tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34287830472106916412024-03-13T17:35:00.789-05:00John Thune 2012Following the news and supporting the Presidential candidacy of John Thune in 2012.Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-31586119626149703452011-02-22T12:41:00.003-06:002011-02-23T19:06:03.950-06:00Thune Decides Against Presidential Run<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Today Sen. Thune released a <a href="http://www.johnthune.com/news/post/statement-from-john-and-kimberley-thune/">statement</a> indicating that he has decided against a 2012 run. Thune said he reached his decision through much prayer and discussion with his family, a process that I believe reflects the high caliber of John Thune and his family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While this might be disappointing for those of us who were hoping he would seek the Republican nomination, there is a silver lining. In the statement, Thune renewed his vow to fight the Conservative cause in the Senate - one of the places that we need to reclaim control of in 2012. He will no doubt continue to be a great defender of American principles in the upper chamber.</span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-63661606235349612322011-02-22T12:33:00.002-06:002011-02-22T12:43:04.927-06:00Statement from Thune<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>From <a href="http://www.johnthune.com/news/post/statement-from-john-and-kimberley-thune/">JohnThune.com</a>:</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>"For months now, my wife Kimberley and I have received encouragement from family, friends, colleagues, and supporters from across South Dakota and the country to run for the presidency of the United States. We have appreciated hearing their concerns about where the country is headed and their hopes for a new direction.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>During this time, Kimberley and I and our two daughters have given a great deal of thought to how we might best serve South Dakota and our nation. That process has involved lots of prayer.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Along the way, we have been reminded of the importance of being in the arena, of being in the fight. And make no mistake that during this period of fiscal crisis and economic uncertainty there is a fight for the future direction of America. There is a battle to be waged over what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren and that battle is happening now in Washington, not two years from now. So at this time, I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America’s future here in the trenches of the United States Senate.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I want to thank those who have encouraged us and prayed for us during the past several months. We are forever grateful for all the support."</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">-John and Kimberley Thune<i><br />
</i></div>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-29554653699191926532011-02-17T17:18:00.019-06:002011-02-19T10:33:56.028-06:00Thune Defends Social Conservatism<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>"...There are important issues that impact the basic glue, the foundation that holds our country together, and that comes down to the family unit. And we can't ignore those." -John Thune</b><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Recently in an <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/17/thune-beats-back-on-daniels-call-for-truce/">interview</a> with CBN, Sen. Thune spoke in defense of social conservatism amid a notion circulated by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels that America needs to call a "truce" on social issues in order to face fiscal threats. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">While I commend the Governor Daniels for the common-sense Conservative solutions he has brought to Indiana, (and personally I think his "truce" comments need to be contextualized<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">), John Thune is right in his defense of social conservatism.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Much has been made about the boost "values voters" can give a candidate at the ballot box.</b> But I think Thune knows there are more advantages to defending social conservatism than merely gaining votes. For instance, it is only common sense that any good government would protect<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> an infant's right to life. When faced with the truth, protecting life clearly supersedes the Democratic notion of the right to choice, and social conservatives of all creeds - Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, etc. - should join together on this common ground.</span></span><br />
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</b></div><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">By speaking out in defense of social values among fiscal and national security issues of the day, Sen. Thune can position himself to unify conservatives and be a formidable opponent to President Obama in 2012.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-50956426307113968142011-02-15T12:29:00.002-06:002011-02-15T13:16:55.946-06:00Video: Thune on the Budget<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last night Sen. Thune was on Greta commenting on President Obama's recently released budget. He discussed how Obama's new budget "spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much".