Backers, undecideds tune in to Thompson

Highlights of Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson speaking to supporters in Aiken.
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AIKEN --- Undecided voters stood on chairs and bumped elbows just to hear Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson on Monday.

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Former Sen. Fred Thompson greets supporters after making a campaign stop at Papa Russ's Barbecue in Aiken.  Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Former Sen. Fred Thompson greets supporters after making a campaign stop at Papa Russ's Barbecue in Aiken.

Although his visit to Aiken County was delayed by a couple of hours, about 200 residents came to his campaign stop at Papa Russ's Barbecue to see whether the Law & Order star and former senator would get past his television persona and hit on real issues.

"I think we may have decided on a candidate, but we wanted to experience him personally," Mark Thompson, of Aiken, said of his family's wait.

Mr. Thompson acknowledged that he needs a win in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary Saturday but was unapologetic about his campaign, telling voters that if he's too laid back for their tastes there are plenty of other candidates to choose from.

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C., introduced Mr. Thompson in the dining room while loudspeakers in The Alley outside allowed latecomers to hear the message.

After touting national security and Supreme Court appointments as the two most important issues facing the next president, Mr. Thompson took questions from the audience before slowly winding his way to his tour bus.

"I believe our country's better days are ahead of us if we do what we ought to do," he said.

While some voters were looking for answers, diehard supporters drove to Aiken in an effort to sway the undecided.

"I'm not from South Carolina, but I'll be contacting people in South Carolina because the alternative is unacceptable and I'll have to pay for it," said Dianne Thomas, of Charlotte, N.C. "He has more depth that's not always shown in a sound bite."

Mr. Thompson's foreign policy experience and knowledge of the economy are issues that Ms. Thomas said get lost, but she said that if voters see him they'll know he's a politician who's still about the people.

"He doesn't talk in sayings like 'change,' " she said.

Mr. Thompson wouldn't say whether a first-place finish in Saturday's primary was necessary for him to continue his quest for the Republican nomination.

He will continue his tour bus campaign in South Carolina through Friday, concluding in Columbia.

Reach Julia Sellers at (803) 648-1395, ext. 106, or julia.sellers@augustachronicle.com.

Comments

christian134

Fred Thompson is the only qualified person to take over the reins of our government. He is honest and makes complete sense of what the issues are and what needs to be done unlike the others who are just "full of themselves".

0430

christian134: Please, no more comments from you. You voted for "BUSH". Look where we are today.

fenn138

He has my vote.

SunDown

0430... I voted for Bush too. I can't even imagine where this country would be if I voted for a pimp like John "Kerry." So... where are we today? I have an idea. Why don't you vote for Osama Obama or Billary, and shut up? Then, in four years ask yourself exactly what did the democrat party do to solve your problems. The answer will surely be a resounding nothing. Why is that, because the democrat party believes in subsidizing poverty and keeping the average American under their thumb and not actually solving anything? They lead by polls and that is it! If you look at some of the worse local / State Governments in this country they are almost all run by liberals (New Orleans being a good example). To be honest I don't really think it will matter who you vote for this time out because they are all liberals (some slimier than others)!

T.

Supporters of Mr. Thompson are hanging in there because he is the only candidate that reflects true conservative views. Are we worried that he isn’t showing better in the poll? –Of Course! However, the gap between Fred and the rest of the more talked about pack is huge. On National Security, Taxes, Entitlements, Federalism, and Immigration, Fred Thompson takes the most realistic approach. At the end of the day, he is still the guy who best represents our view of the better direction for America.

I’m still with Fred!

SunDown

Oh yea... I did mean to make a comment about Fred (that is before I noticed 0430's idiotic remark). I am undecided, I don't like nor dislike Fred. There is one thing about him that is sort of unique (it was pointed out on Fox News). This man has virtually no body language and very few nonverbals. It is really hard to read him. I just thought it was interesting.

SunDown

T. Your comments are really good. I guess I would lean more towards Fred if I thought he was a serious contender.

sjgraci

Fred looks dead.

charlesmanson

exactly sigraci. he looks like warmed over death.and as far as the race is he is dead.he couldn't take on one of the demo candidates if his life depended on it. i mean wow! 200 people? obama and hillary bring in thousands. he is not appealing,but is boring, uninformed,lazy,and out of touch, which could describe mccain also.this election is about change, not building up the military and pouncing on anyone who dares do something that the us didn't give them permission to do.

wantchangecashadollar

Oh wow Charlie some great insight...I guess you think Hillary looks good...now that is a awful looking woman...and the Rich Elitist Obama is not suited to lead a garden party...can you send your kids to a 15K a year private school in Hawaii..Obama's white grandparents could...I am glad to see he is only balck when he is running for office...the Democraps will lose big this year...I'm with Fred!

charlesmanson

stay with fred until he has to drop out. there is no way he can last.i don't care what hillary looks like. golda meir,wasn't pretty, nor was margaret thatcher, but they were tough! but i guess you prefer draft dodgers,and one old pow who was to be released but stayed. your party is old white men. we are sick of old white men (i am a white man also) but i ain't running,and yes, i'm a vet so please hold your i was there comments! the us shouldn't have been there to start with!

SunDown

Charlie... I think it is u that is out of touch. I especially liked how you pulled the "change" world out of the democrat play book. That is all you hear the libs say... change... change... change... but as usual they are devoid of any substantial details. Duh... of course there will be a change! There will be a new president in the white house; there will be a new cabinet. Oh yea, I really liked your military comment. What we need is a weak military to deal with all the radical muslim animals that are pouring into our country. These would be the same animals that wanted us dead before anyone ever heard of George W and the same ones that will want us dead 20 years from now. I say we pounce on them before they pounce on us, and eat them alive! There is one thing I like about you limp noodle types. Your stupidity is entertaining.

charlesmanson

oh seven is that all you have to offer? what i mean by change is it won't be 2 white men running this country in 09.it will be 2 democrats,and possibly 2 minorities.we've had 43 white prezs and 45 vps all white men.we've never had a weak military, don't you think our enemies know this better than us?thompson wants to keep making it larger, we can't afford it, and be borrowing from asia at the same time.they are buying and building weapons to use against who? probably us. you say pounce on them seven, with who? the same poor kids who enlist to get an education, while all the wealthy kids still vacation in the french riviera,or the florida keys? send yours pal, i think this is why your guys don't have a prayer in this election.people are tired of war period.

SunDown

Charlie boy... did I say it was all I had to offer? I was just responding to your retarded remarks. If you want me to o-pine (means to express an opinion), I'll o-pine. First of all, how the hell do "I" know what "you" mean by change if you don't explain yourself? Of course then when you do "finally" explain yourself you just babble on and on about democrats, minorities, white people and gender. It never ceases to amaze me how slimy liberals like you are the first ones to notice skin color or gender while at the same time whining about bias. Thanks to the GOP our military is much more viable than it would have been otherwise! Jimmy Carter nearly destroyed the military, Reagan rebuilt it so well, and we won the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Bill Clinton cut troop strength during his term in office, and that is why we have such long tours in Iraq now. BTW my son is a marine and I spent 23 years in the Air Force. People are tired of hearing the media and slimy liberals like you drone on and on and on about how we can not win the war, even while we are winning the war (undermining [filtered word]).

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