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Thompson fails to win his case on campaign trail
Hollywood Reporter ^

Posted on 01/08/2008 1:41:44 PM PST by barryg

It takes a "Law & Order"-style investigation to find Fred Thompson on the campaign trail.

The lawyer/actor-turned-presidential candidate has been raising eyebrows for months with his unconventional approach to Campaign 2008. He participated in Saturday's ABC News debate and Sunday's Fox News candidates forum, but unlike every other candidate stumping for votes in the precious few days between Thursday's Iowa caucuses and today's New Hampshire primary, Thompson has been remarkable for his low profile.

"He's done a terrible job of acting in this campaign," said Diane Owen, an associate professor of political science at Georgetown University.

There are no big Thompson rallies such as the ones Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama held in the Granite State during the weekend. There's no "Straight Talk Express" like John McCain, who has been leading the polls here. And Hollywood hasn't come to New Hampshire to campaign with Thompson, like Chuck Norris has with Mike Huckabee or Wilford Brimley for McCain or Viggo Mortensen for Dennis Kucinich.

There wasn't one public event listed in the Manchester Union Leader, the state's mega-politics paper, for Thompson during the weekend. And around media circles, his camp has put out word that he's not going to be campaigning much.

Thompson had certified conservative credibility in a race that has shown a growing split in the GOP between religious and traditional conservatives. But ever since last year, when he appeared on "Fox News Sunday" to talk about a possible run for the presidency and later filed an exploratory committee, Thompson has been more anti-candidate than candidate.

It's that kind of attitude -- out of the norm for presidential candidates -- that has made many veteran political watchers and journalists scratch their heads and wonder what he's doing.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fredthompson; gnats; ib4tz; troll; zot
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To: barryg
Fred has to come in first or second in South Carolina.

You are probably right. He needs to do well there because the vultures have been picking his bones since he entered the race, declaring him dead and doing their best to make him go away.

Just out of curiosity, where does Duncan need to come in in SC in order to stay viable?

61 posted on 01/08/2008 3:38:30 PM PST by Route66 (America's Main Street - - - Fred D. Thompson / Consistent Conservative...The One with Gravitas)
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To: skipper18
So, big question: Is Fred not in remission? Does he still have cancer? Is he balancing chemo and this campaign?

Fred's illness is not active; it doesn't require chemo.

62 posted on 01/08/2008 3:40:22 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: barryg

Fred has never expected anyone to hand him anything. He’s working, but he’s not interested in playing the ‘boxers or briefs’ game of the media. He’s more interested in getting out with the voters. He did that in Iowa, and he’s done that some in NH. Now he’s on the road in SC, and as one poster noted, has a very heavy schedule.


63 posted on 01/08/2008 3:43:11 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: fred4prez
You’d think with all the contacts Fred and his wife have, that they’d be able to keep him in the headlines, but they haven’t.

LOL!! The President can't even get headlines from the MSM, how do you expect Fred to do so, if the MSM isn't interested in getting his name out there, except in a negative way?

64 posted on 01/08/2008 3:48:08 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: tsowellfan
And this comes from a Fred Thompson supporter about to jump ship after the New Hampshire results.

Don't know why you want to accept defeat so quickly. NH is only the third primary, and all were very small. Why not wait to see what he does in SC?

65 posted on 01/08/2008 3:52:09 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: NavVet
Maybe if they find him at one of his campaign stops today, they can ask him if he’s seen Hunter, who at last report was hanging out with Elvis in an undisclosed location.

Well at least Hunter is awake, and doesn't have to do commercial endorsements:
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66 posted on 01/08/2008 4:05:43 PM PST by mkjessup (Hunter-Bolton '08 !! Patriots who will settle for nothing less than *Victory* in the War on Terror!)
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To: ravingnutter
The real joke is that you support a candidate that can’t manage to excite even 1% of the electorate

Oh I don't know about that, just the mention of Duncan Hunter's name seems to drive you into a frenzy.
67 posted on 01/08/2008 4:06:44 PM PST by mkjessup (Hunter-Bolton '08 !! Patriots who will settle for nothing less than *Victory* in the War on Terror!)
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To: GregB
Who's Hunter????

