“Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort,” Thompson said in a statement.
I’ll be taking down the Fred ’08 banner. This is a real bummer. Who to support now?  Mitt, Rudy and Preacher Mike are unacceptable. Ron Paul is a waste at this point, of more than just a vote. That leaves McCain. Can I get behind this man who I swore on more than a few occasions I’d never vote for? If he can beat Obillery, which I think he can, I’ll get on board the McCain Train, but I’m not going to enjoy the scenery.
I’m staying home…There is no other conservative in the race. I would vote for Mitt before I vote for McCain, at least Mitt isn’t in bed with the whole amnesty troupe. But seeing as I won’t vote for Mitt, and on that vain, I won’t vote for any populist, or authoritarian. It looks like I’m staying home and cleaning my guns…but I won’t be smiling like I normally do!
Almost 44yrs old and this is the first time I’ve shed a tear in an election.
McCain (or anyone left) vs Clinton/Obama? A choice between bad and worse. I am officially afraid for this country.
This election will devolve into something worse then voting for the lesser of two evils. Our choice will be, “would you like to eat shit, or just smear it all over your face?”
For what it’s worth, I still intend to vote for Fred in my primary.
Romney can’t be trusted on anything. Whatever his position is now is open for negotiation if the right circumstance comes along. I can understand why folks would want to say home, but when we’re all saying President Clinton or President Obama, and facing a more Democratic Congress with renewed energy to take the guns you’ll be cleaning, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The one good thing about McCain is that he does not budge on his positions…but many of his positions are wrong. I guess a write in for Fred is my only choice. I’ve had my fill of shit sandwich, next course please.
This election will devolve into something worse then voting for the lesser of two evils. Our choice will be, “would you like to eat shit, or just smear it all over your face?â€
The choice between Romney and Obillery is between mystery meat and diseased sewer rat. The choice between McCain and Obillery is between a tough leathery piece of horse meat and diseased sewer rat. I won’t enjoy the horse meat, but I’ll eat it, given the choice.
My only hope is that someone (Mccain probably) picks up Fred as a running mate.
Actually if McCain takes Fred as a VP, McCain will have my vote. McCain is old, and old people are prone to buying the farm. So a McCain Thompson ticket gets my vote on the morbid hope that McCain follows suit with the other old people out there.
My only hope is that someone (Mccain probably) picks up Fred as a running mate.
From your lips to God’s ears my friend. I hope that’s the case. From the comments at IMAO:
this is kind of funny in a “i don’t think it’s a real threat” kind of way in case the secret service is listening: Prediction: Fred deigns to run as McCain’s VP, they win easily in November, McCain passes quietly in the Oval office about six months into his first term.
While the press will report it as simply old age, we will know it was “aneurysm by steely gaze” that vaulted Fred! into the Presidency.#5 – Posted by: Alamo on January 22, 2008 02:42 PM
You all have to remember that Obama supporters won’t stay home if Clinton gets the nomination, and Clinton supporters won’t stay home if Obama does. Democrats will vote for the Democrat because they hate Bush and they hate Republicans.
Staying home or voting third party might soothe your conscience, but it won’t do the country any good. People who say they won’t vote for a pro-choice candidate, likewise, need to hold their nose and vote for the Republican candidate. Otherwise, they are guaranteed to get a pro-choice Democrat.
This can’t be 1992 all over again. We’ve been there, done that. The Democrats will stick together as a party. Like it or not, we need to as well.
I’ll probably hold my nose and vote for the Republican nominee, unless it is Huckabee. McCain or Romney won’t be all that good for gun or any other rights, but Clinton or Obama would be a disaster.
I would settle for a McCain/Thompson ticket, but unless something changes, that isn’t happening. Fred has gone on record as saying he wouldn’t accept the VP position.
That’s what he said when he was still in the race. Once you start courting VP, you’re pretty much admitting you can’t win. No one is going to do that. There’s still hope.
“The choice between Romney and Obillery is between mystery meat and diseased sewer rat.”
Sebastain, will you vote for Romney if he is the nominee? I agree with your assessment of him, but I think he’ll still be better than Obama or Hillary.
