South Carolina, Nevada | 14 Comments »

Congressman Ron Paul resoundingly won the Republican straw poll held in Sparks, Nevada. Former Governor Mitt Romney, despite campaigning in person, failed to perform well. Congressman Duncan Hunter was the only other candidate to be in attendance.

Ron Paul won the GOP presidential straw poll conducted by organizers at the Conservative Leadership Conference held at the Nugget Casino this weekend “by a large margin,” according to an organizer.

Paul won with 32 percent, McCain came in second with 17 percent, Hunter was third with 15 percent, and “Romney was in the lower numbers because people came out for his event but they just didn’t vote for him,” according to organizer and McCain operative Paul Jackson. [emphasis added]

Paul Jackson, the Republican Party’s John Madden.

Buried in the article was this delightful quote about the candidates’ pandering to the far reaches of conservative circles.

In fact, American Target Advertising Chairman Richard Viguerie, who said he was part of the strategic meetings in Salt Lake City, said Thursday night that even though he has agreed not to support Giuliani, Thompson or McCain, he’s still not close to declaring support for Romney or any other lower tier candidates because they are still actively and seriously courting conservatives. “Why would we stop the flow of flowers and candy?” he said.

Romney’s comments in Sparks, Nevada are doing just that — creating sparks. This weekend in Nevada, Romney claimed to be speaking for the “Republican wing of Republican Party,” and said he was a “real Republican.” Laughable, I know, but regardless, it prompted an outcry of responses from John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani also cited Romney’s support of the line-item veto, which he says is “unconstitutional,” and took a swipe at Senator McCain:

Here’s the truth… Straight talk?,” said Giuliani using one of McCain’s catch phrases. “You have to have a constitutional amendment to get a line item veto. If you were to try it again, like we did it last time, we would be wasting the taxpayer’s money.”

Ron Paul, Nevada, Polling, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Mitt Romney | 2 Comments »