Actor and Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson Dead at 73

Image from source, Raw Story

Fred Thompson has passed away. I know it's awful, but I heard the Law & Order "duh-duh!" sting in my head when I saw this news. I wasn't particularly stunned or saddened by the news, because I'd assumed he was much older than he really was. He's just one of those guys who seems to have been born old, seems to have looked the same for decades. 73 is not so old, and so, learning that I felt a little sad. It's no spring chicken, but it's not so old, not anymore. Especially not now that I'm watching my odometer spinning past 49.5.  RIP, Mr. Thompson. I'm very glad you were never president, but I liked your acting.

By the way, it's worth noting that if Mr. Thompson had managed to get elected to the presidency and have two terms, he would have been our first president to pass away in office since John F. Kennedy.

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson — ‘Law and Order’ actor and former U.S. Senator — dead at 73
 
Actor, politician and former Republican presidential candidate Sen. Fred Thompson has passed away at the age of 73. The Tennessean newspaper reported Sunday that Thompson died after a recurrence of lymphoma. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Featured Blog: Totally Looks Like

Image from source, TotallyLooksLike.com

I'm often ruled by my inner child. . .which is a nicer way to say that I'm immature. Because of this, there are a chunk of posts on my blog that are probably ill advised. So, how freeing it would be to have a blog that consists of little else!

Actually, that's probably overstating things a little. TotallyLooksLike.com features "separated at birth" type match ups, and certainly they aren't all insulting. And even those that are can be uncannily accurate.

Take for instance, Cindy McCain:



Source: TotallyLooksLike.com

And some of my own!

Cindy McCain Plagiarizes Recipes?
Separated at Birth: John McCain & Lon Chaney, Sr.
Horrible Monster or Presidential Candidate?
Sean Hannity & Lou Costello Separated at Birth

Fred Thompson is Off to Hollywood!

Photo from source, Raw Story

Presidential ambitions dashed, the only guy in the race that made John McCain look energetic is going back to Hollywood! Sam Waterston has already taken his part on Law & Order, but maybe they can go back to the well for Law & Order: Southern Justice or something.

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson heads back to Hollywood

Former Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson is returning to his career as an actor and signed a deal to be represented by the William Morris Agency, the talent group said on Monday.

Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, is best known in the entertainment world for portraying New York District Attorney Arthur Branch on the television crime drama "Law & Order," but has appeared in numerous films and TV shows over the years. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Fred Thompson Quits the Presidential Race

Photo captured from Think Progress

They often play a sound clip from Forest Gump on The Stephanie Miller Show, when referring to Fred Thompson, and it is more apropos today than ever: "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now."

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson Out of Race

Former senator Fred Thompson (Tenn.) bowed to the obvious moments ago, dropping out of the 2008 presidential race in a tersely-worded statement.

"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States," read the statement. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

Read more at: Washington Post

Fred Thompson Wakes Up to Huckabee Tricks

Photo captured from video at FredThompson.com (Really!)

Yeah, I used "wakes up" on purpose, 'cause, heh, he always looks tired. Annnnyway. . .

I hate push polls. And while it may happen on both sides of the aisle, my familiarity with them is almost exclusively from Republicans. I just got a "Republican Census" in the mail today that is nothing but a push poll wrapped up with a scary letter, and a desperate plea for money. I also got a push poll robo-call from Huckabee (or his supporters). How do I know?

Because after one or two innocuous questions, it wandered deep into "family values" issues, and painted other Republican opponents very unflatteringly. What galls me more than anything is that they think I'm so stupid that I won't figure out what they're up to. And now Fred Thomson is mad about it? Hey, it's your party, dude.

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson Gets Mad

You rarely see Fred Thompson get too riled about anything, but steam was near about shooting from his ears today when he heard at a campaign stop that some of his supporters had received "push poll" calls from a group supporting Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Big Quitter: Fred Thompson to Drop Out?

Photo from source, Politico

Well, that didn't take long. Poster boy for conservative vigor, Fred Thompson may drop out if he doesn't have a good showing in Iowa today. I guess when he said he didn't really want to be President, he meant it?

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson may drop out

DES MOINES, Iowa – Several Republican officials close to Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign said they expect the candidate will drop out of the race within days if he finishes poorly in Thursday’s Iowa caucus. . .

Read more at: Politico

Sunday Candidate Roundup, Part I

I've just finished watching two of the Sunday morning political yack-fests (NBC's Meet the Press and FOX "News" Sunday). The added attraction this morning is the fact that the Iowa caucuses are this Thursday, amping up the urgency of the different candidates for President.

This morning I watched Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama and Fred Thompson giving their last Sunday sales pitches. What I'm really starting to notice is the various levels of answer side-stepping (or ASS).

