Putnam digs Thompson

U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, is officially uncommitted, but sure sounded like a Fred Thompson guy to us today: "I think he has an ability to energize the grassroots better than any of the current candidates,'' he said. "He has a conservative reputation and a very authoritative demeanor that people find appealing. He's got movie star attributes that he brings to the table."

Comments

Ohh Please...Thompson has done nothing of any substance except play a grumpy president and grumpy D.A. on T.V. and Film. What a lot of fluff.

The man was elected twice to the Senate of the United States.

[Claude]

Who is running his Florida "campaign"?
How do I get on the mailing list?

Are you the leader Big Red?

some of our iraq veterans who are amputees are being put back into combat. why isn't putnam in iraq?
what's with these wealthy repukes?
putnam is young enough to serve. why isn't he fighting in this war that he supports so enthusiastically?

Putnam is a yellow elephant republican.
Putnam is the funky chicken. Putnam loves war as long as Putnam isn't exposed to it. Nothing personal, he is just so much better than you and I.

[Gene Smith]

It makes perfect sense to me that "Opie" would go for a fellow actor.

Putnam is da man. First off, he knows how to win because he went to school at UF. Go Gators! Second, he isn't going to Iraq because he is a Congressman. Someone has to lead, and the people have chosen him. You don't see Bin Laden strapping a pack of dynamite and running into a convoy, because someone has to lead. It's pretty logical and straightforward to me.

In my opinion, Putnam is a badass.

[Z]

If Thompson was elected twice to the Senate that is one time more than either Obama and Edwards. He has more substance than either. If John Edwards had any less substance, he wouldn't cast a shadow.

Thompson's "conservative values" is funny. Gee, maybe that's why he is married to a woman, what? 30 years his junior? Maybe he wanted to conserve energy in "retraining' her to his way of life. Please - he looks like Jerry Lee Lewis married to a teenager - his wife looks like his granddaughter. Augh .... not a good visual.

Wall Street Journal: A Good Immigration Bill

By Jeb Bush and Ken Mehlman

Immigration reform is very tough. It's an issue that divides both political parties and, on the right, has led many close personal and ideological friends -- people we respect and whose criticism we take seriously -- to oppose new rules governing how people enter this country and how we handle those who are here illegally. But we hope our friends reconsider.

We support the immigration reform compromise worked out in the Senate for a few simple reasons. It strengthens our national defense. It makes our economy more competitive and flexible. It enhances the rule of law and promotes national unity. And it also does these things in a fair, practical way.

Here's what the bill does not do. It does not grant amnesty to the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the country and nor does it give a free pass to others who want to enter the country illegally.

The bill provides real border security for the first time, protecting us against the entry of terrorists and stemming the flow of illegal drugs. It doubles the border patrol, expands the border fence and informs law enforcement about foreign nationals in the United States. Because it requires foreign workers to carry tamper-proof identification, both law enforcement and employers will be able to identify and apprehend those who violate the law.

The temporary worker program will reduce the number of people trying to sneak past the border patrol, allowing law enforcement to focus on those who pose a threat to the U.S. By putting border security first, this immigration reform adds a provision that many Republicans suggested last year. It adopts the "trigger" mechanism suggested by Sen. Johnny Isaacson, a Georgia Republican. Until and unless security improves on the border, the temporary worker program and "Z" visa provision for three-year work permits will not be implemented.

Second, the bill strengthens American economic competitiveness. The high tech economy of the 21st century and the rise of China and India as economic powerhouses have left us with a stark choice. We must be home to the world's most skilled workers if we are to have the world's highest living standards. The immigration reform takes a step in this direction by ensuring that we, as a country, do a better job in granting visas to immigrants with the skills we need. We should welcome more computer programmers, engineers and scientists and this legislation admits more of these highly skilled workers.

Our economy also needs to be flexible. The temporary worker proposal deals with job shortages in critical areas, expanding and contracting our labor supply based on market needs, not politics. Additionally, providing legal status to workers already in the U.S. adds them to the tax rolls. This will protect American taxpayers now bearing the burden of illegal immigrants who use public services but who don't pay taxes.

Third, the immigration reform reinforces the rule of law in a practical and fair way. Today, those in the country illegally live and work without penalty. Doing nothing is the real amnesty. Under this bill, illegal immigrants would be required to pay fines, pass strict background checks, remain employed and maintain a clean record to stay in the U.S. Getting these 12 million people out of the shadows will enhance our national security.

It will also be fair to the legal immigrants who have waited patiently in line. To apply for a green card, illegal immigrants would have to learn English and American civics and return to their home country to apply from the back of the line. The American legal system has a long tradition of reducing penalties for lawbreakers who come forward and admit their guilt. The penalties in this legislation are consistent with this tradition.

Finally, the immigration reform bill will strengthen America's culture. Our national motto, "E Pluribus Unum" (out of many, one) explains one of the key ways our nation is different from other nations. America is uniquely focused on your destination in life, not your origins. An individual's race, creed or national origin isn't what matters. What matters is that person's work ethic, heart, dreams and aspirations. Our nation has become one out of many because we are a nation that assimilates newcomers. It's why no one thinks of St. Patrick's Day as a foreign holiday and why some of America's best cuisine is Italian. Unlike the status quo, the proposed immigration reform would strengthen American culture and reinforce assimilation by requiring new citizens to learn English and master American civics.

