On the decapitation of the satanic idol

Iowa Final Tally: Romney Edges Santorum By 8 Votes

This one is going in the history books.  And though I fiercely disagree with Rick Santorum's politics, I am obliged to tip my hat to the man who campaigned for months across the state in a rented pickup truck, usually with a staff of one, knocking on almost every door and talking to anyone who would give him a minute of their time. To essentially come back from near political oblivion and tie for first in the Iowa Caucuses on a shoestring budget with zero media coverage was nothing less than an epic feat of great politics.

Sarah Palin: The GOP should be careful not to marginalize Ron Paul supporters

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin (R) said Tuesday night that Republicans who would marginalize Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) are making a big mistake.

“Here’s the deal,” Palin told Fox Business Network’s Neil Cavuto. “The GOP would be so remiss to marginalize Ron Paul and his supporters as we come out of Iowa tonight and move down the road to New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida, et cetera. If we marginalize these supporters who have been touched by Ron Paul and what he believed in over these years, well, then, through a third party run of Ron Paul’s or the Democrats capturing those independents and these libertarians who supported what Ron Paul’s been talking about, well, then the GOP is going to lose. And then there will be no light at the end of the tunnel.”

Read the rest here.

Rick Perry Heads Back to Texas to Ponder Future After Poor Showing

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced Tuesday night that he will return to the Lone Star State to reassess his GOP presidential campaign after a fifth place finish in the Iowa caucuses.

“With the voters’ decision tonight, I’ve decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight’s caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race,” Perry said.

Perry had been scheduled to travel to South Carolina on Wednesday to campaign.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who finished in sixth place, offered no indication of any plans to drop out in her speech Tuesday night.

Source.

Iowa: In Upset, Santorum and Romney Tie For First - Ron Paul Takes Close Third

DES MOINES — Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) were deadlocked for the lead for the Iowa caucuses late Tuesday night, leading a splintered and increasingly fractious field as the Republican presidential race moves to New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida.

With 97 percent of precincts reporting at 12:10 a.m. Eastern, former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) was in a virtual tie with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, leading him by just 37 votes. Both of them hovered around 24.6 percent of the total, with Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) close behind at 21 points. It seemed possible that this year’s winner — whoever it turns out to be — would finish with the lowest percentage total of any GOP winner in Iowa’s modern history, sinking below Bob Dole’s 26 percent in 1996.

Read the rest here.

Watching Iowa Results

850 PST: 97% of the votes in and only 100 or so votes separate Santorum and Romney.  At this point it doesn't really mater too much which one gets to claim 1st place and which 2nd.  It's a tie.  Ron Paul gave a good speech and we saw that young corporal again, who gave a short but very enthusiastic endorsement from the podium.  I hope he doesn't get in too much trouble for that.  The military severely (and rightly) frowns on active duty servicemen/women doing politics in uniform.  All in all a good night for Ron Paul if perhaps not as good as one might have hoped.  Like I said earlier, the likely real winner is President Obama.

757 PST: 88% of the votes now in.  The gap is widening between the top two candidates and third.  Santorum and Romney, in that order, are in a statistical tie for 1st place with 25% of the vote.  Ron Paul is in third with 21% and it is starting to look like a steep hill for him to climb.  Ron Paul's main hope lies in a large Uof I campus county where only a very small percentage of votes have been counted in order for him to recover enough ground to pull this off.  At the moment I would say that the likely winner of the Iowa Caucuses is Barack Obama.  The President has to be enormously satisfied that he is confronting a deeply divided GOP with his most likely opponent facing rejection from 75% of Republican voters.

711 PST: 48% of the votes now in.  Romney and Santorum neck and neck (24%) with Dr. Paul dropping back slightly (22% ).  Still a statistical tie.  I should also note Gingrich is in 4th with 13%, Rick Perry in 5th with about 10% and Michelle Bachmann last with just 6%.  Jon Huntsman chose not to compete in Iowa and has around 1% of the vote.

700 PST: CNN just had an interview with a young soldier (in uniform which is a bit of a no no) at the Ron Paul HQ who explained why he was supporting Dr. Paul.  He was extremely well spoken and made it clear he did not think our national security was being well served by a policy of endless wars. Sadly the interview got cut off when the camera went dead.

654 PST: Over 30% of the votes are in and less than 200(!) votes separate the first place from the third. This could be a long night.  Glad I'm on the west coast.

612 PST: NYT reports 15% of the vote in and still a 3 way horse race.  Paul is in first by less than a point with Romney and Santorum tied for 2nd place.

603 PST: First thoughts; WOW! 3 way statistical tie for 1st.  Santorum doing better then expected.  Romney still in it but so far he's been a point or two behind Paul and Santorum who are neck and neck.

Iowa Final Polls

Its caucus day in Iowa and the last polls show a race too close to predict the outcome.  Gov. Romney and Dr. Paul are in a statistical tie for first place with former US Senator Rick Santorum (a staunchly social conservative Roman Catholic) rising rapidly in the polls and likely to make a strong 3rd place showing.  So who will win?

Obviously I am pulling for Ron Paul, but I don't have a strong gut feeling on this one way or the other.  There are a lot of factors that could influence the outcome.  If turn out is low that will favor Dr. Paul, as he has by far the most dedicated supporters.  On the other hand a larger turn out could favor Gov. Romney.  Also a lot will depend on how weak or undecided voters go at the caucuses.  Many conservatives detest Romeny but are terrified of a Ron Paul victory.  They may hold their noses and vote for Romney if they think Paul is likely to win otherwise.  Then there are the independents and crossover Democrats many of whom are backing Paul.  But no one knows how many of these there are.  And the last factor is how many votes will Rick Santorum peel away from Romney?

Bottom line; I think we have the makings for a good old fashioned nail-biter here.

The Telegraph: Ron Paul gaining support of Iowan Democrats and independents

Ron Paul, the eccentric 76-year-old Texas congressman, is threatening to cause an upset in Iowa by winning the Republican caucus thanks to the support of independent and even Democratic voters.

Dr Paul, a three-time presidential hopeful credited as being the Father of the Tea Party, is gathering late momentum among Iowan conservatives after persuading Michele Bachmann's state chairman to defect.

But he also stands to benefit from state rules dictating that everyone may vote in the party contest. "If you are not a Republican, you can register at the door," said David Fischer, Dr Paul's Iowa co-chairman, at a rally at a speedway stadium in Newton.

Thousands of members of Barack Obama's Democrats, disenchanted but with no contest of their own, are set to turn out at caucus sites on Tuesday to do just that.

Almost one in four caucus-goers is expected to be an independent or Democrat, according to a Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey.

Polls here indicate that while Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, leads the field among registered Republicans, he is overtaken by Dr Paul when everyone who intends to caucus is taken into account.

Read the rest here.

I draw the reader's attention to the comments on this article at the linked site.  This is a British newspaper, editorially right of center, and it is quite interesting to see what at least some Brits think of Ron Paul, who if elected would radically alter our relationship with Great Britain and most of the rest of the world.

Kent Sorenson, Bachmann’s Iowa chair, defects to Ron Paul

Talk about fairweather friends. Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson (R), who was Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann’s state campaign chairman, endorsed Texas Rep. Ron Paul Wednesday night.

At a rally in Des Moines, Sorenson told the crowd, “We’re going to take Ron Paul all the way to the White House.”

He did not tell Bachmann of his decision until he was en route to the Paul rally, billed as an event for veterans.

“This is hard,” he said of his decision to leave Bachmann, explaining that he felt obligated to defend Paul against the Republican establishment. He elaborated in a statement, saying he felt Paul was the most conservative candidate who had a realistic shot at defeating former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

Read the rest here.

GOP Establishment Candidates Target Ron Paul

MASON CITY, Iowa — The Republican presidential candidates sharpened their criticism of Representative Ron Paul on Tuesday in an effort to keep his support from growing among voters who are frustrated with government and may be inclined to send a message to the Washington establishment by supporting him in the Iowa caucuses.

Newt Gingrich said Mr. Paul, of Texas, was a “protest” candidate, and that he could not vote for the congressman if he won the party’s nomination. In a television interview, Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, declared that Mr. Paul’s “views are totally outside the mainstream of virtually every decent American.”

Rick Santorum warned conservative voters to carefully study Mr. Paul’s record, telling a crowd here: “Think about having a guy running for president who is going to be on the left of Barack Obama on national security.”

A week before the Iowa caucuses open the Republican nominating contest, the candidates are in a final push to win over undecided voters. With Mr. Paul facing attacks, an army of his supporters began arriving to bolster an aggressive ground operation and persuade voters across Iowa to attend the Jan. 3 caucuses.

Read the rest here.

They are getting nervous... :-)

Oh No! Panic! Unable to ignore him any longer the media is talking about Ron Paul

What if Ron Paul wins Iowa? - Christian Science Monitor

Ron Paul's Iowa surge triggers GOP anger at his supporters (VIDEO)- Washington Times

Can Ron Paul win Iowa? Yup. - Washington Post

What if Ron Paul wins in Iowa? - CNN

Polls Show Ron Paul Rising In Iowa As Gingrich Swoons - NPR

Ron Paul And The Republican Future - Daily Beast

Ron Paul thrashes Mitt Romney, wins 2nd Iowa poll - The State Column

Ron Paul: The Tortoise Now Leads The Hares - Nolan Chart LLC

Can Ron Paul Win New Hampshire? - RealClearPolitics

Ron Paul 2012: A Remarkable Rise to First Place in Iowa - International Business Times

Latest Poll: Ron Paul leads in Iowa

It seems Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul is now the leading Republican presidential candidate in Iowa, according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey released late Sunday.

The Texas Republican, who has for weeks witnessed a surge in support, is leading the Republican field with 23 percent support. Mr. Paul is followed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 20 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 14 percent, former Pennsylvania U.S Senator Rick Santorum at 10 percent, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at 10 percent, Texas Governor Rick Perry at 10 percent and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman at 4 percent.

Read the rest here.
See the actual poll report here.

Not sure how this poll stacks up with other recent ones. But those I saw a week ago had Paul in a statistical tie with Gingrich for first place.  Maybe Gingrich is slipping.