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Straw Poll in Georgia Turns Republican Race Upside Down
ajc.com — Shocking results from a recent Cobb County (Atlanta), Georgia straw poll: Fred Thompson is running away with the election, with Ron Paul and Mitt Romney in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Giuliani is barely in double digits, which goes to show that he can't do anything outside of the Northeast. This poll describes the real race.
Skip742- 1175 diggs
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- johndoenumber2, on 10/11/2007, -30/+76Thanks for posting this news. This is good news for our number one peaceful freedom fighter for President Ron Paul.
- argeaux, on 10/11/2007, -8/+24Fred Thompson? The 2 out of 10 who still think Bush is doing a good job must mostly live in Georgia.
- GlenLeafJr, on 10/11/2007, -11/+3I'm suck and ***** tired of the Georgia bashing.
Is there a single one of you ***** in Atlanta that wants to step into the boxing ring and put your ass where your mouth is?- jtsai256, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3How is that bashing Georgia? Since Fred Thompson is very aligned with Bush's current political philosophy and is leading in this Georgia straw poll, there is some credibility to argeaux's statement. I don't see any bashing at all - just a simple association of facts.
- MWeather, on 10/11/2007, -4/+7That's just the attitude I'd expect from a redneck.
- ayeroxor, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Let me guess: Your boxing name is The Duelinng Banjo
- WilliamDavis, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3
"and put your ass where your mouth is?"
Ewwwww. Thanks for the invite, but I won't be coming to that party. I didn't even know you could do that.
- GlenLeafJr, on 10/11/2007, -11/+3I'm suck and ***** tired of the Georgia bashing.
- KlayBorg, on 10/11/2007, -4/+3What about Mike Gravel? Why are you Americans going to vote in another republican after their last fiasco. Regardless of candidate, I just think its short sighted to believe that he won't become corrupted and become like the rest of the republican candidates.
- HallsOfMandos, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Country comes before party. Please, if you are only going to blindly vote for people with (D) next to their name, stay at home and don't vote.
- KlayBorg, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Well, maybe I don't understand your system, but over here, parties policies are defined by the whole party, not their leader (or candidates in this case). In Aus btw.
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Yes, it's very different in America. The party leader has a great influence on the direction the party takes. George Bush, for example, has pulled the Republican Party far from its moorings. Those of us who represent the "old ways" are very anxious to bring someone like Ron Paul to the forefront, in hopes that he can help put us back on the right path.
In the U.S., the "party platform" is merely a document of preferred policies, but the individuals who lead are the ones who truly determine what direction it takes. So the party that wins is far less important than the individual. In fact, the party is almost irrelevant, except in that it brings a certain percentage of votes with it if you get the nomination. - KlayBorg, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I appreciate you explaining that. Thankfully some people on here realise not everyone is from America.
- HallsOfMandos, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Country comes before party. Please, if you are only going to blindly vote for people with (D) next to their name, stay at home and don't vote.
- scoobydoo84, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5The only honest Republican running is now in 2nd place in a straw poll!! Bravo!! The nation is waking up!! Bravo to Ron Paul!!
- argeaux, on 10/11/2007, -8/+24Fred Thompson? The 2 out of 10 who still think Bush is doing a good job must mostly live in Georgia.
- jmf866, on 10/11/2007, -27/+64We will see more polls with Ron Paul gaining ground soon.
- mike17032, on 10/11/2007, -28/+9No, you wont.
- 15charmaxwtf, on 10/11/2007, -3/+11So if his support is continuing to increase he won't get better results in polls? Riiight.
- azAZ09, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1Are you kidding ? he has Joe-mentum!
/sarcasm - sanman, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1FredThompson-RonPaul as running mates under a joint ticket?
- dcmjzero, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2that would tear me apart. i can't vote for fred thompson (i have rules against voting for lobbyists and actors). and i can't not vote for ron paul. what would i do?
- Myonosken, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4Suicide.
- sonaro, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I received this update from Ron Paul's mailing list last night:
"Presidential candidate Ron Paul today won the Coalition for New Hampshire Taxpayers (CNHT) straw poll at their annual picnic in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Dr. Paul received 182 of 294 votes cast, or 65 percent. In second place was Rudy Giuliani with 24 votes, or 8 percent."
- mike17032, on 10/11/2007, -28/+9No, you wont.
- gt4431b, on 10/11/2007, -20/+49Come see him in person in South Carolina, July 21!
