A High Note to End the Week On

This has been a week of highs and lows for the Fred Thompson camp. Early in the week, he recieved negative reviews for his speech to the VFW. It was a weak performance, and a stale speech, where he came across as “distracted.”

Saturday, however, was another story. Thompson recieved high marks for his speech at the Midwest Republican Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, from the AP, the local press, and those in attendence.

From the AP:

Thompson, a former Tennessee senator and an actor known for his role as a district attorney on NBC’s “Law & Order,” was the third and final GOP hopeful to speak at the conference. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee spoke Friday.
He received a more rousing reception when he was introduced to speak than Romney and Huckabee got, with many in the crowd of 500 or so whooping and hollering and shouting, “Fred, Fred, Fred.” Unlike the stiff character he plays on TV, Thompson was casual as he spoke. He warmed up the crowd with a few jokes, saying that while he was a senator he could recall that every once and awhile, a member of Congress would slip up by “actually spending their own money.”
He spoke mostly in general terms on serious matters, saying that one of the most pressing challenges facing America was national security and the terrorist threat from Islamic radicals. Not enough people take the threat seriously, he said.
“Our country is in danger and it’s going to be in danger for a long time to come,” he said. “We have got to be more united and more committed than ever before.”
He said government spending was out of control, and people had little faith in government solving problems in areas such as energy, education and health care.
“We probably have more cynicism toward our leadership than in a long time,” he said. “How do people follow when people don’t have any confidence in what is said and who is saying it?”
Jean Reed of Greensburg said she has been unsure who she would support, but that Thompson’s appearance and speech probably won her over.
“I think he would make a great candidate,” she said. “He seemed to be very personable, he seemed to be caring, he seemed to know what he believed.”
Murray Winn of Mishawaka said he was still undecided, but hoped Thompson would get into the race soon. “I think it will energize the party if he does,” he said.
Thompson is expected to announce his bid early next month, saying Saturday that he will “certainly be making a statement within short order.”

From the Indiana Star:

“To have leadership, you have to have people willing to follow,” he said, but too many people “don’t have any confidence in what’s being said or who’s saying it. We can’t go down that road forever.”
For voters like Mike and Maggie Campbell, Greenwood,, the conference gave them their first real chance to see the candidates up close.
Mike Campbell, 55, said he liked what Huckabee and Romney had to say, but was leaning toward Thompson. Standing in front of a table filled with stickers, buttons and posters touting Thompson, they said they weren’t bothered by his undeclared status.
All three of the politicians are saying basically the same thing, the couple said.
What they wanted to know was which one could win. The Campbells said Thompson seems to have the same touch former President Ronald Reagan had as a communicator.
After Thompson’s speech, Maggie Campbell uttered an enthusiastic “yes” when asked if she liked Thompson’s speech.
Mike Campbell added that he saw all three candidates, and Thompson was the only one to walk through the crowd and shake hands with many people.
“His speech wasn’t as specific as some of the others, but he also hasn’t announced yet,” Campbell said. “I liked what I heard.”

From the penraker:

At first, he seemed too laconic. But the more he spoke, the more he grew on you. He is a good communicator, probably the best Reagan-like communicator we have seen in years. The media will not understand him. They would like to call him dumb, but since he is a lawyer and a Senator they cannot. So they will call him lazy or something similar…

Alerted is much better. It goes deeper and produces a more lasting commitment. Any salesman can learn how to energize a crowd. But to be taken seriously by a crowd, and to make them think - that is rare.

He was being serious. He was not rah-rahing. Understand this: people hate rah-rahing. Maybe a few nuts at the conventions like it, but normal people are disgusted by it. For the first time in many years, we saw someone who is absolutely serious about things and is not willing to become an automaton for a year in order to get into office.

That is a huge advantage, an incalculable advantage. It means he is trying to get something done, rather than become something.

Thompson was extraordinary at the one thing the every politician strives for, but few are able to achieve: make a real connection with average Americans. He speaks their language. He is going to be formidable.

All in all, I was personally very pleased with his speech last night (especially after I got to see the whole thing- CSPAN!). Thompson didn’t stand at the podium and deliver punch lines. He walked across the stage with a clipped on microphone, and spoke in an authoritave manner from the heart. That is what connects Fred to his audience.

Not a bad week at all. And just announced, MN House Minority Leader Marty Seifert will serve as Thompson’s guide through the MN State Fair on Monday morning.

Tommy Oliver
race42008.com