The Reviews Keep Coming In: Unimpressed by Fred Thompson's Campaign Roll-out, Conservatives Are...

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[Sub-Driver]

The Reviews Keep Coming In: Unimpressed by Fred Thompson's Campaign Roll-out, Conservatives Are "Still Looking"

It's been only one week since lobbyist turned Senator turned actor Fred Thompson announced his candidacy for president, but it's been plenty of time for conservative commentators to see what they need to and call him unimpressive. Today two prominent conservative columnists criticized Thompson and said Republicans were unenthusiastic about his presidential prospects and would keep on looking for a candidate to rally behind.

According to the columnists, conservatives' worst fears have been realized. Fred Thompson is just not the candidate they've been waiting for. George Will called Thompson's campaign a "belly-flop" and wondered if voters would ask "Is this product necessary?" Will criticized Thompson for being "unfamiliar with the details of his own positions" and botching his record during interviews. [Indianapolis Star, 9/13/07] Robert Novak goes further, writing that Thompson is not the "white knight whom worried Republican loyalists desperately desire" and that the "Republican electorate is still looking for the forceful, dynamic conservative many have thought Thompson might be." [Washington Post, 9/13/07] In addition, Thompson has failed to win the support of prominent fundraisers in Florida because of the "former Tennessee senator's unimpressive early organization and late entry into the presidential race." [New York Sun, 9/13/07]

This bad news for Thompson comes just days after news of his poor performance his first day of campaigning in Iowa was dubbed boring, unimpressive, rambling, and low-energy, as well as stories saying that a Thompson aide chided the role of Iowa's "first in the nation" status and that Thompson accepted donations from a family charged with ripping off state and local government Medicaid funds.

"After just one week of campaigning, the reviews are starting to come in on Fred Thompson's presidential prospects, and they're not good," said Democratic National Committee press secretary Stacie Paxton. "If Fred can't convince conservative commentators he's worthy of their support, how can he ever convince conservative voters? After years of failed leadership, Americans are looking for a president with a vision for our country, but Thompson has shown he's just another pandering, flip-flopping Republican candidate who doesn't have what it takes."

Thompson's First Act Disappoints Conservatives

After Thompson's Campaign, Conservatives Still Looking for Candidate. Conservative columnist Robert Novak thinks Thompson's campaign leaves much to be desired. "â€|[I]it had been conceded in party circles that when Thompson finally became a candidate, his beginning needed to be memorable. It was not. While Thompson offered obligatory conservative slogans in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, he was not the white knight whom worried Republican loyalists desperately desireâ€| The Republican electorate is still looking for the forceful, dynamic conservative many have thought Thompson might be." [Washington Post, 9/13/07]

Thompson's Campaign a "Belly-Flop." Conservative columnist George Will calls Thompson's rollout a "belly-flop." "Fred Thompson's plunge into the presidential pool -- more belly-flop than swan dive -- was the strangest product launch since that of New Coke in 1985. Then the question was: Is this product necessary? A similar question stumped Thompson the day he plungedâ€|New Coke was announced on April 23, 1985, with the company's president piling on adjectives usually reserved for Lafite Rothschild -- "smoother, rounder yet bolder." Almost 80 days later, the public having sampled it, the company pulled the product from stores. Perhaps Thompson's candidacy will last longer than New Coke did." [Indianapolis Star, 9/13/07]

Thompson Not Winning Over Prominent Supporters: Thompson has lost support from prominent Florida fundraisers, including a Bush Ranger, because of the "former Tennessee senator's unimpressive early organization and late entry into the presidential raceâ€|Explaining his and his colleagues' choice, Mr. Rood cited Mr. Thompson's late entry into the race as a key factor. 'Many in the group were eager to make a decision,' Mr. Rood said.

'Thompson not being a candidate means that, you know, we really looked at the top three, which included Senator McCain and Governor Romney and Mayor Giuliani, as announced candidates that we were going to pick between.'" [New York Sun, 9/13/07]

[Marie]

Each and every family has at least one idiot (politically speaking). To me voting for Hitlery is like voting for satin.

