Hire First, Ask Questions Second?

Fred Thompson has never run a national campaign before, but he should be smart enough to know that you don’t hire a new campaign manager without first combing over every part of his record. Apparently he didn’t do that, becuase yesterday’s hiring of Fmr. Senator and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham is already raising questions about his connections to Pro-Islamist groups. Debbie Schlussel Explains:

As a conservative–but more important, as an American concerned about the future of this country in the face of a terrorist threat–Thompson’s choice of Spencer Abraham was the nail in the coffin for me in opposing Fred Thompson’s quest for the White House.

I know Spencer Abraham. He wrote one of my recommendations for law school. And the Spencer Abraham that I and all of America have since experienced is bad news for everyone except CAIR, ADC, MPAC, ISNA, and all Islamists who want to endanger America…

…As a Senator, he took marching orders from James Zogby of the pan-Islamist Arab American Institute, opposing profiling of Arabs, the use of secret evidence against Muslims (at the behest of Muslim groups), attempting to repeal the Clinton counter-terrorism package, refusing to fund computer tracking of student and other foreign aliens, giving millions in our tax money right to Hezbollah, and putting CAIR on the map on Capitol Hill (taking the group’s officials around to meet other Senators and Members of Congress). He took campaign contributions from the relatives of Hezbollah-backed top Lebanese officials after he got the group millions in our tax money.

The charges continue, and I recommend that you read the entire article. According to Mrs. Schlussel, Abraham’s work as a pusher of aid for Islamic countries led to gross misappropriations to countries such as Lebanon and Afghanistan – with the money going right into the hands of terrorists.

At this point, I don’t want to add my own commentary on the allegations, except to say that they need to be investigated thoroughly. If they prove to be true, I’ll be willing to echo Justin’s call:

Note to Fred if he wants to win with the Republican base: Fire Spence Abraham.

We’ll see what happens.

Problems at Camp Thompson?

So much for being the Conservative Messiah, all is apparently not well with the Thompson campaign. While a quick glance at the campaign would seem to reveal a candidate riding a huge wave of popularity and support, the reality may be very different. While I admit that I have neglected my job of putting up the daily tacking poll, I can tell you that Thompson has stalled. While he is still polling around the same level he has for a while, he no longer leads the pack – he is back into a tie with Giuliani. Add to that the fact that his fundraising has been dismal. What was a $5 million target for the end of June has turned into a $3 million for the end of July. Could it be any worse? Yep, and it is. Apparently Thompson has not managed to overcome his dislike of campaigning, because all campaign decisions now appear to be running through his wife, Jeri. Oh, and one more thing, remember that abortion-lobbying story? Well, it hasn’t died yet, just the opposite, it highlighted those big question marks that are still hanging over Thompson’s history on the issue. Finally, www.race42008.com is reporting that at least one of Thompson’s big names is no longer working for him, complaining of the disorganization and lack of direction of the campaign.

 Nothing the campaign cannot fix, but definitely something that needs to be addressed, and quickly, if he does not want it to get out of control.

Extremely Funny Joke!

Justin over at ROTR got a hold of a pretty funny joke, I think you may want to check it out. Just one warning: the joke is not for dumb liberals to read. Though, on second thought, is there any other type of liberal?

Link

Bring on the Debates!

One of the most frustrating things for me, a Romney supporter, is that his state-level strength is not being reflected in national polls. Of the seven early states, Romney leads in two (IA, NH), is a close second in two (MI, NV), is within 10% in one (FL), with no polls available in one (WY), and confusing polls from the the final early state (SC).Numbers like that would normally indicate a clear frontrunner, but it doesn’t. For some reason, Romney has been unable to turn those important, strategic leads into high national numbers.

While primaries are more localized things, where the state polls do mean more, success creates success. If Romney can raise his national numbers, he will find it much easier to raise his support on the state level. I think the best way to do this is through the debates. Romney has done very well in the debates, and each time, has seen at least a small bump in support. If Romney can continue winning debates, it should help him get those national numbers up. In addition, the debates are good places to point out the flaws of Romney’s opponents – such as the liberalism of Rudy Giuliani and the cheapness of Fred Thompson.