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First it was the week of the 4th of July. Then it was mid-July. Now, CNN is reporting Fred Thompson is eying an August announcement that he is running for President, which will allow him to skip the August 5 debate as well as the August 11 Ames Straw Poll.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Gotta wonder… does Fred ever want to do any actual campaigning???
Skipping Ames gives Romney an even clearer shot at winning Iowa now…
July 11th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
This was also reported last night. There’s been no official word, so I have been slow to post it.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Yeah, I waited to see if you were going to post it, Tommy — first heard it yesterday from FOXNews, then again this morning on another blog, and finally now on CNN so I thought I’d throw it up there. Sorry if I stole your thunder.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
The more calculating Fred looks the worse it looks.
At this point it looks like he is ducking. Not very encouraging for someone who it supposed to lead
July 11th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
No problem. I just haven’t heard anything official about it. The word is that he is waiting on McCain’s move, and has to see about final staffing, while he has been holed up with advisers again developing specifics for the campaign. He did however, confirm yesterday that he will be a candidate on Hannity.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
There is a tide in the affairs of men which if taken at the crest leads on to victory.
And then there’s flopping around like a beached whale waiting for a tug to arrive.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
If Fred gets in before the next debate, you can bet the entire debate will be on Fred and abortion just like they have done to Rudy and to Mitt. At least the other candidates got in when people weren’t really paying attention. The longer Fred waits, the worse he will look in a debate because he hasn’t learned the skills. His acting is not helping him either. No wonder he is putting off his entry.
I also once again wonder if he is waiting as long as possible to enter because of the fatigue associated with his illness.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
“The longer Fred waits, the worse he will look in a debate because he hasn’t learned the skills.”
He spent the first half of his adult life debating as a trial lawyer. He also served as Bob Dole’s debate partner in 1996, playing the part of Clinton in practices.
“I also once again wonder if he is waiting as long as possible to enter because of the fatigue associated with his illness.”
No more than Giuliani, McCain, and Brownback’s cancer in remission has effected them. That type of specualation comes from the liberals.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Gee, take your time Fred. It’s only the Presidency we’re talking about. Talk about disdain for the political process. Look, everyone else has to go through it. Does he really think he can just strut around like this popping off on fox news every once and a while and doing some half assed stop over in NH for one afternoon per month? When he finally gets in (IF he actually does) the media is going to give him a dan quayle style grilling, and deservedly so. What a slacker.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
CK – lol!
This man is really something. Waiting on McCain’s move? Tommy, does that mean that if McCain doesn’t quit by August, Fred will delay his decision until sometime in September?
He can’t just hide out on FredState all season, you know.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
murphy and the dude,
1. Fred hasn’t been planning this for the last two years, and wants everything in place for his run.
2. What I was talking about in regards to McCain are the staff layoffs.
3. You can argue it all you like, but the race started to early, and this sort of thing was bound to happen.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Yes Tommy, but the point here is that the main knock on this guy has been that he is lazy. The only way to counter that meme would have been to jump into the race and start campaigning like a mad man….instead he is waiting yet another month, and apparently plans to put a couple videos up on YouTube rather than going to Iowa or New Hampshire ever, or showing up at a debate. So I’m starting to believe that he really is lazy.
Look, you might think he is your conservative hero, but i’m increasingly of the view that a vote for him is a vote for Hillary.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Wow thats not good… Fred had his best days….
July 11th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Im so tired of Fred already. This stealth campaign that has rocketed him to the polls today is so weak. Honestly I think the bar is unrealistically set by someone who is annointed as the Reagan candidate. I dont think the red pickup and the “uh” and “um” and the daily grind of campaigning are going to take there toll.
I see a flash in the pan way about him like Wes Clark. In the end I predict that it will be Rudy and Mitt.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Agreed, bottom line is that the only chance we (by ‘we’ i mean the Republicans) have in 2008 is to put up somebody that doesn’t remind people of Bush’s deficiencies. Whatever you say about Rudy or Romney, those guys are notoriously hard workers, and fanatically detail oriented. I don’t think Thompson is the right guy for this cycle; i like him and i think he is smart but he is trying to phone it in, and it’s just not the year for that.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
If you read the full article, you’ll get a better perspective of the situation:
July 11th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Agree 100% with Zuckerman’s comments.
