Fred Thompson's bus tour of Iowa is in its third day and Thompson has been making (snow) waves across the state. In addition to having a cool looking bus, he is getting some great local earned media like this story in the Dubuque Telegraph.
Political insiders as well have been impressed. Per the Brody File:
The expectations are gone. The slow start is a distant memory. It has been replaced by a much more crisp, energetic, focused stump speech. The crowd seemed more engaged and rowdy and Thompson had the enthusiasm to match.He comes out at the beginning of the event an starts cracking jokes like this one:
“It was getting so cold in Washington that the politicians have their hands in their own pockets.”Now, it would be at this point in September where he would begin to ramble a little bit and lose focus. Not this time. Fred Thompson is on top of his game. No rambling. He’s focused on substance and determined to prove he’s the logical conservative choice. But he’s doing it all with a smile on his face. He seems very comfortable up there and he’s having fun.
Thompson has had an interesting run so far. He started out with larger than life expectations that failed to materialize. He has been plagued by allegations (with proof) of laziness and a campaign organization that didn't seem to be firing on all cylinders. But now, as David Brody points out, the expectations are gone. This means Thompson is now in the position to be the story coming out of Iowa.
The rolling billboard on the interstates, the paid media that features him in a small town diner, and the small town appearances with their accompanying local earned media is an impressive saturation strategy. Add direct mail and phone banking to the mix and you have what looks like a campaign poised for a breakout.
If Thompson finishes within a few points, or outright beats Romney, then he will win the news cycle coming out of Iowa. All he needs to do is exceed expectations, which right now is at 9%.
Please point to the "proof" of Fred's laziness.
Posted by: Joel | December 19, 2007 11:02 AM | Permalink to Comment