Omaha World-Herald, NE
12-23-07
Presidential Profiles: GOP's long shots hope to catch fire
BY ROBYNN TYSVER AND JAKE THOMPSON
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS
LE MARS, Iowa — Fred Thompson isn't a fan of long speeches.
The Republican presidential hopeful takes about 10 minutes to sell his message:
free markets, less government and a strong military.
The small-town boy from Tennessee with the mellifluous drawl doesn't like to
make things too complicated.
"It's common sense," Thompson said to a lunchtime group of about 60 at the
Four Brothers Bar and Grill in Le Mars.
"If there is one thing I want said about me, it's that I was a consistent commonsense conservative with a 100 percent pro-life voting record my entire career."
"That's where I've been," he added. "That's where I'll be tomorrow."
Despite the hoopla that greeted the entry of the actor-turned-politician into the
presidential race last summer, Thompson is now one of three Republicans
fighting to break out of the second-tier pack in Iowa.
Polls have consistently shown Thompson and Reps. Ron Paul of Texas and
Duncan Hunter of California in the single digits in Iowa. Rep. Tom Tancredo, RColo., who also struggled for support, pulled out of the GOP race Thursday.
Seeking to boost his standing with Iowa caucus participants goers, Thompson
recently campaigned by bus statewide. He added a get-tough-on-illegalimmigration stance to his message.
Thompson has been endorsed by Rep. Steve King, who represents heavily
Republican western Iowa and calls the Tennessean a "full-spectrum
conservative."
King promises to give Thompson's campaign "everything I have" up to the Jan. 3
caucuses. King said he will hit the road day and night, if need be, in his sport
utility vehicle, which is equipped to power a computer, a printer, cell phones and
even a slow cooker.
"The question is: Does Fred have the fire in his belly to win this campaign?" King
said. "Well, I'm going to put some fire in his campaign."
Thompson, meanwhile, hasn't fared better in New Hampshire, the all-important
first primary state. He and Hunter each drew 1 percent support in a midDecember poll there.
If anyone's grabbing attention among the also-ran Republicans, it's Paul. He
drew 7 percent support in the New Hampshire survey.
Paul recently raised more than $6 million in 24 hours, mostly online — one of the
largest single-day fundraising totals in the history of presidential politics.
He is the lone Republican candidate calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S.
troops from Iraq.
Paul plans to use his infusion of cash in New Hampshire and other key early
primary states such as South Carolina and Florida.
Thompson, a former U.S. senator, entered the race with a head of steam that
began to evaporate shortly after his announcement tour of Iowa.
He was supposed to be the true-blue conservative alternative to former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy
Giuliani. Instead, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has captured much of the
thunder, running as the "authentic conservative."
Many Iowa Republicans say Thompson entered the race too late. Others
question whether he has the energy and desire to compete. Thompson has
visited Iowa 16 times, compared with Romney's 67 visits.
Thompson's stops in Iowa often are brief and his speeches general.
His celebrity appeal — he has starred in movies and as the district attorney in the
long-running "Law & Order" television series — hasn't helped him much with
serious-minded Iowans.
"He hasn't been out as much," said Gerry Ihrke, a Republican caucusgoer from
Le Mars, who said he thought Thompson was running on his name recognition
and "not because of his senatorial career." Ihrke said he was leaning toward
Giuliani.
Thompson has, however, shown some spark in recent weeks. In a Des Moines
debate, he nearly led a revolt against the moderator when he refused to raise his
hand in response to a question on global warming.
Thompson later issued a statement saying that if his colleagues couldn't stand up
to the moderator, how could they be expected to stand up to al-Qaida?
Thompson is running heavily on his Senate record, touting his support of tax
cuts, longtime opposition to abortion and his opposition to granting a pathway to
citizenship for illegal immigrants. He also supports the Iraq war.
"We used to have a certain basic understanding in this country that peace was
derived by strength and determination and perseverance, and respect for the
sanctity of life and respect for the miracle of a market economy," Thompson said.
Paul traces all his basic understanding back to the U.S. Constitution.
The Libertarian Party's presidential candidate in 1988, Paul boasts that he has
never voted for legislation unless it is expressly authorized by the Constitution.
Now running as a Republican, Dr. Ron Paul — he's an obstetrician who has
delivered 4,000 babies — leads an eccentric campaign that is drawing eclectic
audiences. Supporters say they're part of a revolution.
Paul says that, as president, he would let states decide whether to legalize
marijuana.
He would shrink the federal government: no more Department of Education, no
more Internal Revenue Service. Same for the Federal Reserve system,
Medicare, Medicaid and America's involvement in Iraq.
"I think the whole sentiment is shifting," Paul said recently. "I think people are
sick and tired of the war."
He also would curtail the U.S. military presence elsewhere overseas.
"We maintain an empire which we can't afford," Paul said in a debate. "We have
700 bases overseas. We're in 130 countries. We cut there, and then we have a
better defense of this country, and the people get that money and they get to
spend it here at home."
Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women
and Politics at Iowa State University, said Paul has stayed "on message." His
money could help him have an impact on the presidential contest, Bystrom said.
By comparison, she said, she was puzzled by Hunter's lightly funded presidential
quest.
Hunter is a Vietnam War veteran and a longtime member of the House Armed
Services Committee. During the Des Moines debate, he sketched why he's
running.
He wants to build a strong national defense, enforce border security and
recapture the high-paying manufacturing jobs that the United States has lost to
"bad trade deals."
"I know what it takes to secure this country," Hunter said. "I also built that border
fence in San Diego that worked so well, and I wrote the law that takes it across
Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. And as president, I will finish that border fence
in six months."