You asked Fred what he stands for, asked him to lay it all out there. Well, here it is:

Anyone who has heard me speak knows my firm commitment to what I call "First Principles." These grow out of the documents of our Nation's founding and the wisdom of the ages. They are core beliefs that guide my approach to the issues that are crucial to our Nation's future. I believe in--

Individual Liberty . As Jefferson spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, our basic rights come from God, not from government, and that among these inalienable rights is the right to liberty. We must allow individuals to lead their lives with minimal government interference.

Personal Responsibility . The corollary to liberty is responsibility. No society can succeed and thrive for any duration unless free people act in a responsible way. All of us must take responsibility for our actions and strive to improve our own lives and to contribute to building a better society.

Free Markets . Free people are best equipped to order their own affairs, and the common interest benefits from and is improved by the aggregate success of all. We must reform our tax system, encourage investment, support entrepreneurial spirit, open markets abroad to American goods, and minimize burdensome government regulations to continue to expand the economy and bring increased wealth to all Americans give.

Limited Government . Government must be strong enough to protect us, competent enough to provide basic government services, but limited by the delineated powers in the Constitution.

Federalism . Our Constitution innovatively guarantees our liberties by spreading power among the three branches of the federal government, and between the federal government and the states. In considering any action by the government, we must always ask two questions: is the government better equipped than the private sector to perform the task and, if so, what level of government (federal or state) ought to do it. Washington is not the seat of all wisdom.

Protecting our Country . The first responsibility of the federal government is to protect the nation and the American people. There is no more important task. We must have a strong and effective military, capable intelligence services, and a vigorous law enforcement and homeland security capacity.

Traditional American Values . A healthy society is predicated on belief in God; respect for all life; strong families centered on the institution of marriage: the union of a man and a woman; and self-respect and tolerance of others. While we are all free to live our lives in the pursuit of our own happiness, the government has a responsibility to respect the right of parents to raise their children and to promote the values that produce the strongest society.

The Rule of Law . We protect our liberty, secure our rights, and promote a just and stable society through the rule of law. We owe to ourselves and our fellow citizens our own adherence to the rules, but tough law enforcement and punishment for those who do not. A free and independent judiciary that interprets the law by adhering strictly to legal text and respects its limited role in our system of government is essential to our security and freedom, and we need judges who understand that role if we are to preserve our republic and freedom.

Conserving Our Nation's Resources . Each of us is put on Earth for a limited period of time. We must always strive to ensure that the resources we use to lead our lives are here for future generations to enjoy and use as well.

We live in the greatest country on earth. We have been truly blessed. This blessing carries with it an obligation: to keep it that way and to leave this country at least as strong, prosperous, and united as when we entered it.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 655 words, total size 4 kb.

1 Okay, I can vote for him.

Posted by: pam at September 27, 2007 08:58 AM (l6NIn)

2 Well, I hope everyone else for that matter :-) . I probably will if I can get that chance after the primaries...

Posted by: GMT at September 27, 2007 11:29 AM (H8Grm)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Y'all may have noticed the new animated avatar in the left sidebar. I've had a Meez for a while, but I never bothered to add it. Until I saw (thanks BR!) that Meez loves Fred (well, you can get a T-shirt, background, and sign for any of the major candidates).

And I love Fred. So YAY! If you want to get your own Meez go here, and say I referred you (caltechgirl), and we both get "coins" for special outfits and backdrops. They have some great Halloween costumes, too!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:00 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 93 words, total size 1 kb.

and just one more reason why I'll be voting for him.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:25 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 23 words, total size 1 kb.

Go see what Fred is up to.  Visit Fred's blog and watch some great videos of Fred on the road, including the first blogger-submitted questions!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 47 words, total size 1 kb.

The Thompson campaign is officially underway, and Fred seems to be making quite an impression. Judge for yourself. Here's Senior Campaign Advisor Rich Galen's exchange with a local reporter in Portsmouth, NH:

One reporter, rather than asking "what did you think of the speech?" asked: "Don't you think he is missing his opportunities by not having more red meat in his speech?"

The man the reporter was talking to, an actual voter from New Hampshire, said that he thought the speech was just fine and, further, while he hadn't made up his mind, he was now leaning toward Fred.

Unable to stop myself, I dove into the conversation.

"First," I said to the reporter, "you are requiring Thomson[sic] to reach a standard which (a) you, not this man, set and (b) doesn't make any sense in the first place."

"Look at all the people who waited through the storm to see him," I said waiting until he actually turned around to look. "And they're STILL here," I said noting how many were swarming around Fred.

"You guys complain (I didn't actually say "complain" but this is a family blog) about candidates who speak in sound bites and bumper strips. Then when a candidate comes and gives you 20 minutes of substance you tell me you're looking for someone wearing a red nose and clown hair."

"You can't have it both ways."

I doubt that I made that reporter throw away his "Hillary for President" card, but he agreed with me.

I was hoping for a headline in the Sunday Portsmouth paper which read: "Thompson Takes NH by Storm" but while the story was a fair representation, the headline didn't reach my standard.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:35 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 295 words, total size 2 kb.

He announced last night on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno!

(if the video won't load, here's a transcript of the segment)

And here's the "official" announcement, from Fred08.com:

Run Fred Run!

Win Fred Win!

BTW, if you want to know why I'm a Fredhead, I'll sum it up for you in two words: Testicular Fortitude. Fred has it. The others so far don't seem to. Even McCain who ought to have TF in spades, given his history, but he's just as wimpy and consensus driven as the other used car salesmen in the race. If Fred proves me wrong, then I'll be voting for ABH/O (Anyone but Hillary/Obama)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:36 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 113 words, total size 2 kb.

Fred announces tomorrow! He's on Leno tonight.

Security-Unity-Prosperity... My kind of candidate.

fred08.com

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:42 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 15 words, total size 1 kb.