Tommy Thompson Campaign Thread
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MasterJedi
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« on: January 07, 2007, 10:43:20 AM »
« edited: January 08, 2007, 02:04:06 PM by MasterJedi »

DES MOINES, IA - Tommy Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor and cabinet secretary, promised today to become a familiar face in Iowa in the coming months as he assembles a grassroots organization that will enable him to compete against better-financed rivals.

"I'm going to be here every week, at least one day every week," Thompson told The Associated Press. "I'm close enough to be able to do that and I'm going to develop a field organization and a grassroots campaign like you haven't seen before."

Thompson was in Iowa to meet privately with key activists, laying the groundwork for his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Thompson said he's betting heavily on his showing in a straw poll of Iowa Republicans in August and the state's leadoff precinct caucuses in January 2008.

Thompson, secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005, conceded he doesn't have the fundraising clout of better known rivals such as Arizona Sen. John McCain, but he said money shouldn't be a problem.

"I'm not going to match them dollar for dollar," said Thompson. "I think Iowa is the key. I'm going to have enough money to run a campaign that I can win in Iowa and New Hampshire. After that, the money comes."

Veteran Republican strategist Steve Grubbs, who advises Thompson, said the influence of money is often overstated in caucus politics.

"In Iowa, it's not that expensive to campaign," said Grubbs. "There are roughly 100,000 caucus voters and you can talk to every caucus voter 10 times for a million dollars, 20 times for $2 million. If we can't get our message across reaching out to these voters 10 or 20 times, then that's our problem."

Thompson said he would stress his status as a neighbor to Iowa, a status that has previously helped candidates.

"We're going to be able to develop people all over the state. It's going to be a lot of retail politics, which I'm very good at," said Thompson. "I've shown that in every campaign I've been involved in."

The first focus will be on the August straw poll, which in the past has prompted candidates to quit the race months before activists show up for precinct caucuses. In the 2000 election, Elizabeth Dole and Lamar Alexander dropped out after a poor straw poll showing.

Thompson described himself as "a grassroots conservative" but argued that his experience as a cabinet secretary gives him a background in crucial issues such as health care and welfare reform.

Thompson has formed an exploratory committee, allowing him to raise and spend money as he considers seeking the GOP presidential nomination. He said he's putting together a political team based on people he worked with in Wisconsin when he was governor. He said he has a fundraiser planned Friday in Madison, Wis., as well as later fundraisers in Nevada, Colorado, California and Texas.

"I'm bringing together the old Wisconsin team from my gubernatorial days," said Thompson.

http://gazetteonline.com/2007/01/03/Home/News/tommythompsoniowa.htm

http://www.tommy2008.com/Home.aspx
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2007, 06:53:26 PM »

Here's another article on about the same subject:

Thompson plans Iowa campaign push


Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson vowed Wednesday to spend at least one day a week in Iowa, campaigning for the presidency.

Thompson is one of about a dozen Republicans seriously considering presidential runs, and he said he would compete vigorously for support in Iowa's lead-off caucuses.

"I'll be here more than any other candidate," he said in a Des Moines interview. "I look at this as trying to run for sheriff in 99 counties in Iowa. It's retail politics, and that's what I'm good at."

Thompson has a relatively low profile compared with some of his potential rivals, such as Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. But he has hired two veteran Iowa political organizers - Steve Grubbs and Brian Dumas - and he has scheduled fundraising events around the country. He has filed papers organizing an exploratory committee, and he plans to formally announce his intentions within a few months.

He said he relates well to Iowans, and he noted that he is the only Republican candidate from a neighboring state. "I'm the only farmer in the group," he said. "I'm the only one that rides motorcycles."

Thompson was Wisconsin's governor for 14 years, then ran the Department of Health and Human Services during President Bush's first term. He cites his role in reforming welfare as governor and in running the nation's largest health-care programs as a federal administrator.

After leaving office, he was chairman of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He said that experience would help him lead on international matters.

On the Iraq issue, Thompson said America faces hard choices.

"We can't cut and run right now. We've got too much invested," he said. "But Bush has got one last chance to get it right and stabilize that government. If not, I think you're going to have all-out civil war."

Thompson said he doesn't favor proposals to increase U.S. troops in Iraq, "unless there's some assurances it will work."

In the end, he said, Iraq might have to be divided into separate areas for the competing ethnic groups. "You're not going to force the Sunnis and the Shiites to live together if there's a civil war going on."

