Tommy Thompson Tries Out His Act Outside of Iowa: Not Quite Ready For the Big Time

OK, Tommy, no need to follow the text of the speech.  Just do what you always do, embrace the values of the crowd you're addressing.  You know, the old Wisconsin is great, we love the Packers stuff.  Just adjust it  a bit for whatever audience you're talking to.  This running for president thing isn't so hard; after all, George W. pulled it off twice, and you're a genius by comparison.

Haaretz covered Tommy's speech Monday to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C.:

Former Wisconsin governor and Republican presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson told Jewish activists Monday that making money is "part of the Jewish tradition," and something that he applauded.

Speaking to an audience at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington D.C., Thompson said that, "I'm in the private sector and for the first time in my life I'm earning money. You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition and I do not find anything wrong with that."

Thompson later apologized for the comments that had caused a stir in the audience, saying that he had meant it as a compliment, and had only wanted to highlight the "accomplishments" of the Jewish religion.

"I just want to clarify something because I didn't [by] any means want to infer or imply anything about Jews and finances and things," he said.

"What I was referring to, ladies and gentlemen, is the accomplishments of the Jewish religion. You've been outstanding business people and I compliment you for that."

Tommy, just channel Reggie White speaking to the Wisconsin Assembly in 1998:

White people were blessed with the gift of structure and organization. You guys do a good job of building businesses and things of that nature and you know how to tap into money pretty much better than a lot of people do around the world.

Hispanics are gifted in family structure. You can see a Hispanic person and they can put 20 or 30 people in one home. They were gifted in the family structure.

When you look at the Asians, the Asian is very gifted in creation, creativity and inventions. If you go to Japan or any Asian country, they can turn a television into a watch. They're very creative.

That's the ticket, Tommy.  Just praise whatever group you're speaking to and you'll do fine.  It's not as if anyone is paying attention.

(Thanks to Eschaton.)

UPDATE:  Haaretz' Shmuel Rosner has some advice for candidates trying to woo the Jewish vote:

It was like a scene from the Borat movie. A man from a foreign land trying to connect with a tribe of people with whom he is unfamiliar. A wonderfully disastrous misconnection leading to misunderstanding leading to embracement.

The only problem is that both the man - former governor Tommy Thompson, and the tribe - activists gathering for the Washington convention of the Jewish Religious Action Center, were Americans. And that this man was claiming he was running for president of the United States. He came to woo, but left behind a crowd of sophisticated adults giggling like teenagers at his expense.

- Barry Orton