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/RON_PAUL_COMING_TO_SPARTANBURG_SC_JULY_21 - redrock34, on 10/11/2007, -12/+117Damn those spammers flying to Georgia to screw up a straw poll! So typical of them! :)
- phineous, on 10/11/2007, -1/+15Yes, obviously this poll was also gamed by the Ron Paul Digg spammers. How do they manage to be in so many places at once?
- insomniac8400, on 10/11/2007, -11/+23OMG, Newt Gingrich? Man republicans are ridiculous.
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -8/+12Makes sense. The majority that I talk to don't really care if "leftists" don't have free speech rights. Assholes.
(Gingrich openly calls for sedition charges against free speech he doesn't like.)- sanman, on 10/11/2007, -6/+3Big deal, so do Islamists and Digg loves them
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1You do remember that Newt Gingrich is FROM Georgia, right?
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -8/+12Makes sense. The majority that I talk to don't really care if "leftists" don't have free speech rights. Assholes.
- DrColossus, on 10/11/2007, -13/+38To be fair, the poll consisted of only 247 people, but then again the gallop polls only has a sample size of 1,000 people for the whole nation and that's seen as scientific
- rationalist, on 10/11/2007, -8/+25The difference is the Gallup's samples are scientifically randomized and representative, while the straw poll was not - it was just people at a picnic who chose to participate in the poll.
Huge difference. You should not use terms like "sample size" when you clearly don't have the most basic understanding of statistics and how polls work. I recommend you spend a little time educating yourself here: http://www.pollster.com/blogs/FAQ.php- DrColossus, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10First, I used the term sample size correctly. Secondly, the point I was trying to make was that I don't put much faith in any poll, there's a reason that elections are determined by people going out and voting and not just an agency calling a 1,000 people and asking them a few questions over the phone. I realize that the Gallup poll is much more accurate than a straw poll, however, I feel that early on in elections like this it represents name recognition more than anything else.
- TJATL, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4So wait, the Gallup poll participants didn't "choose to participate in the poll". That IS a HUGE difference!!!!!!!!
- kinerry, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3No phone poll is scientific you moron!
- phineous, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Also, one Ron Paul supporter was allowed to vote multiple times.
- duckfigg, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5it is not only a small group of volunteers but people who are, by showing up, self-identified voters. but this is not meant to be a poll of average sentiment nationwide amongst voters/nonvoters -- this is similar to a primary, where only the motivated voters and supporters are participating.
- rationalist, on 10/11/2007, -8/+25The difference is the Gallup's samples are scientifically randomized and representative, while the straw poll was not - it was just people at a picnic who chose to participate in the poll.
- cambrown99, on 10/11/2007, -14/+1Nice!
http://www.cafepress.com/colbert08hq - jeffersonian08, on 10/11/2007, -22/+49Go Ron..we are behind you 110%
- leontes, on 10/11/2007, -20/+4You and the rest of your square root of negative one brethren?
- tech42er, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1This race is his brethren plus one. It isn't simple by any means.
- leontes, on 10/11/2007, -7/+5My point was that 110% is an imaginary #, it's impossible to have more than the full 100% of anything of substance, like support. The square root of negative one is substituted by i in calculus, which stands for imaginary number. 110% has to be an imaginary number, just like the square root of negative one. It was a math joke, saying nothing about the long-shot republican candidate.
- MadOtaku, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2What's support *1.1?
- leontes, on 10/11/2007, -7/+5My point was that 110% is an imaginary #, it's impossible to have more than the full 100% of anything of substance, like support. The square root of negative one is substituted by i in calculus, which stands for imaginary number. 110% has to be an imaginary number, just like the square root of negative one. It was a math joke, saying nothing about the long-shot republican candidate.
- tech42er, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1This race is his brethren plus one. It isn't simple by any means.
- dcmjzero, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4that's mathematically impossible.
/pushes up glass on nose.
- leontes, on 10/11/2007, -20/+4You and the rest of your square root of negative one brethren?
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -11/+40Interesting. It seems that Paul does well in polls of solid primary voters, but poorly in polls of the Republican base in general. I believe this is a good sign, becase Paul will have many primary voters who are not regulars and/or members of another party who switched registration to vote for him.
Keep the revolution rolling, America! Accountability in government, humility in foreign policy! Ron Paul 08!- rationalist, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10This is not a "poll of solid primary voters", it is an unscientific tally of people at a picnic - less accurate even than an online poll.
