Thompson accepts 1st debate invitation

Posted: Monday, September 17, 2007 4:36 PM by Chuck Todd

From NBC's Chuck Todd
All of his Republican foes have been anxiously awaiting a chance to debate Fred Thompson. Well, on Oct. 9th in Dearborn, Mich., they'll get their first shot. Thompson's campaign announced today their October debate schedule. The first one the campaign has committed to attend: the CNBC/MSNBC/Wall Street Journal debate which is being organized in conjunction with the Michigan Republican Party.

The other two October debates Thompson has committed to are in Manchester, N.H., on Oct. 14th (WMUR-ABC) and Orlando, Fla. (Fox News) on Oct. 21st.

While many of the campaigns have privately given a likelihood for attending all three of these October debates, Thompson is the first of the major candidates to publicly commit.

Unlike the Democrats, there is no central organizing group sanctioning the Republican debates so the power is with the frontrunners. One wonders, given the number of Republican debates we know groups are trying to put on the books, if the candidates now wish they had the RNC sanctioning debates. It's not an easy thing for these candidates to have to make enemies with various partisan or media organizations they eventually turn down.

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Comments

Fred Thompson - "The Counterfeit Conservative"

Willis, Hattiesburg,MS (Sent Monday, September 17, 2007 5:45 PM)

Ratatouille Soup

Spinboldak (Sent Monday, September 17, 2007 6:07 PM)

ya go fred, we are talking about fred flinstone aren't we?

fred flinstone for pres. (Sent Monday, September 17, 2007 6:25 PM)

Richardson should quit the race. Resume aside, he doesn't have the brains to be president.

mike, yuma, az (Sent Monday, September 17, 2007 7:18 PM)

I look forward to seeing Fred in debate with Mike Huckabee. Is Fred afraid to take Huckabee one-on-one as invited? That's OK. Huckabee will prove his strengths in a group debate including Fred. I pray Michigan gets to see the RealRomney. checkout www.massresistance.org ('mass' as in the state of Massachusetts, and 'resistance' as in conservative stance) click on The Mitt Romney Report. Also, there are links farther down on the pages.

M. Lee (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 6:38 AM)

All four GOP front runners ducked a debate in Baltimore to be hosted by PBS and moderated by Tavis Smiley. Add to this their snubbing of Latino events earlier this summer and the GOP has a debate problem. They are outright ignoring people of color.

Worse, this time it may cost them. Earlier forums werre simply canceled when the big names backed out. PBS is going forward with 5 GOP candidates and 4 empty podiums. Take in account that Tavis Smiley has a strong voice in the African American community.

If these old white men think they can continue to retain power without a slice of the African American and Latino vote they are seriously delusional. What are they thinking?

Dickie Flatts, Charlotte, NC (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:01 AM)

Here's the problem for all of the reprehensible wannabes...they have to genuflect to the worst of their party to get nominated and that makes them unacceptable to the majority of americans who are tired of being governed by a bunch of right wing cowardly chickenhawks who want to take this nation back in time...

Rick, WS, NC (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:10 AM)

Right m lee! Let's get Romney in there with some more sound-bites and memorized responses all leading back to his 3 ways to strengthen America...tell young people to get married before getting p.g.! Right! Has he ever heard of the 'Baby Boom?' We're heading into another one right now.does he plan to line up the i-do's as they hit home soil? And HOW will getting people to marry before getting p.g. MAKE U.S. STRONGER?! He doesn't say.

I know! ask him about the religion he casually throws out to voters then clams up and won't answer voters' questions. It was a real work of art the way he turned Rev. Sharpton's remark about trueChristian/trueReligion around to accuse Rev.Sharpton of BIGOTRY!...His own LDS scriptures teach "Shall I tell you the LAW of [LDS]God in regard to the AFRICAN RACE? If any white man of the 'chosen' seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty under [LDS]God is death on the spot. This will always be so!(Journal of Discourses vol.10,p.110)

Jay (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:41 AM)

"They have to genuflect to the worst of their party to get nominated and that makes them unacceptable to the majority of Americans."

Let's see. Half the Republicans debated last night in front of people of Christian and Jewish faith (some 90 percent of the country). The Democrats debated for... whom? Gays and Lesbians? Then, who else? Spanish speakers? Yeah, the Dems are WAY closer to the mainstream...

Joe Anthony, Detroit, MI (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:55 AM)

Joe Anthony, Detroit, MI, does that mean that if you are not so called main stream, the political parties should ignore you? That kind of slash and burn politics is typical of rethuglicans. Glad the Dems do not embrace it.

Pat, Huntington, NY (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 10:27 AM)

Joe Anthony, you think that there are no Christians who despise how their faith is used to manipulate by your party? You don't think there are gays,lesbians and spanish speakers that are people of faith, and think the same way? You are not only a homophobe and a bigot, but delusional as well if you think that faith means backing the corporate elite (repubs). The reality is that people in general, especially young people, do not react well anymore to the god, guns and gays platform that is ALL you guys can pitch. The republican party is DOA if it keeps pandering to its delusional bigot base. BTW, can't wait to see Fred gut cut to shreds by moderators and other candidates as well. Another empty suit.

Doug, San Diego (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 11:44 AM)

Couldn't have said it better myself Doug from San Diego.

Pat, Huntington, NY (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 12:22 PM)

Ohhh, Fred in his first debate! I can't wait to hear him say "there you go again." And if Alan Keyes will be there too it will be a must see wingnut circus.

nuanced (Sent Tuesday, September 18, 2007 5:36 PM)

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