It's not just Ron Paul that's spamming the event. Tommy (The Other) Thompson, who has pinned all his hopes on this, is planning on inviting everybody from the Sturgis bike rally to Ames, as well as busing 2000 in. Of course, unlike Ron, Tommy doesn't have the money.

But Thompson has the support of the Ace of Spades readers...:-)

The Ames straw poll has always been a test of organizational capability and the Iowa ground game. Bush won it in 2000 by buying tickets for everybody and their grandmother. But by doing so, he proved that his campaign was out-hustling, out-organizing and out-motivating his opponents. Iowa is a caucus state, so that's the name of the game there.

It speaks volumes about the shallow and tepid support Giuliani is experiencing that he's run away from the Ames straw poll with his tail between his legs. He knew he couldn't compete with Romney, and that's bad enough. Now he knows that he couldn't compete with the "marginal" Ron Paul, either. How bad is that?

All the campaigns that can't compete at Ames will probably put out sour grapes whines about how it doesn't mean anything. All it means is that their Iowa campaigns are weak, and that they're whiners, too. I don't particularly like Romney, but the other major candidates are taking a hell of a chance by basically conceding Iowa to him. He's a mortal lock in New Hampshire, so unless something crazy happens in Iowa it looks like Giuliani will be saying, "The Ames poll doesn't mean anything, the Iowa caucus doesn't mean anything, the New Hampshire primary doesn't mean anything..." Better hope the folks down in South Carolina don't go with the momentum guy, or we'll be stuck with that empty suit Romney.

It's amazing how quickly the Paul supporters find me.

They own the web.

Spin the Iowa poll all you want, but it's a test of nothing more than a campaign's ability to game a flawed system. I didn't care all that much when Bush won it, either.

(Comment changed to be less harsh)

Um, you're the one that's spinning the poll.

I'm drawing the extremely straightforward conclusion that winning it is a good thing.

You're the one grasping at straws [forgive the pun] to come up with a reason why it doesn't mean anything. "But - but - but - it's a flawed system! The sun was in my eyes! They were offside!"

You know what you sound like? A "Paulbot" saying that the telephone polls are wrong because people with cell phones don't get polled.

How many delegates will Paul receive if he wins second place in this straw poll?

The same number as the winner - zero.

Why doesn't Paul go home to the Losertari...er, Libertari...ah, taheckwitchit, Losertarians?

Iowa straw poll has changed the rules so that out-of-state voters can't vote.

The bigger problem is they use electronic voting and count the votes in secret with only *some* of the candidates' representatives present.

Look at what they did to Buchannan. The votes need to be counted by hand in front of as many witnesses as is possible.

*Then* the Iowa Straw poll will be credible.

I am a Ron Paul supporter and I don't expect that we will get 2nd. I expect that Thompson (Tommy) and Brownback will get a lot of support due to name recognition. I think we will be very lucky to come in fourth, and it will probably be fifth or sixth. Gilmore dropped out, so that helps a little.

FYI: Unlike the other campaigns, The Paul campaign has indicated that it is NOT going to buy blocks of tickets to hand out to supporters.

Most Iowans voting for Paul in Ames will have purchased their own ticket and traveled there at their own expense.

Classic case of setting expectations very high and then crowing about how "weak" your opponent (Paul) is when he fails to meet them. Same thing Ruffini did with Paul's Q2 numbers -- highball the guess and then slam Paul for not meeting the over-estimate. Self-fulfilling prophesy at its best.

"Iowa Straw Poll Nearing Irrelevance"

Course it is. It has to be. How dare a candidate that not only advocates limited government, but votes by it, be anywhere close to winning a 'real' poll. Have to say it's getting quite funny. First it was spammers, then he won the Fox News poll, then he was a 'gadfly', until the campaign fund raising numbers have been released. Now it's the Ames Straw poll, which Republicans haven't shut up about for months, is irrelevant.

I know this maybe above the kin of some here but could it be many Republicans, especially in the Heartland, are tired of a useless unneeded police action and a Republican that has increased the welfare state to levels unheard of in recent history? No, that can't be it. You're right, the Ames poll is useless. Let's set another standard Rep. Paul can surpass. Course then that will be a useless standard as well won't it?

I wonder if Ed Failor will be there.....

Let's set another standard Rep. Paul can surpass.

Agreed! Let's have him tested for bipolar disorder.

Mobilizing warm bodies to attend a straw poll and vote is something that used to be called "politics." If Paul can mobilize a bunch of people to go to an event and vote, that means his support is not limited to the Internet.

And it means that the Republican rank and file want freedom and small government, and are onto the game the leadership has played for 30 years of promising small government while expanding it beyond all measure.

Of course, you say the Ames poll is irrelevant now because Paul might win. I wonder if he comes in 4th or 5th if you'll suddenly find the Ames poll to be valuable and representative again.

Actually, I've always thought the Ames poll was irrelevant no matter who wins. Perhaps I should have added the word "Greater" before irrelevance.

Might want to brush up on your mind-reading and assumption skills there.

Yes, perhaps you should have.

Everyone knows how these things work but we all pretend we're above it. You downplay the Iowa poll here and toss in the qualifier that you never liked it anyway in the same post where you link to "Second Tier Candidate Ron Paul Loves Conspiracies". Sure, he is STILL second tier, he DOES love conspiracies, and you wouldn't EVER find the Iowa poll interesting even if he were to barely register.

I hate politics. It is everyone's excuse to pretend the best about themselves and rationalize the worst about everyone else.

You hate politics so much that you're going to support...let me guess...Ron Paul, right?

Who's above politics because he's a real conservative.

You guys have a real problem with your assumptions. What makes you think I've ever liked the Iowa poll? You just want it to be true so you can say I'm biased against your messiah.

And yes, I am. But only because he's a Truther crank who blames America for the world's problems.

You're right, Slub - you're way ahead in RP hits. But it's interesting as to why. My guess is that the Paul campaign is putting a lot of eggs into the Ames basket. You're committing heresy by suggesting that all that effort is meaningless.

eat my shorts..

Posted by: Anonymous at July 18, 2007 07:37 PM

I'll bet you were at the top of your class.

First they ignore, then they attack (the mode they're in now), later they'll all say that they were for limited government and individual freedom all along.

...later they'll all say that they were for limited government and individual freedom all along.

Of course we are. We're just not impressed with the ideas of returning to the gold standard or placating Truthers. The latter invalidates Paul immediately as a serious candidate, at least in our circles.

Ron Paul will win in Iowa. He has the only message
of sanity.

what a bunch of cowards the GOP and front runners are , by having to smear and try to remove Ron Paul from the debates. if you think your message is better bring it to the people instead of trying to belittle the man

Ron Paul is a Truther? I've seen nothing in all of his writings and in all of the video clips that indicate such a thing. It is a fact that Truthers have claimed him as one of theirs, but as far as I know he has not claimed them.

The Straw Poll is irrelevant? Just another neo-con lie. If Guilliani were expected to win the straw poll we'd be hearing about how important it is. The Ron Paul revolution can not be stopped. Nice try.