Thompson Downplays Poll Numbers

ABC News’ Christine Byun Reports: Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson Monday told a small audience of Louisiana supporters that he’s not concerned what the polls say about his presidential chances.

"Everybody’s got a poll out every 15 minutes … you can ask ‘President Howard Dean’ how that turned out," Thompson said, referring to Dean’s high polling numbers prior to the 2004 Iowa caucuses.

He added that there are "a lot of bullets yet to be fired in this thing," suggesting his campaign has more fire. One of his enduring targets is the Democratic Party.

"These folks are apparently planning for careers in NASCAR — they turn constantly to the left, they will soon wind back where they started," Thompson quipped about the Democratic presidential candidates.
 
The former Tennessee senator spoke at a hotel near the New Orleans airport. The meeting room had 250 chairs – only about 80 of the seats were filled with supporters who came out for the noontime event.

After his speech, Thompson spoke to the media, saying he had " a lot of faith and confidence"  in the newly-elected Governor Bobby Jindal to help the state restore itself, two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

"Leadership makes a difference … You’ve got an effective leader and he’s putting together an effective team," Thompson said of Jindal.