Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Iowa chooses relevance

Iowa caucuses are less than two weeks away, and Romney is finally pulling ahead of perennial candidate Ron Paul.  Iowa: Romney 25% Paul 20% Gingrich 17% Is this reflecting shifting opinions of the primary voters, or concern that Iowa could lose its clout by nominating Paul, who has no chance to win enough states to clinch the GOP nomination.

Paul has a very small, but dedicated following, and has done well in IA caucuses in the past. Ron Paul could play the role of a spoiler for the GOP nomination, so it would be very useful to minimize his impact in the only state where he has a shot.  A number of commentators have expressed concern what his win would mean for Iowa's coveted first primary. First, Fox News pundit Chris Wallace’s suggested that the Iowa result “won’t count” if Ron Paul wins.

"Mortal” is how Doug Gross, a leading Republican lawyer and Branstad adviser, characterized the severity of the wound of Paul win would for Iowa's role in the primaries.

Even the Iowa governor said If Ron Paul Wins, Ignore It And Look At Who Finishes Second.

Regardless, of the cause for Paul's slide in Iowa's polls, it's is good news for the Republicans. Ron Paul has some great ideas, but he also also has some inane, and zany ideas. He makes a great contribution to opposition whichever party is in charge of the government. No reason to mess up a good thing.

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