Romney Campaign Totally Didn't Make That 'Phoney Fred' Website and Then Get It Removed From The Internet Overnight
Hey everybody, a political campaign maybe was involved in putting up a website saying bad stuff about another candidate. Can you believe this? It seems that some guy put up this site PhoneyFred.org, and then it turns out the guy is the business partner of a Mitt Romney campaign official, but no way did Mitt's campaign have anything to do with it, but even so Mitt's campaign managed to completely disappear the entire site from the Internets. All that remains in the Google cache is one text-only page, and that will surely vanish too, so we have bravely saved the text and are posting it here for posterity. Never Forget!
It's not that interesting and will be Old News if you're a regular Wonkette reader, but there are some new nicknames we might use ("Moron Fred" is nice, as is "Fancy Fred") and maybe if Hollywood Fred ever actually goes to a debate or something, he can thank Wonkette for finally giving him something to talk about, for once -- he can quote some of this dumb crap and then call Romney a cunt!
Hollywood Fred Washington Fred Pimp Fred McCain Fred
The Faces of Phoney Fred
* Fancy Fred
* Five O'clock Fred
* Flip-Flop Fred
* McCain Fred
* Moron Fred
* Playboy Fred
* Pro-Choice Fred
* Son-of-a-Fred
* Trial Lawyer Fred
Latest Phoney Fred News
* Phoney Fred. Acting like a conservative.
* Moron Fred
* Pro-Choice Fred
* Lobbyist Fred
* McCain Fred
* Flip Flop Fred
* Five O'Clock Fred
Hollywood Fred Washington Fred Pimp Fred McCain Fred
Flip Flop Fred
When ol' Fred started talking about running for President, we have to admit that we were just a little bit excited. After all, isn't this the same Arthur Branch tough-on-crime, Nixon-busting, conservative stalwart we see on TBS every half hour? After some digging, we found that Fred has had a few flim-flaming peccadilloes in his day (and we're not talking about the Bill Clinton kind - we'll get to that later...). Turns out that ol' Fred has changed his mind about more than a few issues - and we're not talking about whether he's in the mood for a vodka martini or a gin martini at The Palm.
I Did Not Have Relations With That Organization, NFPRHA
We've seen lots of flip flops in our day, but none so blatantly sandal-like as this one. Seems that ol' Fred spent some time as a lobbyist for an abortions rights group called the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association back in the day. Now that's something that we might be able to get past - "I wasn't thinking, it was a stupid mistake" or "I sincerely apologize for being so foolish" would have gone a long way. Unfortunately, Fred outright lied, then kinda lied, then kinda admitted it, then kinda didn't. This is an easy question - did you or didn't you? Unfortunately, Fred didn't quite figure that one out. Just in case you missed the drama back in July, we've assembled this handy timeline.
* Fred starts with an unequivocal denial that he lobbied for the abortion rights group. Simple enough, right? Story over, right?
"Fred Thompson did not lobby for this group, period."
-Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo. (Los Angeles Times, 7/7/07)
* Nope! Confronted with documents claiming that Thompson was hired by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, he becomes, well, less than certain:
"[Thompson] may have been consulted by one of [his] firm's partners who represented this group in 1991."
- Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo (Los Angeles Times, 7/7/07)
Later that day at the National YR Convention in Florida, Thompson himself is asked whether or not he lobbied for the pro-abortion group - gotta admit, he's got a way with words, but we don't see the word "yes" or the word "no" anywhere in here...
"I'd just say the flies get bigger in the summertime. I guess the flies are buzzing."
- Fred Thompson (Associated Press, 7/7/07)
(and yes, he actually said those words - if we could talk like that, we'd be running for president too)
Three days later, Sean Hannity (who could try out for the Olympic Softball team when it comes to asking Fred questions) hangs a slow curve out over the plate when he asks Fred to clear it up, but Fred manages to get hit by the pitch anyway.
"You need to separate a lawyer advocating a position from a position itself."
-Fred Thompson (Interview with Hannity, 7/10/07)
Seriously? You're in front of thousands of adoring social conservatives begging (JUST BEGGING) you to run for President, and you say THAT? C'mon man...
Next, Ol' Fred returns to the New Media, where he's had such great success in the past with gems like that Michael Moore video, but he whiffs again!
"I've experienced another gambit of those schooled in the creative uses of law and politics: dredging up clients - or another lawyer's clients - that I may have represented or consulted with, and then using the media to get me into a public debate as to what I may have done for them or said to them 15 or 20 years ago."
-Fred Thompson (Powerline, 7/12/07)
Fred. Seriously. Keep it short. Yes or no. "May have represented" isn't exactly the phrase that your would-be supporters are looking to hear.
