Should Conservatives Look at Thompson’s Record or His Rhetoric?

A very experienced businessman once told me, “Managers don’t always hire the most qualified person; they hire the candidate that they are most comfortable with.” I’ve seen that happen over and over again. People hire people like themselves –– job candidates with whom they are comfortable. I think the same principle applies in the voting booth. People vote for the candidate they “like” and Fred Thompson is very likeable. People vote for the candidate that they feel they can trust, and Fred Thompson seems trustworthy. Voters go for the person who makes them feel comfortable, and Fred Thompson has the gift of making people feel like he is one of them. At the same time, he combines natural authority and a certain down-home dignity; no wonder his name comes to mind when producers are looking for someone to play an authoritative official for a movie or television program.

It is entirely possible that, come November 2008, the voters will turn Fred Thompson’s way simply because he is likeable, seems trustworthy and they are comfortable with him. At this point, though –– about a year-and-a-half before the election –– Thompson has not even declared his candidacy, so any analysis of his potential in the race is pure speculation. It’s pretty significant, though, that nobody counts him out and people are falling all over each other to join his campaign.