Tommy, if all Fred can do is sit back and complain that the race is moving too fast for him, I’m not sure what to tell you. If he’s serious, he ought to be hitting the ground with all cylinders running, not lounging around FredState and dropping an opinion piece on TownHall every now and then. Hemming and hawing, backing out of debates, straw polls, etc, does not a serious candidate make.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
one word: coward.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
I agree with Murphy and Zuck. To be honest, I think Tommy ought to run instead of Fred. He works harder than FDT and seems to want it more. Seriously though, is doing an article here, and a story there really running for office. Mitt wasnt a declared candidate until Feb, but went to NH, IA, SC and elsewhere a ton of times in 06 and early 07.
Fred needs to get in that red pickup and drive all over IA and NH saying “um” and “uh”, looking 126 years old next to his hot daughter (I mean wife). Only that way can his numbers fall from the stratosphere that they are in now.
July 11th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
tommy, (from #11)
–”You can argue it all you like, but the race started to early, and this sort of thing was bound to happen.”
Ames isn’t sneaking up on anybody. If he wants to get my vote he has an odd way of showing it.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Why should Fred feel a rush to jump in when without doing anything he’s already crushing Romney in national polls and withing striking distance if not leading in a number of states?
He seems to be taking his time and making people want him. Always leave them wanting more…that’s Fred.
Also, showing up at debates is a waste of time. You’re one of 11 guys up there and get to speak for a maximum of one minute on any given issue. Fred’s better off getting his message out his way on his terms then having Chris Matthews or Wolf Blitzer cutting him off and asking him to raise his hand.
Fred is a conservative rock star. He doesn’t need to show up at some diner or at some debate.
Dun-Dun
July 11th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Jim, I can only assume that your entire post #21 was written in jest?
July 11th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
It wasn’t written in jest at all. Fred is crushing Romney in national polls and has been ahead of him ever since April when he he first announced.
He’s leading in the Rasmussen poll and has been 2nd to Rudy in others.
He’s close to Romney in IA and NH without spending one cent and not spending more than a few hours there.
He has every state below the Mason Dixon Line with the exception of Florida locked up.
Why should he waste his time at debates or anything else when he’s not ready? Romney needed to because no one knew who he was. Everyone knows Fred. Announcing now vs a few weeks from now won’t change that.
I think the Romney people are just jealous because Fred has had all this success and they haven’t been able to break through.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Jim,
Both of your posts hinted at the fact that Fred wouldn’t want to disturb his position in the polls by getting involved in the primary race. Think that kind of vulnerability makes Romney supporters jealous?
July 11th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Jim #23 I think your statement below says it all.
“Why should he waste his time at debates or anything else when he’s not ready?”
After watching him in unscripted situations your statement rings true. Although, I wonder, if according to you he is a close second to Romney in IA without spending a cent, then imagine what he could do if he simply took off his slippers and actually worked. He would jump to 65%, take the straw poll and kill in the debate!!!
July 11th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Yeah really murphy. I’m not sure what to make of Jim’s posts here. Does he honestly believe what he’s saying? Fred doesn’t need to show up at some “diner or at some debate”? Mayhaps he doesn’t need to show up for the campaign either? He probably ought to just visit Scotty, and beam his messages down, via hologram, from the heavens above. Actually, scratch the message part. He’ll just beam down his voice, speaking monosyllabic words. Or better yet, use some sort of vibrating machine to project gravelly seriousness.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
His position in the polls is only increasing. My only point is that he shouldn’t feel any pressure to jump in now. There’s no real erason for him to declare this week vs August. He doesn’t gain anything by it.
The only people complaining are the Romney supporters, for some reason. If I was Mitt I’d be worried at the fact that Fred has doubled him up in the national polls and is within 10 pts in IA and he hasn’t even shown up there or spent anything there. He’ll make up the money pretty quickly.
You can criticize FredState all you want but the blogosphere and the grass-roots will all line up behind him.