Legitimate public opinion polls follow proven methodology and provide margins of error. That is the difference.- kinerry, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Except a phone poll isn't scientific
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6It's a Straw Poll at a political event. It basically measures the level of support from those who are more politically active, because they're mostly the only ones who care at this stage in the race. It also tells us what I've been saying all along, that the Giuliani "support" is really nothing more than name recognition. Thompson, Romney, and Paul are the ones with real supporters out there. Huckabee seems to keep coming up, and may be able to stay with the race a little longer, and of course, Giuliani has the money to stick around to the end, but I think the rest of them are out of it at this point. Of course, this poll is less "scientific" but it's probably more meaningful, since the majority of voters haven't educated themselves yet, so their responses this early don't mean much. The people at events like this demonstrate how people will probably vote AFTER they've taken the time to consider the candidates.
- rationalist, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10This is not a "poll of solid primary voters", it is an unscientific tally of people at a picnic - less accurate even than an online poll.
- thejerm, on 10/11/2007, -9/+2Being from Cobb County this means nothing.
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10Oh, I didn't realize you guys didn't have voting rights.
- thejerm, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1Oh I didn't realize a straw poll was having the right to vote.
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10Oh, I didn't realize you guys didn't have voting rights.
- DutchGuilder, on 10/11/2007, -11/+1Fred Thompson is going to win only because he is 6' 7" and the tallest candidate wins (mostly). Once the public sees him at the debates towering over the others, he is in. Ron Paul would still make a good VP.
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6Your logic blinds me.
- p0s3r, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10There's some history to his observation. The taller contender tends to win.
- phineous, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Except Fred Thompson is kind of ugly. That knocks some points off the tallness factor. Don't forget he was a stoolie for Nixon too.
- p0s3r, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10There's some history to his observation. The taller contender tends to win.
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6Your logic blinds me.
- Shroommaster, on 10/11/2007, -10/+29This proves Ron Paul does good in more than just online polls, he got more votes than all three of the candidates the media has been spouting of as the front runners.
- JaybeasCorpus, on 10/11/2007, -7/+8The language in the description is a little misleading because of the small number of people polled. The difference between the second through fifth place vote-getters is about five votes per level. It's still a pretty telling poll (it tells me that Thompson was smart to have a fundraiser just before the straw poll), but I don't think it shows that Guiliani is *really* hurting or that Ron Paul is *really* kicking ass.
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1We predict national elections based on 3-point error margins in polls of 1000 people. That's 30 people, and Paul was leading Giuliani in this poll by 2% = +-10 people. So this poll is only one third as accurate as "reliable" national polls.
- JaybeasCorpus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I think you just made my point.
- Fieri, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1We predict national elections based on 3-point error margins in polls of 1000 people. That's 30 people, and Paul was leading Giuliani in this poll by 2% = +-10 people. So this poll is only one third as accurate as "reliable" national polls.
- rolf, on 10/11/2007, -8/+35I'm a Ron Paul/Mike Gravel supporter. That said, I don't understand the support for Fred Thompson. He is a lobbyist. As a prosecutor, he leaked secrets to the Nixon administration during the Watergate Hearings (a mole). He has voted many times for spending, spending, spending. I don't even have to dig deep for these facts.
And that his wife is around 30 years younger than him won't look good at all for "family" values.
I don't know how he can portray himself as a conservative. I don't understand how the republican base can support him so blindly. He will be "4 more years" of the same thing. He's not different than the rest. Why do republicans like him?
Even my father likes him. I just don't understand. All flash, no substance, no real principles.- notque, on 10/11/2007, -0/+10Then you'll enjoy This week tomorrow morning on ABC, Mike Gravel and Ron Paul, my #1 has the digg.
- splatterboy, on 10/11/2007, -3/+12The fact is that todays republicans are that in name only. They all want "daddy", someone who_looks or acts_presidential is more important. Reagan, Schwarzenegger, Thompson = actors.
The last time around everybody wanted a "a regular guy, someone they could sit down and have a beer with", they got GWB and not that 'pointy-headed intellectual Gore. Thanks guys.
As for 'family values', notice how red states tend to have higher divorce rates, lower incomes, lower levels of education and greater amounts of federal assistance. Its a sham, a political franchise. Sorry, if you're from the 'heartland'... watch your back and make your vote count. - maz2331, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0The big thing about Fred Thompson at this point is that he has "image" but nobody really knows much about him. Once he participates in a debate or two we'll see if his support goes up or down. Really, at this point in time he's got the ~30% "none of the above" vote.