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/NEWS09/701040373/-1/ENT06
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2007, 02:05:48 PM »

Ok, have turned this into basically an official thread even though he hasn't announced yet, and here's another article!


Thompson Says Core Supporters Pledge $1 million to His Presidential Campaign


MADISON -- Twenty years to the day that Tommy Thompson was first sworn in as governor of Wisconsin, he gathered a group of his earliest supporters in a capital city hotel to talk about the next chapter of his journey – a possible run for president.

Thompson formed an exploratory committee last month, and as the former four-term governor of a state bordering Iowa, he’s feeling good about his chances.

“I think it’s made to order for me,” said Thompson. “If I had to paint a scenario as to how I could go from Elroy, Wis. to be governor and run for president, this is the scenario I would have.”

Thompson grew up in Elroy, a small town in western Wisconsin, and the mere mention of his hometown later evoked many a story about Tommy at a reunion of friends, appointees and staff at the Concourse Hotel. Thompson, in a typical move, also stopped by a funeral reception for an old supporter who helped him win a long shot campaign for governor in 1986. Barb Underwood, a longtime DOT employee, recently died of cancer.

Many national and state pundits view Thompson as a long shot. But the former HHS secretary under George W. Bush said there's no real front runner in the large field of Republican candidates and proclaimed the GOP is in trouble with an “unpopular war” being waged. Midwestern states are key to 2008, he added.

“You don’t have to be too smart to realize that the states in the Midwest are going to be key if a Republican is going to win in 2008,” he said.

Asked what his plan is for Iraq, Thompson demurred to his former boss but said it was Bush's "last chance.''

“I hope the president is going to be able to come up with a plan that’s going to be successful,” he said. “I think it’s his last chance at it, and I don’t want to second guess the president at this time. I don’t want to prejudge it.”

Thompson said Bush has been “dealt a very difficult hand” with the war on terrorism, and has “played his cards – some right, some wrong -- just as any human being would have.”

“I think the president has been a good president,” he said. “I wouldn’t say he’s a great president, but he’s been a good president.”

The strategy meeting at the Concourse Hotel drew 75 former members of Thompson’s gubernatorial finance team, old friends and advisers. Thompson said one group of individuals pledged $1 million to his campaign, and promised to turn out 1,000 votes in Iowa. He declined to identify those who made the pledges.

Speaking with reporters for about 20 minutes during a break in the meetings, Thompson was upbeat and optimistic about his chances.

“I don’t think it’s going to take much at all,” said Thompson. “All you have to do is win Iowa, and you’ll be there.”

Thompson said he wants to run because of his track record of working across the aisle with Democrats, and his background in addressing what he sees as the two major issues facing the country – health care and energy independence.

He said he would use “medical diplomacy” to change worldwide opinion about America. “If you’re going to start changing the attitude of other countries about America … the best way to do it is using health care,” he said.

Before Thompson sat down with reporters, Steve Grubbs, his Iowa adviser for the exploratory committee, and Steve Edwards, his adviser in New Hampshire, talked with the press.

Edwards was chief of staff to former GOP New Hampshire Gov. Steve Merrill.

Grubbs is a Davenport, Ia. native who served six years in the Iowa Legislature, and two years as chairman of the state's Republican Party. In 1996, he was Iowa chair of Bob Dole’s presidential campaign, and was a senior adviser to Steve Forbes’ 2000 presidential campaign.

In Iowa and New Hampshire, the advisers said, you have to win a campaign “voter by voter.” Edwards described New Hampshire, the site of the nation's first primary, as "the last bastion of retail politics."

“There’s 100,000 caucus voters roughly,” Grubbs said. “You can talk to every caucus voter 10 times for a million dollars, or you can talk to every caucus voter 20 times for $2 million. If you can’t get your message across with that number of contacts, then that’s a problem with the campaign. But I’m confident that Gov. Thompson will have enough money to run a thorough Iowa campaign.”

Despite his optimism, Thompson said there are still many factors to weigh before he officially launches a presidential campaign.

If he runs, Thompson declared he will out-work any candidate.

"I want to make sure that we can do this," said Thompson, who turned 65 in November. "I don't want to be on any fool's errand at my age. If I run, I want to run to win."

Listen to audio of a press conference with Thompson's advisers: http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/070105TGTadvisers.mp3


http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=84954
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« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2007, 02:06:56 PM »

He was part of the Bush admin. That dooms him.
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2007, 02:08:29 PM »

He was part of the Bush admin. That dooms him.