He’ll jump in in August and be the front runner by Labor Day.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Guys, heres a thought…is Thompson on the record with a plan on Iraq? We know it thinks its a threat that we must comfront blah blah, telling us things we already know. Feel free to destroy it but is it possible that he is waiting out the coming explosion in the US Senate over Bush’s Iraq policy. Im sitting here watching the news and its clear to me that the war in Iraq is reaching a tipping point and probably will waged in future in a dramatically different way from what we have been used to. Olympia Snowe has just added her name to Lugar, Hagel, Voinovich, Warner…the list is getting so long I don’t remember all of them. If more and more Republican keeping jumping ship folks I don’t see there is anyway any Republican president that supports anything other than a draw down in troops wins the presidency. Maybe Thompson is reading the tea leaves?
July 11th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Jim do you really believe what you said “There’s no real reason for him to declare this week vs August.” Are you honestly going to vote for a man (Fred) that has a very weak resume, that won’t respond to his critics, ducks from the debates and acts like he is either sick or lazy? What is his appeal-that he supposedly is a social conservative? Would you ethically think it’s ok to foist this person on the country? The way he is responding to the abortion questions is saying an awful lot about him-and it’s not good.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
lord pardon all the grammatical errors yikes…kids out there proofread!
July 11th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
freakin ridiculous. HOw can anybody take this lazy guy seriuosly. He is going to put off all they way until August now. Seriously, how annoying is that. It shows a lack of confidence in my opinion. Hopefully people will get sick of it and make up their mind with the others if they haven’t already. all this does is make republicans look bad becuase people are still on the fence, waiting to see what Fred is doing. We could get moving and excited if he would jump in already. He is effecitvely putting a stal on the race. If he is not going to get in, then lets move on without him.
it makes me think he can’t live up to the expectation, but I think he is simply making them bigger as time goes by. HOw much longer can everybody give him a free pass. how can you get excited about this guy? he is not even willing to hop in.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
why would romney supporters be worried about fred. anybody else would be doing even better with the onslaught of free and wondeful press he has gotten over the past few months. it only makes it harder for him to live up the they hype.
we know he is not the conservaitve he makes himself out to be. i worry he is more of mccain. his voting record suggests it, his stance of abortion suggests it, and do we really think he can win a national election being a lobbyist for 18 years and a ‘bush like’ figure.
he does have something to gain. the longer he waits the longer those in the key states will look past him and become more and more comfortable with romney.
July 11th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Will Fred attend the Aug 3rd GOP debate?
July 11th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Tommy Oliver Says:
3. You can argue it all you like, but the race started to early, and this sort of thing was bound to happen.
I can accept that there are some valid arguments for why we should not run as early last January or beforehand, but waiting until after Ames? Did not all of the candidates (at least, all of those who did well) in the past declare their race for Presidency BEFORE the Ames Straw Polls? Here, Fred is missing his chance. I am curious if Ames have printed their ballots yet? And whether they are going to insert names of those candidates who MAY run?
July 11th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
No, Fred will not be at the debate.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
This is the best strategy for Fred; miss Ames, stay out of as many debates as possible, keep they Hype going as long as possible.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Laurent wrote: “The point here is that the main knock on this guy has been that he is lazy. The only way to counter that meme would have been to jump into the race and start campaigning like a mad man….instead he is waiting yet another month…”
Laurent also took the words out of my mouth. I like Thompson, and I wouldn’t have to hold my nose to vote for him in the general, but this is the equivilent of Mitt Romney showing up at a press conference with an e-meter tucked under his arm or Rudy Giuliani showing up at a press conference drag. Way to highlight your media-designated Achilles heel, Fred.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
This is terrible strategy unless Fred isn’t ready to meet expectations. Obviously FDT feels like he can’t meet expectations in a debate which is why he wants to avoid the debate. I thought he was going to be a great debater but he just needed to shake some rust off. It looks like he isn’t ready to deal with Mitt and Rudy and instead will have to continue posting articles at fRedstate.
I think FDT’s wave is starting to peak and he needs to get in soon before McCain’s supporters go with someone else. McCain’s campaign implosion is the perfect chance for FDT to get another surge, because the momentum an announcement would generate would capture even more McCain supporters.