No predictions yet at this point. We'll just have to wait and see how things shake out.
- rald84, on 10/11/2007, -3/+4georgia borders tennessee, the home state of thompson, which may explain his higher numbers.
- MrsButtersworth, on 10/11/2007, -10/+4"This poll describes the real race."
Shut up. This is a poll of a single county in the state of Georgia. Just as isolated as the results of the same poll taken in a county in Connecticut. This poll doesnt describe anything relevant to a "real race."- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Ah, another happy Giuliani supporter. OK, so maybe it's not a perfect parallel to the race, but I think it will prove to be far closer to reality than the Giuliani, McCain, Romney race that the media's been selling us. I can pretty much guarantee that none of those guys is going to get the nomination. Romney may stand a slight chance, but I have a hard time believing that mainstream Republicans are going to fall for socialized medicine, just because the guy is tall and pretty. Giuliani just doesn't have anything that sells outside of the the hardcore Eastern establishment liberal networks. Yeah, he got Pat Robertson's endorsement, but if you think anyone pays any attention to that poor old Alzheimer's patient anymore, you've got more screws loose than he does. Giuliani is simply not going to do well outside of his region. No, Cobb County isn't going to tell you everything, but I think it's a lot more telling than you want to admit. Wait until the actual numbers start coming in.
- jedikd, on 10/11/2007, -10/+6Hardly a representative sample. Buried as inaccurate.
- mike17032, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2It has the world Ron Paul in it, buried as the spam it is.
- Calc1000, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1It says "straw poll" in the title, Einstein. It's not supposed to be scientific, so there's nothing inaccurate here.
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Do you even know how the political process works? Straw polls are the basis of the opinion process. No, it's not "scientific" but a purely scientific poll that asks questions of people who aren't yet ready to decide is notoriously meaningless this far out. Straw Polls ask the opinions of those who have been involved, and get a sense of which candidates have SOME support. It's not a gauge of ultimate results, but it gives us a method of determining which candidates have a following and which ones don't.
If you don't understand politics, you really shouldn't be running around burying stories in that section. Stick with things you understand.
- DavidGX, on 10/11/2007, -17/+7Let me ask this.. why? Why does ANYONE want another republican president? Won't this 8 years (after bush leaves office) be enough already? Why do we hate ourselves so much? Why put America through that again? I really don't get it. Some Democrats may be all talk or panderers but I'll take the worse one of those over this kind of ***** EVER AGAIN!
- rolf, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11Because most Republicans and Democrats make and lie in the same bed.
So stop being a good democrat. Stop being a good republican. And vote for someone who is neither a "good democrat" or "good republican". - JamesWilson, on 10/11/2007, -3/+11"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Republican's didn't use to be ***** up, one sided, "Christian conservatives".
Ron Paul is a true conservative, wanting to get out of the American's people's business, and let them run their own lives, with as little government intervention as possible.- kelly, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2You had me up until your use of "Christian conservatives" as a pejorative term. I know this practice is popular here on digg... but its doesn't mean I'm going to help you perpetuate the misinformation campaign. You get a negative digg from me just for that.... despite the fact that I agreed with everything else you said.
- mike17032, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Because not all of us want communist healthcare.
- obxjdt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3As opposed to the Clinton's??? 8-/
- rolf, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11Because most Republicans and Democrats make and lie in the same bed.
- jbus, on 10/11/2007, -6/+11So a straw poll in a small portion of a southern state shows a neo-con, redneck, wannabe cowboy in the lead? By all means, stop the presses... This changes everything.
- TLG4Freedom, on 10/11/2007, -6/+27Ron Paul kicking up some dirt in the ATL.
Go Ron...I'm making converts every week down here. - RatTube, on 10/11/2007, -4/+31ron paul just won a new hampshire straw poll too !!!!!!! i am amazed at how fast he is gaining popularity... i have never seen anything like this before. i think people are just so sick and tired of corporate puppet candidates like giuliani and fred cfr thompson.
- kinerry, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2NH is the home of the libertarians, so of course!
- kurtwinter, on 10/11/2007, -6/+13Where are the Paul haters?
- rs99, on 10/11/2007, -14/+10We're here, we just don't spam like you do.
- SickMonkey, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8LOL!
- catalysis, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8You have to click the "show comment" button.
- rs99, on 10/11/2007, -14/+10We're here, we just don't spam like you do.
- JJCDAD, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3Down with Frankenberry!
