“This is meaningless”
It is only meaningless if your guy/gal is losing. If your guy/gal is winning then it is foretelling of future events.
If Palin had won it would not be meaningless. If Cruz had won it would not be meaningless. If Christie had won, then it would be meaningless.
Actually it is meaningless, just look at the record.
Year Straw Poll Winner 1976 Ronald Reagan 1980 Ronald Reagan 1984 Ronald Reagan 1986 Jack Kemp 1987 Jack Kemp 1993 Jack Kemp 1995 Phil Gramm 1998 Steve Forbes 1999 Gary Bauer 2000 George W. Bush 2005 Rudy Giuliani 2006 George Allen 2007 Mitt Romney 2008 Mitt Romney 2009 Mitt Romney 2010 Ron Paul 2011 Ron Paul 2012 Mitt Romney 2013 Rand Paul 2014 Rand Paul