Posted on 01/19/2008 6:31:23 PM PST by FocusNexus
Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson didn't drop out of the Republican presidential field after his disappointing finish in Saturday's South Carolina primary -- but he sounded close to it.
About an hour after the polls closed, Thompson addressed a ballroom in a college student union, an event that featured as many students enjoying free beer as it did hardcore Thompson supporters. He delivered a lengthy soliloquy, speaking in the past tense about "clear conservatism," the cornerstone of his campaign.
"My friends, we will always be bound by a close bond because we have traveled a very special road together for a very special purpose," Thompson told the crowd. "It's never even been about me, it's never been about you. It's been about our country."
Thompson's campaign declined to say whether the speech was a concession, a swan song, a stump speech to signal that he's fighting on, or what. Campaign spokesmen wouldn't say what the former Tennessee senator's next move is.
"The campaign is still a campaign until it's not the campaign," said Rich Galen, a Thompson campaign senior adviser. "There's no hurry to make a decision, other than your deadline. I don't have anything to add -- not tonight."
Thompson conceded earlier Saturday that he needed a win in South Carolina to keep his presidential campaign alive.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
No it isn't. It's selfish. The president must represent YOU or else you sit out? If that were the case, I'd never vote. No presidential candidate represents me. The president holds executive office in our national government. We as citizens are responsible for choosing someone. I take it seriously. I think on election day, there will be a clear choice.
The question is what do you get when you put up a liberal RINO against a liberal rodent for President. Your attempting to distract from the central issue has been foiled.
“As for why I’ve been harping on Fred, it’s only because it was so obvious that his candidacy was leading to where it now stands. Fred was a waste of time. I was right.”
Wrong. Fred will be the next president. And here’s why....all those really cool slogans. LIVE FRED OR DIE......HE”S GOT FREDMENTUM.....HE”S A FREDRALIST......THEY FEAR THE FRED. And also because any minute now Fred is going to catch fire and then you’ll see how wrong you are. Fred will shoot super hot rays from his eyes. Then you’ll be sorry....I mean it.......I’m serious.....Any minute now.......Here we go......Get ready.......Here it comes.....I’m not kidding......
Precisely!
Indeed, a very clear choice. A liberal Republican lying that he is a Conservative and a liberal rodent. A clear choice that as Conservatives, we have no one to vote for amongst the two parties.
Just more carp.
Duncan Hunter did.
Sorry, after losing the conservative state of South Carolina, Huckabee is dead. That one was a must win for Huck. Romney’s campaign will now also be on life support. The battle for the big states will be between the rinos McCain and Giuliani, and McCain has the advantage. We need FRed in the race. And we need to pull in Huckabee’s pro life evangelicals and Romney’s fiscal conservatives. FRed is the only conservative left who can pull in all three major factions of the Reagan coalition.
The flip side: if the GOP can take our votes for granted, we have zero leverage. Either we vote our principles or we don’t. If WE don’t care enough about our principles to withhold our vote, why in the world would the GOP care about our principles?
We bemoan the fact that African Americans so overwhelmingly vote dem, even though the donks do nothing for them as a group. How is it any different for small government-types in the GOP?
If a “moderate” (liberal) Republican is elected by virtue of conservatives holding their noses and helping with their votes, this sends a loud and clear message to other “moderate” and weak-kneed Republicans that they can also go “moderate” and WIN. That is a very bad message to send. It amounts to feeding a cancer and letting it kill you rather than going “under the knife” and accepting a lot of pain for a while, but surviving.
Additionally, a “moderate” Republican can get liberal initiatives through the legislative process, with the help of a small number of like-minded “moderate” Republican cowards, easier than could a Democrat in the face of a united, vociferous “loyal opposition”. For example, California would arguably have been better off keeping Gray Davis.
There are plenty of solid, logical reasons not to cave.
And it’s strictly business.
