Posted on 01/20/2008 2:27:30 AM PST by counterpunch
COLUMBIA, S.C.- John McCain was the winner of Saturday's South Carolina primary. Mike Huckabee came in second. Fred Thompson came in third, followed closely by Mitt Romney.
This is a victory that eluded McCain in 2000, and if history is a guide, may have set him on course to become the GOP presidential nominee. No Republican since 1980 has won the party's nod without a win in the first-in-the-South primary.
Saturday's primary loss was clearly a big disappointment for Fred Thompson, but you never would have picked up on that when you heard him speak to his supporters.
"Well, it may be a little early to declare victory, I am not sure," Thompson joked. "We told our folks to vote late, so they'll be trickling in I am sure."
So a lot of folks are now weighing in on Fred Thompson's political future. One political expert from Tennessee weighs in.
"I think he is through if he doesn't do well here, I think he has said so. Even a second place finish won't do," said Jackson Baker, Memphis Flyer.
"This is a gun show he just attended, if he can't get votes from this crowd, in this state which is probably the most conservative state in the union probably, then his message just probably won't play anywhere else," said Baker.
Thompson spent more time campaigning in South Carolina than anyone else. An army of Tennessee Volunteers also came through. They sent out a scripted message to undecided voters.
In South Carolina, apparently, Thompson's message did not catch on. Fred Thompson, however, was far from making any sort of statement about bowing out of the presidential race. Thompson returned home to Virginia Saturday night. His campaign most likely is regrouping, and gearing up for another big fight in the Florida Primary.
DITTO! ME TOO! I HAD TO LET HIM KNOW I WANT HIM TO FIGHT ON!
FRED THOMPSON - NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERIENCE (I’ll protect the American people and American values, whatever it takes to stop the Islamic-Fascists including water-boarding!) - 2ND AMENDMENT ADVOCATE (“Individual” rights to protect their homes and property!)
INCREASE THE MILITARY’S STRENGTH AND SIZE (Diplomacy through Strength and verification!)
SECURE AND SEAL THE BORDERS (Don’t give sanctuary anywhere to illegal’s; don’t employ illegal’s; don’t rent to illegal’s; don’t extend credit to illegal’s; don’t give illegal’s rights they have no right to; report all crimes committed by illegal’s to ICE and immediately deport those illegal’s who have already committed crimes against America!) LAW AND ORDER (Enforcement of our current laws regarding illegal immigration!) – DENY FEDERAL DOLLARS TO SANCTUARY CITIES (Enough is enough!)
CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES FOR SUPREMES (Great progress has been made on the Supreme Court in Bush’s term. FRED was asked by President Bush to spirit Justice Roberts through the confirmation process. The next President will probably have the opportunity to seat two additional Justices. This is huge folks. FRED will nominate Justices who will interpret the Constitution, not create rights that simply do not exist and legislate from the bench!) – PRO-LIFE ADVOCATE (will strive to nominate superior Justices with the eventual goal of overturning Roe vs Wade)
THOMPSON PLAN TO REDUCE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING (Check out his detailed plan to reduce Federal spending!)
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORMER (Social Security is an entitlement program that will soon overtake the budget. The program can’t sustain itself and will bankrupt future generations; FRED has detailed proposals to save Social Security and provide the added benefit of private savings accounts for younger workers!)
DEFEAT ANY DEMOCRAT OR RINO (Close your eyes and imagine the first debate between FRED THOMPSON and ANY liberal DemocRAT they put up?)
TAX SIMPLIFICATION (Reform and perhaps eliminate the IRS with a variety of choice for the tax payer!)
EDUCATION (Return education to the States. It is that simple. The NEA is the greatest enemy of our educational system!)
WON’T PUT UP WITH TRUTH MANIPULATION FROM THE DB-MSM (including stupid questions by liberal moderators, and “purchased” political pundits)
FRED THOMPSON IS THE “WE THE PEOPLE” CANDIDATE (We the People asked him to set aside his personal life and step up one more time for his Country…and he stepped up!)
THIRD IN IOWA, SECOND IN WYOMING (MSM still calling it a tie with McCain’s name in the lead…FoxNews won’t even mention his name if they can find a way to avoid it!)
WINNER OF SOUTH CAROLINA JANUARY 10, 2008 DEBATE – HANDS DOWN!!! (In lieu of the airtime FoxNews chose to give him…or not give him as the case may be. WE THE PEOPLE notice garbage like that!)
IT’S TOO LATE FOR SOUTH CAROLINA, BUT IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR FLORIDA! IT IS TIME FOR REAGAN CONSERVATIVES TO COME OUT OF THE WALLS AND WOODWORK AND UNITE NOW BEHIND THE ONLY TRUE STANDARD BEARER FOR REAGAN CONSERVATISM! A CONSERVATIVE THOMPSON REVOLUTION! PLEASE STOP BY FRED08.COM AND STUDY HIS WHITE PAPERS ON ALL THE MAJOR ISSUES!