Any statement coming from you is irrelevant. Now if that came from respectable liberas (Nym90, etc.) then it would actually mean something.
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Rob
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« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2007, 04:25:15 PM »

Any statement coming from you is irrelevant.

Look who's talking!
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2007, 05:36:16 PM »

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Eraserhead
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« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2007, 01:16:03 AM »

John Kerry face mask.
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Jacobtm
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« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2007, 04:04:49 AM »

He thinks Iowa will be easy? Just $2mil and you've got it locked up? Just because he lives near them, they'll all vote for him?

He hasn't payed attention to the money and time spent in Iowa in every single contested Primary in recent history, has he? How much money did Dean throw into Iowa in '03 and '04? How well did Gephardt do becuase he was from a rural neighboring state in '88, then in '04?

Does he realize that the 99 counties in Iowa aren't little towns he can go shake hands through? It's a big ol' place with lots of empty space. You can't exactly hop into your car and just casually campaign in Iowa 1 day a week and expect that to be your ticket to sucess...
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SPC
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« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2007, 12:32:30 AM »

He was part of the Bush admin. That dooms him.

He got out when he was ahead. He had the fortune of not being part of Bush's do nothing second term.
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2007, 09:29:45 AM »

Neighbor to the north drops by: Former Wisconsin governor, possible presidential candidate, visits Muscatine

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Alternative fuels, health-care reform and the war in Iraq were among the hot topics discussed by possible Republican presidential candidate of Wisconsin.

Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin governor and former secretary of the federal Health and Human Services Depart-ment, visited with approximately 25 potential supporters at the home of Muscatine County Treasurer Jerry Coffman on Saturday afternoon. The event was hosted by Bob Kaufmann, 21-year-old chair of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans. He’s the son of Iowa legislator Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton.

 During Thompson’s introduction, Bob Kaufmann said he chooses to support a candidate with integrity and the ability to win as a Republican and he referred to Thompson as a “proven winner.”

Thompson addressed several issues in response to questions:

Ethanol

Thompson, 65, says the United States needs to reduce dependency on foreign oil and pointed out that he was the first governor to purchase an E-85 vehicle. In 1991, he helped found the Governors’ Ethanol Council. “If you don’t believe in ethanol, you shouldn’t support me,” Thompson said.

Heath-care reform

Thompson said that 16 percent of the gross national product is spent on health care, greatly reducing competition in the world market for U.S. products. “We now spend seven percent on well (preventive) care and 93 percent on illness. How dumb is that? I’d like to see our health-care system change from curative to wellness-focused,” Thompson said.

Illegal immigration

“It’s simple. You obey the law or you suffer the consequences and are returned to the country from which you came,” Thompson said. He also said that he’s not in favor of amnesty for illegal immigrants but says there is a place for worker permits obtained through legal channels.

War in Iraq

Thompson told his Muscatine audience that he’s not ready to pull out of Iraq, but he’s nervous that President Bush’s decision to dramatically increase the number of troops in Iraq could threaten national security if another war should arise.

 “I have a similar philosophy as Colin Powell. You go to war to win. You need to put in enough troops to do it. When we started, we tried to do it on the cheap. We will have 17,000 (more) young men and women in Baghdad (alone). I would much rather train the Iraqis. I hope this works out,” Thompson said.

He added that the military and military equipment needs to be strengthened but he wouldn’t be in favor of a draft. “I hope we can make the military so exciting that we won’t need a draft.“

A GOP president?

“Republicans went to Washington hoping to change Washington; instead, Washington changed Republicans,” he said.

 “A Republican can’t win without the Midwestern states of Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin,” Thompson added. He joked that it would be good if the Iowans and Wisconsinites could reunite by considering him “if and when I make that announcement.”

Thompson, who has considered a bid for the 2008 presidential race since late 2005, filed papers in December 2006 to form an exploratory committee to determine if he will announce his candidacy.

Saturday, he told his local audience that he wasn’t ready to make such an announcement.

http://www.muscatinejournal.com/articles/2007/01/15/news/doc45aba86a683d4096721019.txt
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The Man From G.O.P.
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« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2007, 11:38:59 PM »

Sorry,


Tommy Thompson- name dooms him

"cheesehead" -dooms him

lack of any money- dooms him

NO ONE KNOWS WHO HE IS- dooms him

He nees to help someone else, not waste republican time and money that could go to some useful place.
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2007, 12:30:33 PM »

Thompson scores Corbett, other Iowa supporters

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who is considering a run for the presidency, has picked up the support of former Iowa House Speaker Ron Corbett.

