www.draftfredthompson.com (March 9, 2007 grab)	www.fred08.com (March 9, 2007 grab)

2006

www.pence08.com (May 13, 2006 grab)	draftgilmore.org (Nov. 17, 2006 grab)

2005

ajhankin.tblog.com   and www.tblog.com/templates/  index.php?bid=ajhankin	draftmarksanfordforpresident in2008.blogspot.com (Nov. 16, 2005 grab)	sanfordblog.blogspot.com (Nov. 16, 2005 grab)	www.olympiasnowe2008.com (May 13, 2006 grab)
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amendus.org www.amendforarnold.com (Feb. 24, 2005 grab)

 

www.draftfredthompson.com
Administrator "jeffmacguy" posted an initial welcome message on Jan. 20, 2007:

This site is presented as a grass roots effort to encourage former US Senator Fred Thompson to run for president of the United States in 2008.

This isn't a 503c or 103g or anything else... This is simply an effort to get Fred Thompson to run for president.

As a resident of Tennessee and former constituent of Senator Thompson, I can say without reservation that he would be the best man running for the job, should he decide to run. Please join with me in encouraging Senator Thompson to run for president.

Here's why...

Fred Thompson is a true American statesman and has the experience that matters.

Fred is a real conservative.  From tax cuts, to cleaning up government, to his vital role in the confirmation of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Fred Thompson has a record of fighting for conservative values.

Fred has the knowledge and expertise on the issues that matter most in today's world.

Fred Thompson, like Ronald Reagan, has the ability to bring conservative principles to the Oval Office, communicate to Americans, and bring our Nation together.
 
 
 

www.pence08.com
"A Continuance of the Reagan Revolution"
"The purpose of this site is to generate national grass roots support for a true conservative to lead our nation."
Chuck East put up this site in March 2006 as an individual.  He was unaware of the Draft Pence Movement, of which he is now the IT Director.  As of mid-2006 www.pence08.com averaged between 100-400 visits a day.  The professional appearance and organization of the site is explained by the fact that East does web solutions and software development as C.J. East Consulting.
 
 

www.olympiasnowe2008.com
"This is the website of the campaign to pursuade US Senator Olympia J. Snowe to seek the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 2008.  On this website, we hope to present you not only with information about Senator Snowe, her views, and how you can help, but also, a compelling case for why you should join the campaign to draft Olympia Snowe in 2008."  Essential a static brochure; there was also a modest blog with entries from March through mid-June 2005.  Site itself last updated May 18, 2005.

Simon Dodd provided background on the site in an Aug. 15, 2006 e-mail:
After the inauguration, I started looking at the landscape for potential candidates from the more moderate end of the party as alternatives to what seemed then (and seems now) to be the McCain juggernaut. In the end, it will probably be McCain / ___ '08, but since there were and are serious concerns about McCain's views on immigration and particularly free speech, it seemed logical at such an early stage to look for an alternative.  None exactly presented themselves, but Snowe seemed to stand out as unusually compelling possibility, even though I probably disagreed with her on as many issues as I did with McCain.  She has a strong back story, I agreed with her on a lot of issues (in particular, she seemed like one of the few Republicans of national stature who was interested in addressing climate change), I particularly liked the work she was doing at the Small Business Committee, and she seemed like an all-round viable contender.

So the theory was, "hey this is potentially interesting, so let's float a trial balloon; let's run it up the flagpole and see who salutes."  So I bought a domain name and put up a holding page, which attracted some attention from a former Congressional intern who's now in law school out in Virginia, and she helped collate all the information and provided a helpful sounding board; we got the website - as it's presently constituted - lanched on March 1st '05, I think, and we got some minor press attention in Maine, New Hampshire and National Journal, which was very nice.  On the other hand, we also got absolutely savaged in some parts of the GOP blogosphere.

[Dodd goes into further detail and writes that: "...all-in-all, the site has largely gone untended apart from normal maintainance..."]

I don't, however, intend to remove the site, for two reasons.  Essentially, the premise for its continued existence is twofold: firstly, as your website notes, the 2008 primary is wide open, and I think it will be healthy for the GOP to have a robust and vigorous debate about where we go post-Bush, post-Frist and post-DeLay (the latter parts of that may well have been answered by then, but I'm not counting on it).  I'm honestly not sure that I'll still be pitching for her in '08, but I do continue to think Olympia Snowe represents a segment of the GOP and of the nation which should be in the GOP - the vital center, the moderate middle, whatever you want to call it.  Someone who can say to moderates who are repulsed by what the Democrats are doing "hey, come over to the big tent party."  Someone who can create "Ann Althouse Republicans," if you will.  That voice should absolutely be heard in the primary, and Snowe is a great person to fill that role.  And the second reason is because there is always the possibility that after the midterms, the political landscape will look quite different; right now, the premium is on polarization, but if the Democrats do singularly well this fall (which, admittedly, I think is less and less likely), then that will greatly strengthen the hand of moderates in the GOP for 2008, and may well increase interest in potential moderate candidates, either for the Presidency or perhaps as a Veep to balance the ticket.  The site will hang around at least until next year, and we'll see where it goes from there.

