Arrangements for Senator Fred Thompson

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--The following information was provided by the Thompson family regarding the arrangements for Senator Fred Thompson: Services will be held this Friday, November 6, at 10AM CT at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville (301 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37243). The service is open to the public.

 Following the service, family and friends will go to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee for a Hometown Tribute at the Crockett Theatre. A private burial will be held in Lawrenceburg. Woodlawn Funeral Home of Nashville is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the Thompson family asks for donations to the following organizations:

• Alive Hospice 1718 Patterson Street, Nashville, TN 37203 www.alivehospice.org 
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee 1704 Charlotte Ave, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37203 www.bgcmt.org 
• Mayo Clinic, Department of Development 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905 www.mayoclinic.org/giving-to-mayo-clinic 
• MusiCorps P.O. Box 73051, Washington, DC 20056 www.musicorps.net "

All Tennesseans are welcome to join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Senator Thompson," stated Ryan Haynes, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.

Top Stories

Fred Thompson, RIP

Fred Thompson

TNGOP press release, NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former U.S. Senator, presidential candidate, and famed actor Fred Thompson passed away today. Thompson represented Tennessee in Washington from 1994 – 2003. He gained notoriety by barnstorming Tennessee with a strongly conservative message in a red pickup truck.

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes remarked, "The news of Senator Thompson's passing gives me a heavy heart. This is a sad moment for all of us as our state has lost a larger-than-life figure. His quick wit, his hospitality, and his conservative beliefs reflected the best attributes of Tennessee. Senator Thompson was a statesman in every sense of the word. He will be missed as much for his friendship as he will for his leadership."

Former US Senator, Actor Fred Thompson Dead at 73 

ABC News - Former U.S. Senator and actor Fred Thompson has died at the age of 73, after a recurrence oFred Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, GOP presidential candidate, Watergate attorney and actor who starred on the television drama "Law and Order," died on Sunday in Nashville. He was 73.f lymphoma, according to a statement from his family. Thompson, who served eight years as a U.S. Senator for Tennessee, was also a GOP presidential candidate, an attorney during President Nixon's Watergate scandal and an accomplished actor.

"Very few people can light up the room the way Fred Thompson did," Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander said in a statement. "He ...(link)

Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson dies at 73 

The Tennessean - Fred Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, GOP presidential candidate, Watergate attorney and actor who starred on the television drama "Law and Order," died on Sunday in Nashville. He was 73.

.....In 1977, Mr. Thompson found himself representing the whistleblower in one of Tennessee's biggest political scandals. In her role as a parole administrator, Marie Ragghianti refused to release inmates granted pardons after paying then-Gov. Ray Blanton. Mr. Thompson successfully represented Ragghianti in a wrongful termination case, helping her win a settlement and a return to her job in 1978.

That case eventually became the subject of a book and launched Mr. Thompson's acting career. Mr. Thompson played himself in the 1985 version of the movie “Marie." Critics praised his performance, and more roles soon followed. (link)

Top Stories

Fred Thompson Supports Lamar Alexander in Endorsement Ad

Top Stories

Fred Thompson Endorses Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich is the guy who can articulate what America is all about--American Exceptionalism. He can make the case, not just read the talking points, or do it off a teleprompter. He can make the case for free markets, and our basic case that lower taxes can be good for everybody, and bring about growth. It's good for everybody. He's not afraid, and he's tough, and he's experienced. I don't think anymore that it's an advantage to be able to say I know nothing about the operation of the Federal government. - Fred Thompson

I like Fred Thompson and wish he would have been President. Fred Thompson was the candidate I wanted four years ago. Watch this video. He makes a very strong endorsement of Newt.

Top Stories

TO: Rod Williams
FROM: Fred Thompson

I know it seems a long way away. And I know that most of us are only now getting over the hyper-intense election of 2008. But there are election campaigns working now that will have a dramatic impact on your life, the lives of your family, and the future of nation. I am writing to you about one of the most important contests in the country, the battle for the U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut. Chris Dodd, the ultra-liberal Senator, has been exposed. The voters are turning against his brand of “do as I say, not as I do” of politics.

And we are in luck. We have a solid candidate, former Congressman Rob Simmons. Rob is currently running ahead in the polls. But an ocean of money is flowing against him, Every radical, left wing group in America is coming in to defend Chris Dodd. The unions are all in. And, we have to expect that the Obama machine will be put into full force. All of that – as intimidating as it may appear – is not enough to overcome the clear disdain of the people for Dodd’s actions.

