It was a fight of the pipsqueaks. Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani didn’t bother to show up to the Texas Republican straw poll. Even Arkansas Mike Huckabee failed to make the short trip to the state next door to participate.
So, the Texas Republican straw poll was for Fred Thompson and Ron Paul to lose. One of these two Republican presidential candidates ought to have won the poll. Congressman Paul had a potential advantage, because he’s actually from Texas. Fred Thompson claims to be among the front runners, and had made clear his intention to enter the presidential race officially with an announcement planned for next week, so Thompson should have had a clear shot for the top spot in the poll.
However, Saturday brought bad news for both Ron Paul and Fred Thompson. They both failed the test. They lost to a third tier candidate, Duncan Hunter, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from California who polls nationally in the single digits and is retiring from Congress after next year.
Ron Paul can’t just blame others for his failure to win even second place in his home state. Paul arranged to have supporters come to the straw poll on buses, but was so disorganized that many of those supporters failed to qualify to vote.
Since Saturday, Fred Thompson’s campaign has been working hard to convince people that his loss to Duncan Hunter is not a sign of weakness. Thompson’s excuse is that he is not yet officially running for President. Of course, that’s only true in a narrow, legalistic sense. Thompson has been campaigning for President for months now, under the sham status of operating an presidential campaign exploratory committee. Thompson also announced, in time for the Texas straw poll, that he will be formally announcing this week that he is a candidate for President. Under such circumstances, Fred Thompson should have had the momentum to easily achieve victory over the crowd of lightweight competitors.
As it is, Fred Thompson only proved that he is incapable of the political equivalent of fighting his way out of a paper bag.
The only people who could vote st this were previous Texas GOP convention delegates — in other words, the party regulars — in other words, the “anybody-but-Paul” crowd.
Paul raised $102,000 at a fundraiser in Ft. Worth, more then the state GOP raised with its ridiculous straw poll.
“Under such circumstances”?? lol, LOL, ROFLMHO!
You keep spinning this way JCLifford and the only place that paper bag will stay is over your head.
News unfit for print with logic unfit for reason.
Keep making excuses, Fredheads and Ronbots.
Mark, Ron Paul showed up with a bunch of voters that were unqualified. If he couldn’t organize himself for the Texas Republican straw poll, what makes you think he’s ready to organize the federal government as President?
Winghunter, you’ve said nothing of substance to disagree with anything that I wrote. So, I conclude that your frustration is due to the fact that you can’t refute what I’ve said. That must be difficult for someone who hopes Fred Thompson or Ron Paul will be the next President.
Yep.
Second place.
For an yet-to-be announced candidate.
REAL poor showing. NOT.
For a candidate who has been running an all-but-official campaign for months, making an official announcement less than a week from the straw poll, who has raised millions of dollars, and is a well known television actor to lose to third rate candidate DUNCAN HUNTER!?!
That’s not a poor showing?
Get real, Leo.
“Paul arranged to have supporters come to the straw poll on buses, but was so disorganized that many of those supporters failed to qualify to vote.”
“…Ron Paul showed up with a bunch of voters that were unqualified.”
This is dishonesty on stilts. The bullies in charge fixed the rules to disqualify Ron Paul’s supporters. Blaming this on his being “disorganized” cannot be an honest error. It is a perverted lie.
Well, actually, if Ron Paul himself wants to cry foul, he either didn’t read the rules ahead of time, or he is himself being “dishonesty on stilts.” If Ron Paul isn’t complaining, and it’s just his supporters who are, then his supporters didn’t know what they were being drawn into.
The rules disqualified a lot of Ron Paul’s bussed-in people from voting. These rules were stated clearly in advance. You and I can talk about whether those rules were a good or bad idea, but they were the rules. I wonder why Ron Paul was bringing people he knew couldn’t vote into the straw poll in the first place. Did he not know what he was doing, or did he plan on creating a dustup by not telling his supporters they wouldn’t be able to vote?
I am perverted, though.
Being locked out of an event because of being 5 minutes late is a bit rediculous. Especially when you have already paid for your ticket and the voting didn’t start until afternoon. Is a straw poll really that big of a deal? I mean, come on.
Well, if it isn’t a big deal, Richard, then why are you outraged enough to write about it?
If the polls are closed, they are closed, aren’t they?
Does Ron Paul expect special exceptions to the rules for him?
Despite whatever possible “disorganization” there might have been(which can only be assumed), and despite being from a state that is well documented for it’s pro-war/Iraq stance, and despite the fact that he had been polling only 3% in most “scientific” polls, Ron Paul managed to garner nearly 17% of Texas — yes, Texas — delegation votes. These aren’t just joe-public votes, mind you. These are delegate votes…you know, the ones that nominate? That, to me, is alot of support for a message that is quite different that all the rest. He should have done much worse, but didn’t. And it’s still very early in the race.
I call it a victory. Next…
Jeff, as Richard said, Ron Paul’s people showed up late. Other Ron Paul supporters had been told by Ron Paul’s campaign that they would be qualified to vote, when in fact, they were not.
That’s not assumed disorganzation. That’s proven disorganization on Ron Paul’s part.
You want that kind of disorganized leadership when another big hurricane hits? No thanks!
You think that because a few delegates shown up late it gives you grounds to call the whole Texas campaign disorganized? Remember, over 250 Ron Paul delegates out of 1300 total did get there on time, and voted. If it was so badly mismanaged, he should have gotten much less votes. Sorry, I don’t see it. If this is your guide to organization, then you, I, all the candidates and all the Presidents past and present are guilty of failing. Please excuse human nature.
And where’s the official word that says non-eligible supporters where literally told they could vote? It’s one thing to believe that some delegates came to the convention under the self-impression that they could vote (which I’m sure happened to all candidate supporters), but it’s entirely different to say that some folks were falsely told outright.
Again, I just don’t see your logic.
No, some delegates showed up late. Other Ron Paul supporters readied by the campaign to vote were completely unqualified to do so. Also, Ron Paul had the home turf advantage, and should have been building relationships with allies in the Texas Republican Party. He didn’t.
All that together, I think, that shows a profound lack of political organization.
You may not see my logic, Jeff, but I think that’s because you’re a true believer.
Still can’t come up with any plausible scenario in which Ron Paul could win the Presidential election in November 2008, can you?
It’s a long way from 17 percent in Texas without the top competition showing up to winning the Electoral College in the national election.
Ron Paul just isn’t up to the task.
Ron Paul is winning all over the web. Just go to http://www.whowouldtheworldelect.com/ and see how people from all over are following him . it can’t be so different in Texas.. something is going on
Well, if the election were held on the web, then that would be one matter, but it isn’t, is it?