Posted on 08/15/2007 12:20:09 PM PDT by SmithL
Will the leading non-candidate for the Republican presidential nomination get into the race in time for a debate next month in New Hampshire?
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson is expected to get into the race in early September, about the time of the Sept. 5 debate at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. But Thompson’s unofficial White House campaign says no date has been set for any announcement.
Asked today by a Nashville radio commentator whether Sept. 5 is likely to be the day, Thompson said: “I can’t give you a particular date, but sounds like you’re in the neighborhood.
“I’m taking the time that I’ve got allotted to me to get my team together, to get my act together.”
He travels to Iowa on Friday for his first visit to the leadoff caucus state. Thompson’s first visit to New Hampshire was in June, when he spoke at a party fundraiser in Bedford.
Washington has been buzzing about the timing of a formal announcement for weeks, with traditional media outlets and online entities breathlessly reporting the supposed date.
First it was supposed to be July 4. Then, sometime that holiday week. Then by the end of that month.
Then, Thompson decided to wait until the fall to become a full-fledged candidate. That allowed him to skip several debates, and, instead, spend the time working on strategy and policy. The current run of “Law & Order” shows also will be over by then, meaning Thompson doesn’t run into legal issues over how much TV air time he gets as a candidate.
In recent days, various reports have definitively said Thompson’s announcement is scheduled for Labor Day, Sept. 3. But Thompson officials say anyone reporting a precise date is jumping the gun.
LOL! sorry to remind you, but there is over 14 months until the election.
People are going to be so burned out on elections by then it won’t even be funny. The ridiculously early entries into the running by the already-announced, the constant media hype and analysis, the pushing ahead of primary dates....
Why should Fred run like hell to jump on that bandwagon? Especially when he’s doing very well in the polls without formally announcing? Especially when every single move and comment from his team indicates that an announcement is soon forthcoming.
Seriously, why should he?
How do you know? You counted them?
he keeps jerking people around.
The only people he's "jerking" are those who aren't going to support him anyway. Real supporters of Fred know what's going on.
Like I said, get in or get out.
He's IN, don't you get it?
If you want to run a campaign - be serious. The rest of the field are, Fred. The question - are you?
The rest of the field jumped in way too early too.
JimRob was right. You are a closet Rudybot.
Damn, thought we had covered that up...
Odd that one would use the term “Closet” when one refrences Rudy...
It’s still 2007, I’ll send you a CFR wall calendar to keep up...
He almost escaped the ridiculous youtube debates.
Hopefully by then more 1% candidates will have dropped off.
(hopefully by then it will include McCain)
Folks here seem to project their own political junky personas onto the public at large......and it's just a pipe dream.
We live and breathe the current political caravan while the majority of the public couldn't care less about anything political till after Labor Day.
Who wants to play an opening night with theater seats only a sixteenth filled?
Leni
Oh, really. Wait a couple weeks and we'll talk.
you think? With all due respect, I think Fred Thompson may be a great guy and a good actor, but I don’t think he has a chance of getting the nomination. We shall see ...
“The number of Fredheads is dropping off.... he keeps jerking people around. Like I said, get in or get out. If you want to run a campaign - be serious. The rest of the field are, Fred. The question - are you?”
Uh huh... I’m starting to believe he doesn’t really want the job. He could take it or leave it. Being the president is a rough ride, and if he can’t even face his competitors in a couple debates or even decide if he wants to run, it speaks poorly to his ability to perform the job.
We’ll have to wait and see. I’m curious to see how he compares to the other candidates, and the delays are making him less and less appealing.
Well said. I like Thompson but in the words of the bard: He needs to p*ss or get off the pot.
I think that if he can even partially deliver what has been attributed to him, its all over.
“First it was supposed to be July 4. Then, sometime that holiday week. Then by the end of that month.”
Some FredHead called me a liar when I said he first said he was going to announce on July 4th.
I would love to see him debate the other guys. Can’t wait!! I heard him with Hannity and I was not impressed. Campaigning is hard work and the other guys have been nose to the grindstone all this time while Fred snoozed. You snooze, you . . . .
Fred is still in the process of getting his “act together”? Can you imagine a serious candidate for President of the United States saying such a stupid thing?
That is a lie. Can you prove otherwise?
“I’m taking the time that I’ve got allotted to me to get my team together, to get my act together.”
A candidate who is still getting his act together is at a severe disadvantage to Romney and Giuliani. For example, Giuliani’s team includes eight heavyweights on foreign policy alone: http://www.joinrudy2008.com//news/pr/416/
There are five months or less (if some states continue to leapfrog earlier) until we begin to pick our candidate in primaries. If he wants his name printed on the California primary ballot, he has two months (Oct. 9). If he wants to be allowed into the CA primary as a regular candidate, he has an additional month, but must gather over 80,000 signatures from registered Republicans to do so. After that, he has one more month to register as a write-in only.
Of course, by that time Florida, S. Carolina and New Hampshire may have pushed the primary into December.
All those past years when candidates waited until Sept. to declare also had two more months before voting started. Tick...tick...tick...
Fred came to NH in June or July... one of his only campaign stops was at a gun store my friend works at north of Manchester. Fred strolled in with his TV cameras so he could press the flesh.
Guess he didn’t notice the Ron Paul signs that are screwed to the side of the building, the Ron Paul literature on the counter, the Ron Paul bumper stickers on the cars in the parking lot, or the Ron Paul t-shirts on the customers.
Um, no offense, but he probably did...
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