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News & ArtsMonday, December 26, 2011
2012 Ron Paul Has Iowa Republicans Shitting Their Pants
Posted by Goldy on Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 3:20 PM
Turns out, democracy can be messy:
The alarms are sounding in Iowa.
Conservatives and Republican elites in the state are divided over who to support for the GOP nomination, but they almost uniformly express concern over the prospect that Ron Paul and his army of activist supporters may capture the state’s 2012 nominating contest — an outcome many fear would do irreparable harm to the future role of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.
[...] “It would make the caucuses mostly irrelevant if not entirely irrelevant,” said Becky Beach, a longtime Iowa Republican who helped Presidents Bush 41 and Bush 43 here. “It would have a very damaging effect because I don’t think he could be elected president and both Iowa and national Republicans wouldn’t think he represents the will of voters.”
Iowa irrelevant? Really? Tell that to President Huckabee.
Of course, the bigger question Iowans might want to ask themselves is why the fuck they should have a permanent role as our first-in-the-nation caucus? Honestly, how is our democracy served—how do we assure that the nominee represents the will of the majority of voters—by having the presidential election fought out for two years in fucking Iowa?
(Though to be fair, if Washington held the first-in-the-nation caucus, I'd wager there's a pretty fair chance our crazy Republican base might make Paul the frontrunner here too.)
1
Obviously, it makes exactly zero difference which state votes first. So why get worked up about it?
2
The entire all-or-nothing, two-party system is fucked up. The order of the primaries/caucuses are a side-show in comparison.
5
Fuck all coverage that doesn't involve the "spin" of "let the Republican party choke on their own bullshit".
6
So... because the front-runner and (at this point) likely winner of the caucus is someone the party kingmakers don't like, the caucuses will be a complete disaster, a waste of time, a laughingstock and other mean, nasty things.
Sounds to me like a bunch of spoiled brats having a tantrum because someone told them "No."
Sounds to me like a bunch of spoiled brats having a tantrum because someone told them "No."
7
"Of course, the bigger question Iowans might want to ask themselves is why the fuck they should have a permanent role as our first-in-the-nation caucus? "
Iowans' enduring ego, really.
Iowans' enduring ego, really.
8
Who, pray tell, would be a "less damaging" winner? Can there possibly be a majority of voters who think Romney is the right man to be President? Or Gingrich? Or Bachmann? It seems to me that this contest is already over and done, it may as well be Paul who sticks a fork in it.
9
Paul appears to be an actual racist but even worse...he is a gold bug.
And with the price dropping, he is losing luster.
New Republicans don't like racists, as Perry soon found out.
And with the price dropping, he is losing luster.
New Republicans don't like racists, as Perry soon found out.
10
The only good argument for Iowa's role (and it's really just an argument for letting a small state go first, doesn't have to be Iowa) is that it is relatively inexpensive to campaign there. That does give us a larger slate of candidates at the start of the race.
11
My God.
Imagine if we were first in the nation. We'd have to listen to the likes of Patty Murray and Dow Consadine and Frank Chopp pontificate about how keeping Washington in that permanent role was good for America. They'd be telling us that Washingtonians are mother fucking special and a hell of a lot of stupid fucking Washingtonians would believe themselves to be special. *barf*
Then again, how the fuck can Iowans stand to listen to so much bullshit for so long? Probably all the Iowans who are smart enough to realize Iowa ain't all that move away the day the graduate high school.
President Huckabee indeed.
Imagine if we were first in the nation. We'd have to listen to the likes of Patty Murray and Dow Consadine and Frank Chopp pontificate about how keeping Washington in that permanent role was good for America. They'd be telling us that Washingtonians are mother fucking special and a hell of a lot of stupid fucking Washingtonians would believe themselves to be special. *barf*
Then again, how the fuck can Iowans stand to listen to so much bullshit for so long? Probably all the Iowans who are smart enough to realize Iowa ain't all that move away the day the graduate high school.
President Huckabee indeed.
12
I can tell you from personal experience that many Iowans would be fucking delighted if someone else went first.
There is a general feeling of relief when the circus ends. No more round-the-clock political commercials. No more endless robo-calls.
There is a general feeling of relief when the circus ends. No more round-the-clock political commercials. No more endless robo-calls.
13
@11 Actually, Washington makes more sense as a First-In-The-Nation state than Iowa. We have a larger & more diverse population, not to mention economy. The shit-storm would be horrible, though.
Of course, the First-In-The-Nation status isn't really about representing America. If it was, California would take that spot and that would be the end of it.
