Posted on 01/11/2008 11:24:25 AM PST by Checkers
Nope. Sorry.
Hugh's just in a twist over the fact that his golden boy is sinking like a brick.
It's not that I don't distrust McCain. It's just that I distrust Mitt far, far more. At least McCain hasn't changed just about all his positions to run for president. And on the most important issue, namely the WOT, McCain has been solid. THAT, IMO, is why McCain is doing well and Mitt is not. With all the other position shifts Mitt has engaged in, can we trust that his stated support of the war is truly his position? Or just another talking point?
>> McCain is also drawing from moderate Reps and some conservatives who believe that the national security and the Iraq war trumps all else. Even Jim Robinison has essentially endorsed McCain if Thompson falls short.
As your JimRob example shows, McCain draws conservative support only in the absence of a genuine conservative alternative. Thompson may be that alternative.
>> I don’t know how Giuliani got in there,
His certain problems notwithstanding ... he’s been drawing support from the “national security” first crowd. McCain has undercut that somewhat.
>> but if you are placing your hopes on Fred, he has a long ways to go.
And a long time to get there. Its early. Thompson needs to make a move in SC - but he doesn’t necessarily need to finish 1st (2nd might do). I think he made a huge step last night ... we’ll see if it pays off. If he shows himself to be the conservative alternative to McCain in SC, I think he’ll do well in the South (i.e. if, instead of McCain/ Huckabee, we start talking about McCain/ Thompson after SC).
>> He is polling in single digits in SC.
Pre-debate numbers. We’ll see the new numbers in a day or two. I’d expect a bump.
>> If he doesn’t have a good showing in SC, he is toast. Huckabee and Thompson are counting on the South being their power base. If Huckabee defeats Thompson decisively in SC, I don’t see how Thompson goes on to FL and Super Tuesday with any real hope of winning.
Granted, Thompson needs a good showing. After last night, I think I’d be surprised if Huck beats Thompson in SC. Thompson may lose to McCain ... but I don’t think he’ll lose to Huck.
H
BAck during the Rudy wars I was asked who I thought would be the Republican nominee. I answered McCain. I got a lot of scoffs, shall we say. :-}
I still think McCain will be the nominee and man does that give me heartburn.
But the truth of the matter is that the hoi polloi are not as politcally involved as those who post on these boards. They don't really give much of a damn about CFR and McCains assault on the First Amendment.
For the majority of voters he has finessed amnesty with his "I have heard the message, I will close the borders first!"
Even those of us who think John is a bit touched in the noggin are confident that he will pursue the war on jihadism with vigor.
And he finesses the tax thing with the pork thing.
If folks take him at his word he offers all three legs of the republican stool some conservatism.
John may be tough to beat.
God help us all!:-}
You know, it would please me very much to believe that's true. But, I don't see it. Right now it looks like Romney's in danger of losing to McCain in Michigan and Thompson's in danger of losing to McCain in SC. A McCain win in either of these states, let alone BOTH of them, would give McCain enough traction to make him nearly unassailable, imo. Never mind the fact that, in the event McCain takes both MI and SC, we'll see a considerably weakened Romney and Thompson, neither of whom may have enough effectiveness remaining to derail McCain.
Maybe Rudy is McCain's stalking horse. He's in the race to make McCain look like a viable alternative to Rudy.
What are you Fredheads going to do if Fred drops out and then endorses McCain, which I think is highly likely? Does Fred then become not a conservative or does McCain become a true believer? Just asking.
Heard McCain was a ardent gambler. Is that true?
Would you be interested in making a small wager about that?
As I recall he caught a lot of flack for running ads against both McCain and the Huckster in Iowa and NH, while your boy sat home in TN and waited for SC to come around. He also went after them both in the NH debate and was rewarded by having your boy jump in on him instead of supporting him in his attacks on McCain’s immigration record. I was happy last night to see Fred finally wakeup, but it is probably way too late and I still have no confidence that he will ever attack the man he collaborated with on the McCain-Feingold(Thompson) Bill, which he knows disavows (would that be considered a flip-flop).
Obviously another afflicted with Mitt Derangement Syndrome. So far he is the only candidate that has run in every state to this point and won one and came in a close second in the other two bracketed by Messers McCain and Huckabee.
It’s not over yet. There is still a lot of room for things to change and a lot of folks wanting to change it.
>> I think that’s the problem...to Huckabee’ssupporters, he is big pro-life, anti-gay marriage, and strong on guns conservative, plus he’s a populist Baptist minister. To them, that IS a conservative. Short of someone finding out that Huckabee gave to Planned Parenthood, they will not switch to Thompson.
I’m not so sure. I think they might switch if they could get all that (minus the minister, of course) — plus a tax-cutter and foreign policy hawk.
I get the feeling that Huckabee’s support has been somewhat reluctant ... i.e. for lack of a better option. I also get the feeling that some have had a distorted view of Huckabee’s conservatism on economic and national security issues ... and that if Thompson highlights those distortions, there is an opening for voters’ minds to be changed.
H
If Fred loses SC he will be gone long before Mitt. So that strategy would seem to be pretty counter-productive.
Don’t make me laugh!
I have no idea.
Neither do I. Best guess, well maybe.
Are we manipulated or what?
McCain came out of the shadows just like he wants all those poor illegals to do.
Wow!
I guess I wouldn’t care if I could spend $2500.00 a night in a tropical paradise!
He also “nicely” followed the Hugh Meme.
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