NEW YORK (PIX11)—
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's 14 percent, the race's two front runners. Former Senator Rick Santorum, who lost his last election by 18 points and who between the debates everyone forgets is running, got 11 percent. Texas Rep. Ron Paul, whose strange views guarantee he won't win the nomination, got 10 percent, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who isn't even running a functional campaign, got 8 percent. They all towered over Rep. Michele Bachmann, who got 1.5 percent.If you watch cable news, you might believe that the Florida straw poll actually means something. It doesn't. It is a small group of very conservative Republicans in Florida who are willing to cough up $175 for the honor of voting. It should only mean something to them and to Herman Cain, the former Godfather Pizza CEO who won the straw poll going away. Does the mean Herman Cain is going to be President? No. He won't b the nominee. I would be surprised if he makes it to the third or fourth caucus or primary. You know, when they REALLY vote.
Cain got 27 percent of the vote in the non-binding, means nothing, shouldn't even pay attention, what am I even doing talking about it vote. Texas Governor Rick Perry got 15 percent. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney got 14 percent. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum got 11 percent and way down at the bottom was Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann with 1.5%
Remember that Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll and everybody made a big deal of that too. I said on the air that if Bachmann won the nomination, I would wear a pink tutu. I was that certain she had no shot and that the Iowa Straw poll meant nothing. I am equally confident about the Florida Straw Poll and Herman Cain.
Ben Adler wrote in The Nation:
"In the usual manner of these inane expectations' games, the loss for Perry is seen as worse than for Romney because attempted to win the Florida straw poll and Romney did not. Perry, unlike Romney or Bachmann, instantly blasted out a statement on the results, graciously congratulating Cain and putting the best possible spin he could on being outgunned by a novelty candidate. "Today's Florida P5 straw poll shows the conservative message of job creation, fiscal responsibility and limited government is gaining momentum," said Perry.
Some pundits will point to Bachmann's numbers as evidence that her star is dimming is while others will give her a pass because she did not appear on the ballot.
No such grand conclusions should be drawn from this meaningless, non-binding contest. Straw polls, like the famous one in Iowa, are not good proxies for future primary results. They include only a small number of paying participants. The Florida straw poll took place at an event hosted by the Florida GOP that cost $175 to attend. Cain won with only 996 votes. In 2008 John McCain won the Florida Republican primary with 36 percent of the vote. That equaled 701,761 votes. If you want to get an idea of how Florida Republicans might vote, you can take a poll. The last one, from Quinnipiac, showed Rick Perry in first with 28 percent and Romney in second at 22 percent. Cain came in ninth with 7 percent. (The poll included Sarah Palin.)"
I agree whole-heartedly and will add, that unless Christ Christie gets in the race, Mitt Romney will win the nomination. But I am not willing to make a pink tutu promise on that just yet.
The Nation link - http://www.newser.com/story/129450/actually-straw-poll-taught-us-nothing.html.
