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 ...
The genuine article was passed over in favor of the counterfeit.
For shame, South Carolina.
Why quit when the race has just begun?
Fred needs to stay in. He has the power to use his wonderful influence if the convention goes brokered.
I would like to see him at the very least be a steadying force as Veep in a Romney admin. The country really needs someone who gets it, like Fred.
No.
They don’t know the REAL Huckabee. He needs to be taken apart. www.victimschoice527.com
Huck is on now talking like John Edwards again. “Climbing up and down the ladders carrying paint buckets and hammers”.
Absolute nonsense ... so .... Quitcherbitchin.....
Yes a Third party would be good. I’m tired of Republicans of convenience.
What values do they have? stupidity?
Well, that's what happens when you have single issue voters, who vote for a candidate who is against abortion -- or talks most loudly about it --, regardless of consequences, even if the consequences are that the country goes to H (h*& or Hillary, take your pick) in a handbasket. So how does that help their own single issue interest?
The evangelicals who totally ignore electability WILL give us Hillary, mark my words.
We're screwed.
2DV, I am sticking with the genuine article to the end and beyond.
I simply refuse to beleive that in the long run the American people will be suckered by yet another Arkansas con man. Maybe Huckabee can pull in his hard core, but he can’t go nationwide.
Romney is has nothing but money and so far it’s bought him very little.
Giuliani may be abel to stage a comeback and he has funds, but that remains to be seen.
Fred has nothing to lose by hanging in, and maybe taking the new edge he developed in South Carolina. He needs to take on the competition directly and combatively.
On to Florida.
Fred has the bonifides. He came in with the Republican revolution and his votes are there on welfare reform and down the line. We don’t needs someone who wants to grow the legistlative morass. Today we had the media playing games with Thompson again. We need to find a way to shut down or disrupt the Push polls coming out of the Huckabee camp. I’m going to start printing out flyers for www.victimsvoice527.com and dropping them off at Church.
Well, conservatives didn’t want Giuliani — now we’ll end up with McCain or Huckabee, either one of them will be beaten by Hillary by a landslide. What great conservative victory — Hillary with a Dem Congress! (/sarcasm)
Huck was in the race first. Huck got the jump on Fred at the IA straw poll. Fred wanted to win sitting on his front porch while his wife hired and fired people and took attendance. Didn’t work out. Now, Fred takes votes from Huck, not the other way around. And by the way, that’s fine with me. I’m not a Huckabee supporter. I think McCain is preferable to Huck.
No it isn’t. And who’s bitchin? It’s fine with me.
With Hunter out, it’s “Fred or dead”. And if Fred gives it up, there will be no (trustworthy) conservatives left in the race. Good luck, America. I’ll be home washing my socks on election day.
I agree. Fred is the best of the bunch running. Today I sent in the maximum contribution amount to his campaign. Send some money to Fred to let him know we want him in to the end.
And the fact that, each day, Huckabee adjusts his message away from his true beliefs on open borders, higher taxes, and his preferences for nanny-state dictates --- such a change that the Huckabee of two months ago would not recognize the guy giving such a moving concession speech right now.
The 30% he got in SC apparently only paid attention to him for one week. That's about all he could get in a general election -- the 30% who have to show up on Sunday and get their directions for the following week. Totally mindless on their own. I see nothing but concession speeches for Huck, and I really don't trust McCain.
It’s not over. Fred did well enough to stay in the race for the long term.
Nobody has a clear majority at this point, or looks as if they are about to get one.
I would agree with the statement that Huckabee was the guy who took votes from Fred.
Part of it was probably the dirty tricks—all those flyers and phone calls and messages saying that Fred was pro-abortion. Part of it was the naivite of the Evangelical voters and their preachers. I said earlier that this might happen. Eventually, they’ll figure Huckabee out, but in the meantime he is basically pretending to be exactly what Fred actually is, and thus robbing votes from him.
Huckabee can’t possibly win it, and I don’t think McCain can, either. But if the voters don’t wake up, it may have to be brokered at the convention. I think Fred would have an advantage there, because he would have fewer negatives than McCain or Huckabee. If people can’t have their first choice, after a number of ballots they’ll caucus and go for their agreed second choice.
roflmao!
remember, here’s ... fred ...
uh, where’s fred?
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