Fred Thompson Rejected in Values Voter Summit Straw Poll

Values Voters let their voice be heard, and they sure weren’t calling for Fred Thompson. Mitt Romney won the straw poll with 1,595 votes, barely edging out Mike Huckabee who received 1,565. And where was Fred Thompson in the polling? With 564 votes, he was in the middle of the pack. Now, in some polls, this might not be too bad for Fred Thompson. However, citizens represented by the Values Voters were supposed to be the base that would propel Fred Thompson to victory. The fact that Fred Thompson did so poorly in the Values Voter Summit Straw Poll is a particularly ominous sign for his campaign. The big question now is, what happened?

There could be a number of reasons for Fred Thompson’s inability to woo Values Voters. Perhaps they have learned that Fred Thompson’s views have not corresponded with their own. For example, although he claims to have always been an opponent of abortion, in 1994 when taking a survey, he opined that abortion during the first trimester should always be legal. And, of course, Fred Thompson was one of the very few Republicans in congress who voted against removing Bill Clinton from office for committing perjury. Some Values Voters may have trouble reconciling these positions (and others) with the conservative image Fred Thompson has tried to maintain.

Another likely reason Fred Thompson does not appeal to the Values Voters is that they have realized he lacks the drive and ability to win the presidential election against an aggressive Democratic candidate. As Michael van der Galien stated, “The reason isn’t that Thompson isn’t ‘conservative’ enough, but that he simply comes across as a man who suffers from insomnia. Leaders should inspire, Thompson doesn’t.” Michael concludes, “Christian conservatives may have thought that Thompson was their man, but he lacks the passion to become the next president of the most powerful country on earth. It’s not difficult to imagine what the result of the elections would be in November next year if we see Clinton (or Obama) against Thompson in the debates. The latter won’t stand a chance: he’ll be blown away.” I agree completely with Michael’s assessment of the situation, and many Values Voters may be coming to the same conclusion.

Throughout his campaign, Fred Thompson has consistently demonstrated his inability to connect with his audience. Christian conservatives had been clamoring for Fred Thompson to run for office, so the Values Voters Summit was one of the friendliest audiences he could possibly face. This should have been a situation in which he wouldn’t have any problem connecting with the audience. However, at the Values Voter Summit, Fred Thompson addressed the audience with his chin buried in his chest and speaking in monotone. Ronald Sell, who heard Thompson’s speech, stated that “He (Fred Thompson) didn’t look good.” Ronald was disappointed with Fred Thompson, and was surprised that he did not “at least have his lines memorized.” He then finished with the trenchant observation that, “if he was the candidate, we’d be in trouble.”

Whatever the reason, if Fred Thompson can’t connect with his own base, odds aren’t very good he’d be able to convince a majority of the general population to vote for him in a presidential election.

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Fred Thompson Finally Attends a Debate

Fred Thompson managed to beat all expectations during the first debate. Admittedly, the bar was set pretty low, so he exceeded most expectations when he didn’t drool all over him self in a state of stupor during the debate. Other than that, there wasn’t much positive from Fred Thompson during his first debate.

At the beginning of the debate, Fred Thompson demonstrated his impressive ability to talk a lot without really saying anything. When asked why two thirds of Americans are pessimistic about the economy, Thompson rambled “Well, I think there are pockets in this economy that, certainly, they’re having difficulty. I think they’re certainly those in Michigan that are having difficulty. I think you always find that in a vibrant, dynamic economy...” This type of response was typical from Thompson. As if to highlight his slow witted nature, these nonsensical answers were the best that Thompson could come up with even after several moments of serious consideration and intense thought between the time he heard the question and his proffered response.

It would seem that Fred Thompson has staked out his positions on key issues, and he will stick with those positions regardless of reality. For example, when asked about the potential for an economic recession, Thompson responded “I think there is no reason to believe that we’re heading for a recessions. We’re enjoying 22 quarters of successive economic growth.” While his optimism is laudable, it would be nice to know if Thompson is at least cognizant that economic conditions are changing and that there is a legitimate threat of a recession.

To his credit, Thompson did have a couple clever remarks that created a bit of laughter, but overall his performance was lacking. He certainly did not demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the issues that would be expected from the President of the United States.

In a 2003 interview in the Nashville Bar Journal, Fred Thompson was asked about running for president. He responded, “I was never really willing to pay the price I knew had to be paid. I would really have to strain hard to come up with something I wanted to say ten times a day for the next year of my life when I knew that talking about the really important stuff would not get me anywhere. You have to have a great desire to be president, and I never had the desire to do that.”

It’s too bad Fred Thompson changed his mind between 2003 and 2007.

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