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Thompson: 'I Need to Come in Second'
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ShareDecember 30, 2007 4:36 PM
ABC News' Christine Byun reports: With the Iowa caucus date in sight, Republican candidate Fred Thompson said he needs to finish closer to the top of the heap this Thursday night.
"I need to come in second," Thompson told reporters at a campaign event in Ames, Iowa. (He has said he WANTS to finish second - on CNN's American Morning - but today he said NEEDS to, which caused all of the traveling press to question his staff at length, post-avail. They didn't provide any further clarification.)
By declaring that he needs to do better than he's polled for months, Thompson risks setting a bar so high for himself that a third-place victory -- which would be something of an achievement for his struggling campaign -- is a self-imposed disappointment. Under his own rules, Thompson could beat Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the caucuses and still be setting himself up to drop out of the race.
For the past couple of days, Thompson, who has been polling behind rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, has been trying to break ahead of the rest of the GOP nominees. When pressed by reporters, he would not speculate what would happen to his candidacy if he did not finish near the top.
Pacing in front of a crowd, the former Tennessee senator - dressed in a dark suit and maroon tie - laid out his pitch to another group of Iowans on his statewide tour. He says it's the same message he's been touting since his September announcement - and all his political career.
"I have been a strong consistent common sense conservative everyday of my political career," Thompson said. "That's not gonna change. I am not going to change. Let the political world swirl around me. Let everybody run their attack ads, spend their money ... But I am going to be the same ... I think that will serve us well in the end."
Thompson is relying on his record to convince voters to caucus for him Thursday night -- and said he believed "consistency" would be his party's success in uprooting next year's Democratic nominee.
When an audience member asked if Thompson could beat Senator Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for the White House, Thompson joked, "Like a drum!" The audience laughed and clapped, but Thompson became serious as he discussed the Republican's chances for the White House next year. After cautiously acknowledging the Democratic nominee might not be Clinton, Thompson stressed that his party's nominee needs to avoid being "like a feather in the wind" and stand strong for their principles.
"Be yourself. Come with the ideas that you believe in. That's what people are looking for," Thompson said.
December 30, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (14)
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Good that he sets his sights high... but I don't see it happening. In spite of his honest approach to corn subsidies I still see McCain coming in third, Romney second and Huck winning by a few hundred votes.
Posted by: Mike in VA | Dec 30, 2007 5:35:25 PM
Fred will regret leaving Law and order,at least on that show he seemed intelligent. In real life he doesn't seem too bright.
Posted by: AJ | Dec 30, 2007 6:22:07 PM
Thompson will quit very soon.
Posted by: Maria | Dec 30, 2007 6:26:27 PM
Fred is honest and not a lip service campaigner telling the public anything they think they need to hear to get elected. History dictates that these campaign promises seldom have anything backing them up when the guy gets into office. My respect to Fred for not being another one of these candidates who talk out of the side of their face just to get a vote.
Posted by: Steve | Dec 30, 2007 6:57:49 PM
wow a whopping 4 comments(when i read this) for this candidate........go home fred, it's already over for you. want to come in 2nd, do something controversial like have your young wife pose in playboy you old geezer.
Posted by: jp | Dec 30, 2007 8:25:52 PM
Go on home Fred and take your wife to cheer leader practice..It is getting late in the afternoon and she needs to be home before it gets dark.
Posted by: Joe MUrphy | Dec 30, 2007 9:52:08 PM
Perfect.. we all have noticed he doesn't really care about this election and just jumped in because the media and everyone else pressured him into it.. he figured with his popularity he'd be a shoo-in, but everyone lost interest when he opened his mouth and said "yeah, i'd just keep doing everything the same way we always do" and "I don't know enough about that to give you a yes or a no".. folks quickly lost interest. I think this is a smart move on his end because it will allow him to exit the campaign gracefully and not suffer more than 1 major defeat.
Posted by: Jeff D | Dec 31, 2007 12:10:10 AM
Fred Thompson is truly an actor. He's looking for the script to follow which gives him the title of President of the United States, a script which writes out the rigors of a presidential campaign. He's looking for the Hollywood lights without any sweat equity.
Posted by: newz4i | Dec 31, 2007 10:25:35 AM
As the Nashville Opry peoples choice, Fred has let them down without so much as a whimper getting aired. Now the "sudden baptists" begin to view their Mormon choice as inevitable. If Huckleberry can just finish that fence WHITEWASHING, he may get the nod in the nick of time. In the end, McCain will save their day...film at eleven!!
Posted by: daddyblue | Dec 31, 2007 11:51:16 AM
I don't care what place Fred comes in in Iowa as long as come November, if he's the Republican nominee, he comes in 2nd Place in the national election.
Posted by: jeremy | Dec 31, 2007 12:33:52 PM
Fred Thompson is sleeping thru this race. They pegged him right as a lazy ole southern boy
Posted by: Bob | Dec 31, 2007 1:15:20 PM
anybody that was a lawyer for the republicans during Watergate is too corrupt for office
Posted by: Mike | Dec 31, 2007 2:18:45 PM
Well Mike, he was counsel for the Senate committee that investigated the Watergate matter. You may want to do some research before opening your mouth to show how little you know.
Posted by: Jon | Dec 31, 2007 5:27:51 PM
Jon, yes he was. And he would at times alert those that he was investigating in the White House.
The Dems would make a field day with this one if he became the Republican nominee.
Posted by: roy | Jan 1, 2008 1:07:05 PM
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