MITT ROMNEY 4,516 VOTES 31.6% MIKE HUCKABEE 2,587 VOTES 18.1% SAM BROWNBACK 2,192 VOTES 15.3% TOM TANCREDO 1,961 VOTES 13.7% RON PAUL 1,305 VOTES 9.1% TOMMY THOMPSON 1,039 VOTES 7.3% FRED THOMPSON 203 VOTES 1.4% RUDY GIULIANI 183 VOTES 1.3% DUNCAN HUNTER 174 VOTES 1.2% JOHN MCCAIN 101 VOTES .7% JOHN COX 41 VOTES .3% 14,302 TOTAL BALLOTS CAST

The results of the Iowa Straw Poll are in, and they should be encouraging for Ron Paul supporters. He placed fifth with nine percent of the vote, ahead of absent "top tier" candidates Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Fred Thompson. He also placed well ahead of Tommy Thompson, Duncan Hunter, and John Cox. It should be noted that Tommy Thompson was a popular governor of a nearby state (Wisconsin), and had based almost his entire campaign in Iowa. John Cox was portrayed by the media as a fringe candidate, but had loaned his campaign nearly a million dollars, and had visited all 99 counties in Iowa.

Iowa Straw Poll Results (14,302 votes total)
31.6% -- Mitt Romney
18.1% -- Mike Huckabee
15.3% -- Sam Brownback
13.7% -- Tom Tancredo
9.1% -- Ron Paul
7.3% -- Tommy Thompson
1.4% -- Fred Thompson
1.3% -- Rudy Giuliani
1.2% -- Duncan Hunter
0.7% -- John McCain
0.3% -- John Cox

There are several good results here for Ron Paul and his growing base of supporters. Tommy Thompson and Duncan Hunter are most likely finished as candidates, which will thin the field somewhat in future debates. Mike Huckabee and Sam Brownback both did well enough to stay in the race, meaning they will continue to battle each other for support from social conservatives, and continue to criticize Romney and the other front runners. Tom Tancredo will probably stay in as well. Having a somewhat crowded field is a positive for Ron Paul, since it means more candidates to split the pro-war Republican vote, while he remains the only choice for the growing number of Republicans who want to bring the troops home from Iraq.

A fifth place showing is good enough to legitimize the Paul campaign, given his late start in Iowa, his lack of mainstream media coverage, and his two percent showing in scientific polls. Ron Paul supporters were several times more likely to make the trip to Ames to show their support than the polls predicted, just as they will be more likely to turn out in the caucuses and primaries nationwide. Duncan Hunter, by comparison, was polling at one percent according to ABC, and drew about one percent support at the straw poll. Mitt Romney fared only slightly better in the straw poll than in scientific opinion polls in Iowa, despite paying to bus people in.

The number of Ron Paul volunteers and their enthusiasm in Ames generated a lot of positive coverage for the campaign, and will prompt many more Iowans to learn about his policy proposals and his record in Congress. The more people learn about Ron Paul, the better they like him. The straw poll was also good on-the-ground training for the volunteer army forming behind his candidacy. The week-long visit by Dr. Paul, and the accompanying advertising on television, radio, and in the newspapers, will also help build support toward the event that really counts, the Iowa caucuses on January 14th.

AMES, Iowa (CNN) — While Texas Rep. Ron Paul is registering in the low single digits in national polls, his supporters Saturday sought to pump up the volume on his candidacy in this college town that is hosting the Iowa Republican Party sanctioned straw poll. A parade of supporters carrying signs and an American flag has [...]

AMES, Iowa (CNN)– Voting is underway in the first crucial Republican straw poll contest of the 2008 presidential campaign season. The first ballots were cast at 10am CT here on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. Voting will last until 6pm local time and results will be announced one hour later. Voters need to [...]

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — Rep. Ron Paul's wife was hospitalized Saturday morning, the Texas Republican's presidential campaign announced shortly before voting was to begin in the Ames GOP straw poll. "Carol experienced an irregular heartbeat early this morning," Jesse Benton, a spokesman for the Texas Republican, told CNN. "Her heart rate [...]

As I read the title (and subtitle) of this article, I thought I was about to get into another long, wrong rant about how "ridiculous" it is that Ron is running for president...