In a few minutes I'll get to see who George Snuffleupagus has to offer. In the meantime, here is my take on some of the candidates (I'm sure you couldn't wait to hear).

Mike Huckabee - Despite his charms and his folksy manner, Huckster has a creepy edge to him. His wide-eyed, droopy-faced countenance remind me of the "woodland critters" on South Park. At first, they started out sweet, and Jesus-worshippy. Then they turned out to be SATAN worshipers! Not adept at ASS, but attempts it with vigor. If you're not paying close attention, he seems to pull it off, but if your BS detector is on, his ASS stinks. Heh.

Fred Thompson - Tired ol' Fred seemed a little amped-up this morning on F"N"S, bobbing and dancing like Katherine Hepburn. Maybe his campaign gave him some B-12 and Redbull or something. It didn't help his patter though, which was snooze-inducing. Fred's biggest challenge right now is convincing us that he even wants to be President. (He may be an ass, but he's terrible at ASS.)

John McCain - It is my prediction that John McCain pulls off either an upset, or a strong also-ran candidacy, largely because he's the likeliest "fall-back" guy for conservatives to overwhelmed by the other guys' baggage. His blinking will drive you absolutely crazy if you clue in to it. He blinks incessantly when he speaks, and returns to normal when quiet. Also seems almost as tired as Fred Thompson does (excepting Fred's performance this morning).

Mitt Romney - Most accurately described elsewhere (I've lost the source) as our first Clip-Art candidate. He looks and talks like he came out of a Roy Lichtenstein print. He also has a huge case of the ASS, and would only convince people who think the Garden of Eden was in Missouri.

More later.

Fred Thompson Thinks FOX Isn't Fair & Balanced

Photo from source, Raw Story

Yesterday morning, I slept in a bit and missed the Sunday morning political shows. But I have my DVR set to record FOX "News" Sunday. Why? Because I usually watch the others when they air, and prefer to watch FNS with the fast-forward button available. I mean who cares who FOX's "Power Player of the Week" is (if you're wondering, it was Ashley Judd--seriously)?

So today that was the show I watched. And their guest today was Fred Thompson. Fred sounds like Foghorn Leghorn, and looks like. . .well. . .like this. His biggest ideas seem to be even more tax cuts (particularly for corporations). And he seems to have had an epiphany, one that I wish a lot more people would realize, or admit to as the case may be: FOX "News" is not "Fair & Balanced."

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson: Fox 'skews things' against me

After a Fox News anchor used two of the network's own pundits to "show how" the Thompson campaign was experiencing negative buzz, Fred Thompson hit back hard, suggesting that Fox "skews things" by presenting only the opinions of their own analysts. . .

Read on at: Raw Story

Fred Thompson Out of Gas?

Photo from source, Politico

I have to say, in the days before Fred Thompson declared himself as a candidate, I was a little worried. I heard an interview on Sean Hannity's radio show (I know, I'm a political masochist), and thought, "Uh oh. This guy's full of it, but he sells it well."

I thought he'd take the country by storm, despite being a well-spoken version of Bush. Luckily, he hasn't quite caught on.

[Excerpt]

Thompson motivation hard to pinpoint

Fred Thompson prefers plain talk. So he might bridle at using a famous Winston Churchill quote to sum up his presidential campaign: "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma."

But with fewer than 50 days to go until the Iowa caucuses, no piece of the primary puzzle is more perplexing than just what sort of impact the former Tennessee senator will have. . .

Read more at: Politico

Fred Thompson's Legal Career Not Too Stellar

Photo from source, LA Times

All political candidates try to polish their image, and control what "embellished" parts get out, and what dark spots do not. So it is not surprising that Fred Thompson is trying to shine up his history as a prosecutor (not on TV, in real life). This story is a revealing look at what his record was really like.

And as a side note, how did a guy with a mug like that gain a reputation as a lady-killer? I'm just sayin'. . .

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson vs. the moonshiners

. . .Today, as a Republican candidate for president, Thompson is cultivating an image as a tough prosecutor who, like the character he played on TV's "Law & Order," battled powerful criminals during his three-year stint as a prosecutor.He was "attacking crime and public corruption," boasts a video played at his campaign events. During a candidate debate this month, Thompson said he spent those years "prosecuting most of the major federal crimes in middle Tennessee -- most of the major ones." [snip]

Twenty-seven of his cases involved moonshining -- more than any other crime. . .

Read the rest of the story at: LA Times

Fred Thompson and Social Security

Photo from source, McClatchyDC.com

I'm not sure which demographic is the strongest for Fred Thompson, but I've got to think that seniors are way up there. This is just a gut feeling of course, but it has an air of "truthiness" to me. Law & Order, a show that most associate with Thompson is heavy with the senior demographic.

