Fred is blowing of NH (as he should have Iowa). South Carolina is the test for him. A weak showing there and he is finished, a strong showing and he should be able to maintain a viable campaign. Of course, he’ll need to add some staffers with political savvy.
I disagree, I think Fred was right to spend some time in Iowa, I think he has begin to hit his stride there in campaign mode. As long as he can keep the pace going, the Iowa prototype should work well (actually, better) in SC. The NH debate should also be helpful (even if NH primary is a foregone conclusion) for him to be able to draw contrasts with Huckabee (in a non-nasty way, typical of Fred).
Current RCP averages have him 13 points behind Huckabee in SC, and that is before Iowa. Where do you see Thompson making gains between now and SC?