The RNC Presidential Straw Poll Is Here

FITS News ^ | January 25, 2014

[2ndDivisionVet]

PICK YOUR POISONS …

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, the “Republican” Party is coming apart at the seams as factions of increasingly divergent political ideologies battle for a shrinking pool of the electorate.

And the camps are getting increasingly belligerent …

In one corner we have big government “neoconservatives” – fiscal liberals who are wholly owned subsidiaries of America’s military industrial complex. These “Republicans” want no changes to the status quo in Washington, D.C. – with the exception of perpetual funding increases for the bloated U.S. military.

In another corner we have big government Bible Thumpers – fiscal liberals who are wholly owned subsidiaries of the religious right. These “Republicans” want no changes to the status quo in Washington, D.C. – with the exception of federal funding for abstinence education and a host of other socially conservative government programs.

Finally, we have the so-called “whack-a-doodles” – fiscally conservative, pro-free market, pro-liberty voters who for the most part have aligned themselves with the Tea Party movement, which cropped up in 2009 in response to the initial overreaches of the administration of Barack Obama. This is the fastest-growing wing of the party, although it is every bit as splintered as the GOP itself.

Against this backdrop of division and declining relevancy, the Republican Party is doing a straw poll of the thirty-two politicians it believes are legitimate contenders for the 2016 presidential nomination.

In alphabetical order, they are: U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire), former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former pizza mogul and 2012 presidential candidate Herman Cain, neurosurgeon and author Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, U.S. Rep. Peter King (New York), New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (Kentucky), former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio), former Secretary of State Condi Rice, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida), Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), U.S. Sen. John Thune (S.D.), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Allen West (Florida).

Phew … right?

Right …

The straw poll asks Republican voters to choose their three favorite names from the list … and provides a write-in section in the event you’d like to vote for someone who didn’t make the party’s list.

And yes, to actually cast your vote you have to surrender your email address to the GOP …

Anyway, here’s the link …

http://www.gop.com/act/presidential-straw-poll

[Lakeshark]

Cruz is too liberal for you?

Please explain.

[Lakeshark]

Christie won't excite anyone, except the folks whose diet is primarily from Krispy Kreme.......he would get beat like a toy rubber tire

Cruz would be great, Palin would be great (but I think she won't run), and if Walker goes for it, he could be really good as well.

[txhurl]

I don’t think Perry is running for Prez anymore. He showed up tonight on FNC looking like Steve Martin, and acting way outside his usual swagger. Something’s going on with him.

[Windflier]

I respectfully disagree. They are the only two who have a chance at beating Hillary.

Friend, there isn't even a slight comparison between Cruz and Christie. They're as different as two politicians can be, while still being members of the same party.

They're not going to poll anywhere near alike, a year from now. They speak to two very different mindsets, and will attract very different supporters. That's IF Christie even tries to run, after being sunk by 'bridgegate'.

And the way the two men stack up against the eventual Dem front-runner will be very different, as well. If the GOP-e forces Christie to the top of the heap, we'll be looking at another Republican loss, which will be nearly unprecedented. That's how badly he'll do among the conservative right, who will likely stay home, rather than give him their vote.

[ansel12]

I’m amazed no else mentioned that, I meant Haley and Trump, don’t know how Cruz got in there.

Now that you pinged me to it, it makes me wonder why no one else was bothered by that typo.