I was just a bit surprised when I first heard that Ron Paul had won the straw poll at this year’s Values Voters conference, sponsored by the Family Research Council . After all, Paul would seem to be more than a bit too libertarian for most social conservatives.
But all became clear when I read these two articles , which should have been headlined “Paul Pols Packed Poll.”
Such small-scale victories are the only kinds the Paul campaign can win, but this sort of result ought to render dubious the whole enterprise of straw polling, if it hasn’t already done so.
Of course, as long as the press keeps looking for this sort of news, conference organizers will be tempted to give it to them. What’s more, I’m sure that straw polls (covered as news) jack up attendance and hence revenues for the conference organizers.
I hate saying this, but I can’t wait for the real primaries and real results.
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