Posted on 09/04/2007 2:35:04 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
As a veteran actor, Fred Dalton Thompson knows something about entering a stage. It's all about the build up. The former Tennessee senator plans to announce his official entry into the Republican presidential contest on Thursday. But he'll pique interest first on Wednesday with an ad aired during a GOP presidential debate from New Hampshire that Thompson will otherwise skip.
By then he will have taped an appearance on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," which will air about an hour after the debate ends in many U.S. households. Come midnight, he'll post a 15-minute video announcement on his official Web site.
The face time with Leno and the debate ad on the Fox network are the coquettish moves of a candidate who has already proven his aptitude using the media, from television to the Internet. While his main rivals - Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain - parry debate questions, Thompson will pretty much control his own message.
Thompson aides want as many eyes on the Web video as possible. The debate ad and a follow-up commercial on Thursday will instruct viewers to go online and get their undiluted message straight from the candidate.
"We think one of the strongest weapons this campaign has is Fred Thompson's ability to connect directly with the public," said Todd Harris, Thompson's communications director. "We want to drive as much traffic as possible to the Web site."
Following that media drum roll, Thompson will make his first campaign appearance as a declared candidate Thursday afternoon in Iowa.
Thompson is hardly the first to use the Internet and media to build up public interest. In January, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her Democratic presidential bid with a Webcast. In contrast, Sen. Barack Obama chose a more traditional route, announcing to a crowd in his home state of Illinois.
What stands out for Thompson is his blend of paid advertising, talk-show appearance, Internet and stump speech - all in less than 24 hours.
"That's the modern way to do it," said Tobe Berkovitz, the interim dean at Boston University's college of communications. "Especially if people are looking for something new on the Republican side. People have had plenty of time to look at Rudy or Mitt or McCain. So it makes sense for Thompson to march to his own campaign drummer."
Thompson's debate ad and Leno appearance could pose a risk, highlighting for voters Thompson's decision to forgo an exchange of views in New Hampshire with the remainder of the Republican field.
"The danger of doing it that way is that you're saying, 'I'm going to announce as soon as the debate is over,' which may rub some people who are watching the debate the wrong way," said John McHenry, a Republican pollster who is not affiliated with any presidential campaign.
Romney spokesman Kevin Madden pointedly noted Tuesday that Romney has traversed New Hampshire, addressing voters and giving interviews.
"Tomorrow night is an opportunity to spend an hour and half with New Hampshire voters and talk to them about issues that are important to them," Madden said. "Contrast that with 30 seconds in a paid ad."
But Harris said the point of the ad is to remind the public that Thompson is on the immediate horizon and that voters should keep an open mind.
"For every person watching that debate who thinks they've made up their mind, there are probably going to be 20 who haven't decided."
Thompson has made ample use of his Web site over the summer as he pursued a "testing the waters" campaign. By not announcing his candidacy, Thompson was allowed to raise money to explore the possibility of a presidential bid without having to meet certain federal election disclosure requirements. At the same time, Thompson could not advertise, describe himself as a presidential candidate or raise more money that his "testing the waters" efforts would consume.
A liberal blogger has asked for an FEC investigation into whether Thompson violated prohibitions on fundraising. On Tuesday, the nonpartisan Project for Excellence in journalism, a research group, described Thompson's Web site as far more interactive and sophisticated than that of his rivals. The site offers a collection of videos, a personal Thompson blog and various solicitations to raise money.
Lane Hudson, who asked the Federal Election commission to investigate Thompson, has cited those activities as further evidence that Thompson's unannounced campaign violated federal regulations.
"That's an irrelevant assessment because in a few days you will see Fred Thompson mixing it up with reporters and taking tough questions from voters," Harris said.
It is clear to me that the public is already tired of the existing candidates.
FRed is the only conservative republican that can beat Hussein Rodham-Edwards in November 2008.
With Edwards’ announcement Sunday that his HealthCare Plan will FORCE people to be insured and go to the doctor, and Clinton having her own Chinagate fundraising fiasco in the spotlight, and Obama wanting to capitulate to every petty dictator in the world, I just don’t see “Hussein Rodham-Edwards” as viable.
Not even Dems can be this stupid, can they ?
All you need is a good act. Build-up is nothing. The entrance better be astonishing.
Never underestimate the stupidity and lunacy of the nutroots!
sounds like the words of one of her minions, no offense, but Fred isn’t going to beat anyone, he’s just too weak.
Yes, he has cancer, he died two months ago, he rode on a golf cart at the Iowa State Fair, and his “trophy wife” is egging him on to run...
Fred isn’t going to beat anyone, he’s just too weak.
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I don’t think so ... after all he’s got the right ideas ,,, weakness or strength isn’t about him it’s about our reaction and I think the reaction will be a great sigh of relief that we finally have a candidate that knows what real conservatism is AND knows how to work a room... I predict that his TV blitz entrance into the campaign will set a real nice tone for the next year..
Fred can run but he can’t keep hiding. If you are going to fight, you got to get into the ring. Show us what you got.
It will not be too shocking if the voters in New Hampshire are not pleased that Fred Thompson rather talk at them than with them.
LOL, run an add during the debate you skip. Nice work! LOL
Please tell all of us who you propose to defeat Hillary Rodham-Clinton next Fall. We’re all ears...
Not logical thinking...Thompson will appeal to Republicans only...The swing voters will go 3rd party...Thompson offers nothing to the people who will cast the deciding votes...
Thompson will lose...
It’s pretty damn funny.
It’s got all the ninnie’s panties in a wad.
I’ll watch the debate for the commercials, like the Super Bowl:)
Lissen up, my fellow Republicans. Get outside the box. We need to go out and get a hero. We need General Petraeus. General Pace. Some guy with guts and proven field leadership. Not these plastic-surgified focus-groupers. Not one Republican out there right now can even make a decent speech! Let's get us a A Dark Horse, breaking from the pack, sprinting for the wire. Come on people, we got to win this one.
Lissen, I love Duncan Hunter. Sensible old-time stand-up authentic guy. Way livelier than Dole. He will have no trouble picking up my vote and all the votes of the 8 70+ guys down at the VFW bar. Just FYI, we couldn't even put in the dogcatcher we wanted in our last municipal election. Mexican woman got the job, probably on the female vote. We come up with a dull candidate, same thing could happen to the whole country, except the dog warden is a lot cuter than Hillary ... not too difficult.
We need someone with the stones to say, "Hillary, what the hell exactly is your experience .... holding Bill's girls down for him?" Or, "Hillary, did you write that forged Foster suicide note?" "By the way, what's with you and your fellow Democrats all over the country taking money from the Fu Manchu commie wiseguy? You know, the felon?"
Well and here you are, with a sign up date not even one month old.
Aren’t you special...
ringy pingy
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