WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson will officially announce his candidacy for president on the Web next Thursday, September 6, sources working on the actor’s formal entry into the race told CNN Thursday.

The announcement video will be posted at 12:01 a.m. ET Thursday at www.imwithfred.com.

The sources said Thompson would travel and campaign in key primary states following the Internet announcement.

The Web announcement will not take place before Wednesday’s GOP debate in New Hampshire, the sources said, adding they did not expect Thompson to attend…

Thompson created a fundraising committee that allowed him to begin raising money for a possible presidential campaign on June 1.

An actor best known for his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch in NBC’s “Law & Order,” Thompson was elected to the Senate in 1994 and served there for eight years.

Read the Rest of the Story: CNN Political Ticker

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Fred Thompson urged patience on Iraq and declared himself unabashedly opposed to abortion as the all-but-declared candidate behaved like one Friday, campaigning in Iowa and visiting the state fair.

“Keep your powder dry,” he told activists as he launched his one-day swing in the early voting state, sounding a series of conservative themes.

The actor and former Tennessee senator is expected to enter the presidential race officially next month after a less-than-stellar summer marked by a campaign staff shake-up, reports of lobbying for a family planning group and fundraising that failed to meet expectations.

Read the Rest of the Story: The Associated Press

We invite you to join us for a summer picnic on Saturday afternoon, August 25th. Come enjoy family, food, fun, & Republicanism…

RIRA President Ray McKay’s House
19 Bakers Creek Road
Warwick, RI 02886

Time: 1:00pm-5:00pm (or until Ray kicks you out!)

On the menu:

Hot Dogs
Hamburgers
Meatballs
Corn on the cob
Potato Salad
Cole Slaw
Soft Drinks, Cool Aid, & Adult Beverages
Feel free to bring your own favorite picnic dish (optional)

Cost: RIRA Members get in for FREE!

Non-Members: It’s still FREE, but we’ll probably hit you up for a spontaneous donation at some point during the afternoon.

Extra lawn chairs are welcome.

Please RSVP to President Ray McKay by Friday 8/24 at:

(401) 487-2514 or rtmckay-gop [at] cox [dot] net

The State Central Committee of the Rhode Island Republican Party has voted to approve a new Delegate Selection Plan for the 2008 Presidential Primary campaign. The state GOP will go forward with a proportional representation system, meaning presidential candidates receive the number of delegates that are based on the percentage of the vote the candidate wins. The newly approved rules require a presidential candidate to attain a minimum of 15% of the vote statewide to qualify for delegates and alternates. The Party was previously operating on a winner-take-all system for delegates.

The Party also approved rules that dictate all delegates will be elected by having their names placed on the primary ballot. This is also a change from past practice when the Party Chair would appoint the delegates.

The changes were approved by majority vote at a State Central Committee meeting held July 26th. Read the rest of this entry »

Almost one year removed from the devastating 2006 elections, Rhode Island Republicans have regrouped and begun searching for a new strategy to make the Grand Old Party relevant. But interviews with some of the state’s prominent Republicans show the friction and divisiveness among the ranks that has plagued the party in the past.

The party’s new, energetic chairman, Giovanni Cicione, subscribes to the “big tent” philosophy, which seeks to diversify the party’s message in order to identify with as many people as possible. The goal of the big tent philosophy, in sum, is to be all things to all people.

Cicione’s detractors say that tactic will spread the party too thin and leave the party without a coherent message. Cicione believes the Republicans failed to get their message out, and paid the price. The message, he said, is when it comes to government, smaller is better. Rhode Island, he believes, has become nothing more than a glorified welfare state, a beacon for the lazy, which will break the backs of its hard-working taxpayers…

Raymond McKay, president of the Rhode Island Republican Assembly, strongly disagrees with the big tent philosophy.

“That whole big tent philosophy hasn’t worked,” said McKay. “The very reason we’re a one-party state is because of the big tent philosophy. It’s become an albatross around the necks of the GOP in this state.”

McKay believes that when Republicans begin to use traditional Democrat rhetoric to appeal to a wider base, voters are turned off. Voters prefer a real Democrat, as opposed to a Republican who acts like a Democrat, he says…

Read the Rest of the Story: The Warwick Beacon

On Thursday, August 16th, Rhode Island’s largest conservative organization (and sponsor of this blog), the RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY will be holding its monthly dinner meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 P.M. It will take place in the Banquet Room at the Bickford’s Restaurant on Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick (Exit 15, off Rt. 95).

The RIRA is the Rhode Island affiliate of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, a thoughtful national organization of GOP conservatives working to grow and strengthen the Republican Party in the tradition of President Ronald Reagan. This is a dinner meeting, and if you want to eat, you pay for your own meal. Any like-minded conservative Republican is welcome to attend. There will be a free raffle for GOP prizes at the conclusion of the meeting.

Recently, 5 members of the RIRA Board of Directors and several guests attended the National Federation of Republican Assemblies 2007 Presidential Endorsing Convention in St. Louis, Missouri. This event also marked the debut of the RIRA’s new 3′ X 6′ red, white, and blue banner. We anticipate using it a whole lot more in the years ahead!

For more information, you may contact RIRA President Ray McKay at president [at] ri-ra [dot] org or (401) 487-2514 or NFRA Northeast Region Vice President Will Ricci at NEVP [at] GOPwing [dot] com or visit their informative web site at http://www.ri-ra.org.