- Posted by Christopher Estep on January 21, 2008
Yeah, I think Fred Thompson should be president and I still do. I'm also a realist. Fred's done. He admitted that he needed SC to be viable and he came in 3rd. Perhaps if he'd come in second, he might have a prayer of continuing, but if Thompson can't win South Carolina, he really can't win anywhere.
Why Fred lost
Fred Thompson ran a crappy campaign, there's no other way to say it. Conservatives were clamoring for someone other than Romney (because of his flipping) and eagerly encouraged Fred to get in the race, something he took months to finally do. When he finally announced, he did so on Jay Leno while all of the other candidates were having a debate.
One of the key components of any successful campaign (and by that I mean a campaign that actually does well even if they may not win) is organization. With organization comes money and Fred had neither until it was too late. This is the essence of people suggesting that Fred lacked passion and is the ultimate validation of those sentiments.
Why Huckabee is done
He lost SC to someone even more liberal than he is. Huckabee's campaign needs money badly and this loss (even though he came in second) will kill his fundraising as well as any "winner" vibe. Unfortunately, Huckabee's an egomaniac and will stay in the race at least through February 5 and will likely hurt Romney more than anyone.