Mr. Thompson Goes Home
Last April I wrote:
Tell me why Fred Thompson should not be our next president.
He spent a couple months speaking at all the right groups, making videos outlining his conservative platform, and rallied his base. He charged a group of conservatives as he seemed to have a natural niche in the Republican field. Despite my excitement for Thompson, I still left the Republican Party last summer.
Thompson was the first candidate for president that I have ever been excited about. I even considered, although ultimately did not, contribute financially to his campaign.
Thompson is a conservative through and through. Yet, his campaign was poorly run. He dinked around too long and didn’t enter until September after dangling a 4th of July date. He declared his candidacy the day after a debate, which was a huge mistake. And as soon as he was in the race, he disappeared from the radar.
I understand running an alternative campaign. Yet, when the candidate disappears from the public discourse, he has relegated himself to the second tier. That is exactly what happened. During that downturn, Mike Huckabee seized upon the nice Thompson was catering too. His meteoric rise all but killed Thompson’s chances. They split the true conservative vote. Huckabee has no shot as his record and positions are not conservative, despite appealing to a segment of the party. That marginalized Thompson.
He poured everything he had into South Carolina and stepped up and scorched the last debate. Yet, he finished a distant third.
Yesterday’s announcement that Thompson was withdrawing was no surprise.
Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.
Remaining in the second tier does not generate donations. Without donations, there was no way to continue through the primary season.
While I contend Thompson is the best candidate for the GOP, he did not get his message out well enough to earn the nomination. America loses today. I really worry about the General Election this year. I do not see an upside with any of the remaining candidates in either party.
Also blogged on this date . . .
- The Bright Side of Life - 2008
- Governing With Conviction - 2007
- Relativism, Discussion Boards, and Geocaching - 2007
- Chapter 5: The Jeremy Brown Blue Plate Special - 2005
Tags: 2008-Election, Fred-Thompson, Politics, Republican