Posted on 01/21/2008 2:14:55 AM PST by trumandogz
While other Republican presidential candidates turned their focus to Florida on Sunday, Fred Thompson turned his attention to his ailing mother and his ailing campaign.
Thompson’s run for the White House may have hit a wall after suffering a stinging setback Saturday in South Carolina, where Thompson had essentially moved his entire operation and needed a strong finish, which he did not get.
The South’s first primary saw the former Tennessee senator finish a distant third to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, respectively.
After the loss, Thompson’s speech to his supporters left the impression that the once-looked-upon candidate to unite the Republican Party would be bowing out of the presidential race.
“I’m not sure there’s any real rationale to stay in because it hasn’t happened,” said Steve Gill, a conservative talk show host who penned a book on Thompson’s candidacy, adding that Thompson “got too far behind and dug too deep a hole” to save what once was a promising candidacy.
Gill on Sunday said Thompson’s campaign is “pretty much done,” noting that the campaign was not aggressively refuting speculation that he was dropping out.
A call to Thompson’s campaign headquarters went unanswered. A spokeswoman did not return a call on her cell phone.
Bruce Oppenheimer, a Vanderbilt University political science professor, said yesterday that the “only real purpose” of Thompson’s candidacy at this point was helping McCain, a close ally of his while the two served in the Senate.
Oppenheimer said it’s “hard to see” where Thompson can break into the upper-tier and do well on “Super Tuesday” besides his home state of Tennessee.
“I don’t know if it’s the end for him, but this is a campaign that’s on life support and it’s a real question about whether the patient can breath on his own,” Oppenheimer said.
Thompson’s strategy in South Carolina partly centered on going after Huckabee aggressively. But Thompson failed to sway nearly enough South Carolinians to dent the other southern conservative in the race.
Huckabee received more than 125,000 votes, nearly doubling Thompson’s 66,580.
Juan Williams, a National Public Radio and Fox News political analyst, said Huckabee is the southern conservative who has “some chance of going forward.”
Not so for Thompson, Williams said, noting that he did not travel immediately to Florida, which is the site of the next Republican primary.
“I think he was retreating,” Williams said Sunday morning on Fox News. “And you know, happy trails.”
Instead of heading to Florida, Thompson visited his mother in the hospital, according to media reports. She has been battling pneumonia.
If Thompson were to drop out of the race, his name would still be on the ballot when Tennessee has its presidential primary elections Feb. 5. Early voting has already begun.
A Thompson exit could spur Republican candidates who were previously willing to concede the Volunteer State to make an effort to win here.
Gill said if Thompson does indeed intend to drop out, he should do so immediately to give other GOP presidential candidates time to spread their message in Tennessee.
“If he stays in, all he does is deny Tennessee voters the chance to really have their voices heard,” Gill said.
In the South Carolina speech on Saturday, Thompson often spoke in the past tense and thanked his supporters repeatedly and ended his speech by encouraging them to “stand strong” for their conservative beliefs.
“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 said.
LLS
“How can we think of McCain as anything but a traitor?”
....ummm, I think of him as a Manchurian candidate.........
not too much better, but at least he’d be locked in a loony bin, instead of prison, or worse............
How do you tell the difference between Huckabee and a closet atheist?
-Huckabee is more politically active.
Even IF the people you call "Reagan conservatives" were 35% of the GOP base, that's not enough votes to drive the bus.
But your guys can't break 15% in Republican primaries.
In terms of the November election, apart from kamikaze attacks on the GOP, what can you do?
You can't expect the 85% of the party that disagrees with you to give you everything you want by threatening them with Democrats.
Interesting how the red pickup is gone from here:
and the “thankyou South Carolina” video wasn’t even posted on his website but some blog site.
“How can we think of McCain as anything but a traitor?”
The GOP does not have one candidate that has a stainless record. We can find fault in each one in some past legislative action they made or liberal cause they once supported - BUT McCain time and time again has been an obstical the Replublican Party had to overcome when trying to get something passed. From the time he voted against the Bush Tax cuts to times he sided with democrats like Hillary Clinton on voting against a Bush appoitments he has shown his true colors. It’s like he gets off on being that obstical.
Flat, the last work in your screed, prior to your invitation to comment, tells me all I need to know
Idiot
One would think that they would have gotten the hint in the Mid-Term elections of '06. Smacks somewhat of arrogance on the part of the RNC.
Hmmmmm a glass of warm milk and a long nap - that's the ticket.
LLS
LLS
Nobody is planning kamikaze attacks on the GOP, and it is disingenuous for you to make a remark like that. The problem is that there is no real difference between a liberal Republican and a liberal democrat. We aren't married to the party. We believe in a philosophy rather than a party, and if neither party believes what we do, why should we support either? The GOP needs us in the general election. If they run a liberal or a moderate, we don't need them. It isn't an attack... it is about supporting those things we believe, and not voting for people who work against our interests... in this case, our liberty.
I will likely vote for whoever the GOP runs rather than sit out, since the dems are so bad for the country. But some won't. I don't blame them. It isn't all about the "party," you know. Some of us really believe it matters who we have running the government.
Go be a party hack if you want. I'll be a conservative and keep trying to change minds with something more substantial than a bandwagon/pep rally approach.
The Mitt-Twits only wish it were so.
Well, aren’t you an idiot.
I'm not a Republican.
LOL.
You forgot:
1. Causing a 1 state recession in MA.
2. Hirer taxes (er, “fees”) in MA.
3. Socialized medicine with free abortions for all.
And let’s not forget he multi-billion auto-worker-union-welfare program proposed in Michigan.
Yeah, THAT’s conservative.
Well, I sure may be wrong, but don't misquote me.
I voted for Ronald Reagan twice. I think I have a good grasp of what his majorities were built on.
You are using the term "Reagan conservative" to describe a small faction OF THE MINORITY PARTY.
I've been saying for months that, once we started voting, you could not back up your talk with votes, and it looks like I'm right.
I don't know if the Reagan coalition, which arose out of the peculiar circumstances of the 1970s, can be rebuilt.
But it can't be rebuilt by big talk, threats, and bluster.
You don't have the votes, WITHIN THE GOP, to get what you want.
It has nothing to do with the eventual nominee not needing your votes - of course he will need your votes.
But you are too weak and too divided to choose the nominee, and that's not my fault, it's yours.
McCain wins, gets into the white house.
July 2009, it becomes obvious he is losing his sanity.
(Spits on a reporter, slaps his wife, stabs Harry Reid with a pen, urinates in the Rose Garden. Refuses to resign.)
Republicans start the impeachment process, August 2009.
Mitt Romney is his VP, desperately pleading for impeachment.
Question. Do Democrats in the house and senate block their efforts?
The most bizarre thing about Craig Benson's flop was that it was mostly about alienating his own friends and supporters. He wasn't brought down by his enemies. He had this close circle of allies and wouldn't let anyone else into the circle even if they wanted to be allies, too. He was fiercely loyal to his inner circle and treated the people outside the circle who liked him like they were idiots. Craig Benson was on a fast track to running for president this year and totally blew it. He wasn't even a bad governor. He just was really bad at the people side of politics.
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