As far back as 2004 and the 2006 mid-term elections, I started studying potential Republican candidates for the 2008 Presidential election. Very concerned about a party seemingly void of any up and coming conservative talent, I started polling my regular readers in a nationwide search for the next Republican leader.
I asked open ended questions, naming nobody, but instead asking readers to come up with their own names and immediately, from the very first internal poll, my readers came up with Fred Thompson. It wasn’t until months later, and several columns regarding poll results later, that a buzz about a potential Thompson run started.
Just before Thompson announced last September, I asked readers to choose from a field of more than a dozen announced and unannounced candidates and again, the overwhelming support, more than 50% went to Thompson.
Today, after Thompson placed third in Iowa and looks to be finishing last in New Hampshire, I asked readers to choose between a field of the five front-running Republicans, one of which will be the RNC nominee. Although the official race is far from settled, conservatives seem more certain than ever…
Here are the results of my regular reader poll
Thompson 67.6%
Giuliani 9.2%
Huckabee 8.8%
Romney 8.8%
McCain 5.7%
I then asked, assuming Thompson to be the nominee, would Republican voters…
• Gladly support Thompson? 83.8%
• Reluctantly support Thompson? 8.8%
• Vote Democrat? 2.9%
• Vote Third Party? 2.9%
• Abstain in protest? 1.5%
At least 92.6% of active Republican voters would unite behind Thompson. (Not all JB readers are Republicans. A few are Democrats who like to abuse themselves by reading my conservative column.)
JB Conservatives
Since my internal poll results do not track at all with any MSM or Party polling results, allow me to explain who my regular readers are.
Lots of folks call themselves “conservatives” today, even though many of them hold quite liberal positions on a laundry list of issues and public policies. We must face the fact that America has been conditioned to vote for (temporarily limited) democratic socialism for the last 60 years, including many Republicans.
These folks are seldom regular readers of mine. I write far too conservative for most “moderate” Republicans and I’m often threatened with a lynching by completely intolerant hardcore liberals.
At the core or my regular reader group you will find both active duty and retired military personnel, from boots on the ground in the Middle East to Generals at the Pentagon. Most JB readers have military experience on their résumé.
JB readers range in age from mid 20s to late 70s, although the JB readers' average age is in the 50s.
My readers have been accused of being right-wing religious zealots. If that were true, my readers would have chosen Pastor Huckabee, like the Iowa evangelicals did.
My readers have been accused of being neocons. But if that were true, they would have chosen Rudy, Romney or McCain, all favorites of the Fox Neocon Network.
My readers have been accused of being selfish rich snobs interested in doing nothing for needy fellow human beings, here or abroad. But if that were true, my readers would be Ron Paul supporters.
JB readers are family oriented, self-reliant, morally conscious, constitution loving patriots, all in all, very average traditional conservative Americans who still believe in Old Glory, apple pie and Chevy’s. They want peace, but are willing to whip your tail if need be, to have it. They like Fred Thompson… and so do I.
For Conservatives, the race begins in South Carolina
No conservative was ever going to win Iowa or New Hampshire, although New Hampshire will identify the most conservative Republican in the race. He will place last in New Hampshire.
So the focus for conservatives begins in South Carolina. As the race moves south and the overcrowded field of unlikely contenders thins down to the five who could actually win the nomination, Republicans will get a closer look at their five primary contenders and it is now Thompson’s time to shine.
Only five have a chance of becoming the RNC nominee. Don’t be angry with me, it’s a mathematical reality. The performing seal variety of debates is over and substance will begin to trump style.
Mitt is the richest and prettiest Republican candidate. But he isn’t able to carry the northeast, where he should be strongest. That’s a problem…
Rudy is the quickest on the snappy come back. But outside of New York or California, he’s not scoring well, even in the northeast where he too should be strongest. The most liberal Republican in the race won’t do well in the conservative south or the wild west.
McCain will always be the Vietnam hero, but he is headed for a repeat of 2000 when his success ended in New Hampshire. McCain-Feingold and Immigration Reform will block him everywhere but the northeast.
Pastor Mike will always be the affable guitar picking nice guy from Arkansas. But even evangelicals will begin to look past that boyish smile and southern Baptist humor, towards actual qualifications to lead the free world during a time of international turbulence and national threat. Mike’s not ready for the big show. His repeated stumbles on foreign policy prove it.
The Only Traditional Conservative in the Race
More than a year ago, JB readers knew something that others are just now coming to learn. As conservative media giants Rush and David Limbaugh recently pointed out, “Fred Thompson is the only true conservative in the race.”
As a result, 67.6% of JB regular readers have chosen Fred Thompson over all other candidates as the right Republican to lead the party and the nation into a new era of conservative values and principled policies.
The question is this… Will moderate Republicans follow the lead of the conservative core of the GOP for a change, or continue to insist that core conservatives once again ignore their conservative principles and line up behind another Republican too compassionate towards leftist compromises?
It’s Fred Thompson Time
I don’t endorse candidates and frankly, my endorsement wouldn’t mean anything to anyone even if I did. But Fred is the only candidate I can support in the 2008 race.
• He’s the only traditional conservative in the race
• He’s the adult in the room
• He’s the most qualified to lead
• He’s the most detailed and consistent in his positions
• He’s substance over style
• And he happens to be right on the issues
Clearly, the time has come for all those who asked Fred to run, to take a stand beside Fred and make it possible for him to answer that call to lead.
It’s time for all Thompson supporters to dig deep and put their money where their mouth has been for months! Invest in the future of the conservative movement, or forever hold your tongue regarding the outcome of the 2008 election and what follows.
He wanted to place third in Iowa and he did. The most conservative candidate was always going to finish last in New Hampshire. But the most conservative candidate should finish first in South Carolina and Florida. With adequate funding, I believe he will.
It’s time for Thompson supporters to step up
The leftist MSM won’t help and neither will the RINOs atop the RNC power structure. If Republicans want the most qualified conservative in the race, it’s Fred Thompson.
All four of the other candidates are counting on liberal (aka moderate) voters to help them defeat the Democrat in November. Thompson is the only Republican candidate who is not pandering for liberal voters. Instead, Thompson is counting on the conservatives who drafted him, to fight for conservative values and a truly conservative agenda.
You asked him to run - now he’s asking for your help!
Do it now, before South Carolina, when it really counts! [url=http://www.fred08.com]http://www.fred08.com[/url]