After SC it is clear that Fred has no chance of getting the Republican nomination, much less of beating the Dem nominee, whether it’s Hillary or Obama.
As for conservative judges, Giuliani said the same thing that he will appoint judges like Roberts and Scalia, and Ted Olson, who has known him for a long time believes him and supports him. And if he would get the R nomination, which is becoming increasingly unlikely, he would have a good chance of beating the Dems. He is the only one would have that chance.
Now that the Rudy candidacy is all but done, the only Republican candidates left are ones that are easilty beatable by even such flawed candidates like Hillary or Obama. Great job, one issue “conservatives”. That’s what the chant “abortion, abortion, abortion is the only thing that matters” gets you — HILLARY with a Dem Congress and what do you think they will do about abortion and what kind of judges do you think will get nominated and confirmed?
With a weak R candidate, even if all Republicans/conservatives vote for him, he has no chance against the Clinton machine.
This post is not an expression of support of anyone, it’s just analysis, my opinion, based on cold, hard, facts.
If Fred would have gotten in the race last Summer instead of last Fall things would be different.
Oh, well; maybe someone will offer him the VEEP spot.
The Huckster got into the race first. Fred waited too long, while the Huckster built up a base of support amongst the Evangelicals. Huck probably would have gotten that base anyway, as Fred was never a Baptist minister, and the Huckster was one. Tonite all the talking heads on the TV programs were saying that Fred took away votes from the Huckster in SC. Otherwise, they say, the Huckster would have won were it not for Thompson siphoning votes away from Huck.
Meanwhile, I think the phone lines have been open between Thompson and McCain (they being friends). Thompson never went after McCain in any meaningful way ever since he entered the race. I think the deal is McCain asking Fred to stick in the race through Florida to help McCain get over the top by Fred once again siphoning votes away from the Huckster, thus ensuring McCain a good shot at first place. Then Fred will drop out after Florida and endorse McCain to give him an extra push on Feb. 5th (Super Tuesday). The price for such help is what is being discussed on the phonelines between Fred and John. What is it that Fred wants? A place as VP? A Supreme Court position? Attorney General? Whatever. The normal backroom deal, but I won’t say in smoke-filled rooms, as smoking is now politically incorrect.
Fair enough. Perhaps I should have said that "no one in the process represents ideas that work." The way I phrased it, it was about me. It's not. It's about ideas and principles. Yes, we are responsible for choosing someone. But if we're supposed to pick between a Jonathan or a Granny Smith apple, then I'm not sure how my vote makes a difference. I don't believe this is hyperbole.
McCain, for all of his trumpeting of his service, would sell us to the UN in a heartbeat. He would sign Kyoto. He would appoint judges who interpret the Constitution as a "living, breathing document." He would do everything in his power to pass amnesty. Tax cuts? I'm not holding my breath. Reforming education? Nope.
So, maybe I'll vote, maybe I won't.
*BUMP*
What makes you think Fred wants to be VP?
Not to mention that if, by some miracle, we would have a Republican president, he needs to pick a VP, who can run for president in 8 years.
I welcome you to view the video linked in my post 172. Then rethink between which two campaigns the phone lines have been burning. Huckabee has not the cash to run a viable candidacy on Super Tuesday. But he can ensure that the conservatives don't coalesce around one candidate, even a faux conservative like Romney. Huck's placed his eggs in the McCain basket.
You wouldn't have known that by the media coverage Huckabee got in the month before IA. It was like he was the brand new savior of the Republican party. The MSM was very complimentary of him, and he got MUCH more positive media than they'd given Fred in the month after he entered the race.
More carp. Fred announced in early Sept. and started campaigning then. You may not have known that, because no one in the media ever said anything about him, unless it was comments about lazy, no fire in the belly, etc. It made most people think he was lounging, when he wasn't.
In Reagan's case...most of his compromises were about $$$$...Dollars!..Not principles..(Dollars are the life's blood of a liberal...someones else's dollars..)..Reagan understood that!
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