Rating the Candidates 2 – Personality as the Differentiator
Fred Thompson
By KipParent on 11-18-2007
Every Sunday and Thursday
Continuing my look at the leading Republican candidates, next up is the man running (in many polls) second to Rudy Giuliani. (If you are wondering at the illustration to this article, please see my previous entry on Rudy Giuliani).
Fred Thompson
In many ways, Fred Thompson is the most surprising of the major candidates I've looked at this election season in terms of personality. The surprise comes from the vast gap between the expectations people had of Thompson as a potential candidate, and the reality of how he comes across now that he actually is a candidate. Thompson was the great hope of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. And, as long as he stayed on the sidelines hinting at joining the race, he remained an exciting possibility for the Reagan faithful. Like Ronald Reagan, he is an actor. As an actor he often portrays a down-to-earth common sense, easy-in-his-own-skin character. In fact, in his rehearsed moments, his aw-shucks answers such as "That dog won’t hunt" lead many to believe that he might have the master communication skills of Reagan, a consummate Artisan Performer.
Unfortunately for the hopeful, Thompson is very much a Guardian. Visit his campaign website – www.fred08.com – it screams "Guardian"! The initial page currently features his latest TV commercial hammering on the issue of illegal immigration. Says Thompson in this monologue feature, "Illegal imigration is unfair to those who have followed the rules... enforce the law". He continues the solid Guardian theme with his campaign principles, which include: "Personal Responsibility, Protecting Our Country, Traditional American Values, and The Rule of Law". Overarching the entire site and campaign is his theme: "Security, Unity, Prosperity". Rules, laws, tradition, responsibility – all bedrock attributes of concrete and cooperative Guardians.
As a stolid Guardian, Thompson possesses very little of the improvisational skill and ability to instantly warm to people displayed by Artisan Performers Reagan or Bill Clinton. In the rapid-fire action of debate, or even in the fairly soft-ball question and answer environment of Sunday morning political TV, Thompson tends to stick to his script, even when it is obvious he has rambled away from the topic raised by the opponent or questioner. In fact, Roger Simon of Politico.com called his performance in the October 9 debate "dull", a description that has continued to dog his debate and talk-show appearances since.
Nor does Thompson the candidate seem to show the Artisan's relish for rubbing elbows with people on the campaign trail. He rarely lingers after his prepared speech to shake hands and answer questions from the crowds that come to see him. It has been commented that he seems uncomfortable making prolonged eye contact with people – a skill that has served our current Artisan president George W. Bush, very well as a campaigner. A recent New York Times article described one of Thompson's forays in Iowa: "he was something other than the dynamic presence that some in his party have been yearning for. Iowans saw a candidate who is subdued and sonorous, a laconic presence who spoke in soft monotone, threw few elbows and displayed little drive to distinguish himself from his opponents."
Because of the wide gap between expectations of his communication skills as an actor and the reality of his Guardian traits as a candidate, Fred Thompson makes a very weak general election candidate. A Democratic opponent should feel very good in the event of Fred Thompson's primary campaign taking off.
[Index to all articles in this series]
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Posted by Peggy on Nov 19, 2007
Sounds like Giuliani doesn't have much to worry about when it comes to Thompson. However having just returned from NY voters are not impressed with Giuliani's track record post 9/11. He'll need to work harder to adopt that Artisan charisma. |
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Posted by TennisGuru on Nov 20, 2007
But we have had a fair number of Guardian presidents so I wouldn't count him out too quickly. I agree with many comments about Giuliani being a bit too much for many people and, besides 9/11, he doesn't have that much going for him. I'm not sure he will get elected but I wouldn't be surprised if he beats Giuliani. After the "W" people might just want someone "boring" |
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Posted by julenisse on Nov 27, 2007
TennisGuru- Giuliani made 9/11 worse in many ways. Not sure what you mean by "besides 9/11 he doesn't have that much going for him". I would say "In addition to his negative contribution to the 9/11 fiasco, he has nothing positive going for him". He isn't even neutral. If it weren't for Fox having chosen him as the Repubublican frontrunner as payment for his "work" with Time Warner, no one would be talking about him much. |
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Posted by DavidMKeirsey on Nov 27, 2007
Cleaning up New York, breaking the Mafia, not tolerating Arafat -- not much going for him with liberals. Me thinks they doth protest too much. |
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Posted by KipParent on Nov 29, 2007
Not quite sure how we veered to discussing Giuliani in the Thompson blog thread - perhaps it just reinforces the point that Thompson is a dull Guardian (not saying all Guardians are dull, just this one). With regard to Giuliani and "liberals", I actually believe that the issues Dave mentions are very popular with liberals, and in fact is how Rudy was elected and re-elected mayor of one of the most liberal cities in the country. I know of no "liberals" that are pro-Mafia, or like crime. Israel was a "liberal" cause long before it became the rallying cry of the far right. Read your history of the Nixon-Kissinger era - neo-con support for Israel is a pretty recent phenomenon. |
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Posted by DavidMKeirsey on Dec 15, 2007
My point apparently too masked, but was similar to yours. Liberals are afraid of Rudy, because his positions and experience are not easily dismissed as all those other "extreme religious rightist" just like the unpopular and hated W. Guilani is "closer" to the "center" in many ways (a so-call social liberal), therefore I get the impression the liberal hostility (including comments I was commenting on) towards Guilani is because they really think he has the best chance to win. In regards to history of support of Israel, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the White House before Nixon-Kissinger, had been strong. That includes Truman (who regarded himself similar to Cyrus the Great- the liberator of the Jews, despite Truman's anti-semitic language). Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson were strong supporters of Israel. Yes I have read my history and I am old enough to remember the political events from Sputnik and beyond. No, support for Israel is not a recent phenomenon. |
Right on Mr. Parent! I think that your articles are extremely insightful. I visited Thompson's website, and you are absolutely correct, this guy has "Guardian! Guardian! Guardian!" all over the place. Before his October 9th debate I wondered if he could be an Artisan posing as a Guardian, (because we all know that at least half of the U.S. Population are Guardians). But it is clear now that he is Guardian through and through. If he is Artisan posing as a Guardian, he is convincingly Guardian (but this does no good for him). Either way, Guardian or Artisan, this guy doesn't seem to have what it takes to get elected.