"I am a fan of the Ames Straw Poll," says Alexandra Petri.
The Ames Straw Poll, says Mike Huckabee, is the “most important meaningless event in American politics.” Never have so few generated so much hoopla from so many, except possibly the more than 800 voters who wrote in Rick Perry’s name today.
Maybe “voter” isn’t the right word. “$30 payer and dinner eater and tent stander-in” might be a bit more accurate.
I am a fan of noisy and meaningless things, so I sat by my laptop eagerly waiting for the poll results and rewatching the Perry presidential campaign announcement video.
If you watch it backwards, it’s the 2008 election!
If you watch it forwards, it’s a man with a blue-collar job who gets a white-collar job by giving everyone around him blue-collar jobs. ...Alexandra Petri___
Some quick takes on the Ames straw poll.
Romney is a fastidious dresser with an athletic build. But the 64-year-old former governor of Massachusetts doesn’t make you swoon, maybe because he looks like a statue of himself. ...Maureen Dowd
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When a man in the audience yelled that corporations should be taxed more, Romney replied, “Corporations are people, my friend.”
Give “The Stormin’ Mormon,” as Neil Cavuto approvingly called him on Fox News, credit: never has the traditional Republican doctrine been so succinctly explained. ...Maureen Dowd
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[Ron Paul's] finish is recognition that the iconoclastic conservative with the small-government message has greater resonance today than four years ago. ...WaPo
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So a good day for Perry, but that pledge of his to make Washington as “inconsequential” as possible in the lives of Americans will come back to haunt him. What does that word mean in relation to, say, Social Security, Medicare and student loans? Clearly the Republican Party has shifted rightward, so maybe it will go over well with the faithful. But it will raise eyebrows among voters in the middle. ...EJ Dionne
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The closest thing to a strong social movement in the United States in recent years has been the tea party, and it demands that government do less. Lately, we hear about the tea party largely from members of Congress and candidates for office, who have drowned out and replaced the activists at the grass roots. ...WaPo
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It’s worth noting that while the Romney campaign made little effort to compete, his name was on the ballot — and he trailed Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who had 718 write-in votes. ...Steve Benen
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Stephen Waters of Knoxville, Iowa, who voted for Bachmann, also said he was turned off when Pawlenty accused Bachmann of having accomplished nothing in Washington.
"I disagree with Pawlenty when he gave her that crap in the debate," Waters said. "She's experienced. She has executive experience with her husband." ...McClatchy___
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Gov. Rick Perry joined the race with a pledge to make the government in Washington, D.C., “inconsequential.” ...WaPo
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What if a race for national leadership in France ran on making Paris "inconsequential"? Or elsewhere making Rome "inconsequential," Madrid "inconsequential," or Beijing "inconsequential"? Why not just come clean and admit your leadership will make America "inconsequential"?
(Speaking of inconsequential, the Washington Post becoming one of the most inconsequential parts of the media we have. This morning they're running pop-up ads at their website for Newsmax. Desperation?)
