Fred Thompson: Republicans Can Do Better

Fred Dalton Thompson managed to get many conservatives salivating back in the beginning of April 2007 when he announced there was a 50-50 chance that he would run for president. Admittedly, I was one of the masses excited about the prospect. However, after this announcement, Thompson did essentially nothing to promote his candidacy for about 5 months. Meanwhile, the other candidates were out working hard to educate potential voters about their positions. I can think of only 2 reasons for the absence of Thompson during this time period.

1. Fred Thompson is lazy. If this is the reason, there could be 3 causes. First, it may be that Thompson does not have the stamina to endure a long campaign. Second, Thompson may have been so confident in his nomination that he did not feel it worth his effort to campaign for an extended period of time. Third, Thompson may have been wishy-washy about running at all, in which case his indecision indicates a lack of effort on his part to assimilate the information necessary to make what is likely the most important decision of his life in a timely manner. At any rate, the presidency merits more than a half-hearted effort, and a lazy, indecisive campaigner will have no chance against either Clinton or Obama in a presidential race.

2. Fred Thompson knew his campaign couldn't withstand scrutiny during a long campaign. While Thompson was enjoying life doing nothing more stressful than the occasional cameo on Paul Harvey’s News and Comment, the rest of Republican field has been subjected to intense scrutiny by the media and public. In particular, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani have been under a microscope as their every action and statement has been evaluated, and their leadership records as governor and mayor have been questioned. Fred Thompson had a particularly non-distinguished record as a senator, and he isn’t known for his wit, intellect, or innovative ideas. Consequently, Thompson may have realized that the longer he is in the spotlight, the more people would recognize his lack of experience and ability. If this is the case, Thompson wisely chose to limit the amount of time that the public would have to get to know him before the Republican primary. Unfortunately for Thompson, the presidential race will be much less forgiving than the Republican primary.

Since Thompson is either lazy or can’t withstand scrutiny (or both), I certainly will not vote for Thompson in the Republican primary. I would also encourage anyone who is not looking forward to another Clinton presidency to support a more viable Republican candidate. While I may not be particularly enamored with Mitt Romney, Rudy Guiliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, or other Republican candidates, at least I have had the opportunity to listen to them establish their positions on variety of issues and engage in debates. Additionally, while I may not agree with them on many issues, I am fully confident that any one of them would be better than another President Clinton. They have also demonstrated that they will put forth the effort necessary to run a strong presidential campaign against the Democratic nominee. Conversely, Fred Thompson has done nothing to engender confidence in his ability to be president nor in his ability to run an effective presidential campaign.

Now that Fred Thompson has finally entered the Republican primary, it is evident that he is woefully unprepared for the challenge. Following are a few examples:

1. Fred Thompson was asked by a reporter, “What’s harder, playing the president or being the president?” After thinking hard for a moment, Fred Thompson replied, “Well, neither of ‘em are that hard.” With a reply like that, it’s tough to believe that Fred Thompson adequately understands the responsibilities and demands of the presidential office.

2. When Fred Thompson was asked about Louisiana’s “Jena Six” protest, his response was, “I don’t know anything about it.” Given the extensive media coverage of this incident, he may very well be the only person in the United States who hadn’t heard about it. It is a bit disconcerting that someone running for president would be so out of touch with what is happening in the country he wants to govern.

3. While campaigning, Fred Thompson has made it clear that he does not understand local issues. While in Michigan, he was asked what he would do for the state, but he replied that he didn’t have any specific plans for Michigan. When questioned by reporters in Florida, he admitted he didn’t know much about the issues of hurricane property insurance or drilling in the Everglades, both of which are huge issues for the state. Fred Thompson is going to have a tough time in a presidential race convincing people that they will benefit from his presidency if he is not aware of local issues that are most important to them.

The Republicans may not have the perfect candidate, but they sure have a lot of options better than Fred Thompson. And if the Republicans want to have a chance in the 2008 presidential election, they’ll have to do a lot better than Fred Thompson.