Fred Thompson Builds Buzz Online

Fred Thompson plays a district attorney on TV and, in real life, a commentator on the Internet — two roles that give him plenty of visibility for a presidential bid.

In recent weeks, the former Tennessee senator, who is considering a run for the Republican nomination, has used conservative Web sites to opine about tax cuts, the Virginia Tech shootings, even the NFL draft.

"Whenever I've seen one of those 'Gun-Free Zone' signs," Thompson mused at National Review Online, "I've always wondered exactly who these signs are directed at. Obviously, they don't mean much to the sort of man who murdered 32 people just a few days ago."

The actor-politician had experimented with blogging, posting two- and three-sentence thoughts on the Web site for ABC News Radio, for whom he is a host and commentator.

But not until several weeks ago, after declaring an interest in the presidency, did he start weighing in in earnest.

His opinion columns now are appearing on RedState.com, the Pajamas Media blog, National Review Online and his own blog, The Fred Thompson Report. Several other conservative Web sites have picked up the commentaries.

Thompson's online activity helps create a buzz about him as he weighs a White House campaign, said GOP strategist David Winston.

"It gets distribution among key audiences — conservatives, the media, people interested in politics," Winston said. "People hear about an interesting idea, and it just spreads; people tell other people."

He drew a comparison to the way Democrat Barack Obama's profile soared after he started running for president. The freshman senator's MySpace page has amassed 160,000 friends since Los Angeles paralegal Joe Anthony created it. The Obama campaign took over the page on the News Corp.-owned social networking site from Anthony earlier this week.

Thompson, 64, needs an online presence if he wants to run, said Keith Appell, a GOP strategist and consultant for Pajamas Media.

"The blogosphere and the Internet are truly transforming the campaign. It's making that kind of outreach a necessity, whereas before, candidates could take it or leave it," Appell said.

"In 2004, Howard Dean almost financed his whole campaign over the Internet," he said. "It's only going to continue to change the way politics is done."

In polls, Thompson does well for someone who isn't even running, vying with candidate Mitt Romney and potential candidate Newt Gingrich for third in recent surveys. Thompson already is known to millions of television viewers as gruff district attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's long-running drama "Law & Order."

His blogging is yet another indication that Thompson is serious about running. Another is his public admission last month that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. Thompson said he is in remission and never felt ill.

He's also is making high-profile appearances. He's scheduled to speak Friday to the Lincoln Club of Orange County, Calif.

[randalds]

Posted by Search4Truth at 12:54 PM : May 05, 2007

We have $3 dollar gas (nearly $4 out here) because there is an oil man in the White House and we're being gouged, plus prices are up due to his war.

I'm 50 and have a great memory and the Democrats have much more credibility then say Nixon, Reagan or either Bush (but esp the moron in the Oval Office now)

The democrats did NOT pull funding from the military to end Vietnam. That is a right wing urban myth. They pulled funding from the South Vietnamese government, not our troops (look it up, it's history). Nixon COULD have kept the troops there if he wanted to, but saw it was pointless and pulled them out. Which is what the punk in the White House should do now.

[jacksteen1]

I sincerely hope the Republishit Party selects this ugly basset-hound-looking actor to be its candidate for the Presidential elections...because that will assure the Democratic Party the rule of the nation for at least the next 16 years - Hillary's 8 and Barack's 8...and then probably a young Kennedy we don't know about yet.

Don't the Republicraps realize the American people are THRU with them - with their pederasty, their lies...and their 'christian' hypocritical ********* ?

PLEASE select this loser so the cleansing of America can begin !!

[smarty0357]

Tompson will win, Billery will implode beacause she is self destructive and Obama is a joke.

[jimfinster]

Search4Truth:

Unless you have been in a coma for the past 4 years, perhaps you noticed that Repubs don't "do war" very well, either.

[tn4thompson]

Fred Thompson can win the nomination and the presidency.

www.grassrootsvoter.com

[frb01]

I have not personally done background on him, what I do know is this, he is thinking about getting in because the current field looks beatable. Ronald Reagan also did radio commentaries in the late 70's prior to election. Bill Clinton was a workaholic, granted there was economic growth, but it was a phantom. Thompson needs to go through the process, health is going to be his first issue to deal with in a campaign. We have not had a President with serious health issues since Eisenhower and Johnson, the public was kept in the dark. And JFK known after the fact was very ill. Is a person who has cancer in remission, electable as a candidate?

[rohink-2009]

Posted by afmca

How easy it is to just dismiss someone as lazy and stupid. Do you really know enough about the man to make that kind of judgement? I doubt it.

[search4truth-2009]

The Democrats don't do wars well. They also don't do foreign affairs well (no Clinton jokes, please).
We have $3.00 a gallon gasoline BECAUSE of Democrats support for enviromentalists policies.
Jimmy Carter (DEM) caused the Shah of Iran to fall and helped (a LOT) to put a religious fanatic in power, giving us an Iran exporting terrorism to this day. ( I could go on and on, but I won't for now.)
Democrats have NO credibility to anyone with a decent memory of the past 40 years.
Opps! Just one more piece of history:
After Nixon got a truce with the North Vietnamise, the DEMOCRAT controlled House & Senate pulled funds from the military to enforce the truce so they, the democrats, could say Nixon lost the Vietnam War when, in actuality, THEY DID!

[phoenix1218]

Oh please ... he is just a better actor than Bush but comes with the same stupid baggage. He was a lazy, do nothing Senator without enough brain cells or desire to really grasp issues in depth. He would continue the war and press his ultra-right religious views on the rest of the country. He could probably play a President because someone would be writing his lines and the director can say cut when he screws up; but a real President doesn't have that luxury. We need substance, not superficial image, in our next President. Bush has left the world a real mess.
Posted by afmca

Has anyone forgotten that Reagan was an actor before becoming a politician and most, republican and democrat, would say he was a good (if not GREAT) president.

[afmca]

Oh please ... he is just a better actor than Bush but comes with the same stupid baggage. He was a lazy, do nothing Senator without enough brain cells or desire to really grasp issues in depth. He would continue the war and press his ultra-right religious views on the rest of the country. He could probably play a President because someone would be writing his lines and the director can say cut when he screws up; but a real President doesn't have that luxury. We need substance, not superficial image, in our next President. Bush has left the world a real mess.