The Iowa Ames Straw Poll favored the Tea Party by 66.6%. The winner, Michele Bachmann, won with 4,823 votes out of a total of 16,730 total votes. Ron Paul, came in second with 4,671 votes and Rick Santorum received 1,657 votes. That would be a total of 11,151 votes for the Tea Party. 11,151 votes received and 16,730 votes cast equals 66.6%. I find that kind of scary on many levels.
The Ames Straw Poll is an Iowa Republican shindig that happens in August of election years when Repugs have to pick a candidate. This event is a fundraiser, and was first held in 1979. The results are not official or binding, but it does show where and what the Iowan's are thinking. This poll did pick George W Bush in August of 1999, so it might be better to not just laugh off its results. To think that they purposely picked Georgie in 1999, and 66.6% of them are now fawning over the Tea Baggers says we might want to pay attention.
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It should be noted that I have left Herman Cain out of my calculations. Herman came in 5th place with 1,456 votes. As the Tea Party is an offshoot of the KKK, I don't think Herman would really want to run on that ticket. Take their money if they throw it his way, but he is smarter than a Tea Bagger.
I'm including a picture from the Straw Poll of Michele eating lunch. As she was so perturbed by her picture in Newsweek, I don't know why she had this one taken. I think her little beady eyes make her very un-photographic. I don't know, she looks awful dumb in this picture. Never met her, so can't rightly say if she is smart or dumb. I can't imagine this one as president of the local PTA.