That said, Fred may really have stepped in it. What is the one issue in the forefront of seniors' minds? Social Security. Good move, Fred!

[Excerpt]

Thompson proposes slowing growth of Social Security benefits

WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Fred Thompson promised fiscal conservatives Friday that he'd trim the cost of government by slowing the growth of Social Security benefits.

Stepping squarely onto an issue long known as "the third rail of politics," the Republican presidential candidate said, almost in passing, that changing the formula that adjusts Social Security benefits to keep pace with the cost of living would keep the program solvent over the long term.

Read the rest at: McClatchyDC.com

Horrible Monster or Presidential Candidate?

I'm blending the frivolous with the political for this post, I'll admit. There is no redeeming value here, only the snark. But as a graphic artist, I notice similarities, and also how (as Sesame Street used to sing) "one of these things is not like the other."

There is no denying that Fred Dalton Thompson is something other than a raving beauty. If that Kennedy/Nixon debate thing is a measure, then if Fred gets the nom, the Democrat is a shoo-in. As noted earlier in my direct steal from AmericaBlog.com, Fred looks like the villains in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, "Hush."

But I started to notice other similarities to other horror icons. Take a look. We have Vigo from Ghostbusters II, the villain from BTVS' "Hush," the Tall Man from Phantasm, the creepy preacher from Poltergeist II, Fred Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Fred Dalton Thompson. Can you match the name to the face?

Fred Thompson, Actor/Politician

Photo captured from video at FredThompson.com (Really!)

IMDB.com is one of my favorite sites. It's right up there with Wikipedia.org for sites you can get lost in for hours. It's an encyclopedic site, containing everything you ever wanted to know about virtually every movie and TV show ever produced. I haven't bought a Leonard Maltin movie guide since I found the site.

Anyway, today I looked up Fred Dalton Thompson, out of curiosity, to see what else he'd been in besides Law & Order. Along the way, I found the comments section, and found these gems:

[Excerpt]

"Fred Thompson is not just another idiot, he's almost in a class by himself. He's a knee-jerk conservative who basically supports everything Bush believes in, including torture, privatization of Social Security, and the war in Iraq. Anyone who would vote for Fred because of his acting ability is sad beyond words. Fred loves to use words such as "conservative," "patriotism," and "victory" a lot because he knows he is guaranteed a certain percentage of votes from Americans who are incapable of real thinking and can only react on a gut level. I can't endorse Ron Paul either, but at least he is a thinking individual. He knows the war in Iraq is immoral and unjustified and is costing us over $100 billion a year, money that could be spent on infrastructure, Social Security, Medicare, and other things to HELP people rather than to kill and maim Americans and Iraqis. " - by e_j_powers

"Props to you, e j powers. I'm only 15 but I couldn't agree more. I mean if we get one more conservative Christian southern idiot for president I'm leaving the country. Well, I'm not sure if he's an idiot or not but these conservatives are so annoying. And no, I'm not gay, black, or atheist. " - by mermaid131810

And my favorite:

"Personally, I have many hopes for Fred. I hope that he makes it his number one priority to ban all things exotic, like California Pizza Kitchen, incense candles, foreign automobiles, Teletubbies, immigrants, Airbus, foie gras, and of course Harry Potter. Need more guns, k? thx " - by ThatVoiceAgain

I guess politics is everywhere!

Fred Thompson Says Iraq Had WMDs

I thought it had been pretty much concluded that Saddam Hussein had no WMDs after the first Gulf War, and hadn't really tried to get them. Now, sure I could be misinformed, but I don't think I'd decoratively say "he did not have them," without the qualifier, "that we know of."

Fred Thomson has less trouble with declarations, it would seem.

[Excerpt]

Thompson: Iraq had WMDs before U.S. invaded

“In my estimation, his intent never did change,” Thompson said. “And by today, he clearly would have had that (weapons program) rejuvenated.”

Read the story at: DemoinesRegister.com

George Will: Is Fred Thompson Necessary?

Photo captured from video at FredThompson.com (Really!)

I find myself disagreeing with George Will more often than I agree with him. But he's a smart man, and this is an interesting editorial, about the vagueness of Fred Thompson.

I've heard and read quite a few opinions about Fred, and have come away with no real impression of why people like him. People seem to have the same vague, fuzzy like for him, as the vague (but intense) dislike they have for Hillary Clinton. They say he's "Reaganesque." Funny, I read that in editorials long before I started hearing it from people. I guess that bit of propaganda has been catapulted.

