Posted on 06/19/2011 6:50:53 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Ron Paul emerged as the big winner of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference's straw poll. Coming in second was Jon Huntsman.
The surprising poll results were revealed Saturday as several Republican presidential hopefuls made their way to New Orleans to appeal to southern conservatives. Paul (R-Texas) won nearly 40 percent of the vote while Huntsman, former governor of Utah, nabbed nearly a quarter of the vote.
"This win is just the latest indicator of how the majority of American opinion is turning in Ron Paul’s direction,” Jesse Benton, chairman of Paul's campaign, said in a statement.
“The American people want and deserve someone who will tell them the truth, tell them what needs to be done, and who has an untouchable record of consistency to back it up.”
Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) placed third in the poll with 12 percent of the vote. Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney followed, respectively.
Paul, who previously ran for president as a Libertarian, spoke at the leadership conference on Friday where he was enthusiastically received.
During his nearly 40-minute speech, the Texas congressman focused mainly on the economy, saying the U.S. has been in a "severe slump" for a decade now. Despite a population growth of 30 million people, no new net jobs were added, he said.
"We're slipping and sliding. It's always been moderated by more handouts, more entitlements," he said.
"We have lost our way," Paul asserted. "We care less about freedom than we do about the government taking care of us from cradle to grave."
Paul, who says his long-espoused message for limited government and greater liberties is now resonating with the country, reminded the crowd that economic growth in the U.S. came with the advancement of freedom over the past couple hundred years.
"A free society is ... the most productive society," he said.
Commenting on the popularity of Paul, Heritage Foundation Vice President of Government Studies Michael Franc admitted earlier that there is a newfound appeal for the libertarian emphasis on limited government.
And that view appeals to a certain extent to Christians who value the freedom to worship without government interference, he noted.
But that doesn't mean Christian social conservatives would flock to Paul. Franc noted that Christians may not be keen on libertarian purist views. Paul is considered a libertarian purist.
Huntsman was scheduled to be in New Orleans but canceled due to illness.
‘It’s Not the People Who Vote that Count; It’s the People Who Count the Votes’
the main problem is that the Paul-ies make the Obamabots look sane. Paul always has a mob of supporters, who can’t be found after the counting is done.
RE: ‘It’s Not the People Who Vote that Count; It’s the People Who Count the Votes’
Are you implying the straw poll is rigged?
Does anybody really care about these straw polls?
I read that he had “BUSLOADS” of supporters. I also read that Perry and Bachmann “buttons” outsold all others, that may be a greater indication of support than the straw vote. What was the highest% of primary votes that Ron received in 2008?
I’ll be proud to vote for Ron if he receives the Republican nomination. I may try to get a busload from Missippi to go to the Iowa cacus to support one of our favorite candidates, I understand this is allowed by the rules in Iowa? My favorites among the announced and mentioned are, in no particular order Bachmann, Cain, DeMint, Palin and Perry. I will even support Romney again, if he gets the Republican nomination.
Just a few of my random thoughts.
Who votes in a straw poll?
Sweet! This means more idiots donating money to the traitor’s retirement . . . ahem . . . reelection fund.
It’s where they vote early, and vote often......
The fact that Ron Paul won is no surprise. His people live for straw votes. The shocker is that Huntsman, the farthest left of all potential GOP candidates, came in second.
Who attends these things and how many heads do they have>
“It’s where they vote early, and vote often......”
Chicago-style
Paul has a very energized cult like clique that go around overwhelming straw polls like this. When it comes to actual primary voters though, he will do about the same as he did last year - an average of about 5% in each primary and nowhere even close to winning the nomination.
If Paul were really bringing new people into the GOP and helping to build it up and give us a better chance to win the general election against Obama, I think more Republicans would be sympathetic to him. The problem is, most paulbots are left leaning libertarians and won’t likely vote for the eventual Republican nominee anyway. I knew a lot of these paulbots in 2008 and they are really far more left than right, are attracted to the the legalizing drugs and anti-war policies Paul pushes, and simply went on to vote in the general election for libertarian candidates or Obama. In short, Paul is not really bringing anything useful to the GOP or conservative movement.
*Yawn*
*Yawn*
gop: so dead at the grassroots that the paulistas can dominate these events. Also, many teapartiers have been drawn in with the paulistas.
Swarmers and spammers. :)
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