Fred Thompson - Fish or Cut Bait (Is Fred really moving too slow?)

various

[Ronin]

Sometimes I wish he would go ahead and declare, and other times I think he knows exactly what he is doing and playing a chess game with the media and the FEC that is exactly on course, on time and on speed.

One thing for sure, if he were to pull a “Perot” after allowing everybody to get worked up to an absolute fever pitch, his name would be mud for time and all eternity.

[ClarenceThomasfan]

I think Fred needs to get in this month or else pretty soon he is going to become a laughing stock.

If he is going to be a presidential candidate he needs to do well in the debates and to do that he needs to be in them. Also he needs to raise a bunch of money if he is going to be the GOP nominee. I want to donate to a GOP presidential candidate but there is no way in h*ll I am donating my hard earned money to someone who is not even in the race. Suppose he decides not to get in.

I think Fred’s hesitation is not good news. It is a sign of laziness, fear or hidden skeletons.

[TennTuxedo]

The only people worried about Fred getting into the race "onto time" are those who fear him.

Those behind him are being patient and are willing to wait for good things.

[GBA]

Too slowly? Personally, I think everyone else is moving too fast, especially when the election is over a year away.

In FDT's case, he has had contractual agreements that have restricted his announcing his candidacy. Given that he is a public person, both in radio and television, were he to announce, then the stations who broadcast him would have to give equal time to everyone else. Hardly practical.

I also look at all the money candidates have spent so far getting their message out. Again, the election is over a year away. Why waste all that money now? Why burn out all those possible donors so early in the game?

People know who he is. Sooner or later, they will relate the person they've seen on tv and in the movies to the politician. In the mean time, he spoke his brand of conservatism to a large group of voters with his radio work. Why would he give up that opportunity (and that salary) to announce too early? Just to please a few antsy voters and msm critics? One of the things I like about him is that he is leading his own show and doing things, not how the MSM wants him to, but HIS way. Working pretty well so far.

[GBA]

"As long as he doesn’t declare himself, he gets to do a nationally syndicated news and opinion radio show."

If he announced, he have to quit or the stations who air his broadcasts would have to give his opponents equal time. By not announcing, he gets to broadcast his message and the stations who broadcast him benefit from those who tune in. I imagine more people are watching and listening now that he has been hinting. Good for everyone:FDT, the stations and the sponsors. Why throw that away for early name recognition? He already has that.

I trust his approach much more than I do those senators who campaigned to be a senator and then change horses while still in office to run for president. Has FDT broken any contracts to be a candidate?

[Nonstatist]

the question is never asked as to whether uncertainty as to purpose is characteristic of his character or just another clever political manipulation

The fact that so many of us are unsure about the former indicates perhaps that there might be something to it. He had an unpleasant experience in the Senate with his main investigation , so he bailed first chance he got.... God help us that he seems to be the Messiah to so many here.

[Mariebl]

If he’s not in by the time the next debate comes along—is it in August—I’m going to have some real issues with him. Sure, he was a Senator—there’s been lots of Senators, and he was a lawyer—and it isn’t as though lawyers are a rarity, but he hasn’t accomplished anything that’d make me feel he has a right to sit back and wait for his inevitable coronation.

[curiosity]

I don't think he's going to run. If he were, it would not be wise to wait this long. Yes, he gets a lot of free, positive press partly because he's not officially running, but that's a double edged sword.

The real muckraking begins after a candidate officially announcees. By putting off announcing, he's moving the inevitable muckraking closer and closer to the election, which in the long run hurts him. I think he knows this, and that's why I don't think he would be putting off announcing this long if he really were running.

[curiosity]

Does he want to run or doesn't he?

I don't think so. I suspect this tease of his is just a big publicity stunt. I would not be surprised in the least that in November we're going to hear he's starring in a new movie where he plays the president. I can't prove it, of course; it's just a hunch. It's the only explanation of his behavior that makes any sense to me. And this wouldn't be the first outrageous publicity stunt that holywood has used to promote a movie.

[seekthetruth]

“Fred Thompson formed his exploratory committee on June 1, 2007. Using the other three candidates as a guide, Fred Thompson’s official announcement would be as follows:
Giuliani - September 6th
McCain - November 7th
Romney - July 12th
When you factor in how long each of the former were “running” prior to forming their exploratory campaigns, the formal announcement would be even later!
It is hard to argue that Thompson is moving slowly. I am inclined to believe he is moving wisely.”

Great Post! Lets use it often to answer the critics who go on and on about Fred taking so long to make his official announcement. He really isn’t taking a long time after all!