Fred Thompson isn’t looking so hot. This past week, he aired the first negative advertisement in the Republican primary race. In the ad, Thompson accused Mike Huckabee of poor tax policy and Mitt Romney of being a closet pro-choicer. Then on Wednesday in the CNN/YouTube debate set in Florida, Thompson was criticized for his ‘dirty’ ad, but replied “"These are their words.", to which the accused candidates both seemed unfazed. In the debate, Mitt Romney defended his position "I'm proud to be pro-life. I'm not going to be apologizing to people for becoming pro-life." After the bout with Romney, the ‘dirty’ campaigning had taken a negative toll on Thompson. The mud-slinging Republican debate was testament to the growing contention and desperation amongst the presidential hopefuls. And Fred Thompson doesn’t appear to be taking the high road. But in the states that matter, it has yet to be said if the voters will be more inclined to view and partisan with the neg ads on tv rather than YouTube debates. With such ads voters might lean in the direction Thompson wants them. And the debate wasn’t all flawed, Thompson still managed to highlight his strong Immigration Policy and come out of the debate in once piece.
Thompson spent his last week campaigning in Florida, and although he was criticized in the New York Times for leading a weak and ‘unconventional campaign trail’, campaign advisors still urged the press to watch Fred as he sets off for the Iowa caucus. On 12/01, Thompson was featured with his wife, Jeri Thompson on Larry King Live to discuss the recent debate and his 2008 campaign so far. Also, Thompson plans to make a few stops in South Carolina this upcoming week. But Thompson seems to be slipping in the polls. Although he is still second to fellow Republican Giuliani in the Republican race, Thompson is slowly losing support. Compared to an averaged 23% of support back in September, January is right around the corner and Thompson’s at 14% (RCP). If this becomes a trend, keep an eye out for a Thompson dropout.
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It is a significant sign that Thompson has resorted to mudslinging, because it shows that he and his campaign advisors ARE feeling heat from Huckabee, and that they find it necessary to advertise against the competition. On the top end of the Republican candidates, Giuliani will hold himself back from any dirty campaigning because he doesn't want to acknowledge any kind of pressure from any of the candidates. Simply put, Thompson is worried about his competition and acknowledged their gains by initiating his dirty campaigning at this point. As David said, this does not bode well for the longevity of his campaign
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