# Fred Thompson to announce his candidacy for POTUS September 6 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 31, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582 "2007-08-31T04:18:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/1 "2007-08-31T04:18:07Z")
Story [here.](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/08/30/politics/p130857D52.DTL) Does this matter? In terms of political/intellectual/moral heft, [Fred Thompson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_thompson) is considerably less than a hole in the air. OTOH, compared to the other announced Pub candidates for president, such as they are, he actually seems impressive – and, more importantly, noncontroversial. And he **is** a good-looking fellow, for his age, in a bulldog kind of way; and a pretty good actor, which counts for something, however much we might wish it didn’t. (It worked for Reagan, didn’t it? More’s the pity.) In fact, he seems to be the Al Gore of the right wing – all the FReepers are eagerly waiting for him to announce. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/2 "2007-08-31T04:41:35Z")
Holy Shit! He’s announced he’s going to announce. Who ever woulda thunk it? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/3 "2007-08-31T04:51:35Z")
What’s he waiting for, the police to investigate crime? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/4 "2007-08-31T04:52:24Z")
I hate to be the one to always stand up for Fred Thompson, because I don’t know what kind of candidate he’ll make, and I don’t like the positions he’s been taking on social policy. But when you say stuff like he’s ‘considerably less than a hole in the air’ in terms of political/intellectual/moral heft, I’ve got to call you on it. I think he has a little more substance than you’re giving him credit for. Certainly about a hundred times more than John Edwards. Let’s go down the list, once again: Education/Bio - Comes from a working class background. First kid in his family to go to college. - Earned a double major in both philosophy and political science. - Scholarships to Tulane and Vanderbilt. - J.D. from Vanderbilt, admitted to the bar in 1967. Career - U.S. attorney from 1969 to 1972 - Campaign manager for Howard Baker in 1972. Baker won. - Co-chief Council for the Watergate Commission, 1973-1974. He was the man responsible for Senator Baker asking the famous question, “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” - Practicing Attorney through the 1980’s and 1990’s. - Special Council to the Senate Intelligence Committee - Special Council to the Foreign Relations Committee - Successfully fought a corruption case against the Governor of Tennessee, and helped bring him down. - Two-term Senator, winning both elections in a landslide. During his career as a Senator, he chaired the Committee on Governmental Affairs and sat on the Finance Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and the National Security Working Group. - Headed the process that helped pick and got John Roberts approved for the Supreme Court. [Cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Dalton_Thompson). Would you like to stack that record up against Barack Obama or John Edwards, and tell me which ones are the lightweights? Or Hillary? Or half the Republican field? The fact is, Thompson has enough of a ‘heft’ in the areas that matter that they won’t be campaign issues for the other side. In fact, expect Thompson to campaign on his experience. As a candidate, he has the following things going for him: - A successful track record as a reformer and defender of the public. - A solid record against political corruption, having helped bring down a corrupt governor and a corrupt president, of his own party no less. - A high degree of name and especially facial recognition. - A commanding presence. He’s one of those naturals who, when they talk, people listen. - By all accounts, a very nice man, and a real gentleman. A bit of a womanizer, but every woman he ever dated, and his ex-wife, are all strong supporters today. That says something about the guy. - He’s a natural in front of the camera. That counts for a lot today. - A great speech maker - when he wants to be. The things going against Thompson: - His campaign seems to be in disarray already, with lots of people jumping ship. - He’s known to be somewhat amotivated at times. He can deliver a barn burner of a speech, or he can stand up and deliver his lines dispassionately and lose his place and such because he didn’t prepare well. - Multiple delays in announcing his candidate will make people wonder if he really wants it enough. Because if he doesn’t, they’re afraid they’ll get the second-string Thompson. - His strong social conservative voting record. I don’t think social conservatism is a winner in a general election anymore. So it remains to be seen how much he’ll play that up. - His claim that he’s going to run an ‘unconventional’ candidacy, skirting around the media and going directly to the people on the internet with his web site, youtube, flickr, blogs, etc. That could be brilliant, or a disaster. - His career as a lobbyist. Hopefully, his record as a reformer and chaser of corruption will balance this. Apparently, his campaign theme is going to be “Security, Unity, and Prosperity”. That suggests he’s going to run a campaign which has a lot of strong rhetoric about opposing Islamic fundamentalists (calling them that), anti-immigration, promises to be bipartisan and inclusive, and includes tax cuts and lower regulations. That’s certainly a winning campaign for the primaries, but there’s a few red flags in there for the general election. In any event, I’m glad he’s running if for no other reason than that it’s going to be a very long campaign season, and anything that shakes it up and makes it more interesting is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/5 "2007-08-31T05:01:21Z")