Rob Simmons is the exactly the man to win this seat and remove Chris Dodd from the Senate. But he can’t do it alone. He needs the active help and financial support of every single American who values freedom and wants to see a return to fundamental First Principles. That is why I am asking you to make a donation to Rob Simmons for Senate today. You can make a donation by going to https://www.icontribute.us/robsimmons/initiative/thompson.

I know times are tough and that money doesn’t grow on trees. But this is one of the most important investments you can make for the future of our nation.

The stakes are so very high, please click here https://www.icontribute.us/robsimmons/initiative/thompson and make the most generous contribution you can.

Comment

There may be a real chance to defeat Chis Dodd. I would love to see it. His roll in the housing crisis is reason enough for him to be defeated. He is not only extremely liberal but ethically challenged. I sent a modest contribution. This looks like a campaign worth supporting. Please contribute. If all you can send is $5 or $10 or $20, do it. A lot of times I think people don't contribute to campaigns because they cannot make a large contribution. A lot of little contributions add up. If you contribute and Dodd is defeated, you will feel great and know you played a part in it.

Top Stories

Fred Thompson on an Obama Presidency

This is a great video! Fred Thompson talks for over twelve minutes about what a Barack Obama presidency would mean for America and the world. Unfortunately few Americans will probably have the opportunity to view it.

Thompson talks about the danger of the Democrats controlling all three branches of government. Things we will probably see under an Obama presidency include a curtailment of First Amendment rights as the Democrats reinstate the so-called Fairness doctrine. We will also probably see the end to the secrete ballot in the workplace, giving unions the power to impose unionization against the will of workers.

Most importantly, we will see a curtailment of economic liberty and an imposition of higher capital gains taxes which will destroy the economic engine of growth. I wish everyone could see this short video and consider the issues Thompson raises.

Top Stories

Fred, Why Did You Not Say It?

I was disappointed to see that the Fred Thompson presidential campaign never caught fire and that Thompson withdrew from the race. Fred was criticized for never having the drive and zeal necessary to win the nomination. I see a paradox in that I think that anyone who wants the job bad enough to do the things necessary to get it, may not be worthy enough to deserve it.

I admit that Thompson almost lost me a couple times. His verged on the edge of appealing to the worst in people on the immigration issue and he walked a fine line between being adequately pro American and pro defense and being jingoistic. I also was disappointed that at times Thompson seemed to be playing to the crowd that is dismissive of the science of global warming.

Nevertheless, I thought Thompson was the best candidate in the running. Thompson struck me as a person who was intelligent and thoughtful, and I thought he was the most mainstream reliable conservative in the race. I admired Fred Thompson for speaking the truth on social security and for advocating market solutions for health care reform.

What disappointed me in Thompson, was that I felt he never let loose and was himself. He never did do much to distinguish himself from the pack.

Columnist David Broder writes in a recent column of a meeting he had with Fred Thompson last summer in which Thompson discussed his plan to run. Broder writes that Thompson emphasized that the only reason he saw to run was to raise issues that the other candidates were too timid to address. Those issues included the need to expand military manpower and increase the Pentagon budget and taking on the out of control entitlement spending programs.

Broder writes:

Thompson was particularly critical of farm subsidies, and when I asked if he was really going to take that message to Iowa, he said, ‘Yes, but I'd like to keep that off the record until I announce out there.’ I agreed to omit that detail from my column but reported that he was going to enter the race with rhetorical guns blazing, and that was his reason for running.”

Then I sat back and waited -- and waited. In time, Thompson unveiled a serious proposal to attack the long-term deficits in Social Security -- another of the major entitlements. But I never heard the speech on the farm subsidies. When I asked for a follow-up interview with Thompson, his new press secretary found reasons to put me off.

Would a bolder campaign delivered with some of the personal passion I saw in Thompson at that lunch have produced a different result? I don't know, but given what he said about his motives, I suspect that Thompson would feel better today if he had followed his instincts instead of becoming a more conventional conservative.

I would have liked to have heard the speech that Thompson never gave. I sent Thompson a modest campaign contribution, but never developed a lot of enthusiasm for the campaign. If Thompson would have made the farm subsidy speech I could have dug deeper and become more passionate about the Thompson candidacy.

Our farm policy is irrational and expensive. It is the epitome of liberal economic policy making. It makes food cost billions more for Americans, it is bad for our health, it keeps families farming that don’t need to farm, it enriches the corporate factory farmer, it harms the environment, it keeps agriculture from flourishing in undeveloped countries and it undermines American leadership as an advocate for free trade. Yet, the policy continues and hardly anyone but the farmer pays any attention.