</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KPd-CwH9zm0" title="YouTube video player" width="425"></iframe>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-77567730089852905992011-02-12T19:54:00.011-06:002011-02-13T14:23:27.940-06:00If You Read Anything... (The Buckley Rule)<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>“The wisest choice would be the one who would win. No sense running Mona Lisa in a beauty contest. I’d be for the most right, viable candidate who could win. If you could convince me that Barry Goldwater could win, I’d vote for him.” -William F. Buckley (1925-2008)</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b>Conservatives should nominate the most conservative candidate who is electable </b></i><b>- The Buckley Rule</b><i> </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The speeches from CPAC this week have been great, but perhaps the most prescient words spoken came from James Higgins, the conservative activist who introduced John Thune. In his eloquent introduction, he reminded us of what has become "The Buckley Rule" -- the principle that conservatives nominate candidates <i>who can win. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>There is perhaps no better race to apply the Buckley rule than to the Republican 2012 nomination.</i> As a young Conservative student, I am greatly inspired by (and indebted to) Conservative leaders from all across the nation. However, I realize in 2012 we need an electable candidate who encompasses everything we stand for. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>Most are not familiar with John Thune.</u> I wasn't either until a good friend told me about him. After some research, I've concluded that there would be no better candidate to beat President Obama in 2012 than the Senator from South Dakota.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>"Can he win?"</i></b> you are asking. He is no doubt a formidable political force as he beat the incumbent Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle in 2004. He has become so strong in his home state the other Party didn't even field a candidate against him in 2010. Because of this, he's now sitting on campaign funds of over $7 million - a war chest that could really jumpstart a presidential campaign.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>"How are his conservative principles?"</i></b> you might say. When it comes to social, fiscal, and foreign policy issues there is no better candidate than John Thune. With a 100 American Conservative Union rating and a solid voting record, I would trust a President Thune to hold fast to his values and get this country back on track.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In short, Thune's the complete package. If we follow the advice of William Buckley, we won't be disappointed in electing John Thune in 2012.</span></b>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-32341307748257246972011-02-11T15:09:00.006-06:002011-02-12T07:11:29.721-06:00Run, John, Run! - The CPAC Speech<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="374" id="ep" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=politics/2011/02/11/bts.cpac.thune.cnn" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=politics/2011/02/11/bts.cpac.thune.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="374"></embed></object><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thune's CPAC speech sounded very presidential today.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> A few observations...</span></b><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">His inspirational speech highlighted his Midwestern values - "living in your means even if it means going without". </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He rebuked legislators who talk about values and become D.C. sellouts - "Our actions must match our words".</li>
<li style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He touched on a possible campaign message that he has been on the frontline fighting the Obama agenda while the other candidates have been on book tours and reality TV.</li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The full speech </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8j90r6tqow" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">... </span><br />
<ul></ul>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-77393526172531199572011-02-11T08:34:00.006-06:002011-02-11T13:32:06.678-06:00Thune to Speak at CPAC Today!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The day has arrived! </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Senator Thune will be giving his much anticipated CPAC address today at 1:30 ET. If you would like to watch live, register <a href="http://video.cpac.org/auth/register">here</a> for streaming.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'll post the video of his speech as soon as it becomes available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><u>UPDATE</u>: </b>Awesome speech! <b>At the beginning the crowd kept chanting "Run, John, Run" </b>... will post the video ASAP. </span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-34562735512579154312011-02-09T09:04:00.005-06:002011-02-10T09:16:39.366-06:00The Wadhams Effect<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A friend brought to my attention this morning that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Wadhams">Dick Wadhams</a> is not going to seek reelection as Colorado GOP chairman. <b>This is positive news for anyone betting on John Thune running (and winning) in 2012.</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wadhams was instrumental in John Thune's historic 2004 defeat of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. He has previously worked on campaigns in South Dakota, Colorado, Montana, and Virginia.<br />