I wonder if, in all the hoopla over Thompson, his supporters really know their candidate very well. Specifically, I wonder if they know: (1) In a fairly recent poll of either Republican voters or Republican social conservatives (sorry, can’t find the link at the moment), Thompson came in dead last among so-called “values voters”. Since it seems to me that it’s the values voters who are most disappointed in the current crop of candidates, this doesn’t bode well for him. (2) He is known to his former government colleagues as the laziest man ever to serve at the national level. Even his high-school classmates considered him extra-lazy. (3) Probably due to his laziness, he only managed to get 4 of his 90 bills passed! (4) In contrast to Reagan’s acting background, which was well in his past by the time he ran for President, Thompson’s coming directly from Hollywood. But I’d guess this will hurt him less than his fake “Law and Order” image will help him. (5) After deciding not to run for re-election in the Senate, he nepotistically awarded a quarter-million dollars of his PAC money to his son’s consulting firm. (6) He’s got a significantly younger “trophy wife”, which _might_ hurt him with some potential voters (and might help him with others). On the plus side for Republicans, he leaked the Watergate committee’s knowledge of the Nixon tapes to the White House. This makes him crooked, but crooked for the “side of right” for his fellow Republicans. That should give him a pretty big boost, I think. ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/6 "2007-08-31T05:44:49Z")
Oh, and I just read that Thompson “doubts” (possibly denies) any anthropogenic contributions to Global Warming. Yup, another nut job on the subject. But I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if this would _help_ him with Republicans… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/7 "2007-08-31T06:19:26Z")
But has he the vision thing, that The Leader is so abundantly blessed with? Has he taken a firm stance on animal-human hybrid research? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/8 "2007-08-31T06:40:30Z")
It will be Romney, the man carved from a block of frozen mayonaisse. My heart cries out for Newt! Newt! but it is not to be, they are snake bit and shell shocked, they want to take no chances, they will go for soothing over stern, and, more importantly, youngish over Godalmighty old! I mean _really_ old, his jowls have jowls. He looks like Strom Thurmond back from the spa. They will pick the least risky candidate, like they picked Dole. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/9 "2007-08-31T08:20:57Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Story [here.](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/08/30/politics/p130857D52.DTL) Does this matter? In terms of political/intellectual/moral heft, [Fred Thompson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_thompson) is considerably less than a hole in the air. OTOH, compared to the other announced Pub candidates for president, such as they are, he actually seems impressive – and, more importantly, noncontroversial. And he **is** a good-looking fellow, for his age, in a bulldog kind of way; and a pretty good actor, which counts for something, however much we might wish it didn’t. (It worked for Reagan, didn’t it? More’s the pity.) In fact, he seems to be the Al Gore of the right wing – all the FReepers are eagerly waiting for him to announce. [/QUOTE] Thompson scares me more than any of them. He has all the core values that “those people” listen to. He’s well known because of his TV fame. Call it the “Matlock factor”. Oh that nice “young” man from Law and Order is running. He’s so impressive on there. Let’s vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/10 "2007-08-31T08:58:54Z")
I have nothing of substance to add, except one of my favorite Chris Matthews moments ([video](http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/14/matthews-probes-thompsons-smell-sex-appeal/)): > [@](#): > > Gene, do you think there‘s a sex appeal for this guy, this sort of mature, older man, you know? He looks sort of seasoned and in charge of himself. What is this appeal? … Can you smell the English leather on this guy, the Aqua Velva, the sort of mature man‘s shaving cream, or whatever, you know, after he shaved? Do you smell that sort of—a little bit of cigar smoke? You know, whatever. Hilarious. This is the same guy who swooned over Bush’s codpiece. But to contemplate a serious answer to Matthews’s fevered imagination (because I’m weird), we could take a look at his polling among women compared to men. The answer is a definitive “no” at least according to [this](http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/), which suggests the GOP women have the vapors for McCain and Giuliani instead. I think Huckabee could be dangerous for the Dem prospects. He has a hint of economic populism. I have a tough time seeing anyone else being elected from the GOP side (or in Giuliani’s case, making it past the primary)…but I guess we’ll see, eh? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/11 "2007-08-31T12:04:06Z")
I think he’s going to be the Republican version of Wesley Clark. He looks like the perfect candidate until he actually runs. He doesn’t seem to think too well on his feet and I bet the other candidates eat him alive during debates. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/12 "2007-08-31T13:57:06Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] I think he has a little more substance than you’re giving him credit for. Certainly about a hundred times more than John Edwards. Let’s go down the list, once again: [/quote] OK, let’s do. > [@](#): > > Education/Bio > > - Comes from a working class background. First kid in his family to go to college. > - Earned a double major in both philosophy and political science. > - Scholarships to Tulane and Vanderbilt. > - J.D. from Vanderbilt, admitted to the bar in 1967. Edwards comes from a working class background, was the first kid in his family to go to college, majored in textile technology, graduated from NC State with honors, J.D. UNC-Chapel Hill, with honors. > [@](#): > > Career > > - U.S. attorney from 1969 to 1972 > - Campaign manager for Howard Baker in 1972. Baker won. > - Co-chief Council for the Watergate Commission, 1973-1974. He was the man responsible for Senator Baker asking the famous question, “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” > - Practicing Attorney through the 1980’s and 1990’s. Shouldn’t that be “Practicing _Lobbyist_”? With respect to Thompson, even your cite notes that as GOP counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee, he basically carried water for the Administration. The Famous Question was regarded even at the time as flashy rather than useful. (IIRC, the witness was John Dean, who was more than ready to spill