The video of Thompson's Leno performance is below. It was uninspired. A presidential candidate needs to be able to sum up the reason for their candidacy in a few short sentences. It needs to be compelling; it needs to show passion. Then it needs to be repeated over and over again. Thompson's message lacks an original punch--it's basically warmed-over Republican talking points. It's presented without passion.
The New York Sun's headline, "Thompson comes in with a whimper":
Mr. Thompson's speech itself was rather dour. While Thompson supporters have often compared their man to Ronald Reagan, known for his optimism, the candidate can come off more like Eeyore than the Gipper.
Here's Hotline's account of a Thompson event 9/6 in Des Moines:
His good ol' boy persona certainly seemed genuine enough, but his speech had the cadence of a dramatic monologue, not a rallying cry for undecided voters. There were large gaps of not-so-dramatic silence between a few of his main points. And instead of building the crowd's energy to a roar throughout the speech, he seemed to inadvertantly lull them into a patriotic stupor. The crowd still cheered at the end, but not quite as loudly as on the way in.
Nonetheless, most voters seemed impressed with his style and only a little disappointed by the lack of specifics.
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