Posted on 12/20/2007 4:11:53 PM PST by pissant
DES MOINES -- Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., ended his bid for the presidency just two weeks before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses Thursday, handing fellow Congressman Duncan Hunter a loss and giving Mitt Romney a gain.
Tancredo announced Thursday afternoon what many speculated -- he's stopping his efforts to seek the Oval Office.
Tancredo then endorsed Republican Romney.
"Congressman Tancredo ran a spirited campaign focused on issues that are important to many Americans," Romney said. "I thank him for his support. While we don’t agree on every issue, we agree on the need to keep America strong. I look forward to working with him and other Republicans to achieve that end."
That move surprised many Republican insiders, who thought the congressman might swing his support to Fred Thompson. Thompson was endorsed Monday by Iowa Congressman Steve King, a close friend of Tancredo's. King also weighed in on Tancredo's decision, and praised his efforts in moving the illegal immigration debate.
"The measure of his success is in the platforms of every Republican candidate and even in that of the Democrats," King said. "No candidate has had so profound an effect on any public policy of America. Every Republican has taken the no amnesty pledge and adopted a tough-on-illegal-immigration stance. Tom Tancredo has been so successful that much his political capital has been co-opted by his opponents."
However, Hunter may have been surprised about the Romney endorsement. Just two hours earlier at an IowaPolitics.com-Drake University forum in Des Moines, Hunter's Iowa campaign director Greg Grant said Tancredo had a gentleman's agreement with the fellow congressman.
"I believe his departure will benefit Duncan Hunter the most," Grant said a couple hours before the Tancredo announcement. "Duncan and Congressman Tancredo had a gentlemen's agreement if one of them backed out they would support the one that is still in the race. When you look at Tancredo's objective as far as immigration, Duncan is right in line with Tom Tancredo's issue."
Tancredo has been very critical of the Republican's stance on illegal immigration and said it was a driving factor why he entered the race.
"For the past 10 years I have dedicated my public life to the critical issue of illegal immigration," Tancredo said. "I believed then –as I do now—that massive uncontrolled illegal immigration threatens our survival as a nation. I could not stand by and let open border politicians and corporate lobbyists sell our country out to the highest bidder. Then earlier this year when I feared that the issue would not be championed by any of the top candidates I threw my hat in the ring. It was the only way I could be certain that the candidates would be forced to take a stand."
Tancredo has been very critical of national frontrunner Rudy Giuliani about his stance on illegal immigration. Romney has also criticized the former mayor for allowing New York to be a "sanctuary city."
There was a sense Nov. 13 that Tancredo saw his campaign sinking as he acknowledged he likely wouldn't be elected president. He said Grover Cleveland was the last member of the U.S. House to be elected president.
With the Iowa caucuses just 14 days out, many were curious why Tancredo would pull the plug on his campaign unless he could shape the outcome of the caucus. Romney and Huckabee are locked in a tight battle for the Jan. 3 title, and one Republican insider thinks that endorsement could make a difference with Tancredo supporters who closely follow the immigration issue.
Romney! Romney! Romney!
I agree with
:^(
AIT is being extremely sarcastic.
LOL! But was that typing wasted on an entity who doesn’t comprehend the meaning of shame.
But I always believed it was a paid infiltrator in the pay of Mexico’s ruling families or that country’s cartels. I’ve gone round and round with it and am convinced it isn’t American, patriotic or worthy of response. Kind of like an on-line tuberculosis.
Romney’s a liberal !
Romney’s a liar !
Romney’s a fraud !
You know it, and I know it.
Tank did....I thought. I can’t imagine what Mitt must have promised him, concering stopping illegal immigration and border security.
(I now understand the adage 'politics makes strange bedfellows')
:}
....g'night
I come today with my tail between my legs...as I stated yesterday that Tancredo would only endorse one of two candidates—Hunter or Thompson. Boy, did I get that wrong!
But I finally figured out “why”, at least, it seems to be the most plausible. It was NOT based on Romney’s being “strong” on the Invasion issue, but rather it was “urgent” that someone to the right of Suckabee knock him (Suckabee) out, and with a weak Thompson and McCain and Suckabee surging, only Romney could do that. I don’t think for a minute that Tanc believes that Romney will stay true to his statements about being tough on illegal immigration. I think it was an urgent situation with Suckabee’s rise and McCain’s rebirth, and while the conservative angst lately has been focused on Ghouliani, Suckabee has (sadly) become the man to beat. If Romney can beat Suckabee, he’ll have the nomination. Ghouliani is toast. THIS is what Tancredo saw happening and all very quickly (Suckabee’s rise).
Now, all conservative eyes and ears will be on Romney in the next few weeks and months to see if he gets TOUGHER on illegal immigration—particularly if he states clearly (which until now he’s refused to state) what he would do about the 20-38 million illegals in the U.S. Tancredo said today:
“[President Romney] would secure the border, prosecute employers of illegal immigrants, and make those who are here illegally return to their native countries.”
REALLY, TOM? AND HOW WILL PRESIDENT ROMNEY MAKE THEM RETURN TO THEIR NATIVE COUNTRIES? OR WILL IT BE “TOUCHBACK! NOW, COME ON BACK IN!!”? THAT’S what I’m concerned about if Romney wins next year.
Romney is still a RINO on other issues, that’s too much to overcome for me.
> James A. Garfield was the only sitting member of the House of Representatives to be elected President. <
And not somebody whose luck you’d want to emulate!
Can’t blame the man for being a tick selfish but it does make me glad he did not have a shot at an office that requires a little less self indulgence...
I can not see Romney putting forth any more effort than a possible President Hillary Clinton (or President Allah-Follower - perish the thought) toward securing our nation after waging a campaign based on ambiguity and sucking up to everyone. Romney is everything wrong with politics: a pretty picture saying whatever he thinks might get him elected while never worrying about backing those promises.
I FAR better like like Fred Thompson’s Bitter Revelations Tour. Telling a woman looking for Fed support for abortion that she needs to take that up with her local government, Awesome!
I think the staff is looking for you. You’ve missed your meds again. Geez please take your pills before posting. I am not sure that Mitt is the best candidate we have, though of the front runners he seems to be one of the strongest, but the hatred some of you reserve strictly for him is both pathetic and pathological. On my worse day I wouldn’t trash Dennis Kucinich with the venom you people spew against Romney. What happened to civil discourse on this site?
Tancredo has no need for employment hunting - at least he didn’t before this fiasco.
As legal immigrant Ricky Ricardo put so well, Tom has a lot of “splaining” to do. I know you read this forum, Tom. What say you?
HUH?@*!? What didn’t I know about Tancredo? Maybe a lot.
Actually, I was under the impression he was retiring after this term...
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