I’m with Governor Branstad: the Ames Straw Poll is uselessness on stilts, and it drags out the primaries for a whole freaking year.
Eyeing the wreckage of the 2011 Ames Straw Poll, which Rep. Michele Bachmann won only to fizzle as a candidate soon after, Mr. Branstad wants to do away with the whole thing.
“I think the straw poll has outlived its usefulness,” Mr. Branstad said of the 33-year-old GOP ritual. “It has been a great fundraiser for the party but I think its days are over.”
End Iowa’s ethanol subsidies and its first-in-the-nation status, while we’re at it: the state has gone for the Democrats three times in the last four election contests, so I suggest that the Iowa GOP find something more useful to do with its time. For example, coming up with a strategy for delivering the state to the Republicans in 2016. That would be spiffy.
Moe Lane
PS: [Expletive deleted] “quirky.” Quirky gets in the way of the win and there are no moral principles in this specific case that would justify keeping it anyway. Therefore, quirky must be jettisoned without remorse.
The Iowa GOP have become about as useful as the Cali GOP.
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They clearly are majoring on the minors .. let ’em *prove* they matter, and we can talk.
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(and no, they *don’t* get first-in-the-nation status because they’re a “bellweather” .. they get it because “tradition” .. pock that!)
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Mew
That’s a good start Moe. Lord knows that thing is useless as **** on a ****.
Now then, if only we could manage to get rid of the damn caucus. The primaries should be “real” elections and should be closed to those not registered as Republicans at least 90 days prior to the election.
Please ditch the straw poll, more damaging to the party than it helps. Re-arrange to primary calender and move up the conventon to july. And no extreme liberals doing the debates in the primary, they hooked that war on women meme early on it just stuck all year no matter how absurd