Posted on 10/07/2007 10:12:27 PM PDT by Doofer
In an unusual political season that seems to offer up a presidential debate every week or so, the Republican debate tomorrow is expected to offer something new: Fred D. Thompson.
Untested in debate against his opponents until now, Mr. Thompson, a late entrant to the race, chose to skip the last contest in favor of announcing his candidacy on The Tonight Show early last month a decision for which he was roundly criticized. Many have been wondering how Mr. Thompson, a former senator from Tennessee, will do.
By his own admission he is a bit rusty when it comes to debating, and he has said he hopes he will be able to hang in there with the other candidates, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, the sharp-tongued former New York mayor, and Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, who is known for his polished delivery. A look at some of Mr. Thompsons debates years ago offers a mixed picture, with the candidate mostly projecting calm and confidence against Representative Jim Cooper, his Democratic opponent for the Senate seat in 1994.
Mr. Thompsons delivery back then was usually smooth and expressionless, not a monotone but not displaying much charisma, either. He sounded articulate, speaking in full, well-rounded sentences, but stopped short of eloquence.
Even when he was on the attack, or firing back at a rough question, he rarely lost his cool. Speaking of Mr. Cooper, he deadpanned, Theres nothing more desperate than a career politician facing the prospect of having to get a real job for the first time in his life.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Thats flying off the handle? You must live a very sheltered life.
Wow! Thanks! That video made me want to grab about 10 friends and have them go out and vote for Fred. I like him EVEN MORE now.
I agree.
A voice of sanity and common sense. Thank you!
“I agree.”
I found myself hoping that things would change when GW Bush became President. I remember him pushing for a new era in politics, where we got along. That’s just a fantasy. I am not for being mean, but you simply cannot let the left roll over you.
Thompson simply returned the favor. For decades, the left has been allowed to talk over the right in debate and on talk shows. We have to stand up to them and not let them take over.
We need someone who has the guts to challenge them openly in order to win.
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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Nice to see the Slimes offering its usual unbiased opinion about Thompson. They’re scared to death of him.
I think team Fred has done a masterful job of lowering expectations.
Now’s the time to exceed those.
It's all a meaningless dog-and-pony show.
I agree. The purpose of these debates should be to articulate your position and sharpen issues between the candidates. The media likes to "award" the debate to the one who is glib and plays the sound-bite game better. Their beliefs are far more important to me than their performance for the cameras.
LOL
“The guy used to be a lawyer. Of course he can debate.”
A fact conveniently forgotten by all of the MSM. They seem to gloss over that he was once a Senator as well.
This is not true for me personally. Duncan Hunter is a good man and I will gladly vote for him in the general if he's the candidate. But Thompson's record is significantly better on spending, reining in the power of federal government, and returning rightful Constitutional power to the states. Every candidate is a compromise, but I support Thompson because he's closest to what I believe on the issues.
Swing batter batter swing!
And a miss!
Isn’t that an out?
I think it was strike 3,274.
Thank you for posting that video again! It’s one of my all time favorite clips of Fred. I love when he calls Cooper a liar!! LOL
I’m gonna start pinging you to all the Fred threads if you’ll promise to post it every time.
We are forgiving even to those who bat -.1000
I can hear the questions now: “Senator, what is your opinion of the proposed selective logging operations in the Wazoo National Forest that are threatening the endangered greenback tri-toed lizard”?
“Senator, Yosemite Valley is showing signs of increasing earthquake activity indicating a change from it’s previously stable condition. Some scientists say we are over due for caldera eruption that could blanket the western half of the country in up to 3 feet of ash which would paralyze the economy. As President, how would you handle the evacuation and recovery efforts”?
No matter what his answers the headlines would read:
THOMPSON UNCONCERNED ABOUT ENDANGERED SPECIES
And,
THOMPSON ILL PREPARED TO DEAL WITH NATURAL DISASTERS.
Glad I could make someone laugh.
Saw your comments on Canadian healthcare. I lived there for five years in the ‘70’s and have some good friends who remain friends. Their stories about their personal problems with the system are horrific...compared with those of my wife and me here in the States.
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