Posted on 08/09/2007 11:59:52 AM PDT by hardback
Newspapers and the blog world were busy talking about possible presidential hopeful Fred Thompson’s selection of Bill Lacy to lead his yet-to-be-official campaign. Lacy, who led Thompson’s 1994 senatorial campaign in Tennessee, is taking a leave of abscense from the Dole Institute of Politics to take the post.
After today's announcement that former Senator Fred Thompson has hired Bill Lacy to join his campaign team and run day to day operations, there is little doubt that Thompson really does intend to run for President.
For all of the talk about the dangers of continuing delay in an official announcement (something that I tend to agree with) the fact that Lacy is joining the team is a likely signal that the recent reshuffle at the almost-Fred '08 campaign was less a move of desperation and more of a preparation for the long and hard slog of a long-term campaign.
It was Lacy, after all, who took Fred Thompson from a 20-point deficit in 1994-when the race against Jim Cooper looked all but lost-to an overwhelming victory. With Lacy's guidance, the underdog crushed his Democratic opponent with a Statewide majority of over 320,000 votes and over 60% of the overall vote total.
Lacy also made Fred Thompson a marketable candidate. The red pickup truck for which Fred Thompson would become so famous as both a candidate and a Senator was the brainchild of Bill Lacy, who is a real believer in shaking hands, holding babies, and pounding the pavement to reach out to the grassroots.
Lacy has real Presidential Primary experience as well. In 1980, Lacy ran Ronald Reagan's campaign in the Maryland Primary, which that year proved to be a pivitol test for the Republican nomination.
Mr. Lacy knows how to lead underdogs to victory, and his depth of experience should be seen as a sign that Fred Thompson is ready to wage a come-from-behind effort to win the nomination if that is what is needed.
Just when I was prepared to say it was getting too late for Fred Thompson, he doesn't hire a Big Gun-he hires the political equivalent of a B1 Bomber.
There is little doubt at this point that Fred Thompson is running for President-the only question now is whether he will wait too long to make it official.
Ah jeez, not this **** again.
I have a red truck and the steering wheel keeps it straight in the middle of the road, but only the right turn signal works.
I’M WITH FRED,
RUN FRED RUN
FRED OR DEAD
LOL!!
Yeah, but it took TWO YEARS for it to work!! We don’t have TWO YEARS this time!!
I must say that I wish that he’d found it expedient to announce by now. At the same time, he’s accomplished a few things by delaying his announcement:
1. He’s burning less cash because official candidacies cost more than unofficial candidacies;
2. He’s able to put together his team, start his campaign pretty much from scratch, get his message right, go quickly through the trial-and-error of getting things right with a minimum of scrutiny (although he’s taken a little flack in recent days for the campaign management “shake-up,” I suspect it would have been worse if he’d have been an announced candidate);
3. And he’s been able to fly largely under the radar to a top rating in the polls.
Pretty good for a guy without any fire in his belly, who hasn’t raised enough money, and who allegedly just isn’t all that competent!
sitetest
It's a sign, I tell you! ;^)
Two years of Vatican time ... that's probably about two weeks of Washington time.
I was SHOCKED when my husband actually volunteered to work with me at the Fred booth at our 4th of July GOP BBQ.
He and I are in complete agreement about the issues, but he isn’t that interested, so he usually just takes the ballot I marked for him when he votes. If Fred caught the interest of my computer-absorbed “geek” husband, I have to think he’s got something. :)
LOL!! You’re right!! More like two HOURS!!
************
LOL! He's a good husband, I can tell. :)
;'}
Never too late.
Not the best image. Fred rented the truck. He didn’t own it.
I thought the article meant that Fred was bringing in B-1 Bob Dornan :(
This is all great news for our team. But, the thing that bothers me is all the time, exposure, and money that Fred has lost by his delayed entry and avoiding events like the Ames Straw Poll and the debates.
I just have to believe that Fred and his team know what they’re doing and they’ll make up any lost ground.
It will be a full on race from Labor Day!
BWAHAHHAHAHA!!!
*snicker*
I haven’t given up being the co-head Fredhead, ok? :)
I'm with FRed, baby!
Your profile pics are adorable, PM!
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