- DarkReign16, on 10/11/2007, -3/+27Watch as Ron Paul haters make more excuses for the next straw poll that Ron leads in. And the next. And the next. Those digg spammers must have a pretty elaborate system.
- mike17032, on 10/11/2007, -14/+3Watch as digg spammers game more stories about this non-canidate to the front page.
I have a better chance at being the next president. - rolf, on 10/11/2007, -0/+12I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention today. Otherwise I would have "spammed" this poll for RP as well and made sure he got into 1st place with my one vote:D
- mike17032, on 10/11/2007, -14/+3Watch as digg spammers game more stories about this non-canidate to the front page.
- Dralha, on 10/11/2007, -6/+6Cobb County is the place that slapped anti-evolution stickers on high school biology textbooks ( http://www2.ncseweb.org/selman/CobbDisclaimer-02-04.jpg ). That says it all.
- thetimpotter, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1If you had been up to date on evoltion you would have known that it has been disproven. There is something called irreducible complexity, where if you take away any one part of a system it will fail. This is common in countless bacteria with thousands of necessary components-take away one part and it dies. Darwin himself said that if such a thing were ever discovered his theory of evolution would be disproven. Anyways its just a theory, not the aethiest bible.
- Dralha, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Sorry to burst your bubble, but Behe's ridiculous assertion of 'irreducible complexity' has already been thoroughly eviscerated and dismissed by the scientific community.
- thetimpotter, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1If you had been up to date on evoltion you would have known that it has been disproven. There is something called irreducible complexity, where if you take away any one part of a system it will fail. This is common in countless bacteria with thousands of necessary components-take away one part and it dies. Darwin himself said that if such a thing were ever discovered his theory of evolution would be disproven. Anyways its just a theory, not the aethiest bible.
- smacksaw, on 10/11/2007, -12/+6Quit talking about Ron Paul so much or you'll all expose our vast, well-planned secret network to artificially pump up support for him. And whatever you do, don't mention https://secret.ronpaul.com/spamtactics either.
- WallaceStevens, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9Sigh. Guys this isn't like an actual poll that accurately judges of the opinions of the electorate. Rather it is an event people attend. Its like a trial run for a primary. People choose to go to it or not and vote like they would an election. Its much less a test of public sentiment than it is of an organizations strength. I imagine that the reason Giuliani did so poorly is that he chose not to bother investing any of his campaign's resources in it. He's already skipped plenty of straw polls elsewhere and for that reasoned bombed in them. Vice versa the reason your buddy Ron Paul did so well is that his campaign with its limited reach has decided to invest heavily in events such as this where a smaller campaign organization can gain attention. It may be notable though that Fred Thompson did so well since he doesn't really have much of a national organization put together yet. That said though it also may be that he just has a decent organization in Georgia it being close to his home base of Tennessee where he had organization already to gather from his senate runs.
- rolf, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4"Rather it is an event people attend. Its like a trial run for a primary."
Hello? The fact is that the whole electorate does not show up at the primary either (nor the election), only those motivated to go. That is what all the excitement is about. Apparently RP has a big enough following among those people fired enough to actually go to the primary and sadly this matters more than the will of the electorate as a whole (as most rather watch American Idol than be bothered with voting).- WallaceStevens, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Guy, read a little closer. As my grandmother used to say think about what I'm saying rather than what you're going to respond with. As I said this IS a test indeed of a candidates organization in getting people to attend and vote for him. If this could be repeated in the general election then Ron Paul's organization would be very formidable and might mean something. But this is only a very small straw poll not the general election. Only 200 people attended. Many thousands more will likely attend the primaries in that county alone. The fact that Ron Paul can muster up a relative high number of votes in this small straw poll where a relative high number means say 80 means nothing in getting up a high number of votes relative to whats going to turn up in the real election primary which would be say 20,000.
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4It's an interesting spin, but pretty much untrue. To my knowledge, Ron Paul hasn't even BEEN to Georgia since the campaign began, and I don't think any money has been spent by the campaign there. It's all grassroots support, friend. Look, I give your guy credit for winning the poll, but seriously, this is just as big news for Ron Paul as it is for your buddy Fred. Anyway, I'm not sure what's holding Fred up...wasn't he supposed to join the race on July 4th?
- WallaceStevens, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Its not big news for either of them. Straw Polls are of very limited signifigance and this is a very small one.
- rolf, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4"Rather it is an event people attend. Its like a trial run for a primary."
- mike17032, on 10/11/2007, -16/+8Yay, another excuse for Ron Paul chest thumping gamed to the home page by the spammer army.