Later in the column (and this is our favorite part), Fred asserts "lobbyist-client privilege." Now we're all for attorney-client privilege, but there's a HUGE difference between a lawyer and a lobbyist that happened to go to law school. There are plenty of lobbyists that aren't lawyers in Washington, and to assert that they live under some moral code that prohibits them from talking about their clients is ludicrous - hell, they're PAID to talk about their clients. (and for more on the lobbyists' moral code, see Jack Abramoff)
"Even if my memory serves me correctly, it would not be appropriate for a lawyer to make such comments."
-Fred Thompson (Powerline, 7/12/07)
That one just doesn't pass the smell test. Yes or no, Fred, yes or no.
And for more on the "not ready for the big leagues" argument, see this exchange.
"I don't recall him ever lobbying me on that at all. I don't think that ever happened."
- John Sununu (Los Angeles Times, 7/7/07)
Fred says that he called John Sununu to talk to him about the allegations:
"I called Sununu. I said 'You remember this?' He said 'No.' And that was the end of that."
-Fred Thompson (Interview with Hannity, 7/10/07)
Thompson spokesman denies that Fred called Sununu, despite what Thompson himself said on Sean Hannity's show:
"Contacted last night Corallo denied, despite Thompson's on air comments, that Thompson had called Sununu to compare memory and/or question Sununu's recollection."
- (American Spectator, 7/11/07)
So far, we really haven't heard a "yes," a "no," or an "oops, that was a mistake, sorry 'bout that." Still waiting, Fred.
Me? Run for President? Aw, Shucks...
Fred loooooves to use a line about how he "hasn't been running since high school" or something like that. He'd like you to think that it just occurred to him that he oughta run for President because he felt drawn to serve the people blah blah blah. In fact, he told David Broder of the Washington Post in August that he just all of a sudden thought about running for the first time recently:
"After spending most of the past few years on TV's 'Law and Order,' and starting a new family, with two children under 4, the 65-year-old lawyer says he finds himself motivated for the first time to seek the White House.
"There's no reason for me to run just to be president," he said. "I don't desire the emoluments of the office. I don't want to live a lie and clever my way to the nomination or election." (Washington Post, August 16, 2007)
Hey Fred - if you don't want to "clever" yourself to the nomination, quit inventing verbs and just tell us when you first started thinking about a White House job? We did just a little bit of digging and found an article dated Election Day 1996 where Fred's name came up as a possible candidate:
"Who will be the Republican candidate? Christie Whitman? Fred Thompson? Lamar Alexander, who, smiling and relaxed in the corner of the room, suddenly looks more presidential than he ever did on the campaign trail?" (Weekly Standard, November 18, 1996)
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that ol' Fred himself was talking about it, right? Oh wait, yeah it does:
"Thompson's off-the-record chats with reporters also suggest that his claim that he hasn't given much thought to running for president might be somewhat disingenuous (his campaign has attempted to make a virtue of the fact that Thompson, unlike his competitors, isn't obsessed with power). During one 1998 off-the-record bull session, Thompson boasted to a reporter, "Al Gore goes to bed at night and says, 'Please don't let it be Fred Dalton Thompson.'" (New York Magazine, July 30, 2007)
And then Ambinder over at the Atlantic did some digging of his own and found an article that had Fred saying:
"Taking a jab at such career campaigners as former Gov. Lamar Alexander and Vice President Al Gore, Thompson responded to a question about a possible presidential candidacy by saying, 'Contrary to popular belief, I don't think you have to run for president for 15 years. Or four years.'
"He said he would wait until later this year or early 1999 before making a decision about whether to run." (Commercial Appeal, August 21, 1998)
Hmmmmmm - guess Fred isn't quite the "I didn't wanna, but I was called to service" self-sacrificing lamb that he makes himself out to be... Then again, it's true that he hasn't been running since high school - just since 1998.
Fair Tax? Love it! Oh wait, it's okay, I guess. No, wait - I LOVE it!
The FairTax is one helluva deal, and if you haven't read about it, you should (www.fairtax.com). Fred, on the other hand, can't seem to get his head on straight when it comes to whether he actually likes it or not. He can't even get the story straight with his own staff!
"Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., appears to have flip flopped on his pledge to sign federal legislation replacing all federal taxes with a 23 percent sales tax, according to an unedited FairTax.org video reviewed by ABC News.
"'He has not taken this pledge,' Thompson spokesperson Linda Rozett told ABC News.
"The Thompson camp's denial appears to be contradicted, however, by an unedited FairTax.org video in which Thompson is asked, 'Senator, if the House and Senate pass the 'Fair Tax' bill would you sign it?'
"Thompson replies to the question by saying, 'Yeah, absolutely.'" (ABCnews.com, July 31, 2007)
Watch the evolution for yourself!
Fred Thompson Was For The Fair Tax (link)
Before He Was Against It (link)
Before He Was For It Again (link)
September 4, 2007 | Filed Under Uncategorized