Thompson's One Man Show (Good read!)

Real Clear Politics ^ | September 11, 2007 | Tom Bevan

[2ndDivisionVet]

Last week Fred Thompson was speaking to a crowd of close to three hundred people at the Music Man Square in Mason City, Iowa, explaining how he accidentally fell into a movie career. In the early 1980s Hollywood producers came to Tennessee to make a film about a famous case Thompson had handled as a young lawyer. "They asked me to play myself," Thompson told the audience in his folksy, Southern drawl, "and I said, well, they can't tell me I'm doing it wrong - although they still did from time to time."

The line always gets a big laugh, but it's also a fitting description of the quest he's on now. Thompson has been more or less drafted into running for President, and he's campaigning for the job in the same way he landed his first movie role: by playing himself.

Whether this will take him all the way to the Republican nomination remains to be seen, but if the first couple of days of campaigning are any indication, being himself just might be enough. Thompson's two biggest assets are his "likability" and his high name identification, both of which are based to a large degree on his role in one of the highest-rated shows on television over the last four and a half years.

But Thompson's fame is double edged. For some it creates unreasonably high expectations of meeting him in person -- expectations Thompson inevitably fails to meet. In public, the most conspicuous thing about him is his size (6'5"), and for a legitimate "movie star" he generates significantly less wattage at events than even Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

For others, however, Thompson's lack of pretense is a draw in itself.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Nicely done article: Fair & balanced.

[Darkwolf377]

Good stuff.

Of course Thompson doesn't have the Obama and HRC star power--both of them have the entire MSM as their press agents. Thompson is just a big white guy, SOOOOO last century for the bored children of the media who whine when they're not entertained.

[StACase]

I like the photo they used, reminded me of:

[gridlock]

From there Thompson launches into his belief in federalism, characterized by limited government, lower taxes, and more individual freedom. "A government that is big enough to do everything for you is powerful enough to take everything away from you," Thompson warns, adding that he believes the power of the federal government should be weakened in many areas but still remain strong enough to perform its primary function of protecting the public. All of this draws approving head nods and applause from those who've come out to see him.

I know this certainly draws an approving head nod from me.

While every other candidate out there with a chance of winning is talking about how much and where to expand government power, Thompson is talking about reducing the size and scope of government. This is the way forward.

There are plenty of guys who believe in federalism, smaller government, and greater individual freedom. It is the rare individual who can sell it well enough to compete in today's political environment.

[W04Man]

I CALL IT:

FRED VETS, SIGN UP TODAY AT:

[Roses0508]

"The Declaration of Independence tells us that our rights are granted by God, not government."

Wow! This is a concept that ALL our politicians need to have engraved on their foreheads (although they'd probably quit looking in the mirror).

My husband (who is sort of a political hybrid) watched Fred Thompson yesterday and told the family at the dinner table that Thompson has his vote.

[Politicalmom]

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[BubbaBasher]

Some people get it!

[prairiebreeze]

and one man opined that the problem wasn't that Thompson had gotten in too late but that the other candidates had gotten in too early. "We're bored to death of those guys," the man said, while the others nodded in agreement.

Heh!

[FlashBack]

The line always gets a big laugh, but it's also a fitting description of the quest he's on now. Thompson has been more or less drafted into running for President, and he's campaigning for the job in the same way he landed his first movie role: by playing being himself.
Had to fix that one word there! A pretty good summation of the MasonCity event...I thought the setting was very cool myself, other than the fact that they should have had the camera crews set up abit farther back so that we would have not felt as cramped.

[Petronski]

Thompson punctuates this point by telling audiences in his famous honey-smoked baritone, "The Declaration of Independence tells us that our rights are granted by God, not government." It is always one of the biggest applause lines of the speech.

Very nice. That's the kind of stuff that wins hearts.

[Rembrandt]

I’ve spoken in front of groups from a few to a few hundred and I have an understanding of what makes a good and effective speaker. It’s not me.

A really good speaker makes it seem to each member of the audience that he/she is speaking personally to that audience member.

Fred has that ability.

I believe that if he makes a series of stump raising speeches in ten or so big cities, in his personable style, across the U.S., he will have the Presidency. He’ll probably have to repeat those swings a couple or three times over the next 14 months but if he keeps at it, he’ll leave all the wanna-be’s in the dust.

[no dems]

I know this certainly draws an approving head nod from me.

And me.

[no dems]

Frederalism.....I LIKE IT!!!

[Plutarch]

Many, including David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register, characterized his debut as "underwhelming."

My but these Nervous Willardian Stooges are ubiquitous!

[2ndDivisionVet]

David Yepsen is a far-left columnist for the Des Moines Red Star, so take whatever he says with a grain of salt. The MSM fears Fred and will do anything to stop him...

[Petronski]

Never studied logic, eh?