The Iowa Straw Poll and Iowa Caucuses are the best defense against the big money and MSM machines. If we were to go to a "national primary" as some suggest, candidates without huge money would be completely unable to compete.
The “race for relevence” is precisely about heading toward a national primary. If all of the states are first, they are, necessarily, at exactly the same time.
Romney hired 38 busses to transport people to the straw-poll (hard to say who payed their “entrance” fee). And he had the freedom (financial) to spend a lot more time in Iowa than people who actually have a job. I believe that money, and his money is big, had a great deal to do with Romney’s “overwhelming” victory.
Brownback spent quite a bit of money also. Huckabee is the real mystery, though I’m sure someone will be able to explain that before too long.