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</div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This news is so unexpected the Colorado Democratic Speaker of the House <a href="http://twitter.com/speakercarroll/status/34784128658309120">tweeted</a> that he was "speechless".</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe Mr. Wadhams is resigning to work on one more campaign: John Thune for President.</div>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-81854501965485982692011-02-09T08:39:00.004-06:002011-02-09T14:59:54.931-06:00Video: Thune Decision in Weeks<iframe frameborder="0" height="330" id="embediframe" name="videoplayer" scrolling="No" src="http://www.keloland.com/_video/_videoplayer_embed.cfm?VideoFile=020811jthune" width="326"></iframe>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-70706882273694137912011-02-08T17:05:00.000-06:002011-02-08T17:05:11.754-06:00Thune Faring Well in SD<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Public Policy Polling is out with some <a href="http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2011/02/thune-does-well-at-home.html">new numbers</a> showing Sen. Thune doing well in his home state of South Dakota. He leads the rest of the prospective 2012 pack by a 25% margin.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At face value, this seems expected coming from his "stomping grounds". However, when you look at the other contender's home state numbers, you see that Thune stands out.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For example, Sarah Palin only received 15% in Alaska, and Tim Pawlenty checked in at 24% in Minnesota.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The overall trend among the Republican candidates is that their home state electorates are unimpressed with them. Only Thune and Mitt Romney managed to break the 30% mark (37% and 47% respectively).</div>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-77919451628067103522011-02-03T13:48:00.006-06:002011-02-05T12:41:50.434-06:00Video: Thune on Healthcare Repeal<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last night John Thune went <i>On the Record</i> about the Senate's Obamacare repeal vote.<br />
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UPDATE: Thune has also <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/02/04/the_health_care_repeal_chorus_grows_louder_108771.html">written</a> an op-ed about healthcare repeal for Real Clear Politics.<br />
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</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5C19QsIwV8c" title="YouTube video player" width="425">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-25107331977817454852011-02-01T14:25:00.003-06:002011-02-02T14:50:20.935-06:00Money Talks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://everystockphoto.s3.amazonaws.com/Bank_Piggy_savings_237743_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://everystockphoto.s3.amazonaws.com/Bank_Piggy_savings_237743_l.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We all know how big a factor money plays in Presidential elections - one of the biggest reasons Obama won in '08 was his ability to <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/10/obama-shatters-fundraising-rec.html">shatter</a> fundraising records. So, it's no surprise that one of Candidate Thune's strengths is the deep pockets he already has.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Politico Morning Score is <a href="http://www.politico.com/morningscore/0211/morningscore257.html">predicting</a> (as the FEC numbers roll in) that Thune will hold his title as the 2012 contender with the most money in the bank. They are betting that he will have around <b>$7 million </b>when his reports are disclosed. For comparison, the nearest candidate to him is Michelle Bachmann with $2 million.</div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> In order to face Obama in</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> 2012, the Republican nominee will need to have the leadership, funds, and personality to beat him - things that Thune certainly brings to the table. </span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-13018308663709406842011-01-30T13:22:00.002-06:002011-01-31T09:13:55.307-06:00The Case for John<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Jill Lawrence from Politics Daily is <a href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/01/29/who-is-john-thune-and-why-is-he-on-the-gop-2012-short-list-for-p/">outlining</a> what a lot of us have been thinking lately: John Thune is the best candidate to beat Obama in 2012. In her story, she quoted a few of the advantages Thune would bring to the table as a nominee:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><br />
"Thune's real strengths ... (may be) in his political savvy, his communication skills and his lack of baggage."</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">She goes on to contrast him with the other candidates: </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>"</b><b>Thune's generic conservative views, congressional career and intact marriage have kept him out of controversial territory.</b> He wasn't once a tobacco lobbyist (Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour). He isn't a former governor who raised taxes (Mike Huckabee of Arkansas) or signed a health law similar to "Obamacare" (Mitt Romney of Massachusetts) or quit halfway through (Sarah Palin of Alaska) or seems boring (Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota). He hasn't had three wives and a widely publicized extramarital affair (former House speaker Newt Gingrich)." (emphasis mine)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As she points out, the case for Thune is very compelling.</div>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-22443479313188030242011-01-27T20:05:00.000-06:002011-01-27T20:05:00.843-06:00Video: Thune's State of the Union Response<script src="http://video.foxnews.com/v/embed.js?id=4510872&w=466&h=263" type="text/javascript">
