Posted on 01/10/2008 1:46:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
TALLAHASSEE | After a miserable showing in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, GOP candidate Fred Thompson is clearly banking on a surge in the South to revive what was once the most spirited of conservative campaigns.
About a dozen state lawmakers joined U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Lakeland, in the Capital Press Center in Tallahassee for an odd Wednesday morning press conference.
Putnam, one of the first Floridians to press for Thompson's candidacy last year, said the former Tennessee senator would do well in next week's South Carolina primary and Florida's Jan. 29 vote.
"Everybody recognizes Thompson's appeal in the South," Putnam said. "I don't think anyone expected him to do as well in New Hampshire."
That low expectation was met Tuesday night. Thompson received less than 3,000 votes. That's one-sixth of the votes received by fringe candidate Ron Paul and woefully short of the 88,000 votes received by winner John McCain.
Putnam said the election season was "very much in flux" and that Thompson "has to do extremely well" in South Carolina and Florida to keep going. State Rep. Stephen Precourt, R-Orlando, said Thompson will begin to shine as Republicans become aware of "consistency" problems with other candidates.
"Mitt Romney has been pro-life and he's been pro-choice. Mitt Romney has been for higher taxes and Mitt Romney has been a fiscal conservative," Precourt said. "His message has not been consistent. Knocking him off was everyone's number one objective. Now they'll be training their guns on a couple of other targets."
He was referring to McCain, the front-runner at least for now, as well as Rudy Giuliani, who has invested heavily in a strong Florida showing.
Many of Thompson's Florida supporters signed a letter urging him to get into the race last year. They said Wednesday that their enthusiasm was still strong.
"We will be with him to the very end, whatever that end might be," said Rep. Larry Cretul, R-Ocala.
As far as Polk County is concerned, among its Republican elected officials this is still Thompson country.
In addition to Putnam, who is trying to help arrange a third Thompson campaign trip to Lakeland, State Sen. Paula Dockery and State Reps. Seth McKeel and Dennis Ross, all Lakeland Republicans, have endorsed the former Tennessee senator.
Gene Roberts, a Lakeland Republican Club officer and a member of the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, said a Thompson visit to the area is almost certain and planners are trying to work out a stop that is compatible with the candidate's planned final week visit to Florida before the Jan. 29 primary.
Stopped reading after that. The Drive-Bys know damn well Thompson didn't campaign in New Hampshire.
It must be the newsmedia that makes us think this is all being decided right now, there is a long, long way to go and with the Republican Candidates especially, I think there can be all kinds of twists and turns.
Link to article: http://www.theledger.com/article/20080110/NEWS/801100509/1134
For anyone in South Carolina...
Heres Fred’s schedule for the next couple of days:
* 01/10/2008 - 9:00 pm
Republican Presidential Debate Hosted by the SC Republican Party and FOX News
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center
* 01/11/2008 - 9:30 am
Radio Town Hall in Surfside Beach, SC
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - Surfside Jenny’s
* 01/11/2008 - 1:30 pm
Meet Fred in Moncks Corner, SC
Moncks Corner, South Carolina - Gilligan’s Restaurant
* 01/11/2008 - 6:00 pm
Meet Fred in Mount Pleasant, SC
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina - Sticky Fingers
* 01/12/2008 - 8:30 am
Radio Town Hall in North Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina - Perkins Restaurant
Go meet Fred...show your support.
He was referring to McCain, the front-runner at least for now, as well as Rudy Giuliani, who has invested heavily in a strong Florida showing.
Sounds as if Thompson campaign thinks Slick Mitt is done.
same old stuff,kind of a bummer,but I just listened to Fred take questions from listeners on Hannity’s radio show,,,could not have been prouder to be an American,,he told it like it is,as always.
I think Mitt and Fred will pool their delegates to whichever one of them has the better shot.
I am really hoping for Fred to take out Huck in South Carolina, but when it comes to NH, his name recognition alone should have been worth more than 1%.
Yup. Fred was great. He has such a down-to-earth way with everyone.
They must read FR. ;-)
Remember that Fred was announcing his candidacy on Jay Leno the same night as a NH debate. Ever since that day, Fred has been a dead man to most of NH.
That's true, but both Iowa and NH are liberal and unrepresentative and you'd expect to find a reserve of support for the most liberal guy running.
Fred needs a big surge in the south to stop the McCain-Huckabee alliance. The GOP convention is going to be Thompson-Romney vs. McCain-Huckabee, with Giuliani possibly playing kingmaker (he’ll throw his support to McCain). Duncan Hunter will throw his delegates to Huckabee, who will in turn add them to McCain’s total. Likewise, Romney must stop McCain in the north, and Thompson and Romney must both have at least 1,191 delegates combined, otehrwise it goes to McCain with Huckabee as his running mate.
I did crappy at the Masters last year.
“Ever since that day, Fred has been a dead man to most of NH.”
That’s funny because if you look back at the average of NH polls at that time, Thompson’s poll support in the state doubled in the month after he announced, until he was showing at 13% in early October. His numbers then tanked from that point, as they have in National polls (RCP average 22% in early October, 10.3% now), Michigan (14% early October, 4.5% now), South Carolina (22% early October, 9.3% now), Florida (21% early October, 8.5% now).
That suggests that it was something other than the candidates decision to not attend one debate that caused those people to abandon Thompson and that it isn’t a phenomenon unique to New Hampshire.
I’m absolutely convinced that Hunter will throw his delegates to Thompson. There is no point for a man of principles like Hunter to support Huck. Hunter is a secure borders man. Thompson is the closest to his stance.
“After a miserable showing in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary”
A state he spent very little time and money in since they do not count for anything. Yeah no bias there.
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