Thompson Makes Like Reagan to Fuel Republican '08 Bid (Update1)

By Kim Chipman and Kristin Jensen

Sept. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Fred Thompson says a top challenge for the next president is fixing Social Security. Asked how his ideas for overhauling the system differ from those of George W. Bush, the actor and former Tennessee senator says: ``I don't even remember the details of his plan.''

Republican Thompson, 65, who styles himself as the heir to Ronald Reagan-style conservatism, entered the race today after six months of flirting with a run. With the earliest-ever primary campaign already in full swing, he doesn't have much time to convince voters that he is focused and prepared.

``There are grave issues affecting the safety and security of the American people, and our economic well-being,'' Thompson said in a video on his Web site at midnight. ``I'm going to do my level best in this campaign to address these problems.''

Thanks to his celebrity, the former star of television's ``Law & Order'' begins his quest in an enviable position. He runs second in national polls of Republicans and has the potential to upend the more established campaigns of Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor.

To do so, Thompson will have to demonstrate that he has ``a command over policy issues,'' said Ari Fleischer, Bush's former White House spokesman. ``He's got to knock the policy questions out of the park,'' as well as show executive skill in managing his campaign.

`Communicator' Reputation

That means Thompson will no longer be able to duck candidate debates or dismiss policy questions with a folksy aside. ``This whole reputation as a great communicator carries with it the responsibility to actually communicate,'' said Terry Holt, a Republican strategist in Washington who worked for Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and isn't aligned with a candidate this year.

Thompson's late-summer entry into the race would be conventional were it not for a compressed primary calendar that forced others to start early. He's jumping in four months before John F. Kennedy did in 1960, 2 1/2 months before Reagan in 1979 and a month before Bill Clinton in 1991.

Former Tennessee Senator Howard Baker said Thompson marches to his own drummer. ``Nobody pushes Fred into something he doesn't want to do,'' he said. ``People are announcing way too early.''

Many Republicans see Thompson as a man who can revive a flagging party, and perhaps as the only politician in the field who can keep Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton from gaining the White House.

Laughing With Leno

Thompson waited until just before a Republican debate in New Hampshire to make his formal announcement. Instead of attending the Fox News-sponsored forum in Durham, he opted to be in Burbank, California, where he appeared on NBC's ``The Tonight Show With Jay Leno'' and directed viewers to a Web site message that contained his official declaration of candidacy.

The Leno performance ``might seem to be a way to distinguish himself from the rest of the field,'' said John Feehery, a Republican consultant who supports Giuliani. ``It could also lead to people thinking he's a joke.''

Thompson's rivals for the Republican nomination took shots at him during the debate. Arizona Senator John McCain, 71, teased that the New Hampshire event was past Thompson's ``bedtime.'' Giuliani, 63, a former U.S. attorney for New York, said Thompson did a ``pretty good job of playing my part in `Law & Order.'''

Citizen-Politician Moniker

Throughout his eight years as a U.S. senator, Thompson endured charges that he was an uninspired lawmaker. He said the nature of his entry into the race signals that he's a citizen- politician who will take his message ``directly to the people.''

The precise content of that message remains a mystery.

``The big question now is, `What does Thompson do to distinguish himself from the pack?''' said Craig Shirley, author of the book ``Reagan's Revolution'' and a Republican consultant in Alexandria, Virginia, who isn't affiliated with a candidate. ``He needs to find a signature issue'' that defines him for voters, Shirley said.

Those who say Thompson lacks vision are missing the point, said Republican pollster Frank Luntz: He's selling his own persona as a homespun advocate of traditional values. ``It's not about policy,'' Luntz said. ``It's not even about politics.'' Thompson is seen as someone with ``the ability to transcend traditional partisanship.''

Slash Government

Thompson, much like Reagan, defines his candidacy in bold colors. He says it's essential to slash the size of government and for Republicans and Democrats to work together on national security and economic issues.

He also touts his social-conservative credentials, saying he is ``unabashedly'' against abortion and an avid defender of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

On pensions, energy and education, specifics are scant. On health care, he said in his campaign video that he backs portable insurance policies not tied to employers. Asked how he'd deal with Iraq, Thompson, who's never visited the war-torn nation, said in an interview: ``We better get more serious,'' and gave no details.

Thompson, who today begins a five-day campaign swing through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, has little room for missteps now that he is a full-fledged candidate.

Timing

Some suspect that Thompson, who showed a sure sense of timing as he glided from country lawyer to Watergate investigator to Washington lobbyist to actor to senator, may have picked the wrong moment to re-enter the political stage.

``If Fred Thompson is the nominee, then he'll be seen by many as another George Bush, another Southern conservative Christian,'' said Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta. ``That won't sit well with a lot of independent voters.''

He first ran for the Senate in 1994, when Republican fortunes in the South and nationwide were surging. The opposite is true today as Republicans are weighed down by Bush's low approval ratings and voter unhappiness over Iraq.

Thompson, who grew up in rural Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, the son of a used car salesman, laughs off questions about whether his campaign is already off-track.

``I walk into a room, some people expect me to be Ronald Reagan,'' he said. ``I say I'm thinking about being president, people expect me to snap my fingers and have a ready-made staff ready to go. None of those things are true or will happen,'' he said. ``I'm just an average guy.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in Washington at kchipman@Bloomberg.net ; Kristin Jensen in Washington at kjensen@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 6, 2007 00:37 EDT

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