Oct. 9, 2007
For Fred Thompson, It's Showtime
Washington Post: This Afternoon's GOP Debate Is Seen As A Crucial Test
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Video
Thompson's Presidential Bid
Hannah Storm speaks with radio talk show host Michael Smerconish and Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington about the growing momentum of Fred Thompson's presidential campaign.
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Video
Thompson Picks Up Pace
Off to a slow start, Fred Thompson's race for the presidency is starting to gain momentum as an Iowa poll shows the former senator in second place for the Republican nomination. Nancy Cordes reports.
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GOP presidential candidate and former Senator Fred Thompson speaks during a summit October 5, 2007 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images/Brendan Smialowski)
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In his month-old quest for the White House, Fred D. Thompson has already endured withering criticism from evangelical leader James Dobson, who observed that the former "Law & Order" star and onetime senator from Tennessee "has no passion, no zeal and no apparent 'want-to.' "
Old friends in Hollywood have been no kinder. Playing a laconic Thompson on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend, comic Darrell Hammond seized on a story line that has already become conventional wisdom about his presidential bid. "I'm not sayin' I don't want to be your president, because I kinda do," Hammond drawled. "A little bit."
And after helping to create huge expectations for Thompson's late entry into the Republican race, the Washington establishment has proclaimed itself underwhelmed by his early performance. Columnist George Will compared him to New Coke and said his entry into the race was "more belly flop than swan dive."
This afternoon, when Republican presidential candidates gather in Dearborn, Mich., for their sixth major debate, much of the focus will be on the former actor and whether he can seize the moment, not only to distinguish himself from the rest of the field but also to rebut accusations that he is too lazy, too ill-prepared and too vague to be the GOP nominee.
"This is an opportunity for Fred Thompson to chip away at the rap his critics use against him by being very well prepared and very smooth," said Republican consultant Whit Ayres. "He needs to verify the hope and promise that many voters have placed in him."
"He has to overperform," said GOP strategist Alex Vogel, who described what he called a "huge buildup" for Thompson, followed by a "real or perceived letdown." The debate, Vogel said, "is either a real opportunity to kick things into the next gear or a real underperformance."
Before finally announcing after Labor Day, Thompson spent months "testing the waters," and the tease seemed to work. Polls suggested that the non-candidate could rocket to the top of the national surveys once he formally joined the less-than-inspiring field.
That didn't happen, and his performance on the stump since he announced on "The Tonight Show" has been uneven.
Thompson received warm welcomes from crowds, especially in South Carolina. But early on, he called Osama bin Laden more "symbolism" than true threat, and later he suggested that the terrorist should receive "due process." In Florida a few days later, he said he didn't know enough to comment about the Terri Schiavo right-to-die case.
Later in Florida, he said he might drill for oil in the Everglades -- not a popular position in a critical primary state. He angered conservatives by opposing a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and acknowledging that he does not regularly attend church.
One rival gleefully began a "gaffe-a-day calendar," tracking Thompson's misstatements under the headline "A gaffe a day keeps th voters away."
Thompson's advisers say they are unfazed by the negative reviews. They say such commentary emanates from inside Washington and does not reflect the powerful connection Thompson is making on the trail.
"In the real world, Republican primary voters are looking for a conservative candidate who can win in November of 2008," said Thompson communications director Todd Harris. "They are far more concerned about that than they are the daily dribblings of the national press corps."
Richard Land, a leading voice in the Baptist community, compared Thompson to Ronald Reagan, who also endured often harsh criticism from dubious political elites early in his career.
"He may have Reagan's Teflon quality," said Land, who does not endorse candidates but is fond of Thompson. "Fred Thompson is a person who connects with average voters."
Land points as evidence to polls that show Thompson in a strong position nationally and leading or in second place in several early primary states. A Des Moines Register poll released yesterday shows Thompson ahead of everyone in Iowa except former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
It is also possible that Thompson's debate performance will be overshadowed by an increasingly hostile exchange between Romney and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. The two have sparred for days about taxes and spending -- issues likely to be front and center at the economics-oriented debate.
The spat continued yesterday, with a Romney e-mail to reporters titled "BIG CITY, BIG SPENDER: Mayor Giuliani Left New York City With 'Enormous Deficits. ' "
But Thompson's supporters recognize that today's debate, sponsored by MSNBC and the Wall Street Journal, will be their candidate's first big-time performance before a live national audience.
They have been prepping Thompson for days, giving him policy briefings at his Virginia headquarters and sending him out on the campaign trail with thick binders to study. There have been several mock debates aimed at getting Thompson used to the format. The last time he debated formally was almost 13 years ago.
Thompson's screen career should be a plus, aides say. He is used to the camera and is comfortable in front of an audience. And he's not unfamiliar with the presidential debate process. In 1996, he acted as Bill Clinton during debate preparation for GOP candidate Robert J. Dole.
"Fred needs to be Fred. That's my point of view," said one Republican supporter close to the campaign. "He will answer the questions. That's what he should do."
But other set the bar higher for Thompson.
"He needs to show he's in midseason form," said David Keating, executive director of the Club for Growth, a conservative group. "People are expecting a lot more from him. He was talking about running a different kind of a campaign to tackle the big problems. It could be really interesting if he really does that."
Ayres said Thompson took a risk by waiting to enter the presidential race until after summer had ended. Doing so robbed him of the ability to work out campaign kinks when few people are watching, he said.
"That's one of the costs of waiting to enter," Ayres said yesterday. "You don't have a shakedown cruise with less publicity. The spotlight is shining brightly on all the credible candidates."
Asked whether poll numbers reflect a more positive assessment for Thompson than is reflected by the Washington establishment, Ayres said: "We'll see if that's true. That's a testable proposition."
Staff writer Perry Bacon Jr. contributed to this report.
