Posted on 09/08/2007 5:17:56 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
So now, finally, we have a Fred Thompson presidential candidacy.
The new candidate, fresh from his Schwarzeneggeresque announcement on Jay Leno, doesnt have much patience for those who say he waited too long to get in the race.
I dont think people are going to say, You know, that guy would make a very good president, but he just didnt get in soon enough, Thompson told Leno Wednesday night while the other GOP candidates debated in New Hampshire.
Its a good line. But it is, in fact, too late for Thompson to run the kind of conventional candidacy mega-fundraising, big ground organizations in the early primary states that Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have conducted.
The question is whether Thompson can win without that conventional game. And if so, how will he do it? Certainly, his appeal will be unique, with a star quality that makes him more than just another former senator who wants to be president.
But Giuliani, for one, gets the rock-star treatment from Republican audiences, too.
And what about message? Will Thompsons be that different from his fellow GOP candidates?
Theres no doubt Thompson will be strong on national defense and aggressive in dealing with the threat of terrorism.
But what other major Republican candidate wont be strong on national defense and aggressive in dealing with the threat of terrorism?
Likewise, Thompson will be strong on fiscal responsibility. But what other GOP candidate wont?
Even in those areas where he might differ from the Republican field abortion and immigration Thompsons positions will still track with Iowa and New Hampshire front-runner Mitt Romney.
But all that may be beside the point. What Thompson will sell in his campaign is a personal quality of leadership, not policy details.
You can see that in the one issue Thompson talks about more than the other candidates entitlement reform.
Thompson often makes the case that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are going broke.
But he knows that George W. Bush, at the height of his presidential powers, devoted months to Social Security reform and got nowhere.
Whats happened in the past is interesting and relevant but not in any way determinative of the future, Thompson said when I asked him about it last month. Somebodys going to have to talk truth to people and address those things and see what kind of response you get.
But how could Thompson get different results from Bush?
I think thats the leadership that can only come from the top, he said.
And that is the essence of the Thompson appeal. Hes not pretending to have new ideas about everything. Hes saying he can get things done that other candidates cant.
Whether people will believe that is another matter. When it comes to getting things done, Giuliani and Romney will say two words executive experience over and over.
Theyve got it, and Thompson doesnt.
And right now, they are running tightly organized campaigns, while Thompsons has been somewhat chaotic, with lots of departures and much moving about.
Now, normally a few staff changes do not say much about a candidate. But a lot of them suggest that the man at the top doesnt have a firm hand.
We saw that with McCain, whose campaign woes made us wonder about his ability to run the store.
At least, thats what the doubters say. Now Thompson has a chance to prove them wrong.
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York is a White House correspondent for National Review. His column appears in The Hill each week. E-mail: byork@nationalreview.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Glad he’s taking his time. This campaign started way too early, leaving several to burn out well before most people started to pay any serious attention. Smart candidates will stay mostly in the wings until ‘08.
Analyze those audiences, and they're probably made largely of [sub]urban Republicans - those who do honestly think he's right-wing.
Sir Francis Dashwood wrote: “Even the so-called “conservative” media pundits on television and “conservative” columnists are trying to cram liberalism right down our throats...”
No more call, folks, we have a winner! Excellent observation, Sir Francis.
Jennifer Rubin of Human Events and The American Spectator is tucked so deeply away in Rudy Giuliani’s pocket that she feels the need to trash Fred on a daily basis.
The lien on Townhall.com’s Hugh Hewitt is held by Mitt Romney, and poor Hugh is such a Mittwit that he has embarassed himelf on more than one occasion.
Even National Review has veered so far off course in its promotion of Rudy McRomney that it is barely recognizable as a conservative publication.
Movement conservatives long ago turned our backs on the liberal MSM. Now the once conservative media has abandoned us.
Thank God above for talk radio and the blogosphere!
That is PRECISELY what I contend he has done so far. He is the only caandidate to have seen the problem, ARTICULATED IT, and posited a potential path forward.
A HARD path, by the way; there are no easy ones left.
But, give the man at least a bit of a break- he only announced two days ago.
He'll be polling ahead of Giuliani within ten days, and by the end of November Fred will be on top in both Iowa and New Hampshire. And it will be despite his refusal to pander, and despite the "chattering class".
And despite his taking on an issue that beat Bush.
By the way, IMHO, the only reason Bush failed in his attempt to fix Social Security is that he completely failed to put the issue into its true context. i.e. Bush failed to construct a compelling narrative to close the deal. Thompson won't make that mistake, and Democrats will be forced into submission by the voters back home.
I think that straight talk and candor will impress most Republicans. From her past performance we all know that Hillary has a problem with the truth. I don’t think that the time has come for another charmer in a Brooks Bro. suit in the White House. Go get em Fred.
I am sick and tired of the tepid responses and actions of the GOP... we need new party leadership instead of the ‘going along to get along’ mentality... Newt started out great in ‘94, and California actually had a majority in their statehouse. Along came the RINOs snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...
Yep. Brooks Brothers makes good suits... I prefer Kallison's of San Antonio... but that is another subject...
Romney supports fetal cell experimentation using “unwanted” embryos.
Fred and Rudy. It must be the baldness.
The guy got in late, compared to the other candidates in both parties
He is pretty much ignoring New Hampshire, which seems to put their noses out of joint
Now, if he can win the nomination without raising and spending a lot of money, Fred Thompson could single-handedly change the course of American politics for the future. Let's hope he succeeds.
No, Fred has NOT ignored New Hampshire. He was here to meet folks on June 28. He's here this weekend for 3 meet-the-voter events.
"Ignoring NH" is what the a-hole Chairman of the NH GOP wants you to think, and what Fox News/Carl Cameron decided, based on their own personal ambitions.
Did you ever notice that with the addition of two little letters the name "Fergus" quickly becomes "Fergitus". NH politics sure have changed in the last ten years.
That's because the 'chattering classes' think they are way more sophisticated than we drooling peons. If someone doesn't genuflect to them, that person is dissed.
That's why I don't pay attention to the pundits, at all.
He's going to be holding two rallies in NH this weekend; one in Nashua, and one in Manchester. I'd love to attend; I'm only an hour away, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna get there. I'll have to watch it on the Internet. ;o)
I agree! With the ever-changing primary dates, candidates can’t afford to devote themselves just to Iowa and NH anymore. And with the Internet, candidates can reach us directly. We don’t have to attend GOP-sponsored events, watch TV, or read newspapers to find out where a candidate stands.
But some state party bureaucrats still think like it’s 1960.
Since you have twice condescended to lecture me to this effect I am sure you will have no bother finding a citation with which to favor me.
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