everything he knew anyway.) Edwards was a highly-regarded plaintiffs’ attorney from 1984-97, litigating some groundbreaking results. One of his verdicts established the North Carolina precedent of physician and hospital liability for failing to determine if the patient understood risks of a particular procedure. He’s seen a lot of situations where corporate disregard for the safety of their workers or customers led to tragic results - and fought them, and won. > [@](#): > > - Special Council to the Senate Intelligence Committee > - Special Council to the Foreign Relations Committee > - Successfully fought a corruption case against the Governor of Tennessee, and helped bring him down. > - Two-term Senator, winning both elections in a landslide. During his career as a Senator, he chaired the Committee on Governmental Affairs and sat on the Finance Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and the National Security Working Group. Edwards has served on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Thompson is not a “two-term Senator,” btw; he’s served one and one-third terms.) Edwards co-sponsored 203 bills during his 6 years in the Senate, to Thompson’s 90 in eight years. Edwards fought corrupt corporations and brought them to heel. > [@](#): > > - Headed the process that helped pick and got John Roberts approved for the Supreme Court. John Edwards voted for the Iraq War. I’d say that makes them even, except so did Thompson, so Edwards wins that one. Plus, Edwards’ “Two Americas” theme for his 2004 campaign was a philosophical critique of the GOP/corporatist way America has been run, one that he has sharpened in the intervening years. He has led the way among the Presidential candidates in preparing detailed policy positions on major issues such as the GWOT and universal health care, and is acknowledged to have driven the debate on the Democratic side. Yeah, I’ll be happy to say that Thompson is an empty suit compared to Edwards. Or Obama. Or Hillary. Or Richardson. Or Dodd. Or Biden. Or Kucinich. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/13 "2007-08-31T14:09:38Z")
It’s hard for me to think particularly well of a candidate who’s waiting to declare his candidacy until one day after the New Hampshire debate, [simply so he doesn’t have to file any FEC disclosure reports until January 31](http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/30/185219/227). It’s a real “what’s he got to hide?” on two levels: first, is it really that important to him to make sure nobody knows who’s writing checks to his campaign? And second, it doesn’t suggest he’s particularly eager to mix it up with the other candidates in a less-than-perfect environment, either. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/14 "2007-09-01T12:18:24Z")
Another old white guy wants to be the Republican candidate for president. What a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2007, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/15 "2007-09-05T23:52:50Z")
He’s announcing [tonight.](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14184398) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/16 "2007-09-06T00:26:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I have nothing of substance to add Ironically, this pretty much summarizes Thompson’s platform. > [@](#): > > He doesn’t seem to think too well on his feet and I bet the other candidates eat him alive during debates. Which we’ll never know because Thompson delayed his announcement until after the final Republican debate. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/17 "2007-09-06T02:03:52Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Ironically, this pretty much summarizes Thompson’s platform.Which we’ll never know because Thompson delayed his announcement until after the final Republican debate. [/QUOTE] I’m sure there will be **some** more debates before the primary season begins (whenever that might be, what with all the state-by-state “leapfrogging”). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/18 "2007-09-06T06:24:10Z")
Well, I saw his appearance on Leno. He spoke well, but I thought he seemed ill. It looks like he’s lost some weight, his voice doesn’t sound as deep as it usually does, and he kept clearing his throat. Maybe it’s just a cold, but I wonder if his cancer is a little more serious than has been let on? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/19 "2007-09-06T12:02:40Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Well, I saw his appearance on Leno. He spoke well, but I thought he seemed ill. It looks like he’s lost some weight, his voice doesn’t sound as deep as it usually does, and he kept clearing his throat. Maybe it’s just a cold, but I wonder if his cancer is a little more serious than has been let on? [/QUOTE] He’s held his toe in the water so long he probably caught a cold. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582/20 "2007-09-06T12:29:27Z")
Depressingly, isn’t being good on TV by far the most important requirement for President? How many voters can actually say precisely what a particular candidate stands for? Here in the UK David Cameron, leader of the opposition Conservative party, basically got the job after a well-presented speech to his party: 04 October 2005 Standing ovation for Cameron at Tory conference David Cameron has received a standing ovation for his speech at the Conservative party conference in Blackpool. > **[Standing ovation for Cameron at Tory conference](https://www.4ni.co.uk/uk-national-news/44766/standing-ovation-for-cameron-at-tory-conference)** > > David Cameron has received a standing ovation for his speech at the Conservative party conference in Blackpool. David Cameron has been elected as the new Conservative leader by a margin of more than two to one over David Davis. … Mr Davis, 56, began the contest as the bookmakers’ favourite but a lacklustre speech at the Conservative annual conference in Blackpool dealt what turned out to be a fatal blow to his challenge. > **[BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Cameron chosen as new Tory leader](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4502652.stm)** > > David Cameron is elected as the new Conservative leader, beating David Davis in a ballot of Tory members. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-thompson-to-announce-his-candidacy-for-potus-september-6/417582.md?page=2)