Corbett, a Republican businessman from Cedar Rapids, was speaker from 1994 to 1999. He has agreed to serve as a senior adviser to Thompson’s exploratory committee, Thompson aides said today.

Thompson also announced three other Iowa additions to his effort. They include Chad Olsen of Guthrie Center, who was political director for Steve Forbes’ presidential campaign in 2000 and campaign manager for Steve Sukup’s gubernatorial campaign in 2002. Olsen has agreed to be Thompson’s campaign manager.

The other pickups include Bobby Kauffman of Wilton, state chairman of the Iowa College Republicans, and Gwen Ecklund of Denison, former board president of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women. Thompson previously announced that his staff would include Steve Grubbs, who is a former state representative and state party chairman, and Brian Dumas, who has worked for U.S. Sens. Charles Grassley and Lamar Alexander.

Thompson ran the Department of Health and Human Services during President Bush’s first term. He has said he will announce his presidential intentions within a few months.

http://blogs.dmregister.com/?p=4028

And it also says it as a press release from Thompson's site: http://www.tommy2008.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=7143&mname=Article&rpid=2227
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2007, 02:02:46 PM »

This is the ownage of Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin. (This was his last Gubernatorial election in 1998):

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Gabu
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« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2007, 02:47:12 PM »

This is the ownage of Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin. (This was his last Gubernatorial election in 1998):



This is the ownage of John Edwards in North Carolina:



Sadly, home states rarely decide anything whatsoever in primaries. Tongue
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #15 on: January 21, 2007, 09:10:29 AM »

Former Wisconsin governor explores entering presidential race

Tommy Thompson, a former governor who is exploring a run for the presidency, believes states should have more flexibility.

"I'm a big believer in states rights because it is where innovation comes from," said Thompson, who served as Wisconsin governor from 1987 to 2001. "I got welfare reform started in Wisconsin and other governors followed through."

His program, called Wisconsin Works, helped mothers find meaningful work and escape the trap of government dependency. The program, which was copied by other governors, was eventually used by the federal government, he said.

Thompson also believes the states should have the complete say on another issue - the minimum wage.

While he supports a raise to that wage, Thompson also added, "It should be left up to the states."

Thompson, who also served as secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005, was in Omaha Friday to speak at a dinner for the Douglas County Republican Party. He knows the importance of Iowa, however, should he decide to run.

He feels good about it, he said.

"I like where we are," Thompson said during a private interview with The Daily Nonpareil. "We're picking up supporters every day. I'm cautiously optimistic about Iowa."

Thompson believes the Republican Party needs new leadership and ideas.

"I always looked at a plan and developed a common-sense solution," he said.

Thompson said he has a three-step plan for ending the war in Iraq.

The first part is to call upon the Iraqi government to vote on whether they want American troops to remain in that country. The second part is to have all Iraqis share in the oil revenues. This would discourage any future attacks on oil fields and would encourage oil production expansion. The third and final part would be to have one central government, but set up individual states for the different religious and ethnic factions.

"I think the president needs to be complemented in standing up for his direction, but I don't know if it's the right direction," Thompson said.

On immigration, he said, "I support people obeying the law and not granting amnesty for people who break it."

Thompson opposes more government in health care.

"I want more consumers in health care to make it more competitive," he said.

This country also has to become energy independent from the Middle East, he said, adding he supports continued expansion of alternative fuels like wind, solar and ethanol.

His ideas as governor allowed him to be elected four straight terms in a state that's mostly Democratic.

"That points out what we need in Washington," he said.


http://www.zwire.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2703&dept_id=555106&newsid=17733399
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Frodo
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« Reply #16 on: January 21, 2007, 12:50:11 PM »
« Edited: January 21, 2007, 12:54:17 PM by Swing Voter »

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Wait -how is Wisconsin mostly Democratic?  For a swing state I would have assumed it to be more evenly divided.
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Oh, and one other thing:

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What exactly does he mean by shifting our health care system from 'curative' to being 'wellness-focused'?  I don't understand this sentence.
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MasterJedi
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« Reply #17 on: January 21, 2007, 01:10:58 PM »

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Wait -how is Wisconsin mostly Democratic?  For a swing state I would have assumed it to be more evenly divided.


Wisconsin is evently divided on the state level but nationally it's mostly liberal. That's what they mean.



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What exactly does he mean by shifting our health care system from 'curative' to being 'wellness-focused'?  I don't understand this sentence.
[/quote]

I believe that what he's saying is that he'd like for us to focus on keeping people well in the first place instead of focusing on curing people once they get sick.
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