I give it 10 minutes before the real users bury it off the front page.- PlumDumb, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8Just like the "real" users buried all the other Paul articles that made it to #1 on the top 10?
- Protean1, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Was Mike1 through Mike17031 taken?
Oh....you must be part of the 'Mike' army. - Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Really, how you make this all about Ron Paul is amazing. The story is as much about Thompson as anything else, and it also tells a big story about Giuliani and McCain. But whatever. Your bias is indisputable. You can spend all your time hating Ron Paul if you like. Personally, it sounds like a shallow way to live, but whatever.
- PlumDumb, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3While I like to see Paul in 2nd place, I have to point out the obvious flaw in logic in the article's blurb at the top of the page.
They say that this proves that Giuliani can't do anything outside the northeast, yet then claim that this GEORGIAN poll shows how ALL of America is really voting. Come on, people! - DarkReign16, on 10/11/2007, -3/+14I like how any time Ron Paul wins a poll, (which is often) the haters will stop at nothing to explain away his leading in the poll. When he won all three GOP debate polls, they claimed it was because it was just the internet. When he won the NH straw poll, and came in second on this straw poll, well, then of course such a small number of people (around 240) can't possibly be accurate. But then they cite the gallop poll, which has ron paul at 3%, and say he'll never win. BUT THE GALLOP POLL, USED AS THE OFFICIAL POLL RESULTS, POLLED ONLY 1000 PEOPLE IN THE ENTIRE NATION. But of course the ron paul haters claim that the pro-ron paul digg spammers have organized across the nation, sneaking into straw polls to change the results! Conspiracy!
- WallaceStevens, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2Dude, you're nuts. The Gallop poll was a scientific poll done with a random sampling. Its called math. Its sample is representative of the general public in a way nothing else can be. Its based on a new wild science called statistics. The Straw Poll on the other hand is not meant to be scientific or representative of the public at large. Its a self-selecting group of people who attend an event and vote. The straw poll only shares with Gallop the name of poll. They're not in any way meant to be the same kind of thing. They serve different purposes. The Straw Poll tests the strength of the organization of the candidates who choose to participate not their general support. Does your mommy know that you use the computer when she's gone?
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1OK, his knowledge of stats leaves something to be desired, but you are also missing the point. You can't simply ignore the Straw Polls. They carry a lot of meaning - probably more than the scientific polls do this early. Scientific polls that ask you to choose between using a cell phone and a dziedivesetse doesn't mean much, because you've only heard of one of the choices. That other thing may be much better than a cell phone, but until you've had a chance to learn about it, you won't select it. Most people put off learning about candidates until the last few weeks, so those are the only time that the scientific polls tell you much more than name recognition. Random sampling is only meaningful if the people you are polling resemble the people who will actually be voting. Yet, they know full well that they'll have time to do their research later, so they don't put time into it. Basically, dude, YOU're nuts. Does your mommy know that you try to mimic a statistician in your spare time?
- WallaceStevens, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I wish I could have come back earlier and seen this so I could uh laid the smack down on you. As it is I'll respond now when no ones going to see it. Ah, oh well. Gallup has a track record. Its been in business since something like 1930. That's how you judge of its accuracy in gaging actual voters. Its been shown to be right again and again in the years. Early straw polls on the other hand have been shown again and again to not be an accurate sampling of the electorate. Now I agree this is very early and people aren't firm in their opinion so polls mean less for that reason. We've seen already how the strong support for McCain could melt away to nothing and how a late entry by Thompson could change the dynamic suddenly with a new front runner. But the real polls have reflected this. Straw Polls have been irrelevant in it. The real polls are accurately judging the electorate as it is now from all signs that we have. You can go on and believe that after 50 some years all of a sudden their methods wouldn't work that's fine. But Straw Polls aren't going to do any better if real polls are failing. Neither would give an accurate sense of the electorate if Gallup is failing. Straw Polls just aren't set up to judge of the overall electorate. They're too self selecting to work for that is all. Now I'm no statistician. I'm just not a raving loon is all.
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1OK, his knowledge of stats leaves something to be desired, but you are also missing the point. You can't simply ignore the Straw Polls. They carry a lot of meaning - probably more than the scientific polls do this early. Scientific polls that ask you to choose between using a cell phone and a dziedivesetse doesn't mean much, because you've only heard of one of the choices. That other thing may be much better than a cell phone, but until you've had a chance to learn about it, you won't select it. Most people put off learning about candidates until the last few weeks, so those are the only time that the scientific polls tell you much more than name recognition. Random sampling is only meaningful if the people you are polling resemble the people who will actually be voting. Yet, they know full well that they'll have time to do their research later, so they don't put time into it. Basically, dude, YOU're nuts. Does your mommy know that you try to mimic a statistician in your spare time?
