Iowa Straw Poll Reactions

Bachmann after her speech at the Straw Poll on Saturday, August 13

Ames, Iowa – What is the big deal? The vote really counts for nothing, and in the game of politics, nothing lasts longer, most times, than it takes for the next sound bite to be played. Gaffes turn into comedic fodder, but what lingers is that sense of familiarity that develops with a candidates thoughts, stage presence, or personality.

The straw poll is about those things: the sights, the sounds and the smells. Iowa Republican’s gather to debate, listen, and most importantly, vote on the person that most resembles what they are looking for in a candidate.

While there at the straw poll, the bright colored logo’s and t-shirts of various campaigns could be seen flowing around the campus of Iowa State. It was Tim Pawlenty’s green shirts being the most striking, as they flowed to and from his tent area.

Getting your ticket to vote was most probably the second most important thing to do, next to deciding where to eat. Lines for food could stretch for a block, where you could have anything from Famous Dave’s BBQ and DQ Ice Cream, to a simple hot dog.

The candidates line up at the start of the speeches for a photo op. From left to right is Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Thaddeus McCotter, Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann

Once you had your ticket to vote, you headed off to vote. The morning hours saw very long lines for the opportunity to vote, but by afternoon when the candidates had settled into Hilton Coliseum for their speeches, the voting line had shrunk and a quick dash was more than possible. Once you were done there, you walked out with your own trophy: your stamped ticket and an ink marked thumb to help prevent return voters.

You wonder about the sounds? The soap box was usually filled with a person speaking on behalf of either their candidate or cause. Mike Huckabee could be found playing guitar from venue to venue. Randy Travis and even Oskaloosa’s own Jubilee Family Church had their praise and worship team singing by invitation in the Bachmann tent.

When it was nearly all said and done, I had an opportunity to ask Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee what it felt like to be back to the straw poll this year, but without being a part of it as a candidate as he had been in the past. “I enjoy still getting to be a part of the atmosphere without having the pressure and worried about what the results are going to look like,” Huckabee said.

 

Ken Allsup of Osky News talks with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at Saturday's Straw Poll (photo D.Hubbard)

We went on to talk about the good size crowd at this years Straw Poll. “I’m anxious to hear what the totals are. It looks to me that it may be even [a] bigger level of participation than there was 4 years ago,” said the former Governor and Presidential Candidate.

As I mentioned, it was pretty easy to find Gov. Huckabee playing guitar on various stages around during the day. “Had a blast, Had a lot of fun. I got to play with the Crickets, which for me was a pretty big deal,” He also hit the stage in a musical way with a current presidential candidate, “Played with Herman Cain, who had a great voice by the way. I made the rounds. I played everything from county to rock to old fashioned gospel.”

US Representative from the Michigan 11th District and Presidential Candidate, Thaddeus McCotter, could be found playing his guitar as well on the stage at his tent area during the day.

Tim Pawlenty gave one of his best speeches during his campaign at the Straw Poll. Was it too little too late? (photo D.Hubbard)

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley said of the turnout during the Straw Poll, “I think to me it’s the largest turnout ever, I don’t know if the fact will back that up. And second thing is, I sense and undercurrent of outrage towards the President’s discredited economic and fiscal policies. These people really desire change, and a people that are willing to work hard make sure it happens. Not just for this straw poll, but to get behind the next 15 months.”

Congressman Steve King gave me a bit of his insight on the day’s tally and how it will go the next few months. “It’s a lot to process in a short period of time. Going into this before the votes were counted, I thought that Ron Paul would do well because he has a strong, loyal following that would walk through fire for him. If we had a low turnout, I thought Ron would win. The turnout was a good turnout, it’s not the best but it was a good turnout, so then I thought the comparison would be between the organization Tim Pawlenty has built here in the better part of two years versus the energy that Michele Bachmann has injected in the last 48 days. So the result is, I didn’t know how that was going to come out, I thought that Tim Pawlenty would do a little better than he did, actually substantially better.”

Congesswoman Michele Bachmann after her big win in the Iowa Straw Poll (photo D.Hubbard)

Congressman King went on to talk about Bachmann and her campaign. “Michele’s energy and of course her personality and of course her presence as a candidate this went well. I like to think what she can do as a candidate if she builds an organization to match that of either Ron Paul’s or Tim Pawlenty’s.”

I was curious on his thought if this was a referendum on the Tea Party values that she helps represent. “Absolutely,” Congressman King said. “You didn’t see a lot of Gadsden Flags here, they’re out there, I didn’t see them in the numbers that I would see at a normal Tea Party rally, but I saw a lot of people that I see and know associated with the same set of values. I call it Constitutional Conservationism. That is the part we need to follow to take America to the next level of our destiny and the people that can articulate that well are the one’s who will be the successful candidates.”

“This is a great day for Michele Bachmann today and I’m happy for my good friend,” concluded Congressman King as he departed the coliseum.

So the debate will continue. Now with one more candidate that jumped into the fray. Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his desire to become President at an event in South Carolina on Saturday. With his arrival, and Bachmann and Paul’s showing at the Straw Poll, Former Governor Tim Pawlenty will bow out of the race.

The question will be, who is next to call it quits and who will benefit from those candidates left along the roadside?