Robert Novak wrote a great column about Thompson yesterday, it looks like he’s behind a Thompson presidency, too:
In just three weeks, Fred Thompson has improbably transformed the contest for the Republican presidential nomination. It is not merely that he has come from nowhere to double digits in national polls. He is the talk of GOP political circles, because he is filling the conservative void in the Republican field of candidates.
Republican activists have complained for months that none of the big-three contenders — Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney — fits the model of a conservative leader for a conservative party. The party faithful have been waiting for another Ronald Reagan. But in conversations with them the past year, nobody mentioned Thompson as the messiah until he appeared March 11 on “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.”
His statement to Wallace that he was “giving some thought” to a presidential run generated a reaction that surprised Thompson. In the first Gallup poll that listed Thompson (March 23-25), he scored 12 percent — amazing for someone out of public life for more than four years who has not campaigned. More important than the polling data is his backing within the political community. Buyer’s remorse is expressed by several House members who had endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Romney.
Thompson’s popularity reflects weakness among announced Republican candidates, as reflected in the Gallup survey. Sen. McCain, no longer an insurgent but still not accepted by conservatives, is stuck in the 20-25 percent range. Former New York City Mayor Giuliani has dropped precipitously from 44 percent to 31 percent, amid attacks on his ideology and personal life. Most startling, despite a well-financed, well-organized campaign, Romney has fallen to 3 percent.
Sophisticated social conservative activists tell me they cannot vote for Giuliani under any conditions and have no rapport with McCain or Romney. They do not view Sen. Sam Brownback, representing the social right, as a viable candidate. They are coming to see Thompson as the only conservative who can be nominated. Their appreciation of him stems not from his eight years as a U.S. senator from Tennessee but his actor’s role as district attorney of Manhattan on “Law and Order.” That part was molded to Thompson’s specifications as a tough prosecutor, lending him political star power.
I would think that “sophisticated social conservatives” would be attracted by his conservative voting record. It’s what will shut up the mouths of the critics who say that he isn’t conservative enough (though, it’s a huge plus that he’s on “Law and Order,” name recognition is a big part of the game).
Then there’s this:
The principal complaint about Thompson concerns not his ideology but his work ethic. The rap is that he does not burn the midnight oil — the identical criticism of Reagan, before and during his presidency. That carping may betray resentment that Thompson has emerged as a full-blown candidate without backbreaking campaign travel and tedious fund-raising.
Let his opponents underestimate him the way they did Reagan, it will make victory over them all the more sweet 🙂 Reagan kicked the tushie of his opponents not once, but twice and he toppled a wall. Not bad for a senile, lazy actor.
And this is reassuring:
Thompson’s critics assert that, bored with his lucrative career as an actor, he has enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame created by a chance TV interview and will not really run. But he privately assures friends that this is for real. His performance on “Fox News Sunday” was no accident. He went on the program for the purpose of unveiling his possible candidacy.
Good! Now, just announce so that the other contenders can drop out. End the misery of Romney and Brownback.
BTW, here’s a belated April Fool’s Day joke for you:
Read Previous Post