Redstate

I believe Huckaflea and Romney will eat each other alive, thus leaving the caucus goers for Thompson to claim.

Texas Proud and Texas Loud

W.C. Fields for President!
www.shortenurl.com/7cxfm

Stranger things have happened...

Texas Proud and Texas Loud

W.C. Fields for President!
www.shortenurl.com/7cxfm

I'm same way, but prioritizing Fred, just no Huck.
Jason in NorCal- If you want to volunteer for Fred08 email me.

But that Fred will come in first place...well...I have a very cynical friend who likes to say, "Hope is the last to die." :-)

Agreed. Romney is my first pick, but Thompson is the only other guy out there who I could really get behind. We need those two on top.

Frankly, I'd love to see Thompson come in the top 3. It would definitely suck some of the air out of McCain's campaign and (of course) obviously make some room for Thompson.

Beyond all else, not Huckabee. I've come to the point where I far prefer Giuliani over him.

"Don't ever be afraid to see what you see." ~Ronald Reagan

I remembering reading about how Pat Buchanan and Lamar Alexander shocked the GOP Establishment by how well they did in the Iowa Caucus, in 1996. With three percentage points more, Pat would have won it... According to George Will, this would likely have caused Bob Dole to drop out of the presidential race. Alan Keyes took 8 percent in that contest, which could have impacted things.

With Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) out, it would be great if Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) took first or second place in today's key vote.

On the Democrat side, I hope that Hillary falls... A third-place finish would be great.

Of course, I was thinking about getting to God's bit/byte receptor, but whatever.

I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100 percent.

I heard it was about 200 and that there were a huge number of staffers from his campaign there. The event was extremely close to a Fred campaign office.

* PRIESTCRAFT is thus defined: “The stratagem and frauds of priests; fraud or imposition in religious concerns. Management of selfish and ambitious priests to gain wealth and power, or to impose upon the credulity of others.”

n/t

I just spent the last 20 minutes backtracking the websites I've visited to try and find it. There are so many updated blogs today that I can't find it. I think it was titled "A Fred Surge?" - the question mark was in the title I didn't add it.

Anyway, I'm confident what I posted was in a blog SOMEWHERE...but I can't get the source, sorry.

* PRIESTCRAFT is thus defined: “The stratagem and frauds of priests; fraud or imposition in religious concerns. Management of selfish and ambitious priests to gain wealth and power, or to impose upon the credulity of others.”

Convenient I guess.

You made me mad so I looked again and found it.

http://dyn.politico.com/playbook/

MIDDAY DEBRIEFS WITH POLITICOS IN IOWA:

1) Ben Adler with FRED THOMPSON: "Although rumors swirl that his campaign is about to fold, and his choice to only hold one low-key event on Tuesday reinforced the perception that he isn't trying very hard to reverse his falling poll numbers, Fred Thompson seems to be going out with the closest thing his campaign has had to a bang. His event in West Des Moines this morning drew a crowd of 200-plus. That's not impressive by the standards of most front-runners, but it's larger than any crowd he has addressed in Iowa in recent days. His total was padded by the fact that his volunteers and staffers who work out of his nearby office were all in attendance. Thompson's usually soporific performance was a little more energetic this morning. He hit his applause lines harder and got more audience excitement than usual. His schedule today is stuffed with television and radio appearances."

* PRIESTCRAFT is thus defined: “The stratagem and frauds of priests; fraud or imposition in religious concerns. Management of selfish and ambitious priests to gain wealth and power, or to impose upon the credulity of others.”

I can't find the part about the "huge number of staffers." Ah, you're a Mitt guy.:)

excuse my hyperbole and give me some props for finding the source in the bottomless pit of political blogs today?

* PRIESTCRAFT is thus defined: “The stratagem and frauds of priests; fraud or imposition in religious concerns. Management of selfish and ambitious priests to gain wealth and power, or to impose upon the credulity of others.”

LOL good job! n/t

I was being a bit snarky, and also a bit understanding about how hectic the sphere has been spinning today.

But I'm glad to know that being pushed a bit further made you look a bit more. I also share the above comment.

It's always a lot more work to dig up a reference than it is to make a snarky comment questioning the existence of a reference.

Let me follow your example and throw in a related link. It looks like Thompson's campaign is understandably a little sensitive about the numbers it draws. On Monday Thompson's campaign exaggerated the attendance at an event. It claimed 150 people had come, when there were only 86, including staff and media.

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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.

I don't know where to even start looking for that data. I'm pretty sure though people were talking about Jean Francois "coming on" well before the day of the '04 caucus, though. To the point that if I recall he was expected to win but the shock was how poorly Dr. Howeird did.

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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

I have no clue where to get the info either.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.

... I'll be sure to update it here.

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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

I think "who finishes third?" might actually be a more important question than "who wins?" If Fred falls to fourth place (and McCain does seem to have some momentum), his campaign's in big trouble, methinks.

peace,
lilnev

Romney 29
Huckabee 26
Thompson 15
McCain 14
Paul 7
Giuliani 6

That looks about right to me, except I think McCain and Fred will swap, with McCain in third place. I wish it were otherwise, however.

from 17% to 20% he will be fine. After what he take from the MSM and the article that he would drop out after IA and endorse McCain he has done well. He just needs to get to the next debate do as well as he did in the last and he will on a roll

"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
John Paul Jones (letter to M. Le Ray de Chaumont,16 Nov.1778)

in your predictions...I mean if you're going to dream, and puttig Huck with 32 is dreaming, at least give Fred the win with 25 and then put Mitt second with 23 and Huck at 3rd with 16...that seems about right to me...

and I'm not dreaming and I've taken my medications...

Texas Proud and Texas Loud

I went to bed and had visions of caucus ballots dancing in my head. All night long the ballots were floating in the air among red, white and blue clouds. The ballots were lit by the stars, and they said: FDT FDT FDT FDT FDT FDT...

Who knew Benadryl was a hallucinogen?

www.fred08.com
Redneck Hippie

Texas Proud and Texas Loud

" Got to love the Lord for making things like that."
Morally Compromised

I think that got him five extra votes, not five percentage points.

John S. McCain III.

______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777

that McCain is worried about a possible third place finish for RP. That would be something.

"We're hoping for the best, but we need to prepare for the worst." -Fred D. Thompson

I think Paul coming in 3rd would be a nightmare for both those candidates. I really believe this year will be an odd year in Iowa. There are no true "sure things" on each side. There is no VP running, no President running. I think we will see a lot of new caucus goers on both sides, people who would not be polled by the major media prior to this day. I think you're going to see candidates like Obama and Paul benefit from this. Paul is getting people who are not typical Republican primary voters, and Obama is getting a young group that has never voted before in a primary. If they show up and are not just talk, I think we can a 3rd place for Paul and strong victory for Obama.

or thinks voting for Huckaflea is going to get him some kind of special consideration in order to make into 'monkey heaven'...Because Huckaflea will not be doing that well tonight...he will either finish 2nd or 3rd..Fred wins it...

Texas Proud and Texas Loud

I'm completely baffled how anyone who is conservative can vote for Huckabee. He reminds me of the toothless mountainman from Deliverance and I fear he will do to our party what he and his kin did to Ned Beatty.

We need the two conservatives to finish one, two.

No matter what issues are on the table, some people in this country vote for the guy they would rather sit down for dinner with. I don't care for Huckabee's politics much, but it's hard to deny that he has a lot of charisma and is extremely likeable.