As you now know, the campaign of Senator Fred Thompson has graciously decided to change the name of their podcast. They have now publicly announced their intention to change the name, and are now having a contest on their web site to name the new show. They have assured me that they will stop using the name FredCast by next Monday and I believe them.
Shortly after the posting on Fred Thompson’s web site, I received two emails. Each of these messages represented a first. My first truly hateful email, and my first request for an interview by a major national network.
The first email was from a Yahoo email address, and the name associated with the account is The Shadow. Scary, huh?
The hate email had just two simple words: F*** Bikes.
I don’t know whether or not the Thompson announcement and the arrival of this email are connected, and I am certain that the campaign had nothing to do with it. It should also be noted that of the 109 comments associated with this issue (as of this writing) on the Fred Thompson web site, not a single one says anything even remotely negative about me, this site or my podcast.
I guess hate mail just comes with the territory.
The second email was from an ABC Network News producer who is traveling with and covering the Thompson campaign. She read about the FredCast issue on the Senator’s web site and wanted to interview me about the timeline and the way in which I was treated by the campaign. We had a very pleasant 20 minute conversation, but I have no idea whether or not the story will be picked up by their web site or other outlets. If it is, I will be sure to let you know.
All in all, it was quite an interesting evening.
Oh, and by the way, I entered Senator Thompson’s contest. Listener/attorney Doc Bradshaw came up with a great name and I submitted it. If I win, he’s getting my prize.