That’s a tough one, Sam. I’m going to try not to think about that until it’s looking like I have to make that choice. For now I’ll ride the McCain train and hope to God I don’t have to think about that possibility.
Looking at the remaining GOP candidates, it looks like any vote that’s NOT third party is a wasted vote. What on earth do we have to gain from Mitt/Huck/Rudy/McCain?
We let the GOP know that the gun body is sick and tired of the smucks they’ve given us. Right now they know we’d vote for Jimmy Peanut Boy Carter if he was the only GOP candidate.
If the entire gun body votes Third Party (hell, I don’t even care which one) then maybe, just maybe they’ll figure it out by 2010.
If we continue to vote GOP “just because”, we will continue to be shat upon by the party.
Given the choice of McCain versus any of the Democrats at the moment, I am voting McCain. This is not because I am a Republican (I am, in fact, not – registered Independent, for what little that does me.), nor is it because he is a conservative (I have a hard time applying that label to any of the Republican candidates save Thompson.). Instead, I would far rather have him in the office than any of the Democrats, sad though that may be.
That said, I definitely agree that voting third party, or not voting at all, will cause more problems than it is worth… past elections have demonstrated that if either happens in any appreciable amounts, the Democrats win, and I do not think any pro-firearm or pro-freedom individuals would enjoy those prospects this time around. Which would you rather – us being stepped upon a little, or us being entirely squashed?
Well, we are gonna get jammed where the sun don’t shine.
Let’s at least try to pick someone who will still respect us in the morning.
If the entire gun body votes Third Party (hell, I don’t even care which one) then maybe, just maybe they’ll figure it out by 2010.
The gun vote has enough numbers to split the conservative vote, not enough to get a candidate to win. In our electoral system, this is guaranteed to hand the White House to the Democrat. Bill Clinton would never have been president if it wasn’t for H. Ross Perot, and the fact that enough conservatives got fed up to vote for him. Did Ross Perot teach the GOP anything?
If we continue to vote GOP “just becauseâ€, we will continue to be shat upon by the party.
Gun owners are the bastard child of the conservative coalition because we’re grumpy and unreliable. Evangelicals have been successful because they organize and work like hell for their preferred candidates, and when their preferred candidates lose, they still work like hell for the nominee.
Given the choice of McCain versus any of the Democrats at the moment, I am voting McCain. This is not because I am a Republican (I am, in fact, not – registered Independent, for what little that does me.), nor is it because he is a conservative (I have a hard time applying that label to any of the Republican candidates save Thompson.). Instead, I would far rather have him in the office than any of the Democrats, sad though that may be.
I agree with you. I also appreciate that McCain has always been against the assault weapons ban, even when other Republicans were willing to throw black rifle shooters under the bus. His mutterings about gun shows annoys me, though. He’s not a great gun rights candidate, but he’s a far sight better on that issue than Rudy or Mitt.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1172864~Thompson_may_position_himself_for_VP_bid.html
(Thompson advisor Rich)Galen said Thompson could end up as vice president because he could mitigate the conservative shortcomings of potential nominees such as Rudy Giuliani.
“Having somebody like Thompson on the ticket, it seems to me, could go a long way toward unifying and energizing the base,” Galen told The Examiner.
“I don’t even know if he’d take it, although I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of anybody turning it down,” he added. “He has said flat out he’s not interested in becoming vice president, but that’s what they all say.”
Don’t stay home! That’s what the national party wants you to do.
If you’re not voting for the GOP, they want you not to vote.
Here’s what we MUST do.
All gun owners need to vote third party. And this is not a Paul speech. I don’t care which third party you vote for.
Vote Paul, vote Libertarian, vote Reform, vote Green, vote Cylon, vote Scientologist.
Just don;t vote mainstream.
Once the GOP realizes the gun culture has the intestinal fortitude to actually vote third party, they will come scrambling back with tail betwixt legs.
If we as a culture can band together and vote third party, maybe we’ll actually have options in 2010.