Fred, when you had the microphone, why did you not say what you knew needed to be said?

Top Stories

The Candidate Dating Game

My Match?

John McCain ? _______Mike Huckabee?________Chris Dodd??

The NPR web site has a link to four “candidates matching sites.” Each site has a series of questions that you answer and then the site tells you which candidate’s position most closely matches your position. I took all four of the quizzes.

On the Minnesota Public Radio Select a Candidate site I scored an 80% with John McCain, followed by a 50% match with Ron Paul and a 40% with Barack Obama.

According to the Glassbooth Election Quiz, I agree with John McCain 79% of the time which makes him my closest match.

In the Washington Post Choose Your Candidate quiz not all candidates are lumped in the same poll, so I took the Republican version of the quiz and my top choice was Mike Huckabee, followed by John McCain.

On the USA Today Poll my choices were Chris Dodd, followed by Hillary Clinton, and Mike Gravel.

I don’t know exactly what to make of this. I am supporting Fred Thompson, but apparently I seldom agree with him. He was not my match in any of the polls.

The quizzes my not rate highly enough the negatives of a candidate. John McCain was my closest match on two of the quizzes and the runner up on another. I like John McCain but when he said he would have supported the invasion of Iraq even if he did not believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that was reason enough to disqualify him in my view. Despite Mike Huckabee’s being my match on one of the polls, the big negative for Huckabee is his fundamentalist religious views. I am not comfortable with a candidate who wants to ensure the Constitution conforms to God’s law.

I am really surprised that I am most compatible with Chris Dodd, followed by Hillary Clinton and Mike Gravel! What? That is not the Rod Williams I know.

The quizzes do not rate candidates on your judgment of such things as the candidate’s temperament, experience, intelligence, and judgment or the intangible of just "likability".

Let me encourage you to take the quizzes and see if you are really a match with the candidate you are supporting. Leave a comment on this blog. I would be curious if others are surprised by the result. Did the quiz select the candidate you are supporting?


To go to the NPR site and take the quizzes, click the title of this post.

Top Stories

It's Fred!

Fred Thompson has favorably impressed me from the first time I ever heard of him. From his role in bringing down the corrupt administration of Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton and getting justice for whistle blower Marie Ragghianti, to his role as minority counsel in the Watergate hearings, to his service as Tennessee Senator, I have liked Fred Thompson.

When Fred Thompson announced for President on the Jay Leno show, however, I was less than impressed. With my disgust with the Bush administration, I wanted to see someone who would distance himself from Bush. Thompson didn’t do it, but I guess that was just too much to expect from any Republican candidate seeking his Party's nomination. (see “Not Ready to Jump …")

Today, I watched Fred Thompson being interviewed by Tim Russert on Meet the Press and liked what I heard. I am supporting Fred Thompson for President.

On the social issues: He and I are in the same place. He is a social conservative but not a hardliner in the pocket of the religious right. He doesn’t pander. He said the Federal Government should never have gotten involved in the Terri Schiavo case. Amen, Fred!

He flatly stated he did not support the Republican Party platform plank that calls for passing a Right to Life Amendment to the Constitution. He opposes abortion but does not support a constitutional amendment to outlaw it. He thinks Roe vs. Wade was wrongly decided and hopes someday it will be reversed. If it is, then no doubt many states will legalize abortion. He stated he believes in Federalism and the people of each state have the right to decide their states abortion policy. He also said that while he has always voted pro-life, that he admits that at times he has had doubts about the moment at which life begins. No doubt the most pro-life element in the Party will not be pleased with Fred’s response. Most people who consider themselves pro-life, I suspect, have a position closer to that of Thompson however, than to that of the pro-life activist.

On the issue of gay marriage, he said that while he believes marriage should be between a man and a women, if some state wants to define a marriage as a union of two people of the same sex, then that should be up to the people of that state.

On Foreign Policy: Fred said for now we need to stay the course in Iraq. Our policy is making progress. However, Fred does not become jingoistic and rattle sabers when talking about Iraq. He does not sound like a man on a crusade. He impresses me as someone who would be pragmatic and decide the best course of action as events unfold.

On Iran, he warned of the danger of a pre-emptive strike and said we need better intelligence and he was critical of the intelligence failure in Iraq. He said we should be doing more to support the moderate forces in Iran. While he said he would do all he could to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, I do not fear that a Fred Thompson Presidency would prematurely conduct a pre-emptive strike.