</script><noscript>Watch the latest video at &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.foxnews.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;video.foxnews.com&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</noscript>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-26527578274024164392011-01-27T16:57:00.000-06:002011-01-27T16:57:50.235-06:00Video: Thune on Spending<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Recently Sen. Thune was on CNBC with Larry Kudlow discussing federal spending and the President's State of the Union speech. </div><br />
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="380" id="cnbcplayer" width="400"> <param name="type" value="application/x-shockwave-flash"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="quality" value="best"/><param name="scale" value="noscale" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"/><param name="salign" value="lt"/><param name="movie" value="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/1766468740/code/cnbcplayershare"/><embed name="cnbcplayer" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" height="380" width="400" quality="best" wmode="transparent" scale="noscale" salign="lt" src="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/1766468740/code/cnbcplayershare" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /> </object>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-55778445954492112992011-01-27T13:08:00.002-06:002011-02-11T14:53:21.494-06:00Decision Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Alexander Mooney at the CNN Political Ticker is <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/27/thune-getting-closer-to-presidential-decision/">reporting</a> Sen. Thune told a radio audience yesterday that he will have made a presidential decision by the end of February. While on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he would have to "work a lot harder to get known". One of the distinct qualities Thune has is a lack of name recognition - yes, the downside is doesn't have as much time to decide, but an advantage is that with the right strategy he can craft a public image of a common sense Conservative without the baggage other candidates such as Palin or Romney might have.</span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-56875614366798114102011-01-26T16:50:00.001-06:002011-01-26T16:51:12.551-06:00Subscribe to Thune 2012!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Friends,</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Clark</div>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-83003080792804561002011-01-26T09:24:00.001-06:002011-02-01T23:18:07.326-06:00McConnell Boosts Thune<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/articles/the-new-yorker-lists-sen.-mitch-mcconnell-as-one-of-the-top-ten-most-intriguing-political-personalities-of-2010/image" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/articles/the-new-yorker-lists-sen.-mitch-mcconnell-as-one-of-the-top-ten-most-intriguing-political-personalities-of-2010/image" width="157" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yesterday Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged Sen. Thune to make a Presidential run. In his remarks at a Politico Playbook Breakfast, he touted Thune's accomplishments in beating Tom Daschle, then the Senate Democratic Leader, and also mentioned Thune's home state strength in that South Dakota Democrats didn't even field a candidate against him in 2010. He also cited leadership and oratory skills as some of Thune's greatest strengths. You can read the Politico Morning Score report with the info </span><a href="http://www.politico.com/morningscore/0111/morningscore253.html" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> (this piece of info is towards the bottom of the page under "Swoon for Thune"). </span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-90085523917857515522011-01-24T12:34:00.004-06:002011-01-24T17:14:20.178-06:00Video: Presidential Decision in Two Months<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's video provided by Keloland TV in South Dakota in which Sen. Thune says he'll probably make a presidential decision within 30-60 days.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="330" id="embediframe" name="videoplayer" scrolling="No" src="http://www.keloland.com/_video/_videoplayer_embed.cfm?VideoFile=012111thune" width="326">&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Here&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</iframe>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-85825140661504723182011-01-22T09:24:00.002-06:002011-01-24T16:39:28.756-06:00Weekend Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yesterday Thune acknowledged that a Presidential decision will probably be made with in the next 30-60 days. This timeline falls into late February or early March. Thune cites fear of becoming an early target as to the reason why the possible 2012 candidates haven't announced yet. You can read the news story from Keloland TV </span><a href="http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6375.cfm?Id=109708" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.</span></li>
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<ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>KSFY in Sioux Falls is <a href="http://www.ksfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=13887865">reporting</a> that South Dakota Democrat George McGovern would support a Thune decision to run for president. McGovern, whom the history buffs will remember ran against Nixon in 1972, says "if he thinks he's prepared for it and wants to run I think that's what he should do."</li>
