Fred Thompson Takes Roadshow to Reagan Country

May 4, 2007 — -- Former Sen. Fred Thompson's potential presidential bid gets kicked up a notch Friday when the "Law & Order" actor delivers a high-profile speech in the heart of Ronald Reagan country just one day after 10 Republicans held their first presidential debate at the library of the last actor-politician to become president.

"He is speaking to a special group and he has a special message for them," said Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo of the former senator's Friday speech to the Lincoln Club of Orange County.

"It's sort of the granddaddy of the Republican activist groups. They are the ones who launched Ronald Reagan in 1968. He wants to talk about where we are and where we could be," Corallo added.

Testing Bid in Reagan Country

Even though Thompson's top backer on Capitol Hill does not expect him to get into the presidential race until the early summer, the former senator is expected to use his Friday speech to try to cast himself as the kind of leader who would level with the American people about what needs to get done to secure a better tomorrow.

Thompson's speech, which is expected to be light on Iraq policy, may touch on a range of issues including entitlement reform, government competence, and lower taxes.

"He's got that great line that if you tell grandma and granddad that it's going to help their grandchildren, that their grandchildren are going to have the advantages that they had instead of being disadvantaged with a tax burden that's so overwhelming that government just becomes an agent for the transfer of assets from one generation to another that they'll respond to that," said Corallo.

Asked if Thompson was touching the so-called third rail of American politics and embracing benefit cuts for current Social Security retirees, Corallo said, "I don't know. It depends. It's something that he has to look at."

Even though Thompson has not yet taken the critical step of developing a specific proposal to reform Social Security, his willingness to say sacrifice is needed to prepare for the looming retirement of the Baby Boomers would separate him from the pack. The current crop of contenders on both the Republican and Democratic sides have shied away from such talk thus far.

It's No Act

Beyond his reputation as a strong communicator who is known for portraying strong authority figures over the course of his 20-year acting career, Thompson's supporters see him as someone whose opposition to abortion rights and other conservative social positions will make him more acceptable to GOP primary voters than the party's current front-runner, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani indicated during Thursday's Republican debate -- the first of the political season -- that he would be satisfied regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court left Roe vs. Wade in place.

According to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, only 53 percent of Republicans said they are satisfied with their current candidates.

"I do believe that if we don't nominate someone like him, I'm afraid we will lose the presidential campaign of 2008," said Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., Thompson's top cheerleader on Capitol Hill.

"Giuliani could do it," said Wamp, referring to winning the general election. "But I don't believe he could win our nomination. I think very few people can do both, win the nomination and then reach out to the center, without changing as people."

ABC News' Paul Fidalgo contributed to this report.