Reply #11: You are too blinded by hero worship to see that I was complimenting him [View All]

It takes a ton of appeal and political strength to reach the 20's in the polls before people even have a clue as to what you intend to do as president.

==Both McCain and Edwards have been in full campaign-mode for the past four years, at least.==

Sure, but there are huge differences. McCain was once the front-runner and establishment candidate; Edwards has never enjoyed these advantages. McCain was once a media darling; Edwards has never been. McCain was the front-runner until recently; Edwards has never led the national polls. McCain is sinking because he took an unpopular position on an issue that riled his party's base; Edwards has not done this. McCain has no money because he was spending as a front-runner; Edwards has far more cash on hand because he has been running a frugal campaign one would expect from a 3rd place candidate without a ton of fatcat and corporate support.

==They are both seen (by most) as failing to gain traction in this year's contest.==

McCain was once the front-runner. He had traction but lost it because of immigration. Edwards has essentially stayed the same all year. You can argue that Edwards has not gained traction because of that but there is no Republican equivalent to that in the top-tier. Both Ghouliani and McCain have hemorrhaged support while Thompson has went form nowhere to the 20's. Romney is low in the national polls but clearly has grained traction and holds a substantial lead in NH and leads in Iowa.

It is naive to assess Thompson without looking at the Obama example. Thompson will face the same basic issues that Obama faced and continues to face. Just look at the last two weeks. Obama has lost support over "merit pay" and guns. The same thing will happen to Thompson as people begin to learn about his actual positions, instead of just looking at a blank screen onto which they can project their beliefs. The question is can FT gain enough support to offset these inevitable losses?