Posted on 04/10/2010 6:50:18 PM PDT by Publius772000
The Drudge Report made it the headline story Saturday night: ROMNEY WINS STRAW POLL RESULTS. At the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, the former governor of Massachusetts, who, incidentally, signed into law the state health care system upon which Obamacare is based, narrowly edged Ron Paul in the informal poll of potential GOP candidates for 2012. Sarah Palin was third in the polling, with Newt Gingrich finishing out the top four.
Some of the big guns in the conservative movement and the Republican Party will make a big story out of this, as they have been pulling for Romney since the 2008 primaries. Sean Hannity has done a poor job of proclaiming his neutrality, as he continually sings Romney's praises, even going so far as to have the governor come on his radio show to try explain why Romneycare was different from Obamacare. Glenn Beck has done a better job of appearing neutral of late, but his affinity for Romney gushes at times. I tend to think this has something to do with the religious connections between the two LDS men. Rush Limbaugh has been probably the most guarded about his personal preferences for any one candidate, though he came just short of endorsing Romney in the primary season.
Now, Romney has finally won a straw poll, and the floodgates will open. This will be hailed as a very strong indicator for the former governor who now talks about fiscal responsibility and government cutbacks after signing into law a health care system that has bankrupted the insurance industry in Massachusetts...
(Excerpt) Read more at theconstitutionalalamo.com ...
I like to hear that. I don’t like to hear that Palin is about as popular as Gingrich and less than Romney.
She should have people rounding up those votes. Or she should have put herself in a better time slot. It’s good to hear that it’s more of an organizational problem with Palin than one where there was a lack of warm bodies.
We might have had an interesting race if we’d had Frist leading the ticket. It’s hard to say.
Look at the two questions in the straw poll:
If the primary election for president were held today, for whom would you vote? Please check the box by the candidate of your choice.
Newt Gingrich 18%
Mike Huckabee 4%
Gary Johnson 1%
Sarah Palin 18%
Ron Paul 24% (438 votes)
Tim Pawlenty 3%
Mike Pence 3%
Mitt Romney 24% (439 votes)
Rick Santorum 2%
2. Who would be your second choice in the Republican Primary Election for president?
Newt Gingrich 19%
Mike Huckabee 10%
Gary Johnson 6%
Sarah Palin 18%
Ron Paul 5%
Tim Pawlenty 6%
Mike Pence 8%
Mitt Romney 13%
Rick Santorum 7%
Sarah has a strong second in the second choices with Newt even, or slightly better. Mitt and Ron barely getting anything here as second choice.
Am I missing something here, or did the Rombots and Paulites missed the second question in the poll?
I think the strong showing as 1st choice and weak showing as 2nd choice indicates vote buying.
Whatcha think?
Oh yes! Very telling! The bought votes did as they were told!
They voted once and didn’t vote in the second part.
Buttons, piggybanks, Mitt’s books (signed and unsigned for your email), bumperstickers, etc.
I think her time slot was all right.
She didn’t have control over the delay or trouble with the vote.
Earlier in this thread, truthfreedom asked whether Newt did anything to game the vote?
Newt spoke on Thursday and I wasn't there. So the crowd for his speech may have picked up some goodies. Some people I talked to that attended the day before said Newt gave a great speech (I didn't see it, have to look online) and that energy may have carried over to the straw poll.
Thanks. I am willing to accept that. Newt likely gave his audience a book he’s written or maybe a video I think that might be normal for most of the speakers and I think it’s nice to receive a little something.
He is from the South, too, so that might be a factor. Some of the attendees might be very familiar with him. They might know him personally and like him.
And she gets 300-400. She’s supposed to be winning these things right now
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It is strange. Maybe we Palin supporters are less self-reliant than we pretend. 3000 people stood and enthusiastically applauded her speech but only 330 voted for her. We will wind up with the person whose supporters actually support their candidate. Were the other 2670 Palin fans illegal aliens who couldn’t vote? No, they were people who were afraid to voice what they wanted because they hadn’t yet been told whose turn it is to be the Republican nominee. If Sarah is to be the nominee in 2012, the whole process will have to be turned on its ear from the ground up. Organization will have to start yesterday. People will need to learn something from Sarah - to be fearless and to stand up for what and who we believe in whether it’s popular or not.
She is in a good position in that among those people who were not bribed, she came in first. But, in order to overcome the tendency of the party to nominate old moderate men, it must be made clear that we are not going to let that happen again.
In 1976 many of us were supporting a charismatic former governor from California to be the Republican nominee. The sentiment among delegates was strongly for him, but Gerald Ford was president and the delegates couldn’t go for victory. They stayed with tradition. As a result we were punished with four years of Jimmy Carter. We got the Mullahs in Iran, the hostage crisis, we lost the Canal Zone, and yes 20% interest rates. We can’t let that happen again. We can’t be afraid to insist on a nominee that will undo the socialism, reduce the budget, and finally deal with the problem of energy development.
Romney- Buys 500 $119 tickets= $59,500 =TIE FOR FIRST
Paul- Buys 800 $119 tickets= $95,200 =TIE FOR FIRST
Palin- Buys 500 Caribou Jerky= $1,500 = SECOND PLACE
WHICH ONE IS FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE?
WHICH ONE GOT MORE FOR THEIR MONEY?
OT - nice photo with Jim Thompson on your homepage!
Palin is certainly preferable to Romney or Gingrich or Huckabee. I’d prefer Santorum to Romney or Gingrich or Huckabee.
LOL. Thanks, Thompson and I and a whole lot of FReepers had toured RWR’s Library earlier that day.
RR’s library is in a gorgeous setting! I moved to SoCal (Hollywood) in late 60’s and , as an 18 y/o kid from Ohio it was quite a place but eventually returned to OH. A couple of years ago I was in Simi Valley area on business visiting a CD/vinyl record mastering studio - scenery was still breathtaking. I really need to visit RR’s library someday....
Maybe. Maybe not.
Fact is, even Allen who finished ahezd of McCain and Huckabee, couldn’t even win his own re-election, and quickly fell by the wayside.
The most interesting thing about that 2006 straw poll list is that Ron Paul doesn’t appear anywhere on it. Weird that just a year later you couldn’t find an online/straw poll almost anywhere that he didn’t win or come in second, which continues to this day. Did this support just crop up overnight? Anyone have an insight?
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