Thompson picks up a dozen legislative endorsements

Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson picked up the endorsement of 12 South Carolina lawmakers Tuesday.
The former U.S. senator from Tennessee also has the support of U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, a Republican from Oconee County. Several of the 12 legislators named Tuesday had already endorsed Thompson, including Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, Rep. Michael Thompson, R-Anderson and Rep. Harry Cato, R-Greenville.

Here’s the full list from the campaign:

Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston
Sen. Ray Cleary, R-Georgetown
Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley
Sen. John Hawkins, R-Spartanburg.
Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg
Rep. Eric Bedingfield, R-Greenville.
Rep. Harry Cato, R-Greenville
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens.
Rep. David Hiott, R-Pickens.
Rep. Dwight Loftis, R-Greenville Co.
Rep. Michael Thompson, R-Anderson.
Rep. Brian White, R-Anderson.

Comments

[demotaker]

How bad is the Bush GOP when a senior GOP senator calls out the president for sandbagging the nation’s uninsured children, and then suggests that the Democrats target GOP senators and representatives who side with the president against the SCHIP expansion? That’s exactly what Iowa GOP senator Chuck Grassley is doing, in expressing his displeasure about the White House’s attempt to stop a bipartisan expansion of SCHIP with a Bush veto and a probable failed override attempt in the House.

According to the Washington Post today, Grassley told the White House months ago that if it wanted to make the case that the best way to cover more children was to give tax breaks to low income people who can’t afford insurance in the first place, then the White House should get out there and round up the votes for it. Yet months passed, and the White House did nothing to sell it. Instead, the administration focused on the cost of the expansion and its financing with a tobacco tax increase.

But when Grassley demanded to know in August why exactly the White House was opposing something that had the broad bipartisan approval of Congress, the nation’s governors, and the insurance industry, Bush flip-flopped and told him it wasn’t about the cost but the principle of wanting Congress to take his all-or-nothing demand of more tax breaks, a response that surprised and angered Grassley since the administration had done nothing to round up the votes themselves for months. As a result, Grassley says the White House is holding children’s health insurance “hostage” to a policy goal that they haven’t taken the time to sell themselves.

And what does Grassley recommend happen after the Senate overrides a Bush veto and John Boehner kills the override the House?

Grassley said if he were the Democrats, he would send the SCHIP expansion to a vote every three months, along with campaign advertisements accusing Republicans of abandoning children. That way, pressure would mount either on Bush to sign the bill or on House Republicans to override the veto.
That’s a senior GOP senator telling the Democrats to go after his fellow Republicans for harming kids.

[Jared]

They're sticking with their own - a fellow Southerner. But Thompson is not the real deal. I understand, but we have to consider bigger issues. Thompson might be one of us, but he's not the best on the issues. Personally, I'm voting for Ron Paul. He's the best on the issues. People in both parties should be able to identify with his pro-freedom message.

[demotaker]

Sorry, but shutting down Homeland Security, the FBI and the CIA is not my idea of pro-freedom.

[Jared]

Demotaker, Homeland Security was a totally unwarrented expansion of government. His big issues are getting rid of the Dept. of Education - which would free up our local communities to direct things again (remember when we used to have the best standards in the world?? - well, now we surely don't, thanks in large part to the Dept. of Education). Also, he wants to end the war, which is good. We need those troops on the Mexican border a lot more than we need them in Iraq. The sooner the war ends the better. Also, he wants to greatly reduce taxes, get the gov't out of your family and personal life, and in general return to a more constitutional manner of governing - allowing the individual the greatest amount of freedom and allowing communities to prosper. This all sounds great to me, Demotaker.

[demotaker]

"get the gov't out of your family and personal life"

The Mexicans love you for that comment.

The government is exactly what you need to straighten out this Iraq mess.