Somber Thompson just being Fred
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 25, 2007
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Single page view Reprints Post Comment Text size: AMES, Iowa - Fred Thompson says his often-dour demeanor simply reflects his seriousness about the issues facing the country. "I'm just Fred," he says, and the image that's served him through a successful political career won't be changing.
Thompson, who played a gruff district attorney on television's "Law & Order," offers precisely that image as he campaigns for the GOP presidential nomination. He's generally serious and direct, with little of the backslapping and joking of many of his rivals.
"I laugh when I am amused and I'm amused a lot," said Thompson in an interview with The Associated Press. "When I'm talking about terrorism, when I'm talking about bankrupting the next generation, when I talk about what is going on in Washington, I am not amused. I don't think it's funny."
He said he's "no less chirpy" on the campaign trail than when he won election and then re-election to the U.S. Senate in Tennessee.
"There's only one thing I can guarantee and that is I will be me, and it's served me pretty well politically," he said.
Like most of the candidates for the GOP nomination, Thompson is seeking to convince Republican primary voters that he is the natural heir to the political legacy of President Ronald Reagan, a former actor who was known both for his staunch conservatism and his sunny disposition.
Thompson has a take on Reagan's political success that plays into his own strengths.
"Reagan's success was that he was Reagan," said Thompson. "When he did his television presentations, when he made his speeches, it was not all sunlight and music and a walk in the park.
"That was pretty serious stuff; he was talking about the Soviet Union. When he was talking to the American people, the thing that was successful for him was that he believed in what he was saying and it came through."
Thompson said he's seeking the same kind of conservative consistency, albeit with a different style.
"Everybody's different; if you try to be somebody else, you're making a big mistake," he said.
His own acting background left an expectation with many about how his campaign would unfold, Thompson said.
"I know that I don't fit the stereotype of a lot of people's notion of the perfect candidate," he said. "They expected me, some in the media expected me to be well scripted and slick and I am neither. I'm just Fred. What you see is what you get."
In the interview, Thompson said, "I don't take myself too seriously, but I take what I'm doing pretty seriously. Where that comes in on the happy scale I'm really not sure."
When Thompson entered the race, many saw him as the perfect candidate for conservatives who find flaws with the record of rivals like Rudy Giuliani.
Since he entered the race, however, Thompson's performance has been mixed with occasional stumbles. He professed himself happy with the state of the race barely six weeks before Iowa Republicans launch the presidential nominating season with precinct caucuses Jan. 3.
"I think all things considered I'm in pretty good shape right now," Thompson said. He said his sense is the race in Iowa is tightening, though rival Mitt Romney is relying heavily on the outcome.
"I'm told he has more people on the ground than all the other candidates put together," Thompson said.
Well said, divemedic.