Ask Tony Snow, he's known Hunter for years. He'll educate your smart arse.
68 posted on 01/08/2008 4:09:46 PM PST by mkjessup (Hunter-Bolton '08 !! Patriots who will settle for nothing less than *Victory* in the War on Terror!)
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To: Robbin

You need to try the decaf.


69 posted on 01/08/2008 4:10:36 PM PST by mkjessup (Hunter-Bolton '08 !! Patriots who will settle for nothing less than *Victory* in the War on Terror!)
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To: SuziQ

I will wait and see what he does in SC.


70 posted on 01/08/2008 4:39:16 PM PST by tsowellfan (http://www.cafenetamerica.com)
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To: mkjessup

How do you know Hunter’s awake if nobody’s seen him?


71 posted on 01/08/2008 4:40:30 PM PST by NavVet (If you don't defend conservatism in the Primary, you won't have it to defend in the Election)
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To: NavVet

I’m just one more ‘nobody’ and I’VE seen him, so I guess that makes you a nobody that HASN’T seen him.

Enjoy the evening pal, Hunter may indeed be at the back of the pack in New Hampshire, but rest assured that Fred is keeping him company, asleep OR awake. lol


72 posted on 01/08/2008 4:44:14 PM PST by mkjessup (Hunter-Bolton '08 !! Patriots who will settle for nothing less than *Victory* in the War on Terror!)
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To: barryg

Umm, Rudy has skipped IA, NH, WY, MI, and SC and is concentrating on FL. So why is no one saying anything about that, hmmmm?

Bad psyops is truly and ugly thing.


73 posted on 01/08/2008 5:06:42 PM PST by Free Vulcan (No prisoners. No mercy.)
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To: mkjessup

Ah, yes. A Fred bash from someone who supports a candidates whose only way to get national tv exposure is to crash the set of a morning talk show.


74 posted on 01/08/2008 5:08:30 PM PST by rintense (Thompson / Hunter 2008!)
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To: rintense

Remember that when your boy Fred comes in with results not much better than Hunter.

I heard that Fred also crashed the set of some TV show, he crashed through the dry wall after falling asleep waiting for the cue to walk on stage...LOL

C’mon, we’ll tell jokes about each other’s candidates for the rest of the night.

“I got a million of ‘em”
- Jimmy Durante


75 posted on 01/08/2008 5:11:48 PM PST by mkjessup (Hunter-Bolton '08 !! Patriots who will settle for nothing less than *Victory* in the War on Terror!)
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To: mkjessup

If I hadn’t just (stupidly) engaged a flaming liberal on the evils of GWB, corporations and Christians, I might. I’ve earned a pass. :)


76 posted on 01/08/2008 5:54:13 PM PST by rintense (Thompson / Hunter 2008!)
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To: mkjessup

If you do see him ask him if he could help out with the Fred phone bank this Wednesday.


77 posted on 01/08/2008 5:54:36 PM PST by NavVet (If you don't defend conservatism in the Primary, you won't have it to defend in the Election)
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To: Soliton

“Why do people attack new members as newbies?”

Go Kumbaya somewhere else. FR doesn’t need more self-appointed Ms. Manners.


78 posted on 01/08/2008 6:09:41 PM PST by toddlintown (Five bullets and Lennon goes down. Yet not one hit Yoko. Discuss..)
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To: SuziQ

LOL!! The President can’t even get headlines from the MSM, how do you expect Fred to do so, if the MSM isn’t interested in getting his name out there, except in a negative way?


I think we overestimate the media - they’re kinda like a referee...yeah, we hate them for bad calls, but it’s the teams fault for letting it come down to a ref’s decision.


79 posted on 01/08/2008 6:12:55 PM PST by fred4prez
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To: fred4prez

Good point. I sense a lot of frustration in the posts in this thread. Such high hopes, and now FR only has 1 per cent, compared to 8 percent for Ron Paul?

MCCAIN 37; ROMNEY 30; HUCKABEE 12; GIULIANI 9; PAUL 8; THOMPSON 1


80 posted on 01/08/2008 6:44:04 PM PST by barryg
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