Posted on 09/06/2007 2:55:52 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
I held off on assessing the transcript, I wanted to see how Fred Thompson came across to a viewing audience.
The Upsides: Thompson is a likeable figure. He comes across as a decent man; there's none of the I-don't-trust-this-guy-slickness of John Edwards or the brittleness of Hillary. When he hits a line, like "our people have shed more blood for the liberty and freedom of other peoples in this country than all the other countries put together," it really works; that one spurred some "whoo!"s from the audience, and not every politician can do that. And I think some of Thompson's arguments are going to get some conservatives to say, "Yeah, that's what I've been thinking all along!" like his line regarding Iran that "they've got a fellow who is not put together well upstairs running the country." The question of Ahmedinijad's sanity is one that decent respectable foreign policy thinkers aren't supposed to bring up; we're supposed to act as if his talk of the Twelfth Imam and green auras and United Nations delegates not blinking for hours at a time is perfectly normal behavior. Fred just comes out and says what everyone's thinking.
The Downsides: Has he lost weight? I mean, a lot of weight? I had been skeptical that issues of age and health would be an issue, but he looked a lot lighter than I'm used to seeing. I know he's no spring chicken, but he looked old. I see what the critics have been saying about his monotone voice inflection and energy level. I thought it was a little odd that after he announced he was running, he didn't smile.
Some of the longer answers to questions meandered... quite a bit. I don't know if his answer on Iraq persuaded any war skeptic. He'll need some polish, even though no one was expecting a policy lesson to the Tonight Show audience.
The Double-Edged Sword: Is it just me, or does Thompson come across as a guy who just doesn't give enough of a hoot to pander? There was nothing artificial about him, nothing prepackaged. Not only does he not smell of desperate effort to be liked by the audience, he seems like he's equally happy with winning or with going home to a happy life with Jeri, the kids, and playing an authority figure in whatever upcoming television project Dick Wolf has. This does not seem like a man who will flip-flop depending on political winds; if you don't like him... he really doesn't seem to care.
Initial assessment: Thompson won't flop. But whether he can win is another question, one that will take a lot more than one night to answer.
Christ is weak on crime and supports gov't taxation?
I am guessing that he’s not a very good manager and his organization will fall apart from within.
Even though he may be a terrific guy and have all the attributes conservatives love, he has got to be able to manage an organization and in that area he has not been tested yet.
The presidency is, after all, the Executive Branch of our government.
We shall see.
Give a freak’n break!!!!!
You are kidding, right? Get some plastic surgery? Only the lame, You want artificial? Vote for Rudy or Mitt!!
Gosh, what a stupid comment.
I look at where the candidate will be four years after they win.
Does the person have the ability to stay the course and will this country be a better place after their leadership of four years ?
Will they run again?
Fred is definitely a one termer.
My vote for him will depend greatly on who he picks for his VP
Remember him letting the prostitute go and telling people to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s? I know lots of people who claim to be Christians who wouldn’t make the same decisions He did.
Politics and acting are very pretentious by nature. Reagan undserstood that, and never came off pretentious. Thompson in his appearance last night was NOT pretentious nor did he seem TOO hungry nor TOO willing to please, as say a cross dressing former Mayor of New York always seems to do.
joke
And while they meandered he had this annoying habit of slapping his leg.
I like Fred Thompson but time will tell if he is Presidential material.
Old and tired? Did we see the same show that you saw????? Old and tired?????????? He looked great, in shape and impeccably neat. Old and tired??????
Old and tired? Did we see the same show that you saw????? Old and tired?????????? He looked great, in shape and impeccably neat. Old and tired??????
why does it matter? He’s the best looking man out there.
He has been working out in the gym. Read that the other day. He looked anything but tired to us. He’s fit as a fiddle.
“Some of the longer answers to questions meandered... quite a bit. I don’t know if his answer on Iraq persuaded any war skeptic.”
That’s quite a high bar. Have you tried debating these anti-war idiots? No amount of charisma, evidence, or charm will budge these people.
Fred is definitely a one termer.
That’s what they said about Dubya!!!!
Now watch this video from 1995 and listen to what Fred says. It lasts 34min/37sec. Fred is basically the same man today he ws in 1995.
I have to disagree with at least part of the tone of these comments regarding Thompson’s appearance on Leno.
First of all, that wasn’t just a few “Wahoos” from the audience. It was boisterous and sustained. It didn’t happen just once either. After a number of Thompson’s comments, the audience went wild.
What struck me as particularly encoraging, was that the audience lit up after Fred explained how long we were going to have to stay in Iraq, and particularly after his comment about our citizen expending more blood for other nations than any other nation in history.
No, the responses weren’t merely polite, and they weren’t limited to some left leaning wishy washy pap. Thompson didn’t offer up any of that.
The crowd cheered upon introduction and entry, upon his announcement that he would run, when he explained that we must stay until the Iraqi people can survive without us, when he explained that the two choices were both negative (whether we stayed or left since terrorism would follow us home), after a number of other comments, and when he left the stage.
Thompson laid out an interesting agenda. It wasn’t a leftist dream by any stretch of the imagination, but the audience cheered often.
The thing about Reagan was that he could say things that might be unpopular, but he could say them in a way where you’d find yourself whooping it up afterwards in support. Thompson has that ability. Even though he said what should have been rather unpopular comments about the war, he said it in ways that had the audience cheering in response.
I don’t pretent to say that Thompson will be another Reagon. It still remains to be seen whether I’ll vote for him. But he does have the ability to draw from across party lines, unless the Leno audience was exclusive to rabid Thompson staff members.
Leno tried to corner him on Iraq. Thompson fielded the question very well. And the audience confirmed my opinion.
The left is going to hate this man. He’s probably going to be the type of guy that can get some democrats to cross over and embrase his candidacy. Oh the humanities...
"They", whoever that is, thought that about Bush because they thought he was a mental midget.
Fred on the other hand will be a one termer because of age, though Reagan proved you can have the fire in the belly at their age.
Fred has yet to prove the same fire as Reagan
That said, it is fair to state that the press has thus far not been favorable for Fred. I think it will be shown that they do not like him. As to his executive skills, that would be a reservation but for the fact that none of the Democrats have such skills. The closest would be the First Grifter's involvement with the Sink Emperor's administration...
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