Both of us have spent much of our professional lives working to help build the Republican Party. We believe this legislation will be good for the GOP. Hispanic Americans are natural Republicans. Many tend to be pro-life, pro-military and pro-small business. Last year, Republican pollster David Winston conducted a national poll in which he asked registered voters to rate themselves along a 1 to 9 scale from very liberal to very conservative. He found that, overall, the country was center right and Hispanic Americans viewed themselves as slightly to the right of the country as a whole.

Hispanics are also the fastest growing segment of our population. Salsa outsells ketchup and tacos outsell hot dogs. One out of eight people under 35 in Nebraska is Hispanic.

Republicans have shown we can win Hispanic voters when we reach out. We've also seen what happens when Republicans adopt a different approach. California used to be Reagan Country, a reliably red state that, along with Texas and Florida, provided the GOP with a huge Electoral College advantage. In 1994, California Republicans embraced Proposition 187, which denied illegal immigrants public services. The proposition passed and the GOP won the governor's mansion in the short term, but alienated the fastest growing constituency in the state. California has leaned Democratic ever since. No Republican presidential nominee has won the state since 1988. Republican Senate candidates have repeatedly gone down to defeat. And our only successful candidate for governor has been the uniquely popular Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The immigration reform before Congress is far from perfect; it's a compromise after all. But, on balance, we are convinced that this legislation is the right choice. It represents progress in making America safer and stronger; progress in making our economy more competitive and flexible; progress in reinforcing the rule of law and progress in the important work of national unity. Doing nothing is not an option.

Mr. Bush is a former Republican governor of Florida and Mr. Mehlman is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Reagan was divorced once, then remarried. So what.

Thompson's wife is a looker. I dont think that hurts him with conservatives. Especially given conservatives have a liberal (Guiliani), a fraud (Romney), another imposter (McCain), a loon (Brownback, Hunter), a joke (Gilmore) then finally a huckster (Huckabee) to choose from.

Bring on Fred Thompson, hot wife and all.

[Deep Pockets]

Where do I send my check or can I hand deliver it?

10:56-
why do say the same moronic thing EVERY TIME Congressman Putnam's name is mentioned. You sound like a broken record, and a moronic one at that. We have an entirely VOLUNTEER army. Even the ones that signed up so they could get free college new what they got into. The chose to serve in a uniform, Adam has chosen to serve in another way. GET OVER IT....hippy

[taxedToDeath]

I like everything I hear out of Thompson and best of all, I like the way he says it. He's very personable and very well spoken, something that's lacking in the current president.

My primary vote will go either for Giuliani or Thompson. I like McCain but the guy just isn't presidential (although he's better than any of the communists running for the Democratic nomination)

Shoot, TTD... you were doing so well. Then, the partisan hack in you came out… and just when I was about to agree.

“…although he's better than any of the communists running for the Democratic nomination…”

Yes… cause we all know how proud an incestuous, cross dressing, Bush lackey like Rudy would make us.

[Gene Smith]

If Fred Thompson is the best you guys can do, I hope you'll really enjoy the next 8 years with a Democrat in the White House. I know I will.

Why isn't Putnam fighting in the war in Iraq? He has sent many wonderful young men and women to their deaths for nothing. You repuke flunkies are just a pack of trash for supporting people like Putnam.

I love this quote:

"While the Senate is filled with ambitious men who aren't in a rush to get home at night, Senator Thompson kept a lean formal schedule, did the bare minimum to get by and then high-tailed it to the Prime Rib or the Capital Grille."

A former advisor to potential presidential candidate Fred Thompson to Time Magazine

Great.

11:43-
it isn't necessary to say the same thing every twelve hours. And lets be honest, there is plenty to trash the D's about these days too.

1:13pm-

Perhaps 11:43 is a Howie Dean controlled DNC robot programmed to spew the same non-sense on every blog thread.

[Z]

Gene Smith wrote: If Fred Thompson is the best you guys can do, I hope you'll really enjoy the next 8 years with a Democrat in the White House. I know I will.

I'd bet you that a Democrat isn't elected in 2008 but even if you lost, you wouldn't pay up anyway.

[Z]

Gene Smith wrote: If Fred Thompson is the best you guys can do, I hope you'll really enjoy the next 8 years with a Democrat in the White House. I know I will.

I'd bet you that a Democrat isn't elected in 2008 but even if you lost, you wouldn't pay up anyway.

[Cisbemarlian]

Putnam is a real statesman and every bit as genuine as he appears in the papers and on television. He is brave! A character not found in most of our nations leadership. I have known this young man for a long time and he will be one of the US Congress' greatest leaders. Just give him time. He is politically smart and very perceptive and able to seek the route of the issue out and pinpoint how to deal with that issue. If only he could be cloned. The day he leaves the US House to run for President or to run for Florida Governor or US Senator will be a another great day for conservatives around the nation and a win-win for America and Florida. Those who comment negatively about him FEAR HIM because they have no negative facts on him so they resort to name calling. Just set back and watch him. His comments on Thompson are right on. Each day I admire him even more since meeting him in the mid 90's.

[IssyWise]

Opie doesn't like Thompson. That is exactly one good thing known about him.