I've been hoping for an official campaign response to Fred's discovered abortion-lobbying billing records. And the silence is still deafening!This news was interesting to stumble upon, however. Another loss from his virtual campaign. And this guy was going to be director of research.
The day after his would-be campaign manager was replaced, Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson has another senior staff position to refill.
J.T. Mastranadi was hired just a week and a half ago to be the campaign's director of research. He resigned this morning, a friend of his said. The friend said that Mastranadi was "fed up" with the "lack of structure" and was unclear about his role in the coming campaign.
Thompson's spokesperson, Linda Rozett, confirmed that Mastranadi submitted his resignation this morning. "He did it for personal reasons," she said.
Mastranadi was a former NRSC research director and is considered one of the best investigators in the business. Most recently, he worked with Thompson friend David Bossie on an anti-Hillary Clinton documentary.
Rozett dismissed the significance of the second resignation in two days. "Everything is on track," Rozett said. "Friends of Fred Thompson* continues to add people."
Interesting. "Fed up" about a "lack of structure?" A former NRSC research director? One of the best in the business? Such a guy is qualified to recognize and describe a "lack of structure" when he sees one. Sounds like this yet-to-hatch campaign is being directed by a guy who's never managed anything of significance--not even a corner store.
Note: Folksy Fred's official site has a darling name: imwithfred. How cute and chummy! Actually, how non-committal, fence-sitting, and tentative. Join the fun, Fred, and go with something like fredforpresident.org. That's my opinion, for what it's worth.
* You become a Friend of Fred Thompson if sign on at imwithfred. Perhaps by September you'll be able to officially register with his campaign, and move beyond friendship. Actually, you may need to wait till November. Well, just in case don't get your hopes up. For sure, by March Fred will be ready to commit to you and formally announce his campaign.
Update I: Chris Cillizza at the washingtonpost.com’s Politics Blog writes on the topic, too. Here you go.
Mastranadi was one of a small handful of operatives in Thompson's world with past ties to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) He worked as research director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002 when Frist chaired the campaign arm and went on to serve as deputy research director at the Republican National Committee in 2004. Just prior to joining Thompson, Mastranadi was working at Citizens United, a conservative third-party group.
Mastranadi's departure got us to thinking about just how big a staff Thompson currently has for his non-campaign, campaign. And, voila -- a rival campaign provided it. (God bless opposition research!) By their count, which was produced from various news reports about hirings, Thompson has nearly 30 staffers on board including a pollster (John McLaughlin), a direct mail firm (HSP Direct), a social conservative outreach director (Joseph Cella) and even an e-campaign team (Blaise Hazelwood and Ken Smith).While Thompson clearly has decided to run, his campaign has effectively avoided crossing any of the lines laid out by the FEC that would constitute a candidacy -- including seeking access on ballots, referring to himself as a candidate or advertising in support of a campaign. The one place where Thompson could run into trouble is the FEC provision of raising "funds in excess of amounts reasonably required for exploratory activity" -- but it's far from clear what constitutes "excess" fundraising.
We'll know a heck of a lot more about the scope of Thompson's campaign come July 31. That's the day his committee is expected to file a report detailing its fundraising and expenditures with the IRS.
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