Oct 20, 2007 
More on why Fred Thompson won’t be the GOP nominee, from Steve Benen.
Yesterday’s “Values Voter Summit,” the year’s largest religious right gathering, offered the actor/lobbyist/senator a chance to reconnect with the activists who’ve been slipping away. How’d he do? I spoke to several people who were on hand for the event, and everyone agreed that they were amazed at how awful he is on the stump.
And here Steve quotes from a New York Times article by Michael Luo:
[Thompson] spoke with his chin often buried in his chest, his voice largely monotone, and he cleared his throat or coughed repeatedly, prompting some to wonder if he might be ill.
“He didn’t look good,” said Ronald Sell, 63, a musician from New York City.
Mr. Sell said he initially had high hopes for Mr. Thompson but left disappointed and wondering why as an actor, Mr. Thompson did not “at least have his lines memorized.”
“If he was the candidate, we’d be in trouble,” Mr. Sell said.
Hopes were raised, then dashed. I sincerely believe a lot of people who got on the Thompson bandwagon confused him with the character he plays (woodenly) on Law & Order. The only question I have is, if Thompson really wanted the presidency enough to bother to run, why isn’t he making a better effort?
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