Comments Posted By Melissa
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PASSION AND PARANOIA
"That worked well for them didn't it?"
Yes. They won.
Um...they lost in 2004 Melissa - partly because of their pandering to the kooks. A pie eyed prostitute could have beaten the GOP in 2006 and by 2008 they had shunted the real crazies to the sidelines.
ed.
Comment Posted By Melissa On 14.09.2009 @ 11:23
Okay, Bill here you go:(paraphrased from his website)
Attended Memphis State and Vanderbilt.
Thompson campaigned for Goldwater and, after graduating from law school, returned to Lawrenceburg to hang his shingle. Along the way, he founded a Young Republican Club, the first in an area of a state that was decidedly Democrat, and earned a seat on the county's Republican Executive Committee.
Met then governor Ronald Reagan in 1968 and was hooked on Reagan thereafter.
Thompson was named an assistant United States attorney in Nashville, where he earned the reputation as a tough prosecutor.
Helped manage U.S. Senator Howard Baker’s re-election campaign.
Involved in the Watergate scandal as minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee.
He is the person who uttered the line "What did the he know and when did he know it?"
He maintained law offices in Nashville and Washington. His practice varied from pro bono work to representing the state of Tennessee and large corporations, such as Westinghouse.
Thompson represented Marie Ragghianti after she turned to him after being fired from her position as chairman of the Tennessee Parole Board during the administration of Gov. Ray Blanton. Thompson confirmed that her firing was due to her refusal to release prison felons who had bribed Blanton aides to buy their freedom. Blanton additionally set his media friends on her, smearing her reputation.
Thompson filed a suit challenging Marie Ragghianti’s dismissal. Later, she recalled for a reporter, “He told me that it was a real pleasure to represent someone that was the good guy. Which didn't mean that he was convinced we were gonna win. But anyway, he did a fine job, to put it mildly.â€
In fact, a jury found in July, 1978, that Gov. Blanton had fired her “arbitrarily and capriciously†and ordered her reinstatement with an award of $38,000 for back pay. Ragghianti’s case would garner national attention, along with the publication of a book titled, simply, Marie. The book was later made into a film by the same name, in which Thompson was asked by the producers to portray himself.
Marie launched Thompson’s longstanding film and television career. Over the years, he’s appeared in more than 18 films, including No Way Out, In the Line of Fire, Die Hard II, Days of Thunder and The Hunt for Red October. Recently, he has become known for his portrayal of New York District Attorney Arthur Branch on the hit NBC show, Law & Order.
Between roles, Thompson continued his work as an attorney and public servant.
He served as special counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1980 and the Senate Intelligence Committee in 1982. As an attorney, the founding “first principle†of the rule of law had shaped his life.
Thompson ran to fill the remaining two years of an unexpired Senate term. It was a tough race; his Democrat opponent was a 6 term Congressman. Thompson refused to play by the establishment’s political rules. Down 20 points in the polls, Thompson undertook what has become a legendary campaign. Driving a red pickup truck, he took to the highways and back roads of the Volunteer State, talking to Tennessee citizens from the back of what became the symbol of his campaign. He said it made him comfortable—taking him back to the days of his Dad’s used car lot in Lawrenceburg.
Thompson spoke about the need for a competent and ethical federal government, reminding voters of the importance of self-government and lower taxes. His effort paid off, and the message took. He moved from 20 points down to winning by 20 points. Thompson’s margin of victory and his independent approach to campaigning was not lost in a year where the GOP was swept into leadership in “Contract with America†sweep that year.
Two years later, in 1996, the people of Tennessee returned him to office with more votes than any candidate for any office in the state’s history. Voters seemed to like the lawmaker they’d elected who had an independent streak.
During his time in the Senate, Thompson focused on three key areas: lowering our taxes, strengthening national security, and what the American-Statesman called “the unglamorous work of trying to expose waste†and to change the federal government.
As Chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, Thompson enacted a law that required federal agencies to calculate and report the cost of regulations on taxpayers and businesses.
Press reports stated: “He put heat on federal agencies by holding hearings on mismanagement and by asking them to tote up the improper payments they made each year.†That added up to about $20 billion in taxpayer dollars. His efforts saved taxpayers more than $2 billion in 2005-06 alone at the Department of Health and Human Services.
He published a report, “Government on the Brink,†(Volume 1 and Volume 2) detailing the waste, fraud, and abuse of federal agencies as well as the management challenges facing the incoming Bush Administration. Paul Light, a New York University professor and leading expert on government, said, “I consider him to be one of the most dedicated overseers of the executive branch of the last 25 years.â€In 1997, as chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, he opened an investigation into attempts by the Chinese government to influence America policies and elections through, among other means, financing election campaigns. The investigation identified at least six Democrat donors and fundraisers, with ties to the Clinton Administration, who had laundered or aided in the laundering and distribution of foreign money into Democrat political party coffers. The investigation also exposed two Democrat Party donors with “a long-term relationship with a Chinese intelligence agency," according to the Senate committee’s report.
In his eight years, Thompson, who served on the Finance Committee, supported and worked to enact three major tax-cut bills, reducing the federal tax burden on all of us.
As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Thompson focused on the threat of nuclear proliferation and technology transfers that could damage American industrial and national security.
While a vocal supporter of free trade, Thompson has also fought to link free trade to our national security interests. For example, when voting to grant full-trading status to China, Senator Thompson fought unsuccessfully to include an amendment in the bill that would have required the president to impose sanctions against China if it violated nuclear-nonproliferation agreements.
Thompson also served on the Intelligence Committee at a time when it examined the failings in intelligence and analysis leading into the September 11th terrorist attacks, as well as the reforms needed to better prepare for future threats.
Comment Posted By Melissa On 15.01.2008 @ 17:10
BLOGBURST FOR FRED: MAN THE OARS AND START PULLING
Make that $548K and rolling right along after he won the debate. GO FRED!
Instead of going out for lunch tomorrow, take your lunch and donate the money you would have spent to Fred. He needs the money and, let's face it, we can probably stand to do with a few less calories every once in a while.
Comment Posted By Melissa On 10.01.2008 @ 23:17
They're almost there at approximately $520k. The number has been growing by leaps and bounds all day long. He was on Hannity's show this afternoon which is about the same time the totals on the red pick up started rising.
If you don't want to continue to support him, fine, stop trying to discourage the rest of us. A lot of us here are in this for the long haul, instead of being fairweather friends.
Comment Posted By Melissa On 10.01.2008 @ 20:28
GOP DEBATE AN EXERCISE IN PILING ON
I thought, too, it was hilarious that he was sitting beside Ron Paul. He was in the right position to be able to smack him upside the head and say "What's wrong with you?" if necessary. Maybe that's why Paul sort of behaved himself?
Comment Posted By Melissa On 6.01.2008 @ 00:44
I think Fred knows he isn't going to do well in NH. I also think his strategy tonight was to sit back and let the other candidates do the damage to themselves while getting in a good point or jab when he could get a word in edgewise. Tomorrow night's debate should be even more fun.
Comment Posted By Melissa On 6.01.2008 @ 00:42
I heard Fred on Hannity last night and he said that he's not bowing out after Iowa and that he has a good feeling about his chances there. I get the sneaking suspicion that he's polling better than we're being told. Have a look at Rasmussen's reports over the past few days. He's showing 73% of undecideds leaning heavily toward Thompson or Huckabee as their choice.
Comment Posted By Melissa On 3.01.2008 @ 16:42
A LITTLE PHYSICAL HUMOR FOR YOUR MORNING PLEASURE
Go to the chiropractor today. You'll cut down your recovery time significantly. (I'm a tad biased, as I am a chiropractor.:)
Comment Posted By Melissa On 5.03.2007 @ 11:49
