I feel like a political cartoonist-some subjects are just too good to let go. For me this is the "Ames (Iowa) Straw Poll."
In my past life I did a lot with statistics and analysis of same.
Base: fewer than 20,000 cast ballots or whatever for a Republican candidate for President. Remember statistics don't lie-or do they?
1. I learned that Minnesota Congresswomen Michele Bochmann is a "submissive wife" (her words; not mine). That means that more than 20% of the voters like submissive wives.
2. The candidate who finished #2, Ron Paul, is a Libertarian Congressman from Texas. Libertarians do not like taxes for government subsidies or handouts. Does this mean that over 20% of Iowans are against farm subsidies which are substantial in Iowa? Food for thought.
3. The #3 finisher; Tim Pawlenty, a two-term Minnesota governor; talked about balancing budgets, etc., but his state is billions of dollars in debt. Is there a contradiction here? I like the story of the guy who was interviewed after walking out of the polling booth. He carried a "Pawlenty T-shirt", entered on a Pawlenty voting ticket supplied by the candidate ($35 a pop to exercise one's rights), but voted for someone else. I guess there is no honor among Straw Pollers.
4. All candidates swore not to raise taxes, to balance the budget, and to put millions back to work. Usually it is government spending that creates jobs in a recovery and that means more taxes or a bigger deficit. Is there a problem here?
5. No one mentioned the war in the Mideast. Did it go away or did the candidates just forget about it?
6. All attacked Prez Obama as a total failure but didn't offer any solutions of their own. Now they get to spend the next year attacking each other-LOVE IT!
Fortunately my nephew clued me in that it's just a big Republican fund raiser. I can't believe the American media treated it as something that actually mattered. I can hardly wait for the meaningless Iowa Caucus. Smart people those Iowans.
Some comments from a bit of a political junkie that really enjoys people watching (the straw poll ranks right up there with downtown Las Vegas) and attended the straw poll.
ReplyDelete-I would say that 20% is a fair estimate for those in attendance that believe wives should be submissive.
-As someone who doesn't believe there should be any gov. subsidies, I always cringe a bit at the national view of Iowa and subsidies.
-Small correction, but it was $30 per ticket (needed to listen to speeches in Hilton and vote).
-Get real frustrated with all the tax cut talk. We need tax system reforms and at the present time a moderate tax increase combined with spending cuts to specific portions of the national budget. I am certainly not a Keynesian economist.
-As one of the few that listened to all the candidates speeches, I can confirm at least two mentioned the war in the Mideast (or at least views on foreign wars).
-One candidate did focus his speech on solutions (Cain) albeit rather general ones.
-Can confirm that none of the six candidates present are presidential material.
-For full disclose I did cast a vote for the candidate that provided me a ticket. Mainly as a favor to someone I worked with at the state house that works on the candidate's campaign and so I could listen to all the speeches.
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The Denver Post reported tickets cost $35. I'm glad at least two knew there was a war. I don't believe a moderate such as me would have had much of a field to choose from in the sample.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow moderate it was disappointing to have the only two candidates I would support not come. Although based on the crowd I don't blame them.
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