[Excerpt]

A Rocky Rollout For Thompson

Fred Thompson's plunge into the presidential pool -- more belly-flop than swan dive -- was the strangest product launch since that of New Coke in 1985. Then, the question was: Is this product necessary? A similar question stumped Thompson the day he plunged.

Sean Hannity, who is no Torquemada conducting inquisitions of conservatives, asked Thompson: "When you look at the other current crop of candidates -- Republicans -- where is the distinction between your positions and what you view as theirs?" Thompson replied: "Well, to tell you the truth, I haven't spent a whole lot of time going into the details of their positions."

He also is unfamiliar with the details of his own positions. . .

Read on at: WashingtonPost.com

More Fred Thompson: A Little Background

Photo from source, dailymail.co.uk

I'll be honest, I don't really know much about Fred Thompson outside of a few details, and of course his acting. This article gives a bit of background on Fred and his personal life. I cannot attest to its accuracy, so if you want to check on a detail, please do your homework!

[Excerpt]

The Tennessee stud: U.S. presidential candidate Fred Thompson's womanising ways

On a winter's day in 1958, Fred Thompson's classmates crammed into a stadium to watch the hulking 16-year-old football star in a match.

But their cheers turned to groans and girls had tears in their eyes as the handsome 6ft 5in youth slumped to the ground. When a group of coaches rushed to assess his injury, he flashed them a conspiratorial grin.

'How's the crowd taking it?' he whispered. Nearly a half century later, it is no surprise to anyone in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, that the schoolboy who always wanted to be centre stage is one of America's most popular actors.

At 65, Thompson plays District Attorney Arthur Branch in the TV series Law & Order and he has appeared alongside Sean Connery, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis and Clint Eastwood in The Hunt For Red October, Days Of Thunder, Die Hard 2 and In The Line Of Fire. . .

Read the whole story at: dailymail.co.uk

Fred Thompson on Roseanne

Well not on Roseanne. . .on Roseanne! Some people are worried that repeated airings of Law & Order will unfairly paint Fred Thompson in a flattering light, and give him free campaign "commercials." All they need to do is counter-program them with smarmy characters like this one, Mr. Faber, Roseanne's boss.

UPDATE: In case you didn't know, Fred Thompson actually replaced George Clooney as Roseanne's boss. How wrong is that?

Fred Thompson a Buffy Villain?

I want to say right up front, THIS IS A DIRECT STEAL from AMERICABLOG.COM. I did not personally come up with this, I just couldn't resist posting it here. As a HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan (as you can see here and here), I can't believe I never thought of this myself.

If you enjoy this post, please do frequent AmericaBlog.com. It's one of the best blogs out there. And John Aravosis, the creator of the blog, inspired me to start my own.

[Excerpt from AmericaBlog.com]

GOP front runner or Buffy villain? You decide.

Not exactly the face that launched a thousand ships.

McCain Not Even Doing Well in Home State

What happened to John McCain? There was a time when I'd have put him in the "good" Republican camp, with Chuck Hagel and John Warner. I think getting skewered by the Bush/Rove machine back in 2000, and then sucking up to Bush thereafter may have been part of his sliding popularity. He lost me then, at least.

Since then, the "straight-talk express" has seemed more like theater. In the first debate, he gave the phoniest, most rehearsed bit of the night, about following Osama bin Laden to "the gates of hell." Oh, and then he tacked on a smile. I thought inappropriate smiling was the hallmark of our President. Watch it here:



[Excerpt]

Thompson Outperforms McCain in Arizona

Arizona is the home state for John McCain , but Fred Thompson is the strongest GOP Presidential candidate in the state at this time.

A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey found that Thompson leads Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton by seventeen percentage points, 51% to 34%. Thompson will be formally announcing his candidacy this week.

Read the rest at: News.Yahoo.com

Fred Thompson Declares Candidacy on Leno

Photo from source, news.aol.com

I had to work late this evening, so I'll be posting a few things with minimal comments at first. More to come later.

First up: Fred Thompson all but officially declares candidacy (I believe that happens tomorrow), by making an announcement on The Tonight Show.

[Excerpt]

Fred Thompson Is In, But Skips Debate

DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 5) - Fred Thompson - veteran actor, former Republican senator - launched his bid for the presidency Hollywood style. "I'm running for president of the United States," Thompson told Jay Leno in a taped appearance on NBC airing Wednesday night.

Thompson called top opponents Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney formidable but added: "I think I will be, too" as he rejected the notion that he was getting into the race too late, only four months before voting begins.

"I don't think people are going to say, 'You know, that guy would make a very good president but he just didn't get in soon enough,'" Thompson said as the studio audience laughed. Poking at his rivals who have been running since the year began, he added: "If you can't get your message out in a few months, you're probably not every going to get it out."

Read the rest at: news.aol.com