WATCH HIM SAY IT HERE ("NEWS"):
Bump! Go Fred Go!
Posted on 08/05/2007 1:42:08 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Is Fred Thompson running for president and, if so, why is he waiting so long to announce?
That two-part question is being asked a lot. The answer to the first part is yes. But, speculation as to why the former Tennessee senator/Hollywood actor is taking so long to make a formal announcement is up for interpretation. A few views - some legitimate and some not:
1. He is waiting to announce simply because he can. Since news broke last March that Thompson was considering a presidential run, interest in his candidacy has consistently risen. He has gone from not registering in the polls to, in some cases, leading. Thompson has settled into second place in most national polls, just behind Rudy Giuliani.
2. He wants to let the press get through the first few waves of negative stories. A month ago it was revealed that while Thompson was lobbying when the first George Bush lived in the White House, he did some work on behalf of one of his law firm's clients, which just happened to be an abortion rights group.
Thompson was caught flatfooted. First he said that he didn't remember doing the work, but when the group produced documents showing that he did, his campaign characterized his work as minimal at best and nothing more than a lawyer doing work with one of his law firm's clients with whom he disagreed. Shortly thereafter, more stories about Thompson's lobbying began showing up in The New York Times and Washington Post.
3. John McCain's campaign woes underscore the lack of stability within the GOP. He is staying out of the race until the other candidates sort out their political futures. If McCain hadn't plummeted, Thompson would already have announced, but the Arizona senator's demise hasn't benefited any of the major tier-one candidates, other than Thompson.
4. His campaign can't get off the ground. There's already infighting between those in charge and Thompson's wife, who happens to be a Republican fund-raiser and political strategist. He has made staff changes as a result, which is somewhat troubling to outsiders looking in.
5. He wants to have his campaign running on all cylinders before he officially announces his candidacy. It takes to time to get a full staff in place. Besides hiring campaign leaders, a significant number of field staff have to be hired to support an undertaking this big. To leave the gate too early could create problems down the road, so why not get everything handled on the front end?
6. He wants to other candidates to expose their shortcomings before announcing. The longer he waits, Republican voters will see other candidates' inability to close the deal with voters. The best example of this could be the upcoming Iowa straw poll. Politics is about timing and the timing needs to be right to maximize his entry.
7. He is lazy and doesn't want to work hard.
8. He is indecisive and really unsure he wants to run for president.
9. He can't raise money. His most recent fund-raising report showed him raising around $3 million in the month of June, which isn't the level of fund-raising needed to sustain the type of effort he would need to capture the nomination.
From this perspective, the truth likely is a combination of 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, while 4, 7, 8 and 9 represent some of the wishful thinking inside campaigns of those already announced.
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David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com.
Am I confident that Fred can win at this point? Yes. Am I confident he will win? No. He’s gotten at least 30 million in free press since he’s not-announced, which is good, but he’s gotta get some more face time before the cameras, especially in a head to head situation. I really don’t want to see January as being the first time he’s in a head to head debate with others, if he’s going to flub it, better to do so in September.
Hi slack of announcing has only brought MORE attention to him. He’ll announce, run and win. BTW those numbers are off.
WATCH HIM SAY IT HERE ("NEWS"):
Bump! Go Fred Go!
Exactly what does this have to do with a presidential run?
Other than perpetual candidates, most Presidential candidates used to wait until Labor day. Why should anyone announce before then? What’s the point of announcing earlier?
I think 3 million in 26 days is great. The mistake made by Thompson was that he said he wanted 5 million. He should never have made goals at this time.
10. He’s going to announce at the Texas Straw Poll!
http://www.texasgop.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Straw_Poll_Home
I agree, there are a lot of people waiting for his anouncement before they open their wallets (including me).
I have never volunteered for a campaign. Fred gets in I’m there. Already contacted our county republican committee. unfortunately they are a bunch of RudyBots.
Maybe he thinks everyone else jumping in so early is silly. September and October have historically been the times of the year, before the primary season, when folks announced their candidacies.
Did FRED say he wanted 5 million, or was that just a figure put forth by the media, kinda like his supposed announcement dates?
Oy vey...
Every time Fred says something his fans don’t like, they claim that Fred never said it and blame it on the media.
Denial: Not just a river in Egypt.
I've seen a lot of yammering about both in the press, along with reporters giving their opinions, or reporting on OTHER'S opinions about his campaign, trying to create problems for him, but not a thing from Fred himself.
It could have been the media of course, but why has the figure been denounced? I think that a lot of the money situation could have been taken care of if Fred came on and gave a press conference. Just a thought. I am sure that will not be a reason for people to vote for him or not that is for sure.
Link?
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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Did he come by to see you or call you on the phone to tell you that?
I bet McCain is steaming over this. All that bad legislation McCain pushed for Bush and then Bush picks Fred who is simply McCain without a temper.
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