Iowa “establishment” in a Ron Paul “panic”?

The dawning realization of what a Ron Paul win in the Iowa caucuses would mean for Republicans, Iowa, and the caucuses has apparently begun to dawn on Iowa Republicans. Politico calls this a “Ron Paul panic,” but it’s actually a bit of an existential crisis:

“I, in 1980 Caucused for Ronald Reagan”

Somehow, I knew that.. :0)

Good choice.

I didn’t even know what a ‘caucus’ was back in 1980.

I never got interested in politics until 2001.

The dawning realization of what a Ron Paul win in the Iowa caucuses would mean for Republicans, Iowa, and the caucuses has apparently begun to dawn on Iowa Republicans.

If the Paulistinians win in Iowa, it will merely erase any malingering credibility given to the IA caucuses. But they're pretty circling the bowl already.

First, Republicans in all states should move to a closed primary system. If you’re not registered as a Republican by, say, 60 days before an election, then you don’t get to help pick the GOP candidates. It really should be that simple. It’s absolutely insane to allow members of the other parties choose a party’s candidates, and that goes for Dems too.

Second, Iowa is a caucus state. As such, they caucus, and debate, on the night that they vote. Arguments such as this will no doubt be made, and made effectively, by supporters of the other candidates. People unaware of Paul’s history will be made aware of it that night, and the concern of making the Iowa caucus a joke will also be heard.

And, in Iowa, people are likely to know their neighbors and their political leanings. It will take some serious guts for a known Democrat to show up at a meeting populated with hundreds of his/her Republican neighbors, intending to screw with them. For these reasons, I suspect Paul’s support will drop significantly before the vote is taken.

However, in open primary states, like Wisconsin, crossovers will be frequent, and this year the Democrats are bound to mess with the GOP. All they have to do is show up and pick the right ballot, all in secret, so nothing discourages them from doing so. Republicans need to change this process, for the good of the party.

You sent me to the dictionary. I did not know what ‘malinger’ meant.

“ma·lin·ger (m-lnggr)
intr.v. ma·lin·gered, ma·lin·ger·ing, ma·lin·gers
To feign illness or other incapacity in order to avoid duty or work.”

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/malingering

I am not a Paul supporter.

BUT . . .

If Paul wins Iowa (which he might well do), and Romney finishes in fourth or so (a real possibility), it really makes it clea that Romney is unwanted in the heartland.

I can’t stand Paul, but it would be hilarious if Dems and PaulBots crashed New Hampshire and gave him a massive victory over Mittens.

If that happened, Romney would not survive South Carolina and Florida. He’d be dead in the water before the Super Bowl.

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