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Soren Dayton unlocks some of that Fred! magic:
All the enthusiasm was for Fred Thompson. Probably a quarter of the delegates were walking around with Thompson stickers. The news stories and the videos only partly capture the energy in the room for him.While his speech was a little bit of a let down on content the positioning was fantastic. I was struck by the "you" language that was coming out him."I’m here to thank you", "I’m here to help you." It was clear that Thompson is trying to channel the party base and the conservative movement. And it is clear that the party base, at least at the Young Republican convention, wanted it.
In general, Thompson’s strategy seems right now to be the empty vessel. To connect with the party faithful . It felt like he was "one of us." He wasn’t pushing issues or policy positions. In the very brief interview with me and Liz Mair, he again spoke in principles, not specifics. But they were principles that we could rally around.
That channels what Thompson himself blogged about on Pajamas:
Whether or not the Internet can elect any particular candidate in any particular race, it’s clear that all of you and our many friends across the blogosphere and the Web are part of a true information revolution.That’s why so much of my effort has been focused on talking to Americans through this medium. By empowering individuals and building communities, the Internet provides a way of going around the inside-the-beltway crowd to reach people in numbers unheard of not that long ago.
How much of the 50%+ Thompson is getting in blog straw polls, factoring out Ron Paul, is due to stuff like this -- flattering the blogosphere, making it about "you?" I'd bet more than a few points. And by all appearances, the feeling is genuine. FDT is very closely acquainted with the power of television, but when it comes to making major announcements, he goes to the blogosphere first. He doesn't have to do that.
I don't think anyone should decide who to vote for based on choice of medium, but I like it all the same. The base is dispirited. It feels like what it thought were its friends have tramped over it. And it needs someone to believe in again. In that kind of environment, a little flattery goes a long way.
Contrary to what some may believe, I'm not a sycophant for candidates who tell me what I want to hear. A candidate should speak his mind, and lead, not follow, in bold directions. But I do want candidates who are all that -- and listen. And paying attention to the blogosphere is a good way of listening, because bloggers are usually the ones waving Republicans off of untenable political ground. I can't help but wonder if we'd had leadership with its ear a little closer to the ground, we would have avoided extra-curricular boondoggles like Medicare Part D and the Senate immigration bill. Knowing what's going on in the three-ring media circus and being able to respond effectively might be a desirable quality for the next POTUS, and not just for stylistic reasons. Engaging the grassroots is not a bad message. The most pathetic part of this whole Ron Paul insanity is just not the Paul supporters themselves, but the fact that candidates with dozens of times the actual support can't seem to match him. It's as if they're not even trying to create evangelists online. It's as if all they want us to do is vote for them, and nothing more. Now, don't get me wrong. Voting is important. But doesn't fervency count for a lot in a volatile primary situation? Someone who's given you $100 online, votes for you in every straw poll, and emails "Hunt for Red November" graphics to their lists, is not someone who will be peeled off just because someone else wins Iowa.
A candidate's openness to encouraging that kind of support, and his body language towards the grassroots, counts for a lot.
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