Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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Posted on 07/31/2007 10:49:25 AM PDT by SunStar
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Fred Thompson needs to say in August if he is running for president because he has enjoyed about all the benefits he can expect from being a noncandidate, a key backer said on Tuesday.
The Hollywood actor turned White House contender announced he had raised more than $3.4 million in June -- less than the predicted $5 million -- for his presidential campaign-in-waiting, amid some concerns he has waited too long.
"The level of support and enthusiasm from people across this country is inspiring," said a statement from Thompson, who said donations came from 9,167 people from all 50 states.
Thompson's testing-the-waters phase has gone far beyond his original plans for a July 4 announcement and his candidacy to be the Republican nominee in the November 2008 election is now expected in September.
Tennessee Republican Rep. Zach Wamp, a key supporter of the 6-foot-6 conservative many Republicans are hoping will fill a void, said a September announcement speech by Thompson would be fine, but that the former U.S. senator from Tennessee needs to definitively say in August that he is a candidate.
He said Thompson is "approaching the apex of the benefits of being a noncandidate."
"His strategy and the use of noncandidate status has worked very much to his advantage to this point," Wamp said. "I believe we're approaching the point at which he needs to be a candidate -- I mean full-blown, 'I am running for president,' no holds barred."
Wamp said once Thompson says he is a candidate, the movie and television actor will be able to raise more money and pick up more endorsements from members of Congress beyond the two dozen Wamp has corralled for him.
"I've got horses in the gate like the Kentucky Derby and they've been there for a while. Horses in the gate are restless creatures. They've been stammerin' and snortin' and I don't want them spittin'," Wamp said.
Thompson's campaign, in announcing a staff shake-up last week, said it was preparing "to move on to another phase."
DOING WELL IN POLLS
Despite the delays, he has done relatively well in national public opinion polls, often placing second to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Fergus Cullen, chairman of the Republican Party in the early voting state of New Hampshire, said "it's not too late" for Thompson to enter the race, but noted it had been four weeks since the star of the hit U.S. "Law & Order" television show had last visited New Hampshire.
"I guess I'm surprised by it," he said.
With the New Hampshire primary expected to be in January, only five months away, Cullen said "at some point your elected officials and people who give endorsements and give a candidate credibility commit to another candidate."
An average of recent polls by realclearpolitics.com shows Thompson in a seemingly strong position, running in second place with 19.8 percent support behind Giuliani at 25.5 percent and ahead of Arizona Sen. John McCain at 13.5 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 10 percent.
Republican strategist and pollster Tony Fabrizio said he did not know whether the 64-year-old Republican who retired from the Senate in 2003 after serving eight years had waited too long.
But "every day that goes by where you're not in the race is a lost fund-raising opportunity, a lost recruitment opportunity, a lost definitional opportunity, and your opponents get to continue their strategies unfettered," Fabrizio said.
"I know that it takes time to put together a presidential campaign. But he has a problem now. The problem is the expectations have been raised so much by them, given the lead time they have taken to get into the race, that any missteps or any fumbles out of the gates are going to be magnified more than in a normal start-up," he added.
Truman Bean, author of a popular blog called "Tennesseans for Thompson," said grass-roots supporters are getting impatient but a September announcement would be fine.
"It's just a matter of time until it gets going full throttle," Bean said.
Don’t tarry, Fred. You need to get into this...and soon.
The RudyBoosters are running scared!
GO FRed GO!
That was a rumor.
Wow...backers, financial and otherwise, want their chosen candidate to actually get into the compaign for the office they’re backing him for?
Whodathunkit?
Predicted?
They said they set that goal, but did it rise to the level of a prediction?
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
WARNING: If you wish to join, please be aware that this ping list is EXTREMELY active.
All the free publicity for Fred due to this clever tactic of not jumping headlong into the 12 man mud-wrestle-— priceless..
This is so silly. Does the electorate actually know what this guy thinks are do we just go for looks. I see people define him the way they want him to believe and then say they will support the guy they defined. We did that with Bush.
He was a big Senate supporter of John McCain. It will be a huge hurdle for him to get over and I’m not going to do it for him.
I think he’s playing this just right for the time being.
This whole ‘get in the race before its too late!’ stuff is coming from some political junkies here at FR that keep forgetting the campaign shouldn’t have started yet.
Outside of us (political junkies) and the political talks show, the VOTERS aren’t paying any attention. And they won’t for several months yet.
There will be plenty of cash when the time comes, just like always. And it will favor the party of small business, the GOP, as always.
I don’t know if Thompson is the ‘end all’ to the primaries, again its simply way too early. But he is scoring points with me for the simple reason he isn’t letting the heads of the RNC nor the DNC dictate his ‘schedule’.
That alone shows a nice independent streak, and a refreshing ‘new viewpoint’ especially compared to the Rudy McRomney types we’ve been watching - because there isn’t much else to do politically, for the past few months.
Take the time you need, Fred Thompson. So far, your political instincts are serving you very well indeed.
This guy's been putting out essays on pretty much every issue out there on his website, describing in plain spoken terms his political views.
It will be a huge hurdle for him to get over and I’m not going to do it for him.
Wamp wasn't quoted as saying "August".
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
It is his one weakness, unlike other candidates like Rudy, Paulie, Mitty, and Johnnie who all have more weaknesses than Tyson has illegal workers.
I would suggest checking imwithfred.com for videos and papers on his stand on all the issues.
Love the spin.
Fred’s not late, the others just bought in to the “too soon toast” (A division of Bush Derangement Syndrome, Inc.) media hype.
Co-sponsoring the theft of 1A rights with McCain is THE issue......then explaining it away as an “oops, shouldn’t have done that....here’s the reason why I co-sponsored and then voted for the theft of your 1A rights”.
Some care about infringements on rights.
Some don’t, so long as it’s explained away afterwards.
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