I missed last night’s GOP debate, but note this morning that there is much buzz about Fred Thomspon’s perfomance in said event (James Joyner and Bryan Preston have round-ups, and Preston’s has video clips).

The NYT notes its write-up:

Fred D. Thompson tried to salvage his faltering presidential campaign at a debate Thursday night with a barrage of sharp attacks on the “liberal” policies of Mike Huckabee, the fellow Southerner whom he clearly sees as a rival in the South Carolina primary.

The performance by Mr. Thompson, which including several pointed one-liners, capped a debate that showed the altered terrain of the Republican field as it moved beyond contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Blogospheric excitement over Thompson (including Human Events’ endorsement) rather clearly underscores the general dissatisfaction with the Republican field. If a fellow who is well behind in the polls can create this much excitement over one debate performance, then clearly the field is underwhelming at best.

However, I would also note that Thompson supporters are basing their enthusiasm on thin gruel. A single debate performance and some one-liners does not a resurgence make. Indeed, for one to read too much into the event would require Ronulan-like faith.¹ There is also the question of why, if he is capable of such a performance² , he hasn’t been performing like this from the beginning? That fact plays as much into the “Fred is lazy” meme as it does a new “Fred is back!” ³ argument.

And here’s a key question: when has a candidate ever finished with 1% in New Hampshire and gone on to win the nomination? ⁴ The answer is: never.

Update: edited to fix awkward phrasing (and a few missing words in one of the footnotes)

1. i.e., the fervor and faith of some of Ron Paul’s more fervent followers [↩]
2. again, based on what I have read, not what I have seen [↩]
3. Was he ever “here” in the first place? [↩]
4. And note: I don’t think it should work that way, but let’s face facts about how the process does, in fact, work [↩]

4 Responses to “On Thompson”

1. Ruth Anne Says:
   January 11th, 2024 at 2:00 pm

   I prefer the term “Paulestinians” when talking of the Ron Paul supporters.

2. MSS Says:
   January 11th, 2024 at 2:21 pm

   Well, I certainly have better things to do than watch a Republican debate, but from clips I saw on the news, I think I missed some genuine entertainment.

   How fun it would have been to watch the pre-candidates spar over who was more REAGANITE while all the while committing multiple violations of ST. RON’s 11th Commandment!

3. Punditry Says:
   January 11th, 2024 at 2:55 pm

   Fred at the Debate

   Jim Geraghty: Winner: Thompson. This performance was so commanding, I wanted his last answer to echo back to the lights in the back of the auditorium, blow out all the lamps and spotlights, for the theme to “the Natural” to play, and for hi…

4. Steven L. Says:
   January 11th, 2024 at 3:18 pm

   It would have been better tfor this type of thing to have happened a couple of months ago (and in time to stifle Huckabee), but I’d hold off on the toast category until after Minn. If he can outlast Romney to be the alternative to McCain, he would still have a shot. It seemed (to me) that his performance at the debate was aimed at that — hold off Romney, put down Huckabee (esp. in terms of whether he is a real conservative), and leave McCain largely alone.

   Oh, and mock Ron Paul. But that wasn’t part of the strategy. That was just for fun.