Jennifer,
I think you miss the point. There’s not a soul in South Carolina who knows who Richard Parsons is. But about 15 percent of South Carolina Republicans want Romney to be president of the United States. Give, say, 11 or 12 percent of those to Thompson, and Thompson suddenly is a serious threat to win South Carolina. Win South Carolina, and he stays alive for the nomination.
Plus, Romney’s baggage is ELIMINATED if he is not the top man. People don’t like his flip-flopping on issues. But that won’t matter if Fred is in charge of policy. Even people who don’t want Romney as president admire his business acumen and his managerial skill.
But even that discussion is going too far afield. The idea is to shake up the race, to save a candidacy with its back to the wall. It’s that simple.