Posted on 09/10/2007 10:58:42 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON — When Fred Thompson finally acknowledged what everybody already knew — that he’s running for president — he did it in a most unconventional way.
He went on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He skipped a television debate with the other GOP candidates in New Hampshire and ran his first campaign ad right before the broadcast began. Then he went on the Web in what amounted to a 15-minute infomercial and spelled out his reasons for diving into the race.
Is this any way to get to the White House?
Probably not, according to political scientists who’ve been closely watching Thompson’s unorthodox campaign. But, they say, it’s a good start.
“By using ‘The Tonight Show,’ he raises (media) coverage right away and potentially allows people to take a look at him,” said Joan McLean, a politics and government professor at Ohio Wesleyan University. “And that is, right now, what he has to do — he has got to get people to look at him.
“It’s sort of like a dating process. On the first date, what you want to do is be clever, intriguing, and you want to get the second date.”
Everything changes for Thompson now that he’s officially in the race, said Anthony Nownes, an associate professor of political science at the University of Tennessee.
“I think most people have known for several months that he is running, but he has done a wonderful job of stimulating the media enough to keep them talking about whether he’s going to run and keeping his name in the headlines,” Nownes said.
“That ends now because he’s officially in. Obviously he has to change his approach from ‘will I or won’t I’ to ‘what will I do if I’m president.’ ”
Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee and actor best known for his role on “Law and Order,” is hardly the first politician to hit television’s talk-show circuit.
Back in 1992, Bill Clinton put on a pair of hip sunglasses and played the saxophone on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who’s also seeking the Republican nomination for president, has turned up regularly on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”
Nor is Thompson’s reliance on the Internet as a campaign device all that novel.
Four years ago, Howard Dean’s savvy use of the Web helped establish him as the Democratic front-runner, until an ear-splitting scream halted his momentum. This year, Democrats John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama all announced their campaigns with Web videos.
But Thompson’s entry into the race stands out for a couple of reasons.
For some, his decision to announce on “The Tonight Show” is reminiscent of another actor/politician — Arnold Schwarzenegger, who used Leno’s set as the launching pad for his successful campaign for governor of California.
But, perhaps more significantly, in going the late-show route, Thompson chose to ignore one of the more traditional political forums — the presidential debate. Not only did Thompson skip the New Hampshire debate, which took place on the same night he made his announcement, he aired his first campaign ad right before his rivals stepped behind the podium.
It was a big risk, but one that paid off, said Paul Freedman, who studies campaign strategies.
“He was more notable by his absence, and (the other candidates) were literally forced to acknowledge his absence, to say something about it,” said Freedman, an associate professor of politics at the University of Virginia. “He was more present by being absent.”
Thompson’s appearance on the talk show and in the Web video played to his strength as an actor in front of a camera and put him in a controlled setting that he wouldn’t have benefited from had he shown up at the debate, Freedman said.
By avoiding the stage with the other candidates, Thompson was able to steer clear of questions that he might not want to answer and was able to exercise greater control over what was said, how it was said and when it was said.
But Thompson can’t stay away from the debates forever, Freedman said.
“If he misses the next one, people will credibly start showing up with signs that say, ‘Where is Fred?’ and start saying, ‘What is he avoiding?’ ” Freedman said.
While Thompson seems to have gotten off to a good start, Freedman said, television and Web campaigning are no replacement for old-fashioned politicking. Hence Thompson’s decision to head off to Iowa, site of the first-in-the-nation caucuses, the day after his announcement on Leno.
“It’s still not possible to avoid shaking hands in 2007 and 2008,” he said. “You’ve really got to get in there and mix things up and let people see your smiling face.”
Likewise, Thompson needs to raise lots of money — his initial fund-raising efforts came up short — to build up his campaign organization and show that he’s a serious contender, said John Geer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Nownes agreed.
“I don’t think he would have decided to do this if he didn’t think he could raise a lot of money,” he said. “But I think his showing in the first couple of primaries will be very important. People like to go with a winner, and if he doesn’t live up to expectations, I think he’s going to have a rough time.”
Many of them send out a monthtly, quarterly or bi-annual new letter. I’ve received Phyllis Schlafly’s news letter for over 30 years now. They usually have a minimal charge to cover expenses in publishing and postage. The American Family email can be subscibed to for the asking.
To my knowledge they are not “dissing” any candidates not participating. In fact I just emailed FDT asking him to participate in the debate through an email from American Family.
I have to agree with him.
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