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The Curtain Call for Thompson?

I was reading Roger Simon’s piece, “Fred Thompson: Lazy as charged” (click on title for the article as it appears in Politico).  In his report from Iowa shadowing Thompson on the campaign trail, Simon recounts an odd series of events in the small town of Waverly.

First Thompson stops in to speak with a local town newspaper (that does not endorse candidates, mind you) with an editor skeptical of his campaign.  Though Thompson failed to offer specific proposals and chose to speak in generalities (not uncommon or gaffe-like amongst politicians crooning for votes), he did fail to inspire.  This alone reinforces the reality we have all come to accept: In the ledger of passionate connection Thompson is rather poor indeed.

Following his meeting with the local newspaper, Thompson and his team decided to skip walking through the town and shaking hands one-on-one with voters, for a more structured event at a local fire station.

In front of 15 or so fire fighters, Thompson refused to put on a fireman’s hat, as if he harbored all the restraint Michael Stanley Dukakis should have possessed before he climbed into the tank.

At this stage, Thompson is in the worst-possible position.  Without any more debates, Thompson cannot gain the ground he needs before the next major flurry of states vote in 2008.  The way things are shaping up, he has already lost several states as it stands and the ability… or perhaps… opportunity to expand his base of support is vanishing.

To add insult to injury, Thompson failed to qualify for the ballot in at least one state (DE).

So, where does that leave his candidacy?

When it is all said, Simon’s column does more than paint Thompson as a lazy politician.  The wrap against Thompson has always been that he lacks the fire in the belly – the energy and desire to become president.  The story is hardly news.  What is news is that in all this time his political team has done nothing to shed that perception.

Who are these people? 

Where are these people?

Retail politics is without a doubt a complex endeavor, because it requires energy, interest, but most importantly, the candidate’s ability to “go with the flow”, adapt to meet a changing environment.  The presidency operates in much the same way.  Certainly, a president also must remain firm and resolute at times as well, but the image of Thompson on the campaign trail is one of a rigid man, uncomfortable with what he does not know – timid and insecure.  While much of that we can place on the man himself, we also have to blame his team for letting it continue.

The presidency is more than just “a man” though we often condense our thoughts to that level of singularity.  However, if past history has taught us anything - the right “man” (speaking generally of course) chooses the right team.  The right “team” of personnel help shape the candidate, the candidate’s policies, speeches and schedules, so that everything flows.

Should Thompson continue to allow his campaign to operate as scripted, it will collapse around him.  That is going to leave powerful political networks that he started his campaign with up for grabs.  The Virginia GOP, for example, has been rumored to be aligned around Thompson, and certainly through the south and mid-Atlantic region there are others. 

Where are these political powerbrokers going to go if Thompson drops out?  Huckabee? Romney? McCain?

The truth remains, two weeks are a long time in politics.  Thompson is by no means done.  But if he is going to rebound - both he and his campaign need to be sharper, they need to want it more, and they need to start taking dynamic stances on issues, not unlike Steve Forbes managed to do several years ago. 

If Thompson used his Reaganesque appeal to call for a bold realignment of NATO, move to end the embargo against Cuba, and outline a way to restore textile jobs in the south – mixing pragmatism, energy and southern charm, he just might climb back in.

If he does not, Iowa and New Hampshire could very well be his final act.

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