Thompson Courts Southerners in S.C. Stop

Fred Thompson - actor, ex-senator, former lobbyist and Republican presidential aspirant - appealed to fellow Southerners with his conservative pitch Wednesday and belittled foolishness in Washington.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -

Fred Thompson - actor, ex-senator, former lobbyist and Republican presidential aspirant - appealed to fellow Southerners with his conservative pitch Wednesday and belittled foolishness in Washington.

An all-but-declared candidate, Thompson is expected to enter the race officially in the coming weeks, a move certain to roil the 10-man field headed by Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney. The race for the Republican nomination is fluid; conservatives who make up the GOP core aren’t sold on the current crop, which Thompson backers claim gives him an opening.

Making his first visit to an early primary state, Thompson gave a 30-minute speech in which he touched on conservative principles to the delight of his audience of some 400, who clapped and cheered his made-for-applause lines.

The lawyer who has worked as a Washington lobbyist and lives just outside the capital chided Washington for its partisanship, especially concerning terrorism, and emphasized the need for U.S. leaders to work across the aisle.

“We pick up the newspaper and see what’s going on in Washington and the foolishness there - all things partisan, all the energy directed inwardly instead of trying to work together to do something good for this country, even with regard to something this important,” he said.

In brief remarks to reporters, Thompson acknowledged his long tenure in Washington and defended his criticism of the ways of the federal government.

“You don’t have to be from Alaska or Hawaii to see faults with your government,” he said. “I’ve been talking about things wrong with Washington when I was a part of it, before I was a part of it and since I’ve been a part of it.”

A co-sponsor of campaign finance reform bill when he was in the Senate, Thompson said he supported the recent Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down parts of the measure. He also backed South Carolina’s decision to remove the Confederate flag from atop its statehouse.

And he defended his opposition to abortion rights, saying the National Right to Life endorsed him in his 1994 Senate race and that “I was ranked 100 percent on abortion-related issues.” However, the group gave him a less-than-perfect score in subsequent years.

In his speech, Thompson assailed “unbearable tax burdens,” called for restrained spending, and argued for a smaller federal government. He expressed his opposition to the immigration bill in Congress and decried the flow of illegal immigrants from Cuba, saying: “I don’t imagine they’re coming here to bring greetings from Castro. We’re living in the era of the suitcase bomb.”

He said that as long as U.S. troops in Iraq have hope and optimism so would he and, “I’m not going to cut it off short.”

National polls put Thompson in the top-tier of GOP contenders. Even a few surveys in early voting states show Thompson in front, including in South Carolina. He visited the state between a fundraiser in Nashville on Tuesday and an his inaugural visit to the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire on Thursday.

“He adds a new flair to the field,” said Katon Dawson, South Carolina’s Republican Party chairman.

Indeed, Thompson’s celebrity status gives him an enormous advantage. His unmistakable voice reaches millions through his radio show, and he has appeared in a slew of films but is perhaps best known for his role as Arthur Branch on the NBC hit “Law & Order.”

But Thompson also faces significant hurdles, not the least of which is the ultra-high expectation - set by those leading an effort to draft him into the race and other supporters - that he’s the second coming of Ronald Reagan. In no small part because of the work of rival campaigns, questions already have arisen about whether he really is as conservative as backers argue. And, he’s found himself answering questions about his lobbying work.

In a statement broadcast on BlogTalkRadio, Thompson defended his lobbying efforts: “The Democrats, it looks, chose someone not even in the race to attack. I don’t know when I’ve been so complimented.”

He also lacks campaign organizations in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and he trails Romney, Giuliani and McCain in fundraising.

In his South Carolina visit, Thompson held a private question-and-answer session with GOP activists and supporters, spoke publicly to Republicans at a state party fundraiser, and took a few questions from reporters before meeting with Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, who is unaligned in the race.

“I just came from Nashville and I don’t really feel like I’ve left home,” the Tennessean said one day after raising money in the state he represented in the Senate for eight years.

He won over a few.

“Everything comes from his heart. He’s sincere,” gushed Pollyanna Chafin of Columbia. “I think he wants to do it for the people.”

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