Paula Cole asks a good question.
Where have all the cowboys gone?
It would seem as though they've disappeared, the day of the western movie is forgotten and the men with guns and horses as American heroes is all but lost.
And presidential candidate Fred Thompson is no exception.
The self proclaimed cowboy has fallen off the map in this presidential election. What was a lucrative campaign, before it even began, has become a struggling, and most likely hopeless, bid for the White House.
It's not that Thompson isn't a good candidate. I think any conservative would be pleased with him in the Oval Office, however so much of the presidential race is based off of timing, luck, and the media's coverage of you. And for Thompson that's bee lacking.
Rewind back to June, Thompson was on the top of the world. It seemed as though republicans were disappointed with their selection of presidential nominees. Alas a new face, a face that is familiar to everyone, Fred Thompson. He's got Hollywood ties, is an authentic conservative, plus he's got a southern accent. Awesome.
But then he blew it.
All the momentum that was built up in his favor deflated after a rumor of him announcing on July 4 was proven wrong. In fact he didn't throw his cowboy hat into the race until three months later, effectively killing the majority of his support.
The reason Thompson got all the attention in the world just five months ago was because he was different. People hadn't settled on a candidate yet and some were even skeptical that any GOP nominee fit their bill. Thompson provided something new, something that people could latch onto. The problem is, since entering the race, Thompson has done nothing to differentiate himself from the rest of the field.
He's been in two debates now, and has created no buss in either of them. He's had the opportunity to release campaign commercials, but has created dull uncreative spots. He's had the opportunity to travel around the country and host town hall meetings to get in touch with his fans. But he's skipped several chances to campaign and has shown up late to several rallies.
I don't think it's all Fred Thompson's fault. During those three months, from the rumors of him announcing to his actual announcement, I think voters finally settled on a candidate. There were several debates during that time and conservatives voters finally picked their man.
But Thompson didn't do himself any good by waiting. He knew back in June that he wanted to run, yet he sat on his butt and did nothing about it. Except create a “testing the waters” committee.
That's what disturbs me. If you want to run for president you better be darn sure you want to enter the race. Because if there's any doubt in your mind, I don't want you on the ballot.
But Fred can still come back, it'll take a lot of work though.
First he has to make a name for himself. What is his 'big' issue. Giuliani's got terrorism, Romney, to some extent, has family values, and McCain has war and bipartisanship. Thompson has shown no side of a specific issue that he is expert at.
Second of all he has to make a splash. He's got to release either a profound campaign commercial or make a profound and controversial statement at a debate. Anything that will get his name into the media. He came into this race to late to coast. And I'm not saying it has to be outrageous, sometimes the best statements are the ones that are honest. Remember the attention Huckabee got after he expressed his belief in creationism.
Thirdly, he has to put more emphasis on his experience. His experience is very different from the other candidates. Sure he was a lawyer, but he was also a lobbyist, a radio commentator, and an actor. Remember that other conservative who was an actor? That turned out pretty well if my memory serves me right. Not all experience is equal. Thompson has to prove that the rare experience he has makes him fit to be president.
Finally, Thompson has to at least pretend like he wants the job. Right now no one is contributing to his campaign because they don't think he really wants it. He's got to show up to rallies and campaign all over the place. He can't let anything else distract him.
Otherwise he'll be asking, where is my happy ending?
And Paula Cole will continue to ask, where have all the cowboys gone?
