This coming from a Slick Willard supporter??
Posted on 11/04/2007 6:37:35 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
I had said Fred Thompson could do him a lot of good if he passed “the Russert primary” with flying colors.
His campaign had been dismissing the Washington press corps, and implicitly running against the media, refusing to do the things candidates traditionally do (enter early, do five events a day, appear at the New Hampshire debate instead of the Tonight Show). But every once in a while a Washington media institution really does matter, and Meet the Press is one of them. Simply because Tim Russert, without commercial interruption, will throw hardballs and curveballs for a solid half hour, and standard delaying tactics won’t work. Also, his research staff can find every awkward quote from 1974 that every candidate dreads. Generally, a candidate who can handle Meet the Press well can handle just about any other live interview.
This morning I had caught a brief snippet – his discussion of Iraq - and thought he was striking out. I thought the reference to “generals we respect” was so odd, I wondered if he had forgotten David Petraeus’s name.
Having just watched it on the DVR, I thought it was a very, very solid performance. Ground rule double.
My initial shallow thought was that Thompson still looks a bit on the gaunt side. Then, during the interview:
“You’ve lost a lot of weight. Is it health related?”
“Coming from you, Tim, I’ll take that as a compliment.” Ouch. Thompson says no, it’s not health related, it’s just that his wife has him on a diet to watch his cholesterol. He says he had additional tests for his Lymphoma in September and was the results were all clear.
Every once in a while Thompson slipped up - I think he suggested that oil was selling at “nah-eight hundred dollars a barrel”, and I’m wary of his quoted statistic that car bombs in Iraq are down 80 percent – but overall, Thompson was measured, modest, serious, and completely at ease. After a couple of debates, it’s odd to watch a man not trying to squeeze his talking points into an answer, and instead speaking in paragraphs, conversational and informed.
Jen Rubin wrote, “He does not answer questions linearly with a direct answer to the question but rather talks about the subject matter. Some find this thoughtful and other think he is vamping and unfocused.” His talk on Iran was a perfect example, in that Thompson’s position isn’t terribly different from the rest of the field – he doesn’t want to use force, but he’ll keep that option open - but as he talks at length about the risks and benefits and factors that would go into a military strike, the audience, I think, will feel reassuring that if Thompson needs to face that decision, he will have weighed each option carefully.
That voice is fatherly, reassuring, calm. The contrast to Hillary couldn’t be sharper.
I’m going to say ‘well-briefed,’ but I know that will just spur one of the Thompson Associates to call me to tell me that’s not a sign of others briefing him, that’s a sign of Thompson’s own reading and study of the issues.
I was about to say that he was almost too conversational, that he could have used one quip or pithy summation at his views, and then, finally, at the tail end of his question on Schiavo, he summed up, “the less government, the better.”
I’m hearing that David Brody listened to the section on abortion and Thompson’s expression of federalism in this area, and has concluded, “all he needs now is to buy the gun that shoots him in the foot.” Look, if Fred Thompson isn’t pro-life enough for social conservatives, then nobody short of Mike Huckabee is. If Huckabee gets the nomination, great, I’d love to see Hillary Clinton go up against the Republican mirror-image of her husband’s rhetorical skills. But it feels like the past few months have been an escalating series of vetoes from various factions within the GOP. I’ve seen more amiable compromises on the United Nations Security Council.
Let me lay it out for every Republican primary voter. You support the guy you want, you rally for him, you write some checks, you vote in the primaries… and maybe your guy wins, maybe he loses. If the guy who beats your guy is half a loaf, you shrug your shoulders, hope your guy is his running mate, and get ready for the general. Life goes on.
FRed looked fine, from the snippets I saw.
Fred Thompson was the Minority Counsel, Hillary was a glorified intern.
This coming from a Slick Willard supporter??
Thanks for the info. I understand she is not an effective attorney and assume Fred can think on his feet while she cannot.
The Democrats [Sam Dash] were in charge of the Democrat staff [Hillary].
The Republicans [Fred] was in charge of the Republican staff.
Fred worked mostly with Sam Dash and a few others at the top of the Dem staff. Hillary was a bottom feeder. Fred was at the top on the other side.
Fred was aware of what was going on with the Dem staff and had uncomplimentary things to say about them. He thought there was unprofessional conduct with the Dem staffers although he never named names. However, he liked Sam Dash and thought he had integrity.
Fred thought the staffers [including Hillary] were a tail end that was wagging the rest of the dog.
There may be issues between Fred and Hillary because of that, but he doesn’t get specific in his book and never named her, but he sure was not impressed with the Dem staff.
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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ditto.
“Fred vs. Hillary will look like Reagan vs. Mondale.”
I disagree. Hillary is no Ronald Reagan.
After the interview, did anyone from the Thompson camp suggest that Timmy boy be shot on sight like Hildabitch’s cronies said???
I would have liked that statement six weeks ago but I’m much more angry now than I was then. Reading from the purists around here and their tantrums/pouting, I am disturbingly eager for the big split to occur so that the purists go their way and the non-statists go ours
I used to media-train people for a living. Russert was relatively nice to Thompson because as you said, Thompson controlled the interview (i.e., it wasn't for lack of trying to savage him). One of the advantages to talking slowly and deliberately, and verbally examining an issue in response to a reporter's question, is that the reporter subsequently has less time to run the interview his way. You'll notice Thompson didn't even let Russert interrupt him -- he kept talking when Russert tried to machine-gun him, and even told Russert "now, let me finish" several times.
Great job by Thompson.
Another freeper peddling a Planned Parenthood anti-Romney advertisement with a forged signature.
The enemy of your enemy is still evil, if it’s Planned Parenthood. Anybody who quotes from attack ads of an abortion mill should have to go to stand in the corner and let the adults have a conversation.
Hahahaha! You Hunterites and your poor guy’s 1% poll numbers. I guess I’d be bitter, too, if my hero couldn’t get any traction. So, will you be voting for Hillary in the general? Or Ron Paul on a third party ticket?
The chutzpah of the Mittheads is astounding, they really outdid themselves tonight.
It’s a classic Clintonian tactic to attack other candidates on the exact issues where your own candidate is weak. It’s good chess-playing, but it’s intellectually dishonest.
The whole thing is readily available online, at the MtP website, at the Fred site linked in Reply #13 above, etc. For those on the fence or otherwise concerned about Fred's abilities as a campaigner it is worth watching the whole thing. I've been a FredHead from the get-go but I've also felt and expressed concern about his public appearances so far. Today's performance has boosted my confidence in Fred quite a bit!
I watched the whole thing.
Fred handled himself beautifully.
I think you are right on the mark about Hillary. She’s a snake, even more dangerous than her husband. I think a President Hillary would remind us why it’s not in our interests to have a president with the power to spy on us and lock up enemies with no trial etc..., powers that we felt comfortable giving to Bush.
Indeed, Fred is a formidable opponent. Russert appeared as a tousle haired schoolboy in comparison.
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