It’s do-or-die day for Fred, and if he goes he’s not going quietly

The right kind of speech for election eve is almost always a broad declaration of principles, mixed with get-out-the-vote exhortations, and that’s what Thompson did Friday night. But he had a more specific message, too, directed to the debate going on inside the Republican party these days. And the message was: Don’t listen to those people who say the party has to change. Stick to the conservative principles that got us here

“The Founding Fathers had it right from the very beginning,” Thompson said. “The wisdom of the ages, the fact that our basic rights come from God and not from government, the notion that a government big enough and powerful enough to give you anything is big enough and powerful enough to take anything away from you…respect for the rule of law…the institution of the market economy…[the belief] that if a person earned a dollar, that dollar belonged in the person’s pocket…” Those should be our guiding principles, he said.

It’ll be a real shame if Fred isn’t the GOP’s nominee as I just don’t think there’s any other candidate in the field who is standing on principle as Fred is.  By the way, in what was probably the last poll before voting today it looks like Fred has plenty of momentum:

Well, after yesterday’s brouhaha over whether Thompson was really surging… American Research Group does show what I would all a real surge, rising from 13 percent in the poll taken January 15-16 to 21 percent in the poll taken January 17-18

Among Republicans, he ties McCain with 22 percent. McCain is way ahead in independents

A finish like that - behind McCain with 26 percent and Huckabee with 36 percent, but beating Romney by 9, would be plenty reason to stay in the race.

The numbers are encouraging, but I still think Fred needs to finish first or a very, very strong second

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