Duncan Hunter and the New Year

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and my best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Now that the Christmas season has passed, it is time to get down to business! Wednesday [1-2-08] was a very sobering day as I attempted to listen to a couple of my favorite "conservative" talk radio hosts while perusing several "conservative" blogs and web sites. I was excited to have the hosts back at their microphones after most had taken a break over the holidays. To say I was highly disappointed would be a gross understatement.

One host was trying to sell the new improved Fred Thompson by calling him a conservative. He did this by cutting to shreds every other "viable" or "top tier" candidate. Not a thing wrong with that when it is deserved, but to slam one candidate for the anti-free speech legislation, aka McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform, while calling the original author of said debacle a conservative is simply beyond the pale.

In an article titled "Plain-Speaking" About McCain-Feingold-Thompson,by James Bopp, Jr. the history of the campaign finance reform bill is laid out in an orderly and easy to understand fashion.

Perma Link: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JamesBoppJr/2007/09/21/%E2%80%9Cplain-speaking%E2%80%9D_about_mccain-feingold-thompson

From the article:
In March 1998, the Thompson committee issued a Majority and Minority Report. Conservatives were profoundly disappointed..... A columnist for The Knoxville News-Sentinel wrote, "Senator Fred Thompson, fresh from his 1996 re-election by Tennesseans, soared into national fame with a big buildup over his prospects of using an investigation into campaign finance reform as a springboard for the presidency.

November 1, 1996
PRESIDENT ENDORSES McCAIN-FEINGOLD-THOMPSON BILL
Washington, DC—Senator Fred Thompson today responded to President Clinton’s remarks in California on his support for campaign finance reform: “As a sponsor of the McCain-Feingold-Thompson Senate Campaign Reform Act,” Thompson said, “I welcome President Clinton’s endorsement of our legislation. It is unfortunate that it took a public outcry over campaign finance abuses to get the President’s full attention on the need for reform. We intend to reintroduce our bill when Congress convenes in January.”

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1997
McCAIN, FEINGOLD, THOMPSON INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN CAMPAIGN REFORM ACT OF 1997
Today Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Fred Thompson (R-TN) introduced the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 1997, a bill that bans soft money contributions; provides free and discounted TV time to candidates who voluntarily limit their spending; bans foreign contributions and restricts political action committees (PAC).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 22, 2001
THOMPSON CONTINUES PUSH FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Building on his efforts to restore faith in the federal government, U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) today joined Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Russell Feingold (D-WI) and others to continue their push to enact campaign finance reform.

April 2, 2001
THOMPSON LAUDS PASSAGE OF McCAIN-FEINGOLD CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM LEGISLATION WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) today lauded Senate passage of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation, which passed the Senate by a 59-41 vote.

FACT: Fred Thompson was an original sponsor of McCain-Feingold-Thompson. For whatever reason, perhaps his future candidacy for the presidency, he became a co-sponsor of the finished bill for which he voted.

FACT: The bill never would have been pushed through and passed without Thompson.

• Fred Thompson received a formal letter from Russ Feingold thanking him for his tremendous support and hard work…from so many of his colleagues. The document also includes a hand written note on the side; “All kidding aside you were essential to our success from the outset!

FACT: He defended this heinous monstrosity during a court challenge in 2003

• On August 5, 2003 Fred Thompson filed an Amicus Brief in support of defendants with the Supreme Court of the United States in Mitch McConnell, United States Senator, ET AL, v. Federal Election Commission, ET AL. Nos. 02-1684 et al.

To try and sell this man as "the true conservative" or the "only conservative" in the Republican Presidential Campaign is disingenuous at best or an outright lie to mislead the masses. There was a time I would not have believed that the leaders of the conservative movement could or would stoop so low.

Criticism and vitriolic rants are leveled against John McCain every time this anti-free speech law is mentioned, as it should be, but nary a harsh word is ever directed toward Fred Thompson.

Fool me once, and all that!