On these and other issues, I agreed with Thompson, but there are other issues that were not addressed. I do not know the details of Thompson’s position on other issues that I care about such as combating global warming or immigration reform. I may not agree with Thompson on every issue, but I don’t suspect there is anyone with whom I would agree 100% on every issue. As far as I am concerned however, I care as much about how someone thinks as what they may think.

Fred Thompson has the intelligence, the temperament, and the integrity to make a good president. I do not take caution and thoughtfulness as a sign of weakness. We have had enough cowboy politics; we do not need a knee-jerk ideologue who will shoot first and ask questions later. Fred Thompson’s thoughtful nuanced position will not play well with those who want a passionate hardliner. Anyone who finds policy-making easy, however, concerns me. The issues we face are tough. Certainty of the righteousness of one’s position, I do not see as a virtue. Thompson’s positions do not translate well to sound bites or slogans. Many of his positions do not fit neatly on a bumper sticker, but Fred Thompson is the kind of thoughtful, moderate, modest, conservative we need as President. He is reassuring. He is someone I could trust.

I am making my donation and putting a Thompson bumper sticker on my car.

Top Stories

I can't Leap on the Fred Thompson Bandwagon

I have been unimpressed by the crowded field of candidates from both parties seeking their party’s respective presidential nomination. As a Republican, I have been hoping for a Republican candidate that could generate some enthusiasm on my part while awaiting the second coming of Ronald Reagan. Not seeing a Republican that could excite me, I have not ruled out considering a Democrat. My disgust with the Bush administration’s deceit in leading us into the disastrous war in Iraq and the abuse of our civil liberties has made me consider jumping ship. Among the Democrats however, I have not seen anyone that I would like to see become President either.

The best I can say about most of the candidates of either party is they are better than Bush. Wanting someone to be for rather than just settling for the least offensive, I have wanted another choice. I hoped Fred Thompson was it. Finally, Fred Thompson has jumped in the race making it official last night on Jay Leno. (See clip) I had been feeling a small tinge of excitement about Fred Thompson, thinking maybe he is the person I could get excited about.

I was predisposed to support Fred Thompson. He is a good spokesman for the cause of conservatism. He can articulate his position without coming across as mean-spirited or divisive. He appears to be a social conservative without being too tied to the religious right. He sounds reasonable, level-headed, thoughtful and intelligent. He seems to be a man of integrity. He has the communication skills of Ronald Reagan and has that elusive something called “charisma”.

Having served eight years in the Senate, he cannot be dismissed as “just an actor”. He has an impressive political career and like the character he plays on Law and Order, he really is a crusader against crime and corruption.

In 1973 he served as Minority counsel in the Watergate hearings and is responsible for Senator Howard Baker asking the one question that many say led to the downfall of the President: “What did the President know and when did he know it?” While Mr. Thompson played a major role in the Watergate hearings, he was behind the scene and not in the spotlight.

He entered the public spotlight in 1977 by taking on the corrupt Democratic Governor of Tennessee, Ray Blanton. Mr. Thompson represented Marie Ragghianti a former chair of the Tennessee Parole Board who had refused to release felons who had bribed aides to Governor Blanton in order to obtain clemency. For her refusal to go along with the cash-for-clemency scheme, she was terminated on trumped up charges. Mr. Thompson represented her in a wrongful termination case. Ms Ragghianiti won her case and in the process the cash-for- clemency scandal was revealed and as a result a slew of other scandals involving the Blanton administration became public and the Governor was removed from office in disgrace.

The sordid story of corruption led to a book by Peter Mass and a movie staring Sissy Spacek, both titled “Marie, a True Story”. Fred Thompson played himself in the movie and that was the beginning of his acting career. The movie is still a great, riveting movie and if you can find it, I highly recommend it. (movie review)

While I wanted to jump on the Thompson bandwagon, I just can't do it. On Leno, he had the opportunity to distance himself from the disastrous Bush Iraq policy and he did not; instead he repeated the justifications for the war. I'm disappointed. I'm back to trying to decide who is the least objectionable candidate.

Top Stories

Democrats Get Bitchy!

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and his wife, Jeri, arrive at the Bloomberg News party after the White House Correspondents' Dinner April 29, 2006, in Washington. (Joshua Roberts/ Getty Images)

.

