In yet another sign of trouble for his much-hyped candidacy, longtime Fred Thompson backer Steve Bainbridge is stopping just short of withdrawing his endorsement — but only because he still thinks the other alternatives are even worse.
His first objection is that, while he likes Thompson’s ideas for tax reforms, he doesn’t think they go far enough. Specifically, he likes Thompson’s simplified tax code but thinks the idea of allowing taxpayers to chose between that code and the existing one is burdensome, in that it would essentially require them to figure their taxes both ways.
His chief complaint, however, is with Thompson’s “lackadaisical” campaign style. He cites Michael Medved’s report of a boring interview he conducted with Thompson, wherein the former Senator sounded “disengaged, bored, flaccid and tired.” Medved opines, “Instead of relishing the opportunity to connect with several million listeners, Thompson came across like a guy forced to complete a necessary but onerous chore.”
Which, it seems to me, is a complaint about Thompson himself. Maybe his reputation for being lazy (by presidential aspirant standards, anyway) is deserved? And, if the man is already tired from the rigors of the campaign trail after, oh, six minutes of campaigning, maybe he’s not up for four years as president?
Photo credit: Mother Jones