So that's the scoop, basically.  As is always the case in politics, it was born out of a search for the best candidate in an imperfect field; I'm not sure that it achieved that, but I think she should run, and I think the site was - maybe even still is - a worthy effort, to the extent that this should be a big party tent in fact as well as name...

...As to what I've learned, one is obviously tempted to say "be more sure about the candidate and about how many people are likely to be interested in the candidate before you go public," but in truth, I think that it was a reasonable decision reached at a time when it seemed like there wasn't much time to lose.  I don't regret the exercise, but it does seem likely at this point that it won't count among my more successful ideas.
 
 

The Draft Pence Movement
Travis J. Hankins: "Along with Mike Pence, I am a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order. I am dedicated to limited government, a strong national defense, American traditional values and ensuring a true conservative statesman elected for the 2008 presidency."

Last posting Jan. 11, 2006.  Related site: presidential2008.blogspot.com

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 posting
Draft Movement to get the Next President Elected

It is very early in the 2008 election, but there have already been several draft movements started to get the next president elected. This is very exciting to see because this means that Americans are starting to get more involved into politics. Instead of sitting back and letting Washington D.C. or the Republican Party choose our next president, the American people are becoming active to ensure that the person they believe is best fit for the position runs for office.

There was a big draft Condi Rice movement. I saw them out at CPAC in Febraury. They were passing out stickers and buttons saying "Draft Condi Rice." I went and spoke with a few of the folks from their campaign and the only thing they could say to get me to vote for Condi Rice was that she's the only one who can defeat Hillary. I just smiled and told them that any Republican can beat Hillary, but we need to make sure that it's the right Republican. The draft Condi Rice campaigners were being very hedonistic and not realistic about the reality of the American people voting for a "mildly pro-choice evangelical." Condi Rice has since then said that she will not be running for president, which caused the draft Rice movement to crumble in the midst of campaigning and raising support in Iowa.

Another draft movement was the draft Mark Sanford movement. Mark Sanford is the Governor of South Carolina and labeled as the "most Reaganesque Governor in America" by the ACU. He had a very strong backing by a lot of grassroots activists, but since has announced that he will absolutely not run for president because he supports John McCain. Seems that he's not too conservative after all. This has distrubed a lot of fiscal conservatives due to a lack of true conservatives available in 2008.

Even though there are a handful of other similar draft movements, the one that is the most impressive and credible is the Draft Pence movement. This draft movement is determined to get Indiana Congressman Mike Pence elected in 2008. While most draft movements have been focused on getting media attention and money, the Draft Pence Movement has been very determined to get a strong grassroots network in America. They have been focused on young conservatives along with ordinary common folks to help spread the message by word of mouth.

Mike Pence is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest and most conservative caucus in the House. This is Pence's 3rd term in Congress, making him a true statesman. People have said that Pence is the most capable person who can unite the entire "Reagan Wing" both the fiscal and social conservatives. This is exactly what must take place if we want to ensure a true conservative elected in 2008.

This is the site to The Draft Pence Movement.
http://ajhankin.tblog.com/
 
 

draftmarksanfordforpresidentin2008.blogspot.com
"A blog intended for the Fostering of the Movement to Draft Mark Sanford for President"

sanfordblog.blogspot.com
Chris Lilik, Founder/Editor and  Sean Wisnieski, Senior Writer.  Lilik made the first posting on Oct. 7, 2005 and the last posting on Jan. 2, 2006.  He has another blog http://www.grassrootspa.com ("The online home for Pennsylvania's Conservative Movement") which he launched in May 2004.

Draft Sanford for President in 2008
Draft Sanford for President in 2008 is a Web site founded in July of 2004.  It is owned and operated by Sean Wisnieski, a western Maryland student of political science and journalism, a registered Republican, and a Bush supporter (albeit a critical one).

The purpose of Draft Sanford for President is to create awareness of the positive value a Presidential run by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford could bring.  It also seeks to encourage Governor Sanford to consider the possibility of running for the nation's highest office in 2008.  We believe that Governor Sanford would restore American faith in government by keeping it small and responsible, with low taxes and a simple policy of following and enforcing the Constitution.

Those who are interested in drafting Governor Sanford should read some prepared literature on the site.  "Why Him?" explains in detail why this man is a strong, capable leader for limited government.  "Could He Win?" explains how such a ticket is not only capable of winning, but how it would much more difficult to defeat than most others. "Activism Center" offers ways for Draft Sanford members to get involved in making other Republicans and small government activists aware of the good a Sanford administration could bring. Information is also provided on how he has governed in South Carolina.
 
 

amendus.org  or www.amendforarnold.com
Established August 2004 by Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones, Dave Jones and Mimi Chen, volunteers on Schwarzenegger's 2003 gubernatorial campaign.  Sought to amend the Constitution, specifically Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5:

"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."
 
 
 

Copyright © 2006  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action