Fred Thompson: Don’t Count Him Out
December 13, 2007
The talk in Iowa has focused so much on Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney in Iowa but let’s not forget about Fred Thompson. He’s running third in Iowa and is about to spend every waking moment in the state until January 3rd. Is it possible that Thompson could be the comeback kid? Read from Reuters below:
Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson, looking to jump-start his lagging campaign, will focus on Iowa for the next three weeks in the hope a strong showing will create momentum for him in later contests.
Thompson will campaign in Iowa nearly every day, with a brief break for the Christmas holidays, until the state's January 3 kick-off nominating contest, spokesman Jeff Sadosky said on Tuesday. The stretch will begin with a bus tour of the state next week.
"We want to use a strong finish in Iowa to catapult us ahead to the later states," Sadosky said.
The whole article is here. If Thompson places in the top three in Iowa, then it’s on to New Hampshire where he’s got no shot. But South Carolina is different and so is Florida. Thompson’s debate performance Wednesday in Iowa was very impressive. It’s like he has a chip on his shoulder but looks much more comfortable at the same time. Read below from Iowa political expert David Yepsen:
Fred Thompson came out on top in Wednesday’s debate among the Republican presidential candidates in Iowa. Of all the candidates, he did himself the most good.
Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney also scored well. They avoided any last-minute derailments of their front-running candidacies in Iowa and shored up the support they’ve built.
But it was Thompson, the former Tennessee senator, who was specific, good-humored and exuded an executive persona during the low-key, 90-minute session that was sponsored by The Des Moines Register and broadcast by Iowa Public Television.
He had several high points. One of them came when he flatly refused to play the “raise your hand” game in answering a question about global warming. (Watch that exchange here) Another came when he said the biggest problem facing education was the National Education Association. (Bashing teacher unions is always popular with Republican audiences.)
Thompson also gets credit for being a stand-up guy willing to take on entitlement programs that threaten to bankrupt the country if left unchanged. He made it clear that wealthy, older Americans could no longer expect full Medicare benefits if he’s elected. Thompson also teased Romney about his wealth and how the former Massachusetts governor is “getting to be a pretty good actor.”
I think it’s pretty clear by now that Thompson is running his campaign the way he said he would. He’s not worried about the media, pundits or the traditional political game as we know it. He’s going to do things his way and talk about substantive issues. Look, he’s a serious guy and these are serious times. Thompson seems to be hitting his stride pretty well now. The question is, “Is it too late?” Who knows? The Huckabee craze could wear off with the increased scrutiny. Romney’s national numbers haven’t moved much and Giuliani has been trending downward. Something tells me we haven’t heard the last from Thompson.
One last thing about that debate yesterday. Didn't the moderator remind you of the following game show host? Click here to see what I mean.
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