Posted on 12/11/2007 12:49:39 PM PST by SJackson
There's been a lot of buzz over Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen's crusade against the possibility of campaigns organizing non-Iowa resident college students to caucus. Most of the talk has been about whether Obama will pull in loads of Illinois college kids. But Yepsen offers another scenario, too:
On the Republican side, GOP officials are watching precincts in Council Bluffs and Davenport to make certain people aren't driving across the state line to participate. They are particularly concerned about Ron Paul's over-caffeinated backers.
This will be fun to watch--not because Paul has a real shot at winning Iowa (he doesn't), but because of the pain he can inflict on other candidates. For instance: Right now Fred Thompson currently has a good shot at placing third in Iowa. Rudy Giuliani and John McCain aren't campaigning hard there, while Fred is now throwing everythig everything he's got into the state--to the exclusion of New Hampshire) between now and the caucuses.
A decent third-place showing probably keeps Fred alive and kicking into New Hampshire--especially if Romney loses badly to Huckabee, rebooting the GOP race and giving everyone new hope. But if Thompson loses to Ron Paul? Then Fred is probably dead.
Well.....this is progress. The original claim was that Paul was a “one percenter” who only had support from a mysterious spambot. Now, it has shifted to fears that he can derail the laconic Fred. What next?
I doubt there'll be enough out of staters to have a big impact, but if it does, it's certainly a big plus for Huck and Romney.
Heh.
This is more wishful thinking than anything else.
If that happens and everybody knows it’s just IRL spamming by the paulestinians, I suspect everybody will ignore the results.
I don’t think I would base any plan on what Dave Yepsen had for breakfast. He has been a dyed in the wool Donk since college days at Iowa. His big scoops came from swapping spit with the creeky Polk County Supervisors, all Demos who had a big hand in giving us Jimmah Cahtah in ‘76.
>He's going to endorse Fred?
:)
But...but...they said those Paulistinians weren’t a threat! They...they were...LYING? [Sobbing] Betrayed by the RINO RNC hit squad AGAIN!?!?!?!?!
Don’t know much about Yepsen, but he seems more concerned that the Illinois kids will push Obama over the top. Residency of/for students is an interesting issue. Seems to me if you’re a resident for voting, you should be a resident for tuition, and vice versa.
That was my thought.
Fred is pretty much ruined anyway.
Doubt it, but that would be the kiss of death.
Paul has accomplished a lot in the last few months but not even he can give the kiss of death to someone who is not only already dead but in the first stages of rigor mortis.
Perhaps, time will tell.
Agreed. The fragmentation is so incredible. Especially in the Iowa caucuses just about anything can happen.
Ron Who?
It’s just more of the same-old same-old. How many times have you seen the “mainstream Republican” arguments go from ridiculing the libertarians/constitutionalists for being able to meet in a phone booth before an election, to complaining that those three votes cost their favorite candidate a win afterward?
If Ron Paul supporters are overcaffeinated, what does that make Fred’s supporers? Overly sedated?
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