The Thompson Campaign-Updated 12:30 AM CST 11/7/07
Posted by Lance on 06 Nov 2007 at 8:53 pm | Tagged as: Election 2008, Lance's Page, Domestic Politics
Some feel it is struggling, and maybe it is. The UK Telegraph seems to think so. They delve into the story of whether his heart is really into the campaign. I personally find someone who isn’t consumed by the run for office a good thing, but they find this telling, while I find it refreshing:
Trying to encourage his studio to hurry up so an interview could start, Carl Cameron of Fox News said into his microphone: “The next president of the United States has a schedule to keep.” Standing beside him, a deadpan Mr Thompson interjected: “And so do I.”
I am amused, it seems not everyone was:
As some Thompson aides looked bemused and others cringed, a taken-aback Mr Cameron, Fox’s chief political correspondent, exclaimed: “You can’t do that kind of stuff!”
The self-deprecating quip said much about the former Tennessee senator’s candidacy.
I like self deprecation, and Jim Geraghty gets it about right:
What to make of this?
Carl Cameron: The next president of the United States has a schedule to keep.
Fred Thompson: And so do I.
That exchange will fuel the Fred’s-heart-isn’t-really-in-it talk, but I don’t think it ought to. This is the guy who jabbed Tim Russert about his weight, who told Chris Matthews “that’s your opinion, Christopher,” and who generally comes across as a guy who could take or leave the presidency. Cameron’s comment was pretty clearly a joke in its presumptuousness, and Thompson’s comment seems to be a joke to deflate that presumptuousness.
I like the Daily Telegraph a lot, but the whole tone of the article at the link has an overwheming Thompson-campaign-in-freefall tone that I think just isn’t warranted by events. At least, not yet.
This is really the problem for Thompson. The media wants him to behave in a way that is at odds with what makes him appealing as a candidate in the first place.
Meanwhile out on the left we get insinuations that Thompson is a coke fiend. I am so tired of the drug card being played against our candidates, especially from the rumor mill. Frankly it is disgraceful. Clinton, Gore, Bush, it doesn’t matter. We just can’t seem to help it.
So back to that self deprecating humor, and a more serious and thoughtful use of it:
“I think people ought to be free at state and local levels to make decisions that even Fred Thompson disagrees with,” Mr. Thompson said yesterday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “That’s what freedom is all about.”
That is kind of inspiring isn’t it.
Update: Vodkapundit reacts as well:
Of course, depending on which side of the blogosphere you’re on, the real story here might be Fox News’s Cameron calling a conservative Republican “the next president of the United States.” It’s a conspiracy, I tell you!
On another subject:Russert misleads on Thompson & WMD.
More: Eric Scheie on Fred’s federalism:
At the risk of horrifying the entire national political spectrum (as well as offending my own principles and voiding the various political litmust tests I have taken), I’ll top Fred Thompson:I think people ought to be free at state and local levels to make decisions that even Eric Scheie disagrees with!
The point is, federalism is fair. Everybody wins, because everybody loses.
Etc.: Publius Endures has similar sentiments to mine:
To me, though, the article actually makes Thompson more appealing, and I’m really starting to warm to the guy.
Frankly, after 8 years of an extremely active executive, maybe a lazy man is exactly what we need, if only for one term. Indeed, despite accusations to the contrary, the man who thinks we don’t need to do very much is the man who is likely to be the most genuine optimist. Certainly, a generally lazy attitude towards the use of executive power is as fundamentally libertarian as you can get- even if Thompson isn’t a real libertarian himself. On top of all that, his candor about his chances is refreshing- it suggests someone who really is playing the role of the reluctant candidate and is thus not willing to sacrifice who he is at heart in order to get something he doesn’t really want in the first place; when it comes to power, frequently the best man for the job is the man who wants it the least.
I still prefer Paul, but oddly enough, my personal willingness to support Thompson is increasing proportionally to the willingness of most others to begin abandoning him. For my preferences, the gap between Thompson and Paul has decreased dramatically these last few weeks.
2 Responses to “The Thompson Campaign-Updated 12:30 AM CST 11/7/07”
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So he’s lazy, lethargic and a coke fiend? Yeah, that’ll sell.
But if he’d said it to Hillary, Cameron would be hailed as the next great prophet. And she would have smugly agreed with him.