- WallaceStevens, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2Dude, you're nuts. The Gallop poll was a scientific poll done with a random sampling. Its called math. Its sample is representative of the general public in a way nothing else can be. Its based on a new wild science called statistics. The Straw Poll on the other hand is not meant to be scientific or representative of the public at large. Its a self-selecting group of people who attend an event and vote. The straw poll only shares with Gallop the name of poll. They're not in any way meant to be the same kind of thing. They serve different purposes. The Straw Poll tests the strength of the organization of the candidates who choose to participate not their general support. Does your mommy know that you use the computer when she's gone?
- legatus, on 10/11/2007, -11/+8Buried for all the Paul spammers in the articles comments.
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Yeah, we can't have people commenting. That's just indecent! How perverted are you people?
- jeffs111, on 10/11/2007, -8/+26Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record:
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about/ - pabster, on 10/11/2007, -14/+1No surprise. Thompson has been steaming ahead for a couple months now. The mainstream liberals just weren't paying attention, and now that he's about to enter the race (officially), they're desperately trying to discredit him and start the propaganda presses. Billary's wolves are in full effect.
Ron Paul? Give it a break. That guy couldn't win a straw poll let alone a real election. Aside from a vocal, but very small, group of internet spammers, no one gives the guy the time of day. Perhaps if he'd quit blaming America for 9/11 and propagating conspiracy theory nonsense... - mrsmong, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4Although I have no problem with Ron Paul's politics, this all sounds similar to Dean back in 04. Someone coming out very strong at the start, but fading after all the media attention is applied. Interesting to see how this will play out.
- SouthsideIrish, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7But Dean went through a meltdown. Paul most likely won't.
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I agree. That will be the big test. But at least these kind of things ensure that there will BE that test. Without support in Straw Polls and decent fundraising, most of the other candidates will probably be forced to drop out soon. Huckabee may survive, but I think McCain, and the rest of the 2nd tier are probably not going to last much longer.
- notque, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8My Number 1 is Ron Paul and Mike Gravel on This week tomorrow morning. ABC. Make sure to watch!
- BrandonMills, on 10/11/2007, -10/+3When Ron Paul loses, do you think all his fanatical supporters will apologize to us for acting like complete and total idiots over someone who never stood a chance in the first place? He's 73 btw, and is playing off a Republican screwup. If a Democrat wins this election, then politically, he can't strike until another Republican is in office. ( It's easier to unite a party when the other party is in power. ) So um, yeah...if ( when ) he loses this election, that's the end of the Ron Paul express. Pretty much forever.
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Exactly. This is a one-time thing. And I would predict, that, even if he wins, he'd probably be a one-term president. You know, most of us realize that his chances are probably not outstanding, but he does HAVE a chance, and one that's worth working toward. Actually, I find it a little strange that you think you can decide who has and doesn't have a chance. Where do you get this information? These elections are unpredictable, and I'd say the Republican nomination this year is among the most unpredictable I've ever seen, because the "base" is generally dissatisfied with the front-runners. That means that someone will probably rise from the wreckage. Much like Bill Clinton did, or Jimmy Carter. If you really think that it's impossible, you simply don't know how these things work. At this stage, Ron Paul has a fair chance of taking the nomination. Now, beating the Democrats in a year where Republicans are weak, that's going to be tough, but we'll deal with that later.
- Beltira, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1This is Cobb County were talking about.
The same county blocked from any participation in 1996 Olympics including having events moved out of the county for the 'extreme' views voted into 'law' by the county commision.
They are not yet aware that the not only is the Civil War over, but that the south lost.- 0crabby0, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1So you're saying that people can't change?
Horse feathers!
People are in divorce court every week, "Changing their minds".
Whether it's in Cobb County or NYC... - schoate09, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1stfu
- 0crabby0, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1So you're saying that people can't change?
