Posted on 09/28/2007 9:22:25 AM PDT by Plutarch
The end of the year's third fundraising quarter means a lot for all the presidential candidates. But it may be especially meaningful for the race's latest entrant: former Sen. Fred Thompson, who is vying for the Republican nomination.
Like the other White House hopefuls, Thompson is expected to release highlights of his quarterly fundraising report at the end of this month. But while all the other candidates will be releasing their third reports, this will be Thompson's first - he only officially entered the race Sept. 5 after a lengthy "testing the waters" phase.
The "Law & Order" star hasn't actively competed in any straw polls and has yet to take the stage at a debate, making the report the first concrete measure of how Thompson's campaign is shaping up. As if that wasn't pressure enough, the first few weeks of Thompson's run haven't been greeted with the same glowing press coverage he received when he first started considering a bid in March. Stories in the national press have focused on high staff turnover, frustrations over the role played by his wife, Jeri Kehn Thompson, and his inability to galvanize the support of conservative Republicans, particularly the party's influential contingent of evangelical Christians.
Is the scrutiny perhaps a little unfair? People in Thompson's campaign seem to think so.
"The expectation level for everything we've done has been ridiculously and artificially high," Thompson communications director Todd Harris said. "Everything that we do is being judged through this ridiculously inside-the-Beltway prism ... I think it's more than a little unfair..."
But even if the focus on Thompson's fundraising numbers is disproportionate, there's no question that they are important to determining what effect he will have on the race for the Republican nomination. He runs second to Rudy Giuliani in national and some state polls, and even appears to be leading the pack in others. But much of that is based on buzz - his fundraising will reveal if he has the capacity to capitalize on it. Thompson will need plenty of money to build an organization that can compete with Giuliani and Mitt Romney, who tops the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire...
But Fabrizio says Thompson will have to raise "well over $10 million" to satisfy skeptics. "If Fred Thompson showed up on reporting day and said he raised $20 million this quarter, that would floor everybody," he said. "If he shows up and says that since the beginning of June he only raised $10 million, everybody's going to go, 'Huh?' "
Add Dixie Carter and Patricia Heaton to your list.
oh there are lots of people I didn’t mention
“Who cares what Fred raises in a quarter in which he wasn’t officially running?”
Fred cares! He wants to qualify for government matching funds.
And that is why the front runners weren’t at the debate last night...they were too busy at fundraisers! LOL
In order to qualify for public funds for the primaries however, the candidate must meet the criteria.
lets see, the Dinosaur Media is rating Thompson’s success based on the amount of ADVERTISING DOLLARS which might be spent on the Dinosaur Media.
Are they evaluating a candidate or a sales rep.
“Are they evaluating a candidate or a sales rep?”
Unfortunately, politicians are “sales reps.” LOL
In fact, everyone is selling something...even the pope! :-]
“I wouldn’t take CBS News seriously on any topic, let alone one thats a) Entirely political in nature and...b) one thats about a Republican.”
I wouldn’t either! The article also stated that Fred is the
last entrant. Keyes was the last. :)
Of coarse...anyone with that name is on the right. : )
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