Thompson spoke for 4 minutes, and not about issues. He introduced his wife Geri. He chuckled about being bald. Fred thanked the people who put together the biographical video.
Our county representatives were shocked at the brevity of Fred's speech. Thompson had a great opportunity to showcase his qualifications as a Presidential candidate in front of the FL GOP party faithful, and he didn't do this. Indeed, he was disappointing. The crowd left the rally 30 minutes early thanks to Thompson's lack of preparation and enthusiasm.
Giuliani was the most passionate of the four candidates. Rudy warmed the crowd by acknowledging Florida's importance in the election process. He spoke at length about fiscal responsibility, the dangers of Hillary health care, and the War on Terror. Giuliani earnestly and methodically appealed for votes, as he carefully avoided abortion and gun rights issues.
Mitt Romney had his wife and son Tag with him. Mrs. Romney told us how wonderful 60 year old Mitt is as a husband, father and grandfather. Mitt talked about his family and a 1963 Rambler. He spoke about repealing the capital gains tax for everyone making less than $200K, and repealing the death tax. He received strong applause for the tax issues.
John McCain was soft spoken, and utilized his dry wit. McCain emphasized his experience in the military, and 50 years in national security. McCain repeatedly talked about securing the borders to the same skeptical audience who had heckled Mel Martinez about amnesty.
One of these candidates will most likely be the GOP nominee for President. I was rooting for Fred until yesterday. In fact, I deliberately left my Thompson campaign poster behind. We'll see if he pulls a rabbit out of the hat tonight. Otherwise, Fred is in trouble.