I agree... on both counts.

[W04Man]

RIGHT "UNIMPRESSED" THRONGS LINE THE STREETS IN FLORIDA!!

"I'm just saying...."

FRED VETS, SIGN UP TODAY AT:

[mo]

“.....he grew up as working class as it gets today”

The man will govern as conservative as can be done in DC today. Liberalism is founded and taught in the Ivy League and is a political and social paradigm to keep people “in their place”. The American governing elite all default to liberalism to attempt to maintain control over society. Those of us born into this world with nothing but our minds and backs understand the true value of the American Constitution which enable such a person to make something of himself in this world. I’m not too worried.

[Erik Latranyi]

So a liberal chooses two questionably conservative columnists who have already aligned with other candidates as an example of why Fred Thompson is failing.

This post isn’t worth the ions used to transmit it.

[Retired COB]

Thompson Not Winning Over Prominent Supporters:

I'd rank them as follows:

First place - Duncan Hunter. He's head and shoulders above the competition with his conservative credentials.

Tied for second place - Mike Huckabee/Tom Tancredo.

Thompson is a solid fourth place (in other words, I'll vote for him only if we can't get one of the first three.

I've got Romney at fifth place, and I'd have to do some soul searching, but I could pull the lever for him.

Gulioni, McCain and Paul are unworthy - I'd definately vote third party before I'd vote for one of these pretenders.

George Will and Robert Novak are part of the "Inside the Beltway" RINO Club. They are out of touch with us out here in "Flyover Country". I wouldn't vote for them either!

[Dr. Sivana]

"New Coke" was a scheme to distract from their switching from sugar to high fructose corn syrup.... that's according to who ever the heck wrote this anyway.

That theory is ridiculous. Coke had been using regular corn syrup for some time. They would have played with the Fanta and Sprite formulations first. And, they would have used the "HFCS &/or sugar" labeling on the can/bottle to phase i corn syrup completely. The following quotation from the same article amused me:

Also, many of those who claimed the reintroduced Coke Classic tasted different had not been able to sample the old drink for a couple of months, and naturally their memories may have played a part in idealizing the taste.

I drank a lot of "old" Coke in my youth. Coca-Cola tastes different based on a whole bunch of things. The returnable 16 oz bottles (classic shape) tasted different than the bulb ous glass 16oz bottles. The 64 oz and 2-liter bottles were defintely sweeter than the 16 oz bottles. The cans tasted diferent than the hard to find returnable 6 1/2 oz bottles. The gas stations would sell cases of the returnable 28 oz bottles, which were fizziest of all. (There were also various 32/48 oz. Monsanto green plastic, 32 oz. glass, a short lived 8 oz can, and other sizes.) Some of which tasted different, some not. (The 8 oz and 12 oz cans tasted the same). The difference in taste between an "old" Coke 12 oz can and a "Coke Classic" 12 oz can was less than the difference between the old 12 oz. can and the old 28 oz. bottle.

Coke also can taste different from different bottling plants.

I occasionally seek out Mexican Coca-Cola, which tastes better than the American counterpart.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

I was just trying to remember how many years it has been since Conservatives paid attention to anything Will and Novak had to say.

I always remind people where their pay checks come from - - the leftist New York media liars...

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

he has no executive experience, which wipes out a major advantage that a GOP governor or mayor...

Stop the tape. When did a mayor win the presidency?

Answer: never.

When did a senator win the presidency? More than never...

[McGruff]

Unimpressed by Fred Thompson's Campaign Roll-out,
Conservatives Are "Still Looking"

Meanwhile on the other side of town,
Fred Thompson widens lead to nine points
in latest Rasmussen Tracking Poll 9/13/07

This is just too much of a target rich environment. Fred should tie one hand behind his back.

[LucyJo]

http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2007/09/13/video-fred-thompson-blasts-moveonorg/

[eureka!]

Re#77 Yep. But they do get a lot of invites to the Washington, DC cocktail parties held by the elites...

[DelaWhere]

George Will called Thompson's campaign a "belly-flop"

Well, whenever I wanted to make a big splash, belly-flops worked every time!