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Well the "votes" are in, the vendors at the pork sandwich stands have finished counting their money, and Americas hard core political junkies received their first fix. The Sunday morning talking heads were abuzz analyzing the results. At 25 bucks a pop, and with virtually every attendee on some candidates dime, what does this Iowa straw poll mean? Only a fraction of one percent of Iowa voters participated in this marriage of carnival and politics. The results are not binding. Yet the field of presidential hopefuls will start to winnow out because of it.
Lamar Alexander would appear to be the first victim of the Ames extravaganza. He is going back home to Tennessee to sort things out. Look for him to leave latter this week. Dan Quayle is another who was left drooping on the ropes, after the Iowa fiasco. He has vowed to move on despite his poor showing Saturday. Perhaps if he hired better entertainment at his tent, he could have reported a better showing than his miserable eighth place finish. As it is money will start flowing any way but his.
Richard Berke described the circus like atmosphere of the so called straw poll gathering best, in a New York Times article. Quoting former Representative Bill Zeliff of New Hampshire, Berke writes: " Is this the way to pick a President?" asked Zeliff as he stood between a clown on stilts and an inflatable playground, courtesy of Steve Forbes's campaign. "If it is, we're in bad shape."
Arizona Senator John McCain took a pass on the shenanigans at Iowa State University, calling it a "scam".
Conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan, who finished fifth with 7 percent of the vote, continues his filtration with the Reform Party. This must be heartening news to the Gore camp. A Buchanan led Reform Party should attract just enough votes away from the GOP to bring Gore, or Bradley close to even, or better terms with any Republican come November.
Front runner George W. Bush, AKA "Bush Light" is staring to take some lumps from the press. Conservative columnist George Will in an article published last week, writes that Bush and his party "will care if on Nov. 7, 2000, people think of [Vice President] Gore or [former New Jersey senator Bill] Bradley as an unexciting but serious professor and of him as an amiable fraternity boy, but a boy."
Results of the Iowa straw poll:
George W. Bush 31 percent
Steve Forbes 21 percent
Elizabeth Dole 14 percent
Gary Bauer 9 percent
Patrick J. Buchanan 7 percent
Lamar Alexander 6 percent
Alan Keyes 5 percent
Dan Quayle 4 percent
Orrin G. Hatch 2 percent