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<ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The <i>Adriondack Daily Enterprise</i> is </span><a href="http://adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/522577/Gillibrand-to-sit-on-Republican-side-for-State-of-the-Union.html?nav=5008" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">reporting</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> New York Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (a Democrat) plans to sit my Sen. Thune during the State of the Union. Look for lots of Democrats and Republicans crossing the aisle and sitting next on each other during this years speech. </span></li>
</ul>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-88862956365973898462011-01-21T08:36:00.001-06:002011-01-24T12:37:18.941-06:00Early State Activity<ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>The <i>Argus Leader</i> is <a href="http://www.argusleader.com/article/20110121/NEWS/101210308/1001/news">reporting</a> "increased activity" among John Thune fundraisers in New Hampshire as they have been making a number of calls on his behalf. When interviewed, New Hampshire investor and Dartmouth professor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_W._Slayton">Gregory Slayton</a> acknowledged that he has been making calls on Thune's behalf and is in discussion with the Senator about a possible campaign.</li>
</ul><ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>Thune has also been <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/2012-gopers-lining-up-for-iowa-conservative-lecture-series.php">invited</a> to a conservative lecture series being held in Iowa, according to <i>TPM</i>. Other probable 2012 candidates such as Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Herman Cain have submitted their RSVP, while Sen. Thune has yet to make his. If he agrees to speak, it will only serve as yet another indicator that he is running.</li>
</ul>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-11092080484128581412011-01-19T09:11:00.001-06:002011-02-11T14:54:27.160-06:00Thune Speaks on Obamacare Repeal, Controlling Spending<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The </span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yanktown Press & Dakotan</i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> is </span><a href="http://www.yankton.net/articles/2011/01/19/community/doc4d3656db7518c170208381.txt" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">reporting</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> that Senator Thune spoke Tuesday on the need for reigning in government spending and repealing Obamacare. He predicts the repeal effort will pass the House and die in the Senate, forcing Republicans to focus on repealing individual parts of the legislation like the unconstitutional mandate for insurance. Although he was speaking in his own state, both of these items will certainly be the major issues shaping the 2012 presidential campaign. As I noted earlier, if Senator Thune is outspoken for the repeal effort in the Senate, that exposure would help position him for a presidential run. </span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-90388133351217185242011-01-17T08:05:00.000-06:002011-01-17T08:05:13.603-06:00Monday Notes<ul style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><li>The Boston Herald's Morning Briefing is highlighting Sen. Thune's meetings with New Hampshire political operatives as he considers a run in 2012. You can read this information in full <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20110117monday_morning_briefing/srvc=home&position=recent">here</a>.</li>
</ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Also from the Herald is an opinion piece on the factor Obamacare will play in the next election and how it is likely to "trip-up" both President Obama and Mitt Romney, who instituted a similar program while he was governor of Massachusetts. Holly Robichaud also mentions the role Sen. Thune will play if the House repeals Obamacare and sends the bill to the Senate. If he is running in 2012, look for him to be very vocal in support of repeal. You can read the article </span><a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view/20110117obamacare_sure_to_trip_up_barack_mitt/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.</span></li>
</ul>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-18359355456804638482011-01-14T07:26:00.001-06:002011-02-11T14:54:35.048-06:00Thune to Speak at CPAC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The CNN Political Ticker is <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/13/thune-heads-to-gop-conference/">reporting</a> Sen. Thune still plans to visit the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This event will certainly help boost Thune's national profile and bolster support among conservatives.</span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3428783047210691641.post-51381058307517475572011-01-10T21:04:00.000-06:002011-01-10T21:04:12.442-06:00Thune to Address Missouri GOP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ufcw324.org/uploadedImages/Content/Current_Events/News/GOP_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://www.ufcw324.org/uploadedImages/Content/Current_Events/News/GOP_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Missouri news blog PoliticMo is reporting that Sen. Thune will be addressing the Republican state annual meeting in late February. It is also noted that another potential 2012 candidate may be speaking, although the state GOP has yet to release a name.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You can read the article outlining this news </span><a href="http://politicmo.com/2011/01/10/sen-thune-to-address-lincoln-days-in-february/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.</span>Clark Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17899229926884927510noreply@blogger.com0