Thompson Supporters Losing Faith

As Fred Thompson weighed leaping into the presidential race, several political insiders spoke openly of Thompson's reputation as a lazy campaigner and policy maker. I held off commenting early because I don't like to buy into a "theme" being perpetuated about a candidate until really studying the candidate's actions and words.

But now CQPolitics.com is reporting that several US House backers of Fred Thompson are now frustrated with what they see as an apathetic campaign.

They are speaking anonymously, of course. But they accuse Thompson of turning whispers into a full-scale roar:

The disaffected members of team Thompson say that he has failed to put to rest whispers that he is unwilling to campaign hard enough to win the presidency.

He seems to be perpetuating it instead of defeating it,” another dissatisfied Thompson backer told CQ Politics. “I can’t see me bailing on him, but there’s some frustration.

The anonymous comments are meant to spur the Thompson campaign. That way Thompson backers can urge action without having to publically withdraw support. As one supporter puts it, they can let the process take care of itself, then back the eventual nominee.