DO YOU REALLY WANT McCAIN OR HUCKABEE OR ROMNEY? ARE YOU WILLING TO SETTLE WHEN ONLY A HANDFULL OF STATES HAVE VOICED THEIR CHOICE? IT’S NOT OVER! FRED WILL NOT GIVE UP ON HIS COUNTRY THAT EASY. RUSH WILL HELP NOW…WATCH!
Bitter? Are you kidding? That was funny! Where’s your sense of humor?
Dobson has anointed himself the new Falwell. He can go pound sand. His evangelical campaign against Thompson has been sickening. I'll never buy another book. Attend a conference. Or listen to his radio show.
If you're not a supporter, you don't have to get offended for us. I'm not offended. Thanks for your concern.
You're a big man, criticizing with all your political expertise from the sidelines. Perhaps you should send out your resume for the 2010. I'm sure there's Pubbies hiring.
Hillary could very easily win Missouri and Ohio against Romney. We just elected a Democratic senator based upon the support of Kansas City, St. Louis and little else. Ohio's Republican party is in a shambles.
Go Fred!
He's not stupid because he's southern. He's a southerner who happens to be stupid. If you watch his campaign, he averages one retraction or "clarification" per day over the last two or three weeks. He talks through his hat and then gets back to the bus and his advisers have to "massage" his statements for him. He has no idea what foreign policy even is. He's an idiot. And I'm being as kind as I possibly can.
Huckabee's organization is thinner than Fred's, oddly enough. He does have the benefit of coordinating with PACs against FEC regulations to push misleading and false statements against his opponents. If that's what we want as President, then you and I aren't "we." Mitt's organization does seem solid. I don't know that Rudy has much of an organization in anywhere other than the big coastal states, so I think your statement is fundamentally untrue excepts with regards to Romney.
Whose name appears on the most harmful bills in the Senate, along with super libs like Feingold and Kennedy?--none other than John McCain
His stance on illegals and Gitmo would undermine the very national security he touts as his strong points.
The man has a record! Why aren't people concerned about it? I would take Romney or Rudy over McCain--they are known to be more socially liberal, but they have a better fiscal leadership record and they don't have the "maverick's" penchant for planting his feet and pitching a fit to have his way..
We have to have a viable candidate to bring back the congress--at least one house.
vaudine
vaudine
McCain/Thompson ticket?
Ok. Let's have some fun. Is Duncan going to be endorsing fencing companies or could he not even sell those? I'm still getting the hang of this so give me time.
Never happen. If McCain is the Republican nominee, look for him to tab a Southern evangelical for his running mate. Hmmmm.... Who would that be? Nope, not getting anything.
If not Huckleberry. himself, then some of his staff have certainly played dirty about Fred's campaign. Either he doesn't know, want to know, (a la Clinton) what they are doing or he is not strong enough to reign in his own staff--and what does that say about his strength as a leader.
It might also have been Romney's campaign, as I think Fred's run may have hurt him, too.
If you look at what the msm have done to Fred, you have an exact picture of what they would do to any of the Repub. candidates. I for one, have turned them off. I hope cable goes the way of the newspaper into extinction with the dodo bird.
In closing, I am sending another contribution to Fred. With all the previoius canvassing in FL by others and the msm holding his political funeral, I don't know what Fred can do, there; but I hope he keeps on--he is the best to govern, and if the candidate, the one to beat the Dems.
vaudine
You haven't been watching. Now that I have told you what to look for, I feel certain you will notice it from time to time.
some people are able to evaluate dispassionately opposing ideas, and events
Hmmm, are these the same people who speak of conspiracies by "establishment" candidates with no proof and a wealth of actual logic standing diametrically opposed to their simpleton theories?
Others, become so personally committed to these political celebrities that it difficult for them to be objective.
A Huckabee supporter commits a Freudian slip.
I think Hillary is too far to the left for the average voter in those states, and too polarizing, compared to Romney.
In Missouri, we elected a Democrat who ran on nothing. Absolutely nothing...except that our incumbent Republican Senator had sided with Bush. She won. The vast bulk of the population is located in St. Louis and Kansas City, in order for Republican to win the state, they have to win around 60% of the vote in the rest of the state. I don't think Romney would get that in Missouri. Too slick. Too east-coast. And Hillary will push her "Midwestern roots" from her days in Arkansas.
If there is not a strong turnout from Republicans, Hillary should win Missouri. I don't see Romney electrifying Republicans, even if I would vote for him.
I think Hillary would have a very hard time getting more than 45% of the vote in Missouri against Romney.
Well, why don’t you email your wonderful suggestion to Guiliani, Romney, and Thompson. Who knows... Romney (who leads in delegates) and Guiliani may just be willing to fall on their swords for Fred. LOL!
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