Posted on 01/06/2008 5:18:29 PM PST by jdm
(CNN) — Republican Fred Thompson defended his campaign strategy of conceding early voting contests to focus on southern states in a CNN Late Edition interview Sunday — but conceded the plan hinged on a fundraising boost to his cash-poor campaign.
“If we can raise the money sufficient to hold our own on television ... we will win South Carolina and we will be in good shape,” Thompson told Wolf Blitzer. His campaign has struggled to stay competitive on the airwaves in recent weeks, and briefly went dark in Iowa in the days leading up to the state’s January 3 caucuses.
The former Tennessee senator is statistically tied for third, along with Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in most recent surveys of South Carolina GOP primary voters. Iowa winner and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is leading most polls, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
South Carolina is turning into a must-win for Thompson, who finished third in Iowa and is running last in New Hampshire. Last week, he was forced to deny reports he was planning to drop out of the race and support John McCain if he fared poorly in Hawkeye State voting.
”Everybody said that Rudy was inevitable, then Mitt was inevitable, now they are on to McCain, you know, everybody I would come in fourth in Iowa,” Thompson said Sunday. “I didn't, I came in third. So steadily…we are getting to be exactly where we wanted to be at this point.”
(Excerpt) Read more at politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com ...
ping.
Need to get this man some money.
I hope with all sincerity that this strategy works.
At least Fred was on Homer Simpson tonight...................
Yes, and he was on Wolf Blitzer today, too. Oh, yeah, he's on Fox News right now.
(I’m not saying some OTHER candidates don’t also get a negative bias from the MSM, but) Why is it that Fred HAS TO defend his strategy? Why don’t the headlines read “Rudy Defends FLorida Firewall Strategy” or “Mitt Defends Heavy Spending on Primary Ads”?
I'm waiting for the Fred Thompson people to come in and say that Fred Thompson is lying about his campaign being out of money, like they have the past week whenever any news organization said he was cash-poor.
They expect him to charge into the Northeast where regional polling shows him pulling 4%? His decision to show himself viable in Iowa can only offset the media push against him. He needs a strong showing there to make a statement.
Well at least Fred doesn’t have to attempt to buy a Conservative record , unlike your boy , Flip Romney ...
He only stated “If we can raise the money sufficient to hold our own on television ... we will win South Carolina and we will be in good shape”
Where do you get your “cash-poor” from that? All the candidates could say that same thing about any state contest.
*BUMP*
You are letting CNN think for you, Charles.
I was going by what someone from the campaign was saying. It sounds like they were wrong or misleading. They spoke of socking away nearly $6 for S.C.. He has broken the million mark in each of the last 3 or 4 weeks. I didn't see any reason to disbelieve the campaign fellow.
Thompson has been honest and pragmatic about NH .
No spin , Fred flat out says that he won’t do well in NH .
Refreshing ....
Outrageous. "Forced" to deny? It was a false report. A lie. To characterize setting the record straight as being "forced to deny" is journalist activism of the worst sort.
And what would be the results of not denying it? Political suicide? Why would he not feel like he was forces to deny it? If the reporter asked you if you had stopped beating your wife, what would be your response? Would it feel forced?
I know, it’s like the media is portraying themselves as the victims.
“...forced to deny” is journalist activism of the worst sort.”
Agreed. Expect plenty more of this type of “journalism” from the Clinton News Network. These CNN people are Owned by the Clinton machine.
Let us not forget this is the same CNN that has the deal with the Clinton best buddy Vinod Gupta whom bought Opinion Research and does the polling for CNN.
This sleight of hand should be brought to everyone in the United States attention.
I’m waiting for you to explain to all of us just why you need to be spoonfed answers to your own silly semantical games.
Maybe we don’t have to explain such things to you, because unlike you, we actually read the words that the article says and not what we want it to say.
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