UPDATE: 5:10 Central Time
Success! As of now, our Blogburst for Fred has helped the campaign raise almost $254,000 which is more than enough to keep Fred on the air throught the Caucuses. A strong showing there will almost certainly rekindle interest in the campaign from some GOP whales who may have questioned whether Fred could go the distance. That should ease some of the financial crunch and allow the campaign to go forward in a competitive posture.
You did it guys. Without you, this effort would have been stillborn. If you’re going out tonight, tip one back for yourself – and for Fred. You both deserve it.
I sent the following email to some of the conservative bloggers who are participating in the Blogburst for Fred Thompson:
As of 6:00 AM central, the amount raised toward funding the campaign’s ad buy in Iowa stands at $145,000. This is about $104,000 short of the announced goal of $248,800 which must be raised by 6:00 PM tonight.
Sean Hackbarth of Fred “08 has nearly 100 blogs listed as participants in the blogburst. I know there are probably a couple of dozen more out there just from my own surfing. This is a remarkable testament of support for Thompson among conservative blogs. And the fact that we’ve raised as much money as we have is also indicative of what we can accomplish when we work together.
But now I have another favor to ask. Could you please post an update to the Blogburst today at the top of your blog asking people to give to the campaign with a link to the contributions page at the campaign website? We need another boost from blogs today to put the campaign over the top and give Fred a shot at being competitive in Iowa.
The latest Strategic Vision poll puts Fred a reasonably strong third at 15%, trailing Hucakbee (29%) and Romney (27%) and virtually tied with McCain (14%). Fred must do better and he can – with your help.
Thanks to all of you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Rick Moran
If you gave during yesterday’s Blogburst for Fred, there’s no law that says you can’t give again today – unless you’re maxed out at $2300 for the year in which case you can make the donation in the name of your spouse (ask her first, please).
If you didn’t give yesterday, please do so today. Or do you want President Huckabee apologizing whenever some al-Qaeda nutcase offs a world leader? Or President Hillary announcing how much she “feels the pain” of the rest of the world when tragedy strikes?
Or maybe you want an adult in charge:
FRED THOMPSON: It is a tragedy, of course. It reminds us that things can happen in faraway places of the world that can affect the United States. I think this should be of great concern to us. It is almost a perfect storm in a very bad sense because two forces are operating against each other that are both desirable. One is democracy: they were making progress in that regard in that country. Former prime minister Bhutto was an important part of that process. But the other is stability. Pakistan is a nuclear country, and we cannot afford to let nukes fall into the hands of dangerous Muslim radicals. We are hoping those two things can be balanced out. We can see the continued progress toward a democratic society but also maintain stability in the country, which seems to be very much in doubt right now.FAULKNER: I know you are running for the White House, so I don’t want to put you in a position to second guess the president. But I’m interested in your opinion. President Bush is due to talk with Pervez Musharraf shortly. What do you anticipate that conversation should be like?
THOMPSON: Those two things that I mention probably would be high on the agenda. What could be done to not impose martial law, to not crack down, but be mindful of the fact that there are radical elements in that country, and perhaps even within the government, that would like to see instability and chaos and see those weapons fall into the wrong hands. This is part of a bigger problem. We need to understand that this is not a criminal investigation any more – so we find the bad guys and bring them to justice – it’s a war.
This proves again the mindset of the radical elements that we are dealing with. We are seeing this all across Northern Africa and various places. We’re seeing it across the Middle East and in parts of Asia including Indonesia and other places. We have to come to terms with that and do the things necessary to prevail. One of the things we need to be talking about is what Musharraf can do, additionally, to crack down on the Taliban. I think they have been insufficient in that respect.
Calm, measured, and solid. The other candidates talking about the crisis yesterday didn’t come close.
A man like this deserves the second look that Iowans are giving him. Doesn’t he deserve your support as well?
8:26 am
[...] Rick at Right Wing Nut House has an update. [...]
10:07 am
[...] Rick Moran, the instigator of the blogburst, wrote, “A man like this deserves the second look that Iowans are giving him. Doesn’t he deserve your support as well?” Getting “Substance” on the air will let Iowans know there is a clear conservative choice, and that’s Fred Thompson. Let’s “Keep on Truckin’ for Fred.” [...]
11:07 am
Fred Thompson’s Red Pickup Truck is Back…
UPDATE II: Bloggers all over the blogosphere are continuing the blogburst from yesterday (12.27.07). At 11:00 AM ET, Team Thompson was only $91,258 away from their goal of $248,846. Sean at the Fred File has another post and an updated list of all th…
2:19 pm
[...] I’ve received a few emails alerting me to the fact that the blogburst for Fred Thompson was a success (congratulations to Rick Moran for spearheading that), and as a result, the following commercial “Substance” will be airing in Iowa: [...]
3:48 pm
I’m in (again). While the Thompson campaign currently has enough to run the “Substance” ad a couple days, they’re still $26,896 short of being able to keep it on through the day of the caucus as of 2:45 pm Central.
We Marbleheads have to bring this one home so that we become legion.
4:53 pm
He’s almost there, just 10K to go!
6:33 pm
[...] Rick Moran, the instigator of the blogburst, wrote, “A man like this deserves the second look that Iowans are giving him. Doesn’t he deserve your support as well?” Getting “Substance” on the air will let Iowans know there is a clear conservative choice, and that’s Fred Thompson. Let’s “Keep on Truckin’ for Fred.” [...]
10:12 pm
I need a pic of the new bus with his Hands Down added.
It needs to be a hotlink the the jpg. Thanks
11:08 pm
WOOOHOOOO! Made it!
11:18 am
Good going guys and gals. kudos to all of you. Go Fred!
4:08 pm
Proof Fred sucks right here – 15,000 Iowans polled and Fred got just 1%.
10:25 am
Sunday Links…
A good two-day hunt in New Hampshire. Snow on the ground but we found a few good grouse coverts especially in the marshy alders.P.J. O’Rourke rips Arthur Schlesinger. Who wants a country run by people who lunched at Mortimers?Planet hysteria. Dr. San…