popularity”.
There’s just something unseemly about money being the deciding factor; or, at least, the appearance and/or implication that it is so.
4 Day Spa » Tommy Thompson Announces 90-Day White House Run // Apr 2, 2007 at 9:29 am
[…] Original post by Scott Ott and software by Elliott […]
5 The World According to Nick - Not An April Fools Joke // Apr 2, 2007 at 9:33 am
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6 Maggie // Apr 2, 2007 at 10:18 am
Darth…….re#2……funny :>)
7 Ms RightWing, Ink // Apr 2, 2007 at 10:48 am
Hmm, catchy name, good Northern state where Beer and Brats flow like honey. All he needs is a catchy tune and by garsh, I think he could make it.
Just don’t confuse him with the machine gun maker-sorta tough for the no gun, no time, no how, crowd.
8 RedPepper // Apr 2, 2007 at 10:56 am
Hmmm. I wonder why else the announcement was made on April Fool’s Day!
Nahh. On second thought, forget it!
Humor is dead in this country …
9 Darthmeister // Apr 2, 2007 at 12:08 pm
SURPEME COURT RULES: ‘CLIMATE CHANGE IS SERIOUS’…
Hmmmmm, the vaunted Court must be ruling on the environmental principles set forth in Article 8, Paragraph 1, section 3, sub-section 7. Oh wait, there isn’t an Article 8 … sheesh!
10 Darthmeister // Apr 2, 2007 at 12:14 pm
… maybe the court is angling for a Section 8 instead.
11 woodnwheel // Apr 2, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Speaking of Fred Thompson, Slate’s Andy Bowers has a (surprisingly) humorous “first ad” for him, which you can view here.
12 boberinyetagain // Apr 2, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Humor isn’t dead, we just aren’t allowed to laugh.
That would be incorrect don’tcha know?
I believe that cracking a smile is ok as long as you can claim you were thinking of something else besides the joke at hand. Just have a good excuse ready.
13 boberinyetagain // Apr 2, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Next the court will weigh in on heart attacks.
I can hardly wait
14 boberinyetagain // Apr 2, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Fine then
15 conserve-a-tips // Apr 2, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Darthmeister - the centrist ticket. Got a good gaffaw out of that.
James - don’t you find it ironic that in the shadow of “campaign finance reform” money is playing more of a part then ever?
16 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 3:05 pm
RE: #15~~
conserve-a-tips~~
Yes. There’s just something “funky” about it that I can’t quite articulate.
17 woodnwheel // Apr 2, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Another note: Tommy Thompson calls himself the “reliable conservative” in the race for president. Yet at the same time, he supports stem cell research, which I take to mean embryonic stem cell research. Since when did it become the conservative position to support what many (including myself) believe to be the taking of innocent human life?
18 boberinyetagain // Apr 2, 2007 at 4:50 pm
oh good grief!
19 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 5:12 pm
My cat, Joe (F-TX), has announced that, if elected president, he will refund the $500,000,000 in campaign contributions he has received from fellow felines by taxing all canines.
20 Darthmeister // Apr 2, 2007 at 5:29 pm
JL3rd,
I’m just waiting for the day when some brilliant politician is able to make the argument it would be more efficient and cheaper to simply allow candidates to buy off voters.
As I’ve noted here before, the McCain/Feingold is an egregious violation of the First Amendment right to free speech anywhere, anytime and I don’t think money in politics is necessarily a corrupting influence but rather it is corrupt politicians who whore themselves to money. But has anyone figured up in a Presidential election how much campaign money throughout the whole process is actually spent on the the roughly 70 million Americans who end up voting in November?
21 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 5:44 pm
The Supreme Court has ruled that the EPA has been remiss in its duties by not regulating exhaling-that Congress, when it wrote and approved the Clean Air Act, actually meant to define anything whatsoever that enters the ambient atmosphere as pollution.
22 Darthmeister // Apr 2, 2007 at 5:44 pm
AP - Washington
Today Iranian officials announced that all thirty British Marines have “admitted guilt” in violating Iranian territorial waters.
When one Iranian spokesman was asked how this was possible since they are only presently holding fifteen British Marines, he responded, “If we had captured thirty British Marines instead they would have all admitted guilt, too. Same difference.”
