Thompson party isn't exactly a big bash

The day after throwing his hat in the ring, GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson told his supporters nationwide via a conference call that together, they can make a difference.

In Utah, though, just five "FredHeads" turned out to hear Thompson's message early Thursday evening at what had been planned as a party at Utah Republican Party headquarters to celebrate the candidacy of the former Tennessee senator and actor.

Grant Lynn, a Salt Lake financial planner who organized the event, told the group that Thompson won his support because he is the only candidate with "the courage to talk" about the looming Social Security crisis as the nation's population ages.

Long before Thompson was even considered a possible candidate, Lynn said he knew he wanted "to find a leader who says enough is enough.... I just didn't feel that fire in the gut from anybody else."

Jennifer Stephens, a Salt Lake federal office worker, agreed. "I was thinking lip service, because that's what most politicians give," Stephens said. "That's what drew me to him, too, that he's willing to say something unpopular."

Thompson, who announced his candidacy on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Wednesday, offered supporters an abbreviated version of his Webcast announcement speech, which can be found at www.fred08.com.

Brenda Caine, a Salt Lake online instructor, told the group she had already viewed the Webcast. "It's good. It's very good," she said. Later, Caine told reporters that Thompson is the most electable Republican in the race, the only one with "the whole package."

Polls, however, have shown that Utahns support another Republican in the race, Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor is well-known in the state as the leader of the successful 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

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