My guess would be conservation of resources, but it also could be strategic.
Right now, Fred is ramping up a major ad buy in South Carolina. Fred will hit a lot of the same themes Romney does, and will do the same damage to Huckabee and McCain that a Romney ad will do. Romney’s base of support has stayed pretty loyal so far, so he may not be afraid of losing them over a one-week period. Meanwhile, if Fred takes votes from McCain and Huckabee, it makes Romney’s job easier.
Romney doesn’t need any more “here I am” ads in South Carolina, they know who he is. He’ll need ads contrasting his positions, and maybe defending — but first he needs to see what he should attack, and what needs defending. Watching how Thompson’s ads go will help, and it may make McCain and Huckabee target each other and Thompson instead of Romney. They won’t have an advertisement to play off of on any such attack.
Some have said that Romney’s taking a more positive approach to ads in Michigan. If that works, maybe he’ll use that approach in South carolina, so he’s holding off ad buys to see how it goes.
It’s not like he hasn’t run ads in South Carolina for months, or that people don’t know he’s running. The only danger in not buying ads is it lets your opponents claim you are giving up on the state.
Of course, when Fred Thompson wasn’t running ads and someone said he was giving up, that was a dirty trick.
Wow, why don't you tell your fellow Mitt-worshippers that Fred's surge will hurt McCain?
They are going Ron Paul Paranoid Psychotic over this!
Of course, when Fred Thompson wasn’t running ads and someone said he was giving up, that was a dirty trick.
Who was that someone, Chuckie? Oh, that's right: you and your fellow Mitt-worshippers, proud member of the Romney Sleaze Machine. And what about the "Thompson's dropping out" rumor in Iowa that was traced to the Romney campaign?