Of course, the First-In-The-Nation status isn't really about representing America. If it was, California would take that spot and that would be the end of it.
14
People in Iowa like the caucus system because it brings much needed money into the state during a time that no one in their right mind would be coming to Iowa.
Here in the far western part of the state, where stupid is the height of fashion and people never removed their McCain/Palin bumper stickers, Paul and Santorum signs are the only ones you see.
As for campaign advertising, it literally never ends. It's always on the local TV. Until they figure a way to get the advertising money under control, things here will never change.
I need to come home. I think I'm molting from all the folksiness. Just three more days.....
Here in the far western part of the state, where stupid is the height of fashion and people never removed their McCain/Palin bumper stickers, Paul and Santorum signs are the only ones you see.
As for campaign advertising, it literally never ends. It's always on the local TV. Until they figure a way to get the advertising money under control, things here will never change.
I need to come home. I think I'm molting from all the folksiness. Just three more days.....
15
Iowa should have no importance what so ever. Because it is the first primary, the import it has is out of proportion to the demographic it represents. The only thing that makes Iowa primary important is that whoever wins the state, has some sort of momentum going into New Hampshire. So what? The way they pick their candidates is based on only a few voters who are enthusiastic (crazy) enough to sit and argue on a cold winter night.
16
Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina being first is little other than pro-forma pandering to idealised notions of the rural folk as being more grounded and 'sensible'.
Even though modern reality differs from this notion, political parties and campaigns will still exploit it as a concept as long as it is useful.
wash, rinse, repeat.
Even though modern reality differs from this notion, political parties and campaigns will still exploit it as a concept as long as it is useful.
wash, rinse, repeat.
19
Ha! Suck it Iowa! You just had to be first so you can just suck on it! Take your stinking caucus and stick it in your jumper!
20
What exactly does Iowa have to suck, yucca dear? As I said, it brings huge amounts of money into almost every county in the state, at a time when you would have to be nuts to come visit. (although I must say that the weather here has been wonderful)
It's a media circus, thrown for the attention of a handful of mentally ill morons who are being catered to by sociopaths who have decided to try their hands at politics. But it fills hotel rooms and provides work for people who would otherwise be idled this time of year.
Yeah, it means nothing. But who cares? It's the Republicans. Anything they get, they get by stealing or lying. I blame their poo fetish.
It's a media circus, thrown for the attention of a handful of mentally ill morons who are being catered to by sociopaths who have decided to try their hands at politics. But it fills hotel rooms and provides work for people who would otherwise be idled this time of year.
Yeah, it means nothing. But who cares? It's the Republicans. Anything they get, they get by stealing or lying. I blame their poo fetish.
21
I don't think it's possible to have any kind of a real world system this isn't "unfair" one way or another. Most of the "fair" systems that get proposed would basically mean going to a nationwide one-person-one-vote system that bypasses the states and the electoral college. And maybe that is more fair, but in a system like that no candidate would ever spend a dime or campaign for a second in a place like Iowa.
It might as well be Iowa going first. At least it's cheap to campaign there and it might give an underfunded candidate a chance to get rolling one of these days.
It might as well be Iowa going first. At least it's cheap to campaign there and it might give an underfunded candidate a chance to get rolling one of these days.
22
OK, it's a self-made tragedy for the Iowa political greenhouse. If you cultivate extremist whack-a-doodle success, and an unelectable twat like Huckabee or Paul is the result, then maybe you should just forget about it. Fuck you, whiny corn-fed Iowa racist Fox-news dittohead douchebags.
Oh for a parliamentary system with no private financing and a 4 or 6-week campaign season. Like most civilized places.
Oh for a parliamentary system with no private financing and a 4 or 6-week campaign season. Like most civilized places.
23
Yes, as an Iowa boy I can tell you the Republicans are batshit. But they're batshit everywhere. And the Iowa Dems picked Obama last time . . . and that worked out rather well, don't you think?
24
@9: "New Republicans don't like racists, as Perry soon found out."
New Republicans like racists just fine, they just can't be [that level of stupid] racists.
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/…
New Republicans like racists just fine, they just can't be [that level of stupid] racists.
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/…
26
To HELL with the demopublican/republicrat duo-opoly.
RON PAUL 2012, OR BURN THE F'N SYSTEM DOWN.
REAL CHANGE... NOT MORE OBAMA FRAUD.
RON PAUL WINNING BABY.
RON PAUL 2012, OR BURN THE F'N SYSTEM DOWN.
REAL CHANGE... NOT MORE OBAMA FRAUD.
RON PAUL WINNING BABY.
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