Republicans begin their 2012 trek down the historical trail
Tuesday January 3rd, 2011 marked the official start of a long tedious and very expensive duel that will wind up on November 6th. The Republican caucuses formally kick off the big race every four years and this time there were several surprises thrown in. Front runner Mitt Romney still reigns… so far. And second place went to Rick Santorum (a surprise even to him). Third place in the Tuesday competition went to Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich came in a distant forth place.
Official results of the Iowa Caucus of 2011 are as follows:
1) Mitt Romney with 30,015 votes (24.6%)
2) Rick Santorum with 30,007 votes (24.5%)
3) Ron Paul with 26,219 votes (21.4)
4) Newt Gingrich with 16,251 votes (13.3%)
5) Rick Perry with 12,604 votes (10.3%)
6) Michele Bachmann with 6,073 votes (5%)
7) Jon Huntsman with 745 votes (0.6%)
Herman Cain got 58 votes from somewhere!
Even though he had dropped out weeks ago Herman Cain received some 58 votes (0.0%). The Iowa caucus is not the same as a primary but does carry some “weight” as an indicator of things to come politically. It opens up the road to the party’s national convention and gives early evidence as to who might be the popular choice for, in this instance, the Republican Presidential candidate. Now it’s on to New Hampshire on January 10th.
Michelle Bachmann drops out after Iowa Caucus
First it was Herman Cain who dropped from the competition and now Michelle Bachman (Minnesota Rep.) stated after her poor showing at the Iowa Caucus that she’s had enough and is dropping out of the race. As we move on to New Hampshire and other early primaries there are several more that might need to give up and quit wasting their money. Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry both had terrible showings in Iowa and might need to admit they’re fighting a losing battle. Ron Paul is a dangerous man by many indications and Newt Gingrich may have passed his prime politically speaking. So that leaves Mitt and Rick to battle it out until November. The Iowa caucus saw a dead heat between the two and it might come down to the wire to see who defeats whom to win the Republican party nomination.
Incumbents have the edge in politics
Whether Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney wins the Republican primary race may not matter if the incumbent, Barack Obama can earn some respect before November 6th 2012. He has lost favor with many over the past three years and must do whatever is necessary to keep from becoming the “Rodney Dangerfield” of the political world. Incumbent Presidents usually have a good chance of being re-elected if they’ve fulfilled most of the promises made back before they were elected. Obama has disappointed many since he vowed to get this country out of debt (something Democrats are not noted for) and ease the unemployment issues that plague our country. He was handed a difficult task when he took on the Presidency of the United States and has not shown himself to be especially capable of tackling the tough issues he was faced with. Time will tell if Barack Hussein Obama becomes yet another incumbent to lose his party nomination.
