[WFTR]

As I just posted on another thread, Mr. Romney is likely to win Nevada, Iowa, and New Hampshire. South Carolina's jockeying their primary to stay ahead of Florida will look funny and take some of the prestige from the huge win that Mr. Thompson will get there. A week after the New Hampshire primary, Florida and Alabama will hold primaries. Mr. Thompson will win big in Alabama.

Florida will award three delegates to the winner in each of its twenty-something Congressional districts. Florida will then award another group of delegates, again about twenty-something if I remember correctly, to the overall winner of the state. If I'm getting the numbers right, the winner of Florida may pick up just a few more delegates than the candidate who finishes second. Mr. Thompson has the best chance of winning large numbers of districts plus the overall state to make Florida a huge win. That win would make him hard to beat. However, a win for Mr. Romney after winning two caucuses and a primary will look very good. The "winner-take-all" rules in the New York primary will keep Rudy Giuliani in the race until February 5, but a loss in Florida would hurt him badly.

Bill

[LEARNED FOREVER]

The history of Iowa and New Hampshire being harbingers is now archaic. Totally irrelevant. They had their heyday/influence when political coverage/information was sparse. The new "Iowa/NH" is the internet. How else could Thompson be running at the top of all national polls; without spending a dime, without officially declaring.

It's the 21st Century. Things have radically changed.

Thompson could not have accomplished this feat in the 70s.