Posted on 08/21/2007 5:10:38 PM PDT by xcamel
More than a dozen years after it was credited with helping turn around his first bid for public office, Fred Thompson's old pickup truck sits parked behind his mother's house in this Nashville suburb.
The red paint is faded and the tailgate hangs open, but supporters would like nothing more than to see the actor-politician leap back into the bed to make stump speeches in his bid for the White House.
The Republican has not yet announced his candidacy _ that's expected next month _ and there's been no word from Thompson's campaign about whether there will be any role for a red pickup truck. A spokeswoman for Thompson did not respond to messages seeking comment about the truck.
Early in the 1994 race, after struggling to connect with voters, Thompson decided to lease a used truck and drive around the state in what turned out to be a wildly successful effort to recast himself as a folksy man of the people.
His opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, derided the truck as a cynical prop to deflect attention from Thompson's inside-the-Beltway status. But Thompson was able to shake off Cooper's suggestion that he was actually a "Gucci-wearing, Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon-spreading millionaireWashington special interest lobbyist."
Thompson ended up capturing more than 60 percent of the vote.
Bill Lacy, hired this month to run Thompson's campaign, has a bit of personal history with the truck _ he opposed the proposal to make the pickup a focal point when he was an adviser on the 1994 campaign.
"Fred had the good sense to ignore my advice," Lacy said in an opinion piece in The Knoxville News Sentinel in June.
But Thompson so far has not appeared overly eager to climb back into the cab. At his first public event in Nashville after forming a "testing the waters" committee in June, Thompson shook off an attempt by supporters tohave him address the crowd from the back of a brand new red pickup truck they had brought to the event.
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On the Net:
Fred Thompson: http://www.imwithfred.com
I heard that Fred had to complete his contract on Law & Order or the series would be pulled if he announced. This would screw with the paychecks of not only the other actors, but the crew as well. I expect once the series is out of production and Fred is free to speak his mind, we’re going to see a REAL candidate that will have Obama wishing he were back in Illinois and Hillary looking for cover. Oh, and Bill will be found at the nearest trailer park looking for lovin’ I must confess, I’m frustrated too by the wait....but once he announces, everyone better run for I don’t think Thompson is going to be bullied by the MSM or the other announced want-a-be’s. Fred is going to kick some butt.
For one thing, because he’s doing extremely well without even announcing. And saving money while he’s at it.
Secondly there are few people even paying attention at this point, especially August, except political junkies. Why announce when everybody is on vacation?
Third, laying out a campaign is a huge task. It doesn’t happen overnight and it’s important to get the structure firmly in place instead of jumping the gun.
Once Fred announces will you be satisfied then?
I still say, be patient. If FredT doesn't run, then you can go bonkers.
He’s said a number of different things, one of which was August is a dead month. Everyone is on vacation. He said he favors September more than August. He wants to hit the ground running, well prepared, staff up to speed. He just hired people this summer. They need to get ready to go as well.
I’ve been impressed with the kinds of places he is speaking, being asked to speak or his campaign is arranging things. Whatever, he’s doing excellent in that regard, and missing some of the puny stuff. He’s travelling a lot, meeting with people, doing things to position himself. His poll numbers are great for someone who hasn’t declared yet. Senator Inhofe today was a good thing too. It isn’t hard to wait when so much is happening with him.
There were two bulls standing on a hill looking over some cows. The young bull looked at he older one and said ‘lets run down there and screw one of them cows’. The older bull slowly turns to the young bull and says ‘lets walk down there and screw them all’
Walk Fred Walk!
My husband tells that joke too. LOL!
I’m touchy about Reagan as well. Don’t like it when someone tries to rewrite history and “explain” Reagan’s life to the choir.
Fred said just the right thing when he said there will never be another Reagan. I appreciated that comment.
There's very little to gain from declaring now. He's got the name recognition. He's getting himself established on the issues without exposing himself to the crap shoot of the debates. The FEC and CFR have no say over him until he declares.
After 7 years of a politically tone deaf administration it's refreshing to see someone that can actually play this game.
I didn’t ask him to “run pell-mell with the rest of the pack”. If he had announced earlier this month, last month, the month before, etc. he still would not have been running with the pack.
I’m sure he’s got lots of really really good reasons for being cute with this business, and I’d like to know those reasons. From HIM.
Is he putting out the reasons for his not announcing and I just missed it? (that wasn’t sarcasm, btw). If he’s already saying this stuff that people here have been telling me, then I missed it and I take back what I said earlier.
Once its official, FredT will do just fine.
I was afraid someone would say that. I don’t drink. Good reason to celebrate however. It isn’t a bad characterization.
Take a month off, when you get back FredT will be in.
There is no reason to not wait till “October” My birthday is 22Nov1941!!!!!!....SandBager?????.............
You’ve told us twice that Thompson is a “Sand-Bager”—whatever that is. No one is interested in your trash-talk or wants to argue with you. Can you take a hint?
LOL. I think if you took a poll in here, the answer would be that I’ve already gone bonkers. And that may very well be true.
I see Fred supporters who counsel patience or saying that he’s being savvy by waiting, etc. That’s all well and good. I’m not going to knock anyone for thinking that way. It’s just not what I see. I see someone playing peekaboo with his candidacy for running for POTUS. Some say that he isn’t playing games, just being smart. Well, I see it as he just found a different way to play the game.
Guess I’m just tired of feeling like I’m being maneuvered by these politicians looking for an angle to get my vote. I thought Fred would be different, but that’s not how I see him now. He just seems to have found a different angle than everyone else (except maybe Newt and Bloomberg).
Irrational, maybe. I believe it’s just because I had such high hopes for him and now I’m disillusioned and ready to take whoever the nominee happens to be.
I’m wondering about me too.
He should do well if the red truck works will run for a few blocks, enough folks are taken in by it, and his Mercedes is parked around the corner.
He has said around Labor Day, what is the rush. It is a done deal, he is running. He is raising money. He is hiring campaign workers. He is making speeches.
You’re acting like a spurned lover.
This is hardball politics. Its not for the faint of heart, weak kneed or the thin skinned. In 1976 I wanted Reagan to run on a third party ticket. The two top choices were no choices at all. Didn’t happen. Flash to 1980, Reagan wins in a landslide and the rest is history.
This is the dog days of August. Relax and stop overreacting.
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