23 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 5:59 pm
RE: #20~~
Dartmeister~~
Every time someone mentions McCain/Feingold I have to pinch myself-this just has to be a bad dream.
I agree that there’s no way around the necessity of campaign funds. It’s just that the media is inordinately focused on it.
Metaphorically, it’s as if tonight’s game need not be played and OSU declared the de facto winner because OSU has more money in the bank. (I don’t know if they really do or not)
24 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Whatever happened to “Name, Rank and Serial Number”?
What’s up with those Brits!?!
They wouldn’t be able to parade me on TV like that because, even if they pounded on me for a week, I’d be spitting in their sub-human faces.
25 Beerme // Apr 2, 2007 at 6:08 pm
One Iranian interrogator was heard to say that some of the British sailors had admired the Iranians so much they actually stated some of their interrogators were apparently related to the great British poet, Robert Browning.
“It is true! The sailors kept looking admirably at me and Achmed while we asked them to denounce their imperialist country, saying, ‘Bob’s yer Uncle’! Certainly they were alluding to the great poet of their country when they said these things. By the way, what is meant by this ‘bollucks’? I think it may be a reference to the greatness of the Prophet (PBUH)…”
26 GnuCarSmell // Apr 2, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Thompson seems like a nice enough chap, but I doubt he’ll set the world on fire. I guess both parties have their share of weak candidates.
Speaking of Dennis Kucinich, I couldn’t purge a mental picture of a young Dennis as I read this story about 12-year-old Kyle Krichbaum.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2998021
Let’s just say Kyle has an unusual hobby.
27 RedPepper // Apr 2, 2007 at 7:07 pm
JL3 #21: Someone had better take note of all those cattle then - they are committing some serious flatulence !
Meanwhile , the horrific dangers posed by DiHydrogen MonOxide are being completely ignored by the EPA … and the rest of the federal government ! Since DHMO is, among other things, a major greenhouse gas, perhaps we’ll finally see some attempt to regulate this menace !
In case you are unfamiliar with this substance, DHMO :
* also known as hydroxl acid, is the major component of acid rain ;
* can cause severe burns ;
* contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape ;
* accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals ;
* may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes ;
* has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients ;
and causes other deleterious effects far too numerous to list here ! Hit the link for more info !
28 mindknumbed kid // Apr 2, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Maybe the EPA can regulate the foul stench seeping out of Washington these days, if they would just contain the liberals it would be a great start in cleaning up our country.
29 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 7:42 pm
RE: #27~~
RedPepper~~
Heh. I don’t need to click it, I’m familiar with the substance.
I remember when that first started going around, I caught it right off, and marveled at how many didn’t.
30 onlineanalyst // Apr 2, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Well, Washington, D.C. is built on a swamp. When Congress reconvenes, will this quagmire of duplicity and power grabbing be another enactment of Return of the Swamp People? It’s a downright Blue Lagoon with a lot of Dhimmicrat snakes in the grass.
31 camojack // Apr 2, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Maybe I should run…except my knee doesn’t like running so well these days.
32 Darthmeister // Apr 2, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Terminator vs Robocop vs Predator.
… All bee baaack!
33 Darthmeister // Apr 2, 2007 at 10:17 pm
A Bloomberg poll last month found that 61% of Americans believe withholding funding for the war is a bad idea, while only 28% believe it is a good idea.
According to a March USA Today/Gallup poll, 61% of Americans oppose “denying the funding needed to send any additional troops to Iraq.” It also showed that only 20% of Americans want to withdraw the troops immediately.
Public Opinion Strategies recently reported that a majority of voters (54%) oppose the Democrats imposing a reduction in troops below the level military commanders requested.
Another Public Opinion Strategies poll in February found that 59% of voters believe pulling out of Iraq immediately would do more to harm America’s reputation in the world than staying until order is restored. It also finds 57% of voters support staying in Iraq until the job is finished and “the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security for its people.”
According to a Time magazine poll also taken in March, only 32% want to withdraw the troops within the next year no matter what happens.
34 JamesonLewis3rd // Apr 2, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Not one to allow the spotlight to stray far from his madness, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday he wants to cut off money for the Iraq war next year, making clear for the first time that Democrats are willing to pull out all the stops to end U.S. involvement.
John F. Kerry and Russ Feingold have jumped on his bandwagon, hoping some of the glow will reflect onto them.
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