Too Late for Fred Thompson? (AoTD 3/31)

Not really. The article below details the case for late entries - especially Fred Thompson givenhis impact on the polls. The similar things might apply to Gilmore of VA and maybe Newt (that is, if Gingrich wasn't carrying enough baggage to fill a Fedex Cargo Jet)

Last week I wrote of the amazing draft Fred Thompson movement. And this week, I saw an interesting thing happen. As dubiously as I normally regard polling data, the latest from Rasmussen--its first national telephone survey involving Thompson --may be highly instructive. The results show that without even the brim of his hat in the ring, he already leads Hillary Clinton by a percentage point.

[The Rest of the Story]

There are those who say that it's too late for Fred; that it takes an enormous amount of time to build up name recognition. These people obviously never sit around, as do I, enjoying adult beverages with regular folks who can effortlessly identify everyone, from last night's contestants on American Idol to the latest missing mountaineer by name.

Some also contend that he's way behind in endorsements and fundraising. But scuttlebutt has it that nearly one quarter of House Republicans may be ready to back him when he visits Capitol Hill on April 18th. And money from grassroots conservatives and the rest of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy could pile up quickly should they feel they have one of their own in the fight.

And so, following Vito Corleone's advice to his son regarding enemies, let's listen to what our close friends at the Daily Kos think of Thompson:

[H]e's popular with the Republican base and has proven electoral appeal with swing voters and independents... he's very intelligent, a strong speaker and an excellent debater...Moreover, he would have several strengths against any of our top three candidates. He comes off to most as more likable than Hillary Clinton. Unlike McCain, Giuliani or Romney, he'll certainly out-Southern John Edwards. And he'll score well on the gravitas score against either Edwards or Obama (less so for the latter).

Let's hope he doesn't run, or that if he does, all the top money and operatives have already been snatched up and he gains no more traction than, say, Mike Huckabee.

Courtesy of Lisa Fabrizio on GOPUSA.com

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