I consider that to be along the lines of “a nuclear option”, and that’s assuming you can get the entire gun vote to go along with it, which you probably won’t. Getting gun owners to agree on anything is an exercise in futility for the most part.
But let’s say it happened. Gun rights folks decided to push the button and vote third part in 2008. We could spoil the GOP’s chances if the election is within the window of our electoral power, which it probably will be.
That puts Obillery in the White House. It also ensures that the GOP loses more seats in Congress. We get a whole new assault weapons ban. No more private sales. Tiahrt falls, empowering people like Bloomberg. ATF is more emboldened than ever, and makes its mission to harass anyone with an FFL to the point where they don’t bother anymore. Scalia retires and is replaced with an anti-gun justice. Ginsburg and Stevens get replaced with fresh, young hard core lefties who will “living constitution” away our gun rights. Now we’re in a position to start talking about Massachusetts style licensing of gun owners, registration.
You sure the GOP is going to come running back to us? Or are we going to go running back to them? Do you think McCain is bad enough on guns to warrant pushing the button? I don’t think so. Romney might be… but we should understand what the consequences of pushing that button are going to be.
Sebastian;
Which of the remaining candidates are going to protect all the gains you’ve mentioned?
This isn’t nuclear, this is trying to set the stage for 2010.
If we vote “lesser of two evils” it only promises more evil in the future.
We need to break the two-party stranglehold. The problem up to now is that there has been too much to lose by going third party. What’s to lose this year?
There is no candidate left that is worth defending. (We all know Paul will be forced third party, so if you want to support him go for it).
I know there’s no way a wee lil’ blogger can get the whole gun culture to send a message to the GOP. But if a bunch of wee liil’ bloggers get together…
I’m not asking to blow up the system. This isn’t revolution.
This is the only way we can send a message to the GOP that they will listen to. Obviously the only thing they “know” now is that is they send the candidate out with a duck gun or talk about his “lifelong support” of the Second Amendment (with reasonable restrictions, of course) then we will vote for him.
This is no different than how the Democrats used to “know” they had the southern vote locked up. They started to ignore southern needs because the South always voted Democrat.
Then came the civil rights era, which the national Democrats supported, ignoring objections of the south.
Suddenly, the south stopped voting democrat and the end result was Nixon.
OK, ignoring the terrible outcome, what was learned?
The national party took a large part of its base for granted, to the point of ignoring them. The ignored part left the Democratic party, causing a power shift. But what did the Democrats do? Did they say “shucks” and move along? No. They changed their ways, focused on issues important to the south and regained that part of their base.
We the gun culture like to brag that we got George W. elected. maybe we did. But he and his party brethern have taken us for granted. The only way to remind them of how vital we are to their success, is to take our support away.
I’m not asking you to agree, Sebastian. I’m just making my case.
BTW: Happy belated blogoversary (and to Bitter). For some reason, I would’ve sworn your blog was a older than mine.
As much as I wish Bush was better to us than he has been, gun rights under Bush haven’t really fared that poorly overall. We’re in far better shape now than we were in 2000 politically. I can’t credit Bush for all of that, but I worry we’ve forgotten what a disaster Bill Clinton’s presidency was for gun owners. Just having a president who isn’t dancing around after ever shooting tragedy pushing for more gun control is a huge plus.
McCain is better than Bush on the gun issue. It’s an improvement. Romney is a step down. I don’t really think voting third party is going to get the GOP to learn anything. It’s very difficult for organizations to collectively learn anything. Do you think the people who bolted the Democrat coalition because of anger over the civil rights act had everything work out well for them in the end for doing so? That’s a settled political issue now, and they lost.
I understand the frustration about “lesser of two evils” choices, but that’s going to be almost always what you’re stuck with, because candidates in this country represent a lot of compromises between competing interests in the political parties. Gun owners don’t have the electoral power on their own to win elections outside of being in a coalition with other interests.
