Updated: Ron Paul Supporters: They Stole It??

Caught it at the live link below - Romney 31.5% - not bad. I think that beats Bush's result there in 2000.

That didn't take long - via The Atlantic linked below:

AMES -- Mary Tiffany, an Iowa Republican Party official, confirms that at least one voting machine malfunctioned and that tabulators recounted at least 1500 ballots.

The state party rented optical scan machines from Diebold, a company at the center of several recent voting controversies. Recently, the state of California decertified Diebold machines for the 2008 election.

Yesterday, Iowans who support Ron Paul failed to get a judge to require a voter-verified paper ballot be used in today's straw poll. Separately, the state party told the Paul campaign that a full paper recount would cost $184,000.

Already, some Paul supporters are whispering about a challenge.

One can only imagine the response to this report:

The announcement of tonight's straw poll results have been delayed due to what one informed source says was a voting machine malfunction. About 4,500 ballots had to be re-run. We are waiting....

Watching the live feed and chat ... RP supporters might just say anything.

8:38etphonehome: what's the delay? are they doing a manual recount after ron paul came out on top or something?

Comments

[LOL]

Republicans messing with voting. Big surprise.

[Gmax]

They wuz robbed! I can see the pouty little Paulians all bowed up about this, a poll they could not spam! It just so unfair.

[tally]

Bush had 7,418 votes for a 31.5%, Forbes 4,921 votes for 20.9%, Elizabeth Dole 3,410 for 14.5%. If my source was correct, which was wicked wiki. So, if Mitt got 4,516 votes, he got less than Forbes did in 2000. And, why the low turnout.

[justaguy]

Why would anyone for Paul worry about this straw poll, Gmax? In all reality, this poll really just shows 1) the GOP is in trouble and 2) who can buy the most votes.

tally is correcty to ask, "why the low turnout.", as it proves that all the GOPers are going to have one hell of a hard time beating any top dem (which is sad too).

Looking at this from the point it should be looked at, money spent to get people there...Mitt spent about 2million on this event, bought something like 10,000 tickets, and only got 4516 votes. That shows that even with the big money he gets (a lot from himself, BTW), he can't pull the support he thought he would. This also shows what kind of conservative he is...NOT a fiscal one.

Now looking at this from Pauls point of view, anything but last is good. To come even in fifth with 1300 some votes really showes that it's his message that got people to vote for him, and not his money. The truly amazing thing is, he only paid for 800 tickets and didn't bus people in!

So, to sum up...Mitt looks really bad, other cans. take a big helpin'of thanks for the bus rides Mitt! He only hurt himself.

[Gmax]

Yeah right. Who told you that the voices in your head? Listent to Kos, the nutroots are the center now!! You likely believe that too.

Ron Paul campaign manager predicted a finish in the top 3. He was a distant 5th with two guys not playing. Spin that to anything other than a disaster. RON PAUL!

Anyone ever been to Ames Iowa? How about anywhere in Iowa in 95 degree heat? With two of the top 3 refusing to play in the straw poll, that fact plus heat probably kept a bunch of folks home in the A/C rather than piling into a bus ride to go vote in a tent on the fair grounds.

[wardmd]

Politics has become a JOKE! The ELECTION is 15 MONTHS away, and the candidates are supposed to take the results of 14,203 voters in Iowa as THE indicator of whether or not their candidacy is viable?

This whole process of moving the "primaries" further and further away from the election is STUPID and is a disservice to not only the candidates, but to the American People (whose candidate of choice might drop out of the race WAY before they have an opportunity to voice their opinion).

Really. With technology what it is today, WHY in the world do candidates have to travel around the country to "meet the people"? I have NEVER met a candidate personally, and NEVER expect to do so. Does that make me less informed about the candidate for whom I cast my vote? NO! There are ENDLESS (mindless) "debates", interviews, press conferences and so-called "news" reports on the various candidates (there have been for MONTHS already).

How is shaking their hand, or watching them eat a deep-fried twinkie, going to make you any more informed about any given candidate's policy beliefs, or how they will govern?

Honestly, how much did Governor Romney spend to "buy" those 4156? I've seen reports from $1 million all the way up to $6 million. Would YOU sell YOUR VOTE for $250 - $1500?

[Rich Casebolt]

It is Ron Paul's tinfoil-hat supporters ... not really the candidate himself ... that reminds me of another thorn-in-the-side/going-nowhere candidacy in my lifetime.

Can you say "LaRouche"?

Next thing you know, his supporters will be talking about the significance of the fringe on the flag ... while wondering why so much light-brown grainy stuff is embedded in their hair, nose, and ears ...

... for my real problem with Dr. Paul, though, is that he seems to be living in a world where enemies still have to raise armies and cross oceans in ships to attack America ... instead of booking a few seats on a 747, or attacking the interdependencies of today's global civilization far from America's shores.

He, like the denizens of Woodstock Nation, blame America's involvement in the world for our present troubles ... but I will give him this; at least Dr. Paul would not have us submit to the least-common-denominator of global "morality" as a solution, unlike the hippie Left.

However, Dr. Paul, like the paleocons, would have us retreat to a Fortress America ... not going as far as they do in terms of restricting global interaction, but also leaving the systems of free trade wide open to attack in the name of remaining "unentangled" ... and leaving the totalitarians free and clear to exploit their nations and others, moving to the day that, in their unchecked greed/fanaticism/meglomania, they eventually come to our shores for a World War ...

... by ship, by 747, and perhaps even by ICBM, all methods refined and perfected for maximum lethal effect in the time we stood by "unentangled", even while the will and developing capabilities of these thugs to wage war against us was out there for those with eyes, to see.

In other words, no response until thousands of Americans die, on American soil ... with the follow-up choices being either surrender, or scorched earth on BOTH sides, with millions of innocent people worldwide dying.

That is not what I want from a President.