Here is what some are saying today (New stuff)
(Quinnipac University Pollster)
Thompson, who was also a Watergate prosecutor, had previously discouraged suggestions he run. But he is now considering the race, amid indications his conservative record combined with a blue-collar, pickup-truck appeal, to independents and moderate Democrats might make him the right guy at the right time.
"He could run as a common sense Washington outsider with Ronald Reagan-class communications skills. Thompson's name recognition is still limited, but his celebrity means his face recognition is unusually high and very favorable.
"He'd have instant credibility within the party and would be a very formidable candidate against any Democrat in November," said former U.S. Sen. and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, who is neutral in the nomination fight. "He has a very solid conservative record, but like Reagan, he has been able to charm many who may not agree with him on every issue."
Bob Beckel, who managed 1984 Democratic nominee Walter Mondale's campaign, called Thompson potentially a Democratic electoral nightmare because of his communications skills and ability to appeal to swing voters.
|