To my surprise, however, is is a very well written article that takes him very seriously. It is long, but it's worth the read. Here are a few quotes:

...because of some of his more paranoid followers--who could be found at the Mountain View rally passing out scare-pamphlets about the impending union of the U.S. and Mexico, or wearing T-shirts that read, "9/11 was an inside job"--pundits have tended to dismiss Paul's candidacy as nothing more than a laughable footnote to the larger race. But as a reminder that candidates are not their fringe followers, and that pundits are not always the smartest people in the room, it's worth considering how some of the country's best and brightest technology minds responded to Paul's pitch at Google.

Elliot Schrage, Google's vice president for global communications and public affairs... asked how many employees in the Google auditorium--a youngish crowd, lots of different races--had relied on student loans to get through school. A huge number of hands shot up. Paul joked: "The philosophical question is, do I lose all your votes because I don't support student loans, or do I get your votes because I don't want you to pay social security?"

He then explained the deeper reasoning behind his opposition to a wildly popular program like federal student loans. "The moral question," he said, "is, why should people who don't get to go to college subsidize your education [with their taxes]? I mean, it's just not fair." That's pure Paul: seeing his political philosophy through to its logical conclusions, even if it might seem like career suicide. He starts with an unflinching premise--in this case, a severely limited view of the role of the federal government in evening out social inequities--and lets everything else proceed from there.

Voters also clearly gravitate toward his candor and consistency; just as people once respected Bush's stubbornness, even if they disagreed with him on some big issues, many now seem to like Paul's unwavering connection to his core beliefs, and his willingness to follow those beliefs wherever they lead, even if they lead him into disagreements with people who might otherwise want to vote for him.

It's a rare attribute in an era filled with adjustable politicians.

Anyway, here's the link to the article.

As Paul supporters, we've all faced charges that this campaign is really a bunch of libertarians trying to hijack the GOP. Dr. Paul certainly gets asked often enough if he's running for the right party's nomination, and I can't tell you how many times I've groaned at "conservative" reporters who insist on identifying Paul as "the sole libertarian" in the race, rather than including him in the GOP field.

Two stories yesterday, however, slapped me upside the head with the memory of who exactly hijacked what. First off, Bill Kristol, neocon extraordinaire and publisher of the Weekly Standard, was quoted waxing rhapsodic about Hillary Clinton.

"Hillary Clinton is becoming the responsible Democrat who could become commander in chief in a post-9/11 world."

That ought to turn a head or two, but it's completely blown out of the water by this National Review article by Michael Ledeen, neocon lieutenant, demanding intervention in Iran with an emphasis on...worker solidarity?

"We shall see whether Western workers' organizations are capable of once again demonstrating real solidarity with their Iranian brothers and sisters... If the West had the courage of its past convictions, every leader would denounce the terror in Iran, and every trade unionist would be shouting in front of Iranian embassies."

Okay, now hang on. The "Paul's a libertarian RINO" folks are upset because the real GOP is pro-war, pro-deficit spending, pro-Hillary, and pro-union? Republicans believe in No Child Left Behind? Socialized medicine? Managed trade? Amnesty?

This may be the first time I've felt grateful to neoconservatives: thank you for making your actual affiliation so obvious. We'll take the GOP back now.

Paul has launched his first ad in Iowa. WASHINGTON (CNN) – Texas Rep. Ron Paul released his first political ad on Tuesday, aiming to reach out to potential participants in Iowa's upcoming straw poll. "Ron Paul has never voted to increase taxes, he refused his congressional pension and has never voted to raise his congressional [...]

I've decided to take some of the most popular articles here on Paul 4 Prez and make them into YouTube videos. They seem to be well-received so far, at least by Ron Paul supporters.

Could Ron Paul Really Abolish the IRS?



Ron Paul Will Protect America From Terrorists



Ron Paul and Primary Math



Future videos will be posted on the Hope4America channel.

Filed under: President 2008, Republicans, Iraq War, Debates, Ron Paul

When you're right, you're right. And when it comes to the subject of Iraq, the only candidate to be able to brag on that score at yesterday's GOP debate in Iowa was Ron Paul. What a breath of fresh air the man is. To the party establishment, however, Paul carries a foul, heretical odor. I'm sure they wish he'd just go away. Here's a recap of all the Paul highlights.

Note to the other Republican candidates: even your own base is now splintered on the question of the war. Sticking by the president is a losing issue. You'd be wise to listen to Ron Paul, at least insofar as the war is concerned.

 

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