Fred Thompson

[revots33]

Is he the front-runner the moment he formally announces (assuming he does)? Watching these horrible debates makes me wonder what he's waiting for. All he's gotta do is talk about "family values", "culture of life" etc. in his good-ol' folksy drawl, and he can probably sleepwalk to the nomination, given his competition. So why is he waiting?

Seems to me that he's taking the risk of letting Romney build up some momentum by waiting so long to announce.

[Copernicus]

[ QUOTE ]
Is he the front-runner the moment he formally announces (assuming he does)? Watching these horrible debates makes me wonder what he's waiting for. All he's gotta do is talk about "family values", "culture of life" etc. in his good-ol' folksy drawl, and he can probably sleepwalk to the nomination, given his competition. So why is he waiting?

Seems to me that he's taking the risk of letting Romney build up some momentum by waiting so long to announce.

[/ QUOTE ]

He's waiting because he isnt ready for prime time. His personal appearances have been disasters, with potential supporters walking out in the middle of his speeches.

As long as he's unannounced and keeps a low profile he remains a vessel for everyone's image of their perfect candidate. Once he's announced and scrutinized he's done imo.

[W brad]

Choice:

1 - announce in summer when folks are on vacation and not paying attention to politics.

2 - announce in September when everyone is back at work or school and watching the news again, giving you maximum publicity and a big bump.


A candidate that can't make the right choice does not deserve to win.

[MrMon]

His numbers have been fading in the last 7-10 days. Or at least they've faded a bit and Giuliani is up 5%, giving Giuliani a slight lead. There's also a poll out that shows Giuliani ahead in New Hampshire, which is a real shift, as it's been Romney for quite some time, but until more polls confirm that, I'm viewing that news with a bit of scepticism.

I've never figured out the attraction to Thompson other than he's not X. His record is pretty thin. As was said above, he's anything you want him to be until he announces. Then we'll see how long he lasts. I think there's still a reasonable chance he never announces.

[JackWhite]

Listening and reading about Thompson, a common thread emerges: his work ethic sucks. Running for President is a lot 16 hour days. I am guessing he wants to avoid the retail politics aspect of campaigning.

[andyfox]

I hear talk about his work ethic, but it doesn't make sense to me. The guy has been a successful attorney, a successful actor, and a successful politician. I suppose It's possible he's lazy, but I can't imagine those accomplshments in one person without a reasonably good work ethic.

[slickpoppa]

Thompson has no chance. He is the Wes Clark of this election. The Republican nominee is going to be either Giuliani or Romney, or maybe Gingrich as a dark horse, but no way is it going to be Fred Thompson.

[JackWhite]

[ QUOTE ]
I hear talk about his work ethic, but it doesn't make sense to me. The guy has been a successful attorney, a successful actor, and a successful politician. I suppose It's possible he's lazy, but I can't imagine those accomplshments in one person without a reasonably good work ethic.



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You would think so, but I have heard this accusation repeated many times on various programs. To be fair, the stories I have heard about his lack of work ethic come from his time as a Senator. Mabye that job bored or frustrated him, hence the lack of time spent at it.

[W brad]

[ QUOTE ]
I hear talk about his work ethic, but it doesn't make sense to me. The guy has been a successful attorney, a successful actor, and a successful politician. I suppose It's possible he's lazy, but I can't imagine those accomplshments in one person without a reasonably good work ethic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Didn't Reagan have the same perceived work ethic problem? Doesn't seem to have hurt him.

[Ineedaride2]

I would prefer a president with poor work ethic.

These days, the less a politician gets done, the better off we usually are.