Democratic Party operative Susan Estrich accuses former Sen. Fred Thompson of being a cradle-robber:
“The reaction I hear from every woman I know, those who have gotten sick to their stomachs over seeing middle-aged men cavorting with girls barely beyond their teen years, is a giant ‘yuck’.” http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/7/13/93121.shtml

Jeri Kehn Thompson is forty years old, a native of Hastinngs Nebraska, and a graduate of Indiana's DePauw University. She has worked as a political media consultant at the Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson, and Hand law firm in Washington, D.C. Before that, she was employed by the Senate Republican Conference and the Republican National Committee. Fred and Jeri were married on June 29, 2002 at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Naperville Illinois. In October 2003 Jeri gave birth to their first child. A second child was born to them in November 2006

Top Stories

Campaigns and Cleavage

Sunday morning as I was hanging around the house preparing to go out and work in the yard, I had the TV on in the background but was in and out of the room and only vaguely aware of the program that was on. The program was To the Contrary which describes itself as “commentary from a variety of women’s perspective” or some such characterization. Suddenly the words “push-up bra” and “cleavage” caught my attention. (Words like that always seem to catch my attention.) The panelist were discussing the wife of Presidential undeclared, maybe-a-candidate Fred Thompson. I did not catch enough of the program to find out which panelist was saying what, but they were speculating how the public would respond to the wife of Fred Thomson as the potential first lady. I was surprised that they were even having this conversation and discussing her cleavage. The gist of the conversation seemed to be that she is so glamorous and sexy that it may cost him some votes, if he should run.

Wanting to know more, I later in the day, googled “Fred Thompson’s wife” and surprisingly found 1,570,000 hits! It seems that she has been fodder for gossip columnist and political pundits recently. Joe Scarborough who hosts a daily newscast on MSNBC as well as providing commentary on CNBC and NBC’s “Today Show” created controversy by speculating whether she “works the pole”.

A New York Times story referred to her as Fred’s “Trophy wife”. A feminist site called “Guerrilla Women of Tennessee” questioned: “The church ladies are going to vote for Jeri as First Lady?”

While the hip and sensitive are quick to condemn the slightest hint of sexism, bigotry or the slightest prejudicial remark or characterization of any group, it seems that beautiful women are still fair game. After all, people will tell a “dumb blond” joke who would not dare joke about any other identifiable group. And, in an age when "profiling" is taboo and we are to consider an Arabic-speaking, dark-skinned man in robes as an equal security threat to airline security as granny on her walker, it is still OK to assume that a younger attractive women with an older successful man is with him for suspect motives.

When we elect a President it is not just his policies we are voting for but whether or not we like the person. In the television age, the campaign is, in part, a beauty contest. “Charisma” may be more important than the candidates position on Social Security reform. Ronald Reagan had a likability that certainly helped him. Bill Clinton also benefited from being likable. He seemed like a guy with whom I would like to go bar hoping. I never voted for Bill Clinton, but I couldn't help but kind of like the guy. On the other hand, Al Gore seemed to suffer from a lack of personality. If Al Gore would have had only a little bit more of Reagan's or Clinton's likability, he might have been president.


Fred Thompson just looks “Presidential” and inspires trust and confidence. Maybe it is that deep voice and the roles he has played in the movies. He is the strong father-figure type and that can’t help but benefit him, should he seek the office. Along with the candidate however, the candidate’s family is also a consideration. We are not just selected the President but The First Family. JFK was certainly helped by having Jacqueline for a wife. She brought style and grace to the office along with JFK’s vitality and good looks. On the other hand, having Teresa Heinz Kerry as his wife did not help John Kerry.

Jeri Thompson is not the first beautiful glamorous blond in the life of Fred Thompson. When Fred was serving as Tennessee’s Senator he dated another beautiful, glamorous blond; country music star Lorrie Morgan. Jeri Thompson, it turns out, is not a country music singer or a Hollywood starlet. She has worked as a political media consultant for a large Washington law firm and has worked for the Senate Republican Conference and the Republican National Committee. She is 24 years younger than Fred Thompson and they have two young children. She is not a home-wrecker. Fred Thompson was divorced for seventeen years before he even met his second wife.

If Fred Thompson runs, it will be interesting to speculate which demographic will most likely vote against him because of his attractive wife. Will it be the “church wives” or the drab and less attractive, which may or may not be "church wives"? Single women or married? Will it help him with any demographic? Maybe it will actually help him with some voters. Maybe people won't hold the couples' good looks and charm against them. As for me, I will not hold it against Fred Thompson that he has a young, blond, beautiful, busty, brainy wife.

Top Stories