Blogger Conference Call With Fred

Update3: Liberty Pundit has a list of and links to some other bloggers on the call. A very rough transcript here. I asked about his show business and political background and if they could be better merged in this day and age of buzz-driven campaigning. And also if he had any particular target in mind at the debate tonight.

From Jim's transcript linked above - this was actually me, again.

Someone - Jay Stephenson, Stop the ACLU, maybe? Dan — mentioned that in a South Carolina poll, only 21 percent of people identified themselves as conservative, making him wonder if some people who are conservative don’t see themselves as conservative, and thus aren’t receptive to Thompson describing himself as the consistent conservative.“I don’t believe those numbers.”

Update2: Bryan from Hot Air was on the call, as well.

Update: Oops, forgot - he said there will be a big conservative endorsement coming tomorrow. He wouldn't name names on the call, or say if it was a pol, or popular figure. Hannity asked it as the first question just now. He didn't answer him, either.

Just finished up a blogger conference call with Senator Fred Thompson. He's also doing a 1 hour interview with Sean Hannity beginning at 3:15. WABC Radio is available on the web.

I'd wager Fred feels good to be back in the South, he certainly sounded energized and very engaged during the call. He hopes to be able to draw some comparisons between himself and other candidates tonight during the Fox Debate, assuming the opportunity presents itself.

As to the timing of his entering the race, he made one very good point - Rudy and Mitt have been in it forever and it hasn't seemed to be doing them much good. It's a valid point. While I don't suspect he wants a war with the media, it seemed clear he isn't impressed with the manner in which much of today's campaign journalism is done and how that impacts people's expectations. In a sense, he hearkens back to a time when celebrity wasn't considered a qualifier to win elections.

Without naming names, he did seem to be very serious in suggesting there is now something of a battle going on for the direction of the GOP and the future viability of the traditional Reagan coalition - strong on defense, small government and low taxes, etc. The word populism did come up. Perhaps that offers a clue as to who he might see as target number one in any campaigning, though he did not speak to that issue directly.

All in all, I wouldn't expect to see anything different as regards his campaign style going forward, but perhaps the Senator will resonate better on something akin to his home turf now that he's in South Carolina. During the call, there certainly was nothing to suggest he was listless, lazy, or anything else in that regard. His energy seemed high and, as I said above, he certainly was both engaged and engaging.

Let's hope his message has a chance for a fair hearing, for the sake of conservatism and the Reagan coalition, if nothing else. Again, the radio interview will be live hear at 3:15.

The candidates website is here.

Comments

[chris]

Did he refer to anyone as 'young fella' or ask anyone to 'speak up' during the call?

Who could the endorsement be from? It's all downhill after Chuck Norris gives the nod.

[Doug]

The Republicans lost Congress in 2006, because they became "Democrat Lite". With the exception of Fred Thompson, every one of the Republican Presidential candidates appear to be "Democrat Lite". I don't think it's a winner.

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