Earlier this year, just as the various Republican primary campaigns were getting off the ground, many on the Right were discontent with their current choices and appeared to be pinning their hopes on a possible run by Fred Thompson.
But that early enthusiasm appears to have worn off quickly, at least for everyone who is not Richard Land, with Thompson failing to win over the members of the influential Arlington Group and then stating that he has no intention of talking about his personal faith during his campaign, which probably explains why he will not be attending the upcoming Values Voter Debate in Florida.
Well, that and the fact that he apparently doesn’t like being treated like a performing seal:
Later, in Celebration, he was asked why he was not participating in the Values Voter debate in Fort Lauderdale on Monday. He said he will do his best to participate in debates, but he can’t make all of them.
“Debates are important, but let’s don’t let the tail wag the dog here. Standing up there 10 in a row, you know, like a bunch of seals waiting for someone to throw you the next fish is not necessarily the best way to impart your information to the American people,” Thompson said. “I’m not above acting like a seal every once in a while and waiting for the next fish. I just don’t want to do it all the time.”
This remark came on top of his refusal to say whether he supported Congressional intervention in the case of Terri Schiavo, which was of paramount importance for the Right back in 2005, saying he didn’t “remember the details of it.”
If Thompson is going to try and live up to his billing as the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan, he’s going to have to do a better job of pandering to the Right than this.
