DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - Fred Thompson stayed on script. The newcomer to the Republican presidential field didn’t stand out in his first debate of the 2008 race but he didn’t blow it either.
An intense spat between GOP rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani over taxes and spending took some of the focus - and the heat - off Thompson and overshadowed the other six Republicans on stage; Thompson was literally stuck between the two as they sparred.
Well, he survived the 1st debate, and in my opinion, all in all, he didn’t do a bad job, he didn’t set the world on fire either, but he didn’t do too bad…
“He had a fine performance,” said Sara Taylor, a former political adviser to President Bush who is neutral in the 2008 race. “He certainly passed the test of can he stand on the stage with these guys and articulate his views.”
I sincerely hope it wasn’t a performance, I like Fred Thompson, but we don’t need him to play the character of POTUS, we need him to BE the POTUS, and all that office encompasses, and there is no ‘Take 2′, this is the real deal and you either get em fired up and hit your marks every time or you run a very high risk of losing support…
Thompson almost lost MY support before he ever got started, the ‘testing the waters’ thing and the procrastination turned me off but I stuck it out and have held onto at least some hope…
Thompson was, however, light on substance and specifics as he fielded questions.
He stuck to broad statements of what’s wrong with the country and railed against big government but offered little in the way of how to fix the problems - much as he does during campaign appearances.
“Thompson cleared a hurdle today by showing he can rough and tumble with the best of them,” said Greg Mueller, a Republican strategist and veteran of presidential campaigns who is unaligned in this race.
That was my impression as well, he didn’t do bad but he was seriously light on what needed to be HARD answers, that has been my belief since the race started, lukewarm will NOT get him to the White House, and I told him that too, YES, I told HIM, in comments in his blog, a few of us actually tried to get a message through to him, past all the ass kissing that was going on, but I guess ‘fire and brimstone’ just aren’t his cup of tea…
I am still not against Fred Thompson, but I am seriously not convinced that he is the best candidate yet, he may possibly be the most electable at this time, but not THE BEST, and that habit he has of addressing topics in a broad nature, painting with broad strokes is, for me at least, damn near a deal breaker, I am a very blunt person, I don’t beat around the bush, I get to the point in a hurry and I have no use for, nor do I care to be around people that are crybabies and excuse makers, (Ron Paul) or people that won’t take a solid stance on the issues, people that use generalities in an attempt to get a point across aren’t getting their point across, generalities tend to bring ideas into play but blunt, direct, to the point, and sincere speaking gets the POINT across, speaking from the heart, with fire in your eyes, THAT gets the point across…
We need a POTUS that will kick ass and take names, we need a POTUS that won’t be nailing interns in the Oval Office, we need a POTUS that can put 3 sentences together and make a coherent speech and all this PC ‘Well, I have heard some people say’ bullshit needs to go out the window, I want to see and hear something exciting, and so far, that excitement has been seriously lacking in Fred D. Thompson and his delivery…
Full Story Here:
Analysis: Thompson Sticks to Script
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Fred needed to do better than that…but that is just my opinion.
I wasn’t impressed with any of them except Tancredo who I still believe is the best in the race..and I think the MSM knows it. They try to keep him out of the lime light…but he manages to get some words in about illegal immigration and the cost to the country although seldom is this brought up by the moderators of the debates.
I didn’t see the debate, but I suspect that he might have been cautious this first time to see what the process is like.
Some of the critics think that he will rely on his acting expertise to get him through, and be scripted, rather than showing us who Fred Thompson really is, and strongly making his case in a more personal way.
IMO, I doesn’t seem to me that Thompson is serious about running for POTUS. It’s as though what he’s doing is an afterthought or a part in grade ‘B’ film. I’m not impressed and he’s going to have to do much better than he’s done to garner any real support.
IMO, I doesn’t seem to me that Thompson is serious about running for POTUS.
Basti, your right on.
It’s Bush and Cheney that are excited about their puppet running for POTUS.
I saw an interview yesterday on Fox with Liz Cheney, Thompson’s Co-Chair. It made me sick to see that he has aliened himself with these people.