Field should be down to four, but some candidates are too stubborn to see the truth
The silly pay-per-vote Iowa straw poll is now over, and what did we get out of it in the end? Lamar Alexander drops out after a disappointing sixth place finish. That's all. But it should not be.
Votes %
McCain may have been the real winner of the straw poll, taking the high road by saying "thanks but no thanks" to spending precious money on a vote that has no bearing on next winter's primaries.
Why do these less-supported candidates stick around? Are they hoping to mold the debate or are their egos too large? I'll take the latter, because as long as Bush, Dole and McCain continue to withhold their opinions, then the social conservatives will have little effect.
I would thumb my nose at Buchanan should he leave the Republican Party in hopes of garnering the Reform Party's nomination, as is rumored. This is the same as a kid taking his ball home because his friends won't pass it to him. In other words, it's childish and selfish. If your message isn't winning you votes, then don't run for president because if conservatives won't vote for Pat, moderates and Democrats definitely will not.
The candidate I couldn't help feeling sorry for was former Vice President Quayle. He's such a likeable guy and holds opinions I agree with for the most part. However, he was bested by radio talk show host Alan Keyes, a man many consider to be on the "extreme" right-wing, so it has to be depressing for the Quayle camp.
I believe Forbes garnered 21% of the votes rather than ending in single digits because he was spending money like it was made by Parker Brothers. Spending $2 million just for an insignificant vote by 1% of Iowan Republicans who are paid to make the trip is ridiculous.
Now Forbes is claiming that this will force Bush to acknowledge him as a serious contender and debate the issues. No, it doesn't. The important votes begin in February with the Iowa caucus, so Bush can ignore his competitors for another four months.
What did Forbes' $2 million buy? 4,921 votes, which works out to $406 a vote. He better have billions of dollars in the bank to spend if he wants to be president.
Bush spent $800,000 on the Iowa campaign, $43,500 on his tent alone.
Who knows? Had Bush not secured front-runner status so early this year and made the outcome inevitable, more may have turned out to vote. If Bush was not in the campaign, this would be a different argument as the race would most likely be the tightest in history. Forbes just might have been able to buy the nomination, so look for him four years for now as well.
The straw poll did not solidify Gov. Bush's front-runner status, but if he had lost it would have been front page news across the world, and possibly disastrous for his campaign. But he didn't fall, so for the 2000 election, it is Bush's to win or lose. Many will point out that the winner of the Iowa straw poll has never won the Republican Party's nomination the following summer, but there has also never been a candidate with the amount of support Bush currently enjoys. Now the question is, who will be the Vice President?
The only survivors should be George W. Bush, Steve Forbes, Elizabeth Dole and John McCain. Dan Quayle and Pat Buchanan should have quit the next day, with Gary Bauer close behind. Orrin Hatch should never have entered in the first place. Which leaves Alexander as the only candidate to realize the obvious.
Bush 7,418 31
Forbes 4,921 21
Dole 3,410 14
Bauer 2,114 9
Buchanan 1,719 7
Alexander 1,428 6
Keyes 1,101 5
Quayle 916 4
Hatch 558 2
McCain 83 --
Kasich 9 --
Smith 8 --