Straw Poll Results: Ron Paul wins online (49%); finishes third in "in-house" poll (15%)

[Sola_Fide]

the other dark meat

Kind of crass, don't you think?

 

[Jandrsn21]

OMG! Please stop whining about this and sending letters! Might I remind you that Ron Paul is ineffective if he stands alone! Think what you will of the Tea Party, but I kind of see it like this, the enemy of our enemy is our ally. Yes they may be "reformed" neocons, but we still need them. Going to the site, sending emails, and griping about it won't do anything but make us all look bad and potentially turn people away. Plus the guy scored 49%!!!!! online, which by the way, all attending the Summit saw, also those who were online, saw as well. Top that off with a third place, which in my view is pretty darn good considering the crowd. ( My grandfather is living retired in Sun City, he's well, unique lol )

 

[Jandrsn21]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/27/us-teaparty-idUSTRE71Q2SM20110227

http://nation.foxnews.com/herman-cain/2011/02/27/herman-cain-wins-tea-party-straw-poll

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50280.html

http://www.examiner.com/blogosphere...raw-poll-at-phoenix-tea-party-conference-pics

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...ate-wins-tea-party-straw-poll?page=2#comments

 

[sailingaway]

OMG! Please stop whining about this and sending letters! Might I remind you that Ron Paul is ineffective if he stands alone! Think what you will of the Tea Party, but I kind of see it like this, the enemy of our enemy is our ally. Yes they may be "reformed" neocons, but we still need them. Going to the site, sending emails, and griping about it won't do anything but make us all look bad and potentially turn people away. Plus the guy scored 49%!!!!! online, which by the way, all attending the Summit saw, also those who were online, saw as well. Top that off with a third place, which in my view is pretty darn good considering the crowd. ( My grandfather is living retired in Sun City, he's well, unique lol )

I think we were shafted on this, but that it doesn't behoove us to make such a big stink about it that we look like 'sore losers' to those who weren't following this as closely as we were.

I only comment here because 'the Tea Party Patriots' is not the Tea Party, it is a lobbying group that convenes 'conventions' with big name speakers to get email lists to say they have x number of members (and here they use the membership of groups which groups are on their mailing lists) to give themselves clout in congress when they lobby for ends that overlap with the tea party. For example, as much time was spent trying to 'educate' the masses not to insist on voting against raising the debt ceiling as on anything else at the convention. That isn't for the tea party's benefit but for the benefit of saying to Congress they lobby that 'see you want to work with us, we can 'manage' them'. They are very against Obamacare and really do seem to slice through the crap on defunding.... but look at their healthcare sponsors for their events.

I'm not saying they may not be worth having, so long as you listen to them as having their own agenda, not as working for yours, but I do think calling them 'the tea party' is selling the actual grass roots tea party short.

 

[Jandrsn21]

I think we were shafted on this, but that it doesn't behoove us to make such a big stink about it that we look like 'sore losers' to those who weren't following this as closely as we were.

I only comment here because 'the Tea Party Patriots' is not the Tea Party, it is a lobbying group that convenes 'conventions' with big name speakers to get email lists to say they have x number of members (and here they use the membership of groups which groups are on their mailing lists) to give themselves clout in congress when they lobby for ends that overlap with the tea party. For example, as much time was spent trying to 'educate' the masses not to insist on voting against raising the debt ceiling as on anything else at the convention. That isn't for the tea party's benefit but for the benefit of saying to Congress they lobby that 'see you want to work with us, we can 'manage' them'. They are very against Obamacare and really do seem to slice through the crap on defunding.... but look at their healthcare sponsors for their events.

I'm not saying they may not be worth having, so long as you listen to them as having their own agenda, not as working for yours, but I do think calling them 'the tea party' is selling the actual grass roots tea party short.

Don't now much about the organization, I'm strictly talking about the people who support them. Those are the ones we are trying to win over. I do agree, there was some shadiness involved. No doubt, the Summit organizers came up with the online poll, knowing full well groups would try to influence it. They saw dollar signs, and in my opinion it was kind of shady not to mention they would have two polls. All I'm saying is American voters are so GD fickle and they perceive us or anyone "attacking" their beloved Tea Party Patriots group, they could turn on us. Caution is all I'm saying.

Edit: I too paid the money to vote and feel shafted. The poll was really buying us press releases from the biggest news organizations, saying "Ron Paul Won Tea Party Straw Poll." That's not the end of world considering the press releases I saw and posted. They all mention his online blowout and third place finish. Tea Party Patriots just shot themselves in the foot though. Next year they will lose ten thousands dollars worth of fees for the crap they pulled.

 

[sailingaway]

Ron has an over 70% name recognition. He raised the profile of the 'convention' by being there. Being Ron, he takes the opportunity to speak to a couple of thousand people he might influence pretty much whenever he can. However, he might think twice speaking there if it raises their credibility and they are not in fact credible. It isn't as if we can't get more people at a true grass roots event.

Which he also does, of course. But he gave Cain press by being in the straw poll. If he weren't there, the media would have been covering it far less.

Having said that, meh. This is 'so last weekend's news....'

I'm going to keep the cain stuff in my signature just until the headlines die down, because I do think tea partiers ought to know he supported TARP and was a chair of a Federal Reserve branch, if they think from these headlines he is really a 'tea party candidate'. Other than that, I'm done.

 

[MRoCkEd]

"The straw poll indicates the enthusiasm for these strong conservatives," Meckler said.

The Tea Party Patriots call Ron Paul a strong conservative, and the articles indicate he won the poll overall. I call this a victory.

 

[reduen]

WE rock!!! Thank you.... thank you....

 

[The Winch]

Polling Mystery Solved

I solved the mystery of the competing polling numbers. There were only about 1600 voters IN TOTAL (online + onsite). The solution requires a little algebra.

Look here: