Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
WARNING: If you want to join, be aware that this ping list is EXTREMELY active.
Perhaps, but I don't think so. The real political season will begin after Labor Day. I, for one, am not paying too much attention until then, i.e., until we get closer to the primaries. I think FDT still has time, and will get plenty of money--IF he connects well with the conservative base after he announces.
The sky is falling... the sky is falling. Oh, No....
"Federal campaign law requires broadcasters to give all candidates equal time on the airwaves. That rule applies to entertainment programs like "Law & Order," meaning stations which run the show would be required to give other GOP candidates a like amount of prime time television exposure.
With as many as a dozen or more Republican candidates competing for the nomination, that would be prohibitively expensive.
"As a practical matter, [the television stations] would in all likelihood have to pull all of the Fred Thompson shows for the duration of his candidacy," said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project."
More:
Thompson has already announced that he will not be returning to Law and Order in September, and it would seem likely that many TV stations will not be running movies in which he has appeared once his candidacy becomes official and he is legally qualified.
Therefore, I would say September is the answer everyone is looking for.
Bookmarking for November 2008 retrospective when Fred wins.
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
WARNING: If you want to join, be aware that this ping list is EXTREMELY active.
I guess the writer knows based on the number of times he has run for the office.
God what a moron!
I think we should all ignore any campaigning, polls, debates until 3 months before the election.
It’s to the point of stupidity that we start two years before an election.
Whatever. Fred will be POTUS in 2009.
There is no doubt in my mind that Thompson missed the crest.
He’s still, though, one of the most viable candidates, imho, to conservatives.
I don’t know why he waited so long.
Reid Wilson takes on blind faith the heads of both the RNC and DNC can ‘dictate’ how an election cycle is going to run.
The facts say otherwise. The average voter isn’t paying any attention to this way too early nonsense, much to the chagrin of both parties HQ dear leaders.
All thats being accomplished by this ridiculous ‘perpetual campaign’ nonsense is those running are going to set records for money spent on ‘the campaign’.
Thats it. Nothing has happened as a result of this year early starting gun thats made the race any clearer.
The time to evaluate who’s strategy was the best will be next year in 2008.
Not in August of 2007.
LOL! I guess that just remains to be seen, doesn’t it? Considering how well he’s doing in polls against the already declared candidates, I’d say that Republicans haven’t settled on anyone yet. The field is still wide open.
Now...
Proving once again that there is a tide in the affairs of men and nations, and when taken at the flood...(surfers know it well)....
I see nothing in Reid’s bio that suggests he knows better than Fred Thompson.
Thank you Freepers for shooting this to pieces.
Also from RealClearPolitics:
Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/08/haste_makes_waste_fred.html
August 16, 2007
Haste Makes Waste, Fred
By Blake D. Dvorak
Fred Thompson has not missed his moment. The frustration that we’re supposed to be feeling about his delayed entry into the race is being driven by an impatient media and a base aware that most of the primary events up till now mean little. Thompson’s entry, whatever his chances, will be a big event that will overshadow all the summer’s trivial twists and turns.
Part of Thompson’s plan here has to do with the expectations game. Two months ago, Thompson wasn’t just another candidate. He was the conservative savior, the Southern-Fried Ronald Reagan. It was an envious position for any politician but also dangerous. While Rudy Giuliani would be out there surprising Republican voters and earning their respect, Thompson would be disappointing voters whose expectations of him had been ridiculously high. Under those circumstances, Fred-Dot-Com would have burst rather quickly.
Since then, Thompson has made a few blunders and taken his share of hits. But by waiting and letting the excitement dissipate, Thompson has rid himself of some of the silliness that had raised his expectation level to unrealistic heights.
Another part has to do with plain economics. Take Ames, for example. Mitt Romney spent a couple million dollars to win a straw poll against a pack of notable, but clearly second-tier candidates. A victory, but a hollow victory in many ways since Romney’s three main rivals didn’t participate.
Had Thompson announced in June might he have had enough time and resources to beat Romney at Ames? It’s possible, but Romney wasn’t about to be muscled out of Iowa. He needed an Ames victory more than Thompson, whereas a second-place finish for Thompson would have deflated the infant candidacy quickly, not to mention sap precious resources. So the best move for Thompson was not to participate at all, especially since Giuliani and John McCain weren’t going either.
We also should remember that it’s still very early. The new Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday puts the race in some context: Sixteen percent of those Republicans surveyed have no clue about whom they support. In June, that number was 17%; in May, 16%; in February, 15%. What this consistency should tell us is that a sizable portion of the GOP electorate has not been focused on the race.
To reinforce that point, look at Romney, coming off the all-important Ames victory. According to Quinnipiac, 47% of Republicans don’t know enough about him to have an opinion, which is down just slightly from 54% in June. Even Giuliani isn’t any more known to Republicans now than he was in June - those who don’t know him hovers around 12%.
What that means is that the half-dozen or so debates we’ve had since the spring has done very little to boost any of the announced candidates. One can make the case that Giuliani, who had serious baggage going in, had to get out there early and show the base who he is. But why would Thompson, already fairly well known, subject himself to Chris Matthews’ inane lecturing months before it really matters?
Official or otherwise, Thompson has been running for president since the spring. But his patience in holding off any official announcement has allowed him to organize his campaign and develop a theme beyond his original - and slightly arrogant - proclamation about the “times meeting the man.” Come Labor Day, however, Thompson - and the voters - will be ready.
Blake D. Dvorak is an assistant editor at RealClearPolitics.
yeah, i’m tired of waiting.
all
of the
2008
candidates
looked
flawed
to
me.
Yeah, being in the top 2 in the polls without trying is a sure sign that he has no chance whatsoever.
Has Fred missed his opportunity? Did he wait too long? Just wondering ...