© 2007 The Washington Post Company
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The first hurdle for any Republican is securing his party''s nomination. If anyone impresses Pat Robertson''s Christian Taliban, they will probably be the Republican nominee. Rudy is despised by the thumpers. McCain has been karlroved. Mitts modern day oracles and angels in the homeland may or may not play well with the trad fundamentalists.
Fifteen to twenty million sheep is a huge boost at the ballot box, even in the general election. If Pat anoints Fred Thompson, he will be a formidable foe for the presidency.
Is there any lower scum than lying neocon hypocrits?
Why not elect an actor for President-perfect fit...
;)
Fred is a honest man and is in the race for the right reasons, he loves this country. The libs don''t have a single candidate that can say the same.
On top of that, with their victory in the house and Senate, they''ve not been able to accomplish anything as far as passing any bill, etc....
Actually, I hope Fred Thompson does get the Republican nomination. He''s a light weight, and would be the easiest of the bunch for the Democrats to beat! I don''t hold out much hope for that though, the way his campaign has started out, I don''t think he will get the nomination.
This guy gave a speech where he talked about relations with the Soviet Union twice, even though they don''t exist any more, and haven''t for almost 20 years! He also claimed that when he was in the senate he tried to keep the budget under control, and did the best he could considering that Democrats were in the majority! The problem with that argument is that when Fred Thompson was in the Senate, the Republicans were in the majority!!
So, if you really want to nominate Fred Thompson, I say ''bring him on!''
You do have a point but, I think actually, Ron Paul would be the easiest to beat for you DEMS. Although he''s a REPUB, he has whacky theories on pulling the military out of every place in the world, abolishing taxes all together, etc...
Also, Hillary would love that because Ron Pauls theories are so whacky, that would shift the focus on him and she could continue solialistic agenda unabated...
People, subconsciously, sense these things.
It also fits into his past life. He was an actor before becoming a senator, voluntarily left the senate to resume acting (presumably due to boredom). Now he has left acting again to, reluctantly and belatedly, run for president.
Too few people actually run for president for the betterment of the country, indeed most are seeking self-importance, attention, recognition, as well as financial gain, Party affiliation notwothstanding.
The only thing that keeps many truly patriotic citizens, who would serve as president strictly to benefit the country, cannot because of the costs of campaigning.
Are the neocons going to let the evangelical hypocrites like Ted Haggard decide another election?
After all, that''s how Rove tricked them into voting for Junior, and now look at this mess.
And I have a magic pony.
I like how Nixon, on tape, describes Fred Thompson as "dumb as hell". Which means he''s the perfect candidate for the bozos on this site. Lightweight and fake.
If you want to vote for a real Conservative who has substance go for either Huckabee or Paul, not this clown. Or, for humor value, a vote for Trancredo would be a vote for funny.
All you have to remember about this guy is Fred = dead, literally.
Fred Thompson has Non-Hodgkin''s Lymphoma. That is a disqualifier. It''s not even close to a gray area. He has less than a 50% chance of living until 2013. My mother died of Non-Hodgkin''s Lymphoma, so I know what I''m talking about.
http://www.lymphomation.org/statistics.htm
Giuliani had prostate cancer. McCain had skin cancer. I say HAD (past tense) because a cancer you can cut out or irradiate can be gone. Not so with blood cancers. Thompson HAS cancer. His cancer is in remission, but could come back at any time.
I don''t want to "waste" my vote.
Romney, Guiliani and McCain, have not sense of morals. Not sure about Thompson sense, afterall, he does/did make his living working for Hollywood...
Thompson was a career lobbyist. He''s the last thing thing this country needs in the white house.
Yes, this leaves socialist Libprogs nothing else to do but watch Law & Order.
Posted by compugor
You were credible until you started posting.
Do you write for comedy central?
That is another world although show business and political business at times seem similar.
Fred Thompson would be a good candidate. He is typically southern, perceived as slow and lazy. They all sound that way. Listening to Edwards the other night all I could think was how did he make it out of school with that lazy drawl of his, its worse this year.
Romney and Guliani are head to head. Reminds me of Edwards and Kerry the last time. Edwards would have won. Maybe the Dems will wise up and have Edwards be the front guy this time. Hillary is losing it, accusing someone of being a plant!!! Good thing some of us aren''t in the audience!!!
Spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters, "anytime a citizen comes forward to provide information, we want to encourage it and we want them to know their sources will be protected."
Perino insisted the White House was not the source of the leak last month. She referred reporters to the intelligence community for questions on what she described as any "process problem."
SHES A PIG AND LIES ALL DAY BUSH/CHENEY NEED TO BE HANGED FOR TREASON FOR THE MURDERS OF OUR TROOPS..
In the 1960s corporations paid more than 40% of the Federal budget and now they pay less than 7%. The whole competitiveness con has left the average working person carrying the burden.
THIS MORNING, WHAT DO LIBERALS WRITE ON THESE MESSAGE BOARDS? BUSH BAD, BUSH BAD, BUSH BAD.... HELLO, HE"S NOT RUNNING NEXT YEAR!
WHO ARE REALLY THE BUSH-BOTS, CONSERVATIVES OR LIBERALS?
BY THE WAY, WHEN ARE THE BLATANTLY PU$$Y DEMOCRATS GOING TO HAVE THEIR DEBATE ON FOX? THEY ARE SUCH BIG PU$$IES, IT''''S RIDICULOUS
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by bizzzz-2009
October 10, 2007 12:19 PM PDT
- I''''m just hoping one of the softball pitchers at the "debate" gets up the nerve to ask Freyed how he managed to avoid the Vietnam draft....
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See all 39 Commentsgkc99,
Are you serious? I know how Bill Clinton avoided the draft. He fled to England like a pu$$y. Next question