Yesterday on Hannity he said he already decided he just wasn’t going to tell us yet. This clearly shows that he thinks he isn’t ready to be a candidate after 3 months of preparation. If three months isn’t enough I don’t know how an extra 3 or 4 weeks is going to make a difference.
I have been reserving judgement, but the more he dodges questions, “has no recollection”, avoids work and generally acts disinterested in being president, the more I feel that he will disappoint and that soon after he announces, he will start to tank everywhere but in the South.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Well, this should help put that myth about Fred being lazy to rest!
July 11th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Well, I don’t believe it until Tommy tells me it’s true, but, if it is true, then his absence at the next GOP debate is going to be quite glaring.
The excuse that everything has to be 100% in place to meet expectations contradicts the notion of a “different kind of campaign,” unless what’s meant by that phrase involves some novel combination of James Bond jet-packs and speaking in tongues. We thought we were going to get rough-and-ready, and instead we’re now to expect a really big show, just like all the other really big shows – a chicken in every pot and a campaign director in every precinct.
Again, assuming this report is true, it feels like he’s dissing the field and his most enthusiastic cheerleaders, and it also feels like he’s not very subtly acknowledging what’s become common knowledge – that Fred Live! hasn’t been coming anywhere near Fred! the phenomenon. Now, in an attempt to preserve the dissolving aura of invincibility he’s trashing it. Frank J’s Fred Facts were already getting old – now they’re a sad commentary. Fred’s making himself look like a scaredy-cat, not a superhero.
Anyway, with or without an announcement, all that benefit of all that doubt is over, IMO. I suppose it’s even conceivable that he could still change his mind about running (then again, anyone can drop out at any time), but from this point forward, he should expect to be treated as just another flawed candidate, whether he’s 100% ready to open the show, 100% ready to defend himself or 100% ready to go on the attack, or not.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
I don’t know which is worse..McCain delaying his exit or Thompson delaying his entrance.
July 11th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
That’s a good analogy; I think Thompson is the new McCain…a big bubble that will burst….What a tool Thompson is, he is apparently the Saturday Night Live candidate – Not Ready for Prime Time ™
July 11th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
We’ll just see where all the Rombots are after Labor Day when Fred Thompson will be the clear front runner.
These posts also show why Fred will win. He’s acceptable by the McCain and Rudy people and will consolidate support.
I don’t know which will be more fun, watching Dean lose or watching Romney lose.
July 11th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Fred Thompson is the WH/Bush/Rove candidate. Doesn’t take a genius to do the research and find that out. Why anyone would want to nominate someone with ties so close to the WH is beyond me. Guess none of the other candidates would play puppet for that group. Do a search and you will find out the same people seem to turn up in every Republican election starting with Howard and james Baker, Dick Cheney, et al.
All you supposed conservatives have swallowed the Rove koolaid on Thompson. Congratulations! Rove’s protege has been hired by Thompson as well as Mary Matlin, Cheney’s daughter, and a lot of Bush campaign people close to Rove. Thompson is no outsider after being a lobbyist all those years and then a co-sponsor of CFR I thought conservatives were supposed to hate but since it is Thompson it doesn’t matter but when it was McCain, it did matter. Conservatives amaze me at how naive they can be. Never would have believed that they are taken in by the Nixon mole. Great nominate Fred and have all the Watergate brought back into the election and give the White House to Ms. Clinton but maybe that is what some of you want the way you won’t see the forest for the trees.
July 12th, 2007 at 2:04 am
jim,
Do you really think everyone in this thread who is unhappy with Fred’s retreat from the debates and his lethargic participation in the primary is a Rombot? Really?
Keep wishing on your star, man.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:58 am
I’m certainly not a rombot….just disappointed in this Fred Thompson guy..
July 18th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Fred is playing this very smartly. He got in late when he ran for Senator in Tennessee and still won by over 20 points. Fred knows exactly what he is doing. I would love for him to get in right now but he has to do it when he feels it is right. If you are in to win, you must give yourself the best opportunity to do that. Fred Thompson is a very intelligent man and that will be shown in the very near future. His opponents and the Dems know that they have to attack him all they can now and try and derail his campaign. If not, watch out!