I’m not arguing that the GOP doesn’t need to be changed, or that the GOP can’t be expected to work harder for the interests of gun owners, but I think that change has to come from us from inside the GOP. It’s not going to come by bolting away from the coalition, because that basically only neuters our political power. The way to build power in the organization is to work hard to get pro-gun candidates onto the GOP ticket. We tried with Fred, but he didn’t have wings to fly. People tried with Ron Paul, but he’s a poor vehicle for moving much of anything forward in coalition politics, and his numbers reflect that. We might have better luck next time, and in the mean time, McCain ain’t perfect, but I think we can hold the line with him. We’ll go backwards under Obillery for sure.
I should also say, equally important, is to get pro-gun people on the Democrat ticket. Nothing would make the GOP pay more attention to gun owners than by having to compete with the Democrats for the gun vote. The ultimate reason we end up with lesser of the two evils is because the Democrats actively want us to not exist anymore as a voting bloc.
Good rational points, as always Sebastian.
I just look at the slate of candidates and get the feeling we’ve already lost. There’s not one mainstream candidate left for the gunnies.
I guess I see it as a disobedient dog. They give us lousy gun candidates, and we vote for them thereby reinforcing the behavior. The GOP knows all they have to do is put out a candidate that’s .00001% less anti-gun than the Dems and we’ll vote for them. The Dems write us off and the GOP takes us for granted.
You’re absolutely right that the gun culture does not vote enough to control an election. But right now no one wants to partner with us. Liberal groups won’t because we won’t partner with them. Conservative groups won’t because they already have our votes.
Nothing good comes from lesser of two evils.
OK, I’ll stop filling up your comments now. Seeing as it’s your turf, you deserve the last word. Thanks for the discussion.
I thought the nuclear option involved voting from the rooftops?
In all seriousness, I’m heartbroken. I’m furious with the Republican party; I did not even get to vote. I’m going to write in Fred come primary day here, and come the general election, I don’t know what I’m going to do.
Think if we started blowing up children in marketplaces like Muslims, the Democrats would embrace us as freedom fighters and start easing off the gun-control rhetoric?
Does anyone ever learn. We went through all of this in ’92. Many Conservatives decided to stay home or vote for Perot because Daddy Bush reneged on his Read my lips, no new taxes pledge and his support for some gun control.
Hell, I’ll admit that I was one of those people. What did we get for our pains. 8 years of Bill Clinton and hell for gun owners. Did the Republicans listen to our message. Maybe for a bit, but we still got a squishy, compassionate Conservative that is arguably worse than his daddy in 2000.
Well, I won’t do it again. The Democrats will go whole hog into Socialism if they regain the White House. Expect socialized medicine and new gun control within their first year of power. Our choices on the Republican side may suck, but they sure as hell beat the alternative.
There is no one still declared in the race for whom I can vote.
As for putting a super majority for Democrats in Congress and a Democrat in the White House. I think maybe it is time, whether we do it by voting third party or by just staying home.
in that event one of two things will happen, the country will be destroyed or the people will wake up and take it back. If the latter doesn’t occur, we won’t deserve a country, liberty, or even life if we, as citizens, allow it to be destroyed by political fiat in contradiction to the principles upon which it is based.
That is my brand of pragmatism. If it doesn’t work, and we refuse to fix it, but it is used as a weapon against us, then let it die.
“Vote Paul, vote Libertarian, vote Reform, vote Green, vote Cylon, vote Scientologist.”
I like the Cylon option.
“By your command.”
No way. I’ve had it with McKennedy and all the rest. Straightarrow has it exactly right. This country has to deserve to exist.
As for putting a super majority for Democrats in Congress and a Democrat in the White House. I think maybe it is time, whether we do it by voting third party or by just staying home.
If we do that, there won’t ever be another election.
Do you really think ending up like Cambodia did under Pol Pot is better than struggling through 4 years of McCain?
George H, I think if we are going to end up like Cambodia regardless, let’s just do it now and unmask the goddamned monster.
I am tired of going in the direction of destruction with the illusion that because I am doing it more slowly than the power mongers would like I have won some kind of victory. I am tired of people telling me that, too.
I think it may be time to let the hurt begin and see whether we continue to fold or we finally develop the ability to stand upright.