With Fred Thompson not officially jumping into the race for the Republican nomination for President until after Labor Day, his dive into the waters may find he waded too long along the edge of the candidate pool. His official candidacy came a day after an important Republican debate in New Hampshire, a move some say may appear that it was done to purposely miss the debate.
According to USA Election Polls (USAElectionPolls.com), Thompson is barely trailing Guiliani. Thompson is doing best in the Southern States and is carrying the first southern primary of South Carolina.
As a former Senator from Tennessee, and television actor, Thompson is attempting to paint his portrait as a candidate who understands the common man. By tooling around in his pick-up truck, he is attempting to show he just another guy. Not counting missing his $5 million fundraising goal by about $1.5 million, he claims his exploratory committee says he has a chance to win the nomination.
There is no tape on the floor telling him where to stand and no cue cards to help with his dialog on the national political stage, but there are plenty of people writing his lines as he prepares for his next acting job. Leaving the Law and Order series to take a jump back into politics, Thompson may be up to the challenge of his next appearance, but may have missed his entry mark, according to many political analysts.
His political experience and legal background served him well as a Senator and he has a following in many Republican circles, but a man of his stature showing up at rallies in a pick-up truck may be seen as an attempt at acting the part of an everyday-man instead of an honest man running for President of the United States.
