Fred Brings His Follies to the Lone Star State

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Washington lobbyist turned GOP Presidential candidate Fred Thompson is bringing his campaign follies to Texas today in an effort to woo southern voters. Thompson was supposed to add enthusiasm to the GOP race, filling the void of a true conservative, but his performance has been disappointing as he continues to make major gaffes across the country. The latest example took place Monday when Thompson announced that he would attend a debate in New Hampshire that had been canceled months ago. [Boston Globe, 9/18/07]

And this past weekend in Florida, Thompson was caught completely off guard when asked about a major local issue, oil drilling in the Everglades, saying, "Gosh, no one has told me that there's any major reserves in the Everglades, but maybe that's one of the things I need to learn while I'm down here." Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist had to distance himself from Thompson responding "I wasn't completely overjoyed with the positions ... but I think he'll take some time to respond to them." [AP, 9/18/07]

Despite high expectations that Thompson was the GOP candidate who would energize the race, recent polls show that he hasn't gotten a much expected bounce in approval ratings since his announcement. According to Gallup: "Despite the hoopla surrounding Thompson's official announcement that he is running for president, Republicans' support for his candidacy has barely moved in recent months, generally registering 21% to 22% since mid-June. [http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=28702]

"The only expectations people seem to have for Fred Thompson now, is that he'll continue to put his foot in his mouth," said Democratic National Committee spokesperson Amaya Smith. "Instead of hitting the ground running, Thompson has stumbled, fumbled and lazily gaffed his way across the country so far. If this is any indication of what kind of leadership Thompson would offer in the White House then Americans will pass."

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