What explains this hostility? One factor is almost certainly Thompson's decision to work around--not through--the mainstream media in Washington. He first hinted at his candidacy in an interview with the Fox News Channel. He spent time with reporters from THE WEEKLY STANDARD and National Review. He posted commentaries on conservative blogs and brief video editorials on his own website. Nothing generates hostility from reporters so much as ignoring or dismissing them. Just ask Dick Cheney.
But some of the criticisms are valid, and they do not come only from the national media. Lee Bandy, the influential columnist at the State in Columbia, South Carolina, wrote that Thompson's debut "wasn't very impressive" and that his upcoming debate performances could reveal that he is "not ready for prime time."
Even some Thompson supporters worry that his speeches lack focus and strike audiences as rhetorical wandering. And they are concerned that his long layoff from active campaigning and his late entry will mean that reporters will harp on him, playing his knock-the-dust-off stumbles as major campaign gaffes.
This week, Thompson intends to sharpen the differences he has with two of his rivals--Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani--by asking a simple question: Where were you during the 1994 Republican Revolution? Thompson, who first won election to the Senate that year, will portray himself as a "consistent conservative" who supported the small-government principles of the Contract With America then and supports them today. The obvious conclusion: While Thompson was campaigning as a proud conservative in Tennessee, Romney was running
for the Senate in Massachusetts as a liberal Republican who distanced himself from Reaganomics. Giuliani was endorsing the Democratic governor of New York and liberal icon Mario Cuomo for reelection.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Thompson campaign so far is this: Despite his late entry, poor fundraising, and staff disorder, and despite the negative press, the former Tennessee senator, three weeks into his campaign, must be considered not only a top-tier candidate but almost a co-frontrunner for the Republican nomination. The Rasmussen poll at the end of last week actually found him tied with Giuliani; the most recent Gallup poll gives Giuliani an 8-point lead, Reuters/Zogby has Giuliani up 2, and CNN has the former mayor up one.
Call it a nice Fred Thomas post-announcement bump.
Stephen F. Hayes is a senior writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
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