Reality bites Fred Thompson
By Libby
Updated below
I've been predicting for a while now that once Fred was forced to actually start campaigning he would start losing his mystery appeal and from all indications his first appearance in New Hampshire is proving me correct. The Granite Staters were decidedly underwhelmed.
The ever pragmatic Yankees know a snow job when they see one and one suspects they didn't feel like they got their money's worth at $50 a head for nine minutes of substanceless feel good sloganery.
It's not a stretch to surmise that Thompson is short shrifting New Hampshire in favor of giving the benefit of his limited attention span to Iowa, reinforcing the building meme that Thompson is a lazy campaigner. Something else that is unlikely to sit well with a state that is already a little cranky about being manuvered out of the spotlight by calendar rigging within the states and runs counter to the strong work ethic common among the cranky Yankees that run the political machine of the Northeast.
Update: I think Capt. Ed is a pretty acute judge of politics but he doesn't know jack about cranky Yankees. The answer to his question is no, that doesn't more substantive than the report I linked to suggested it was. Fred came in like a big movie star, rubbed elbows with the important players and gave the rank and file nine minutes of his "precious" time. That may rock the house in Nashville, but it's not going to play in Nashua.
Updated below
I've been predicting for a while now that once Fred was forced to actually start campaigning he would start losing his mystery appeal and from all indications his first appearance in New Hampshire is proving me correct. The Granite Staters were decidedly underwhelmed.
The former Tennessee senator with the baritone drawl showed up Thursday in New Hampshire, the site of the first primary voting, and gave a speech that lasted only nine minutes, skipping over hot-button issues such as Iraq and immigration to invoke platitudes about freedom and strength.
He left more than a few Republicans disappointed.
The ever pragmatic Yankees know a snow job when they see one and one suspects they didn't feel like they got their money's worth at $50 a head for nine minutes of substanceless feel good sloganery.
It's not a stretch to surmise that Thompson is short shrifting New Hampshire in favor of giving the benefit of his limited attention span to Iowa, reinforcing the building meme that Thompson is a lazy campaigner. Something else that is unlikely to sit well with a state that is already a little cranky about being manuvered out of the spotlight by calendar rigging within the states and runs counter to the strong work ethic common among the cranky Yankees that run the political machine of the Northeast.
``I plan on seeing a whole lot more of you,'' Thompson told the New Hampshire Republicans.If he expects to establish any nationwide appeal outside of his good ole boy safety zone of the South, he's going to have to expend a whole lot more effort to connect with issues-oriented voters before they plan on seeing a lot more of him.
Update: I think Capt. Ed is a pretty acute judge of politics but he doesn't know jack about cranky Yankees. The answer to his question is no, that doesn't more substantive than the report I linked to suggested it was. Fred came in like a big movie star, rubbed elbows with the important players and gave the rank and file nine minutes of his "precious" time. That may rock the house in Nashville, but it's not going to play in Nashua.
Labels: Election 08, Republicans
posted by Libby Spencer at 10:03 AM
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