Definition of Conservative

Kid Reporter explores the conservative label at Fred Thompson event

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Kid Reporter Mariam El Hasan interviews Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson at an event in southern California on December 1, 2007. (Photo courtesy Mariam El Hasan)

At a recent presidential campaign event, I learned the definition of political conservative. Several people attending an event for former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson in Laguna Woods, California, said they thought Fred Thompson was the most conservative of all of the Republican candidates.

In his speech Thompson, who is a very tall man with a southern accent, embraced the label. "I've been a proud conservative since the day I first stepped into politics," he said.  "What you see is what you get."

The word conservative comes from the Latin, conservãre, meaning to conserve or to keep. So I set out to learn more about what makes Fred Thompson a conservative candidate for President.

Thompson has worked as a lawyer, an actor, and a U.S. Senator. He is probably best known for his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch on TVs Law and Order. He also acted in a popular movie "The Hunt for Red October."

Now he wants to become President of the United States.

His wife, Jerri Thompson, said Thompson is a man of principles. "He knows what principles we need to move forward as a nation," she told Scholastic News Online.

I also spoke to California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore of Irvine, California.

"I'm especially impressed with the fact that Senator Thompson always seems to be very calm and very reasoned," DeVore said. "He doesn't rush into things and I think that it is very important that we have a President who considers all the facts before he just does something."
 
Former State Senator Dick Mountjoy endorsed Senator Thompson, which means that he supports him in his campaign for the Republican nomination. He told me that Fred Thompson is "a very steady, stable person who thinks out the problems before he speaks."  
    
Gayle Reavis, who is the Mayor of Mission Viejo, California, said she is also a conservative Republican. She said Thompson "has proven himself in the Senate to be a good conservative and voted consistently for the conservative issues."

When I spoke to Senator Thompson, in person, he told me what he would do if he became President.

"I would do more to make our military stronger," he said. "I would do more to stop spending your money because my generation is borrowing money from you and you're not even paying taxes." People around us laughed when he made that remark. He continued, "We need to stop that and we just need a safer, more secure nation for young girls and young boys to grow up in, just like I was able to have when I was a little person."

ELECTION 2008

Scholastic Kid Reporters are on the campaign trail. Keep up with the latest election news in this special report.

Mariam El Hasan is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

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