- Kristoffc, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0yeah they lost badly.
more about this topic in..
http://www.theindietribune.com/ - TWDsje, on 10/11/2007, -7/+4Straw Polls like this mean absolutely nothing. Remember this story? http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Utah_GOP_Convention_Straw_Poll_Results
Read this comment from it: http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Utah_GOP_Convention_Straw_Poll_Results?t=7110118#c7114016
So basically someone had a convention where they had a staw poll, and all the Ron Paul spammers showed up. Hardly grounds for headlines like "Turns Republican Race Upside Down". However I do believe this shows that Rudy has lost a lot of steam whereas a few months ago he looked like the #1 contender. - JJCDAD, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7If the mainstream media says a candidate will win...he/she will win. If the mainstream media says a candiate can't win...he/she won't win. Stupid americans just want to vote for the 'winner' no matter how disgusting that candidate may be.
Nobody has a clue what any of the leading candidates stands for...it's just a ***** up beauty contest that's been hijacked by the mainstream press.
Grow a brain America! Learn what these candidates have done in their public life and vote accordingly! - monticello, on 10/11/2007, -7/+2As a Democrat, I hope Fred Thompson gets the nomination
- telemart73, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Giuliani couldn't get elected as County Dog Catcher anywhere but in the northeast. I've been praying that he gets more coverage so that the Republicans get shelled in the South and the west.
- bobbob1016, on 10/11/2007, -12/+4Digg needs a "Ron Paul" section, so I can block this stuff, and keep the politics section, (to be fair, it should contain anything with his name in the title, good or bad) that way the spammers can read their own articles and think they are getting somewhere, and we, the people who don't like him, don't have to digg down this stuff all the time.
If you posted one or two things about Ron Paul, instead of 20 or 30, and said "He's worth a look" or "This is what he stands for", I'd probably say "Eh, just a republican running for president", not "He's the guy with the annoying people telling me their opinion of him all the time".
If you get one or two Jehovah's witnesses or Mormons knocking on your door over the course of a year or two, you'd probably have neutral feelings towards them. If they showed up every week, you'd start disliking them and what they represent more and more each time, which is what this Ron Paul stuff is doing to me.- duckfigg, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3you claim to need a special section set up to shield you from Dr. Paul,
yet you take the time to not only access the horrible digg comment page, but go out of your way to post a long whiny tirade in it?
if you don't like something, digg it down or ignore it. nobody's forcing you to read anything..... - schoate09, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1stfu
- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1OK, so this is a Straw Poll that Fred Thompson won, right? How is this a story about Ron Paul? I posted it because I thought that it probably represented a more realistic outlook of who the broader public would be supporting. Outside of the Northeast liberal establishment where Giuliani gets all his support. Are you really so paranoid that you need to bury everything that even has RP's name somewhere in the story? Take a step back and see if you're even dealing in reality anymore. The story mentions Ron Paul once, about halfway down the page. Sheesh, you people are unbelievable!
- TheEaglet, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Paul won among the declared candidates. Fred Thompson is not a declared candidate.
- duckfigg, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3you claim to need a special section set up to shield you from Dr. Paul,
- bolshevikbear, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3who cares who wins the pubs nomination? They are going to lose to the democrat anyways.
- Americanboy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0It should be interesting to see what happens to the Democrats with control in the White House and in Congress. I imagine it will absolutely distroy the entire party like it is having quite an affect on the Republican party. What is how the Democrats are looking for the opportunity to dominate both so they can be the next party to fall apart. Why anyone would try to deliberately destroy their party is beyond me.
- TJATL, on 10/11/2007, -9/+1Dear Cult of Ron Paul,
I have one yet simple question. It's amazing how infatuated you all are with one man, so either you are all log cabin republicans or Ron Paul IS the anti-christ, so which is it?
I guess i'll look at some of his stuff now....2012 is almost here!!!!- Skip742, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2It's really not the man that people are infatuated with, its the idea. Freedom is an attractive concept, and pulls in a lot of support from unexpected places. Frankly, most of us might rather have a candidate who presented the ideas more forcefully, but perhaps Dr. Paul is the right man for the right time. Forceful may be something that we're not looking for right now. Who knows? Anyway, you get points for amusement, but I think you're just a little too cynical. Maybe there's actually something worth supporting in this message.
- snooly, on 10/11/2007, -3/+4Fred Thompson support? Let me explain. On the east coast of the US they watch a huge amount of television and he is a television actor with a cigar and a swagger and tought talk. East coast is one of the places where there is television mind control - full effect. The two ladies at the insurance office told me they were planning on voting for Fred Thompson. And they had a television on in the office. Imagine working with a Fox channel on all day every day at work. Scary as HELLLLLLL !!!!!!!!!
- schoate09, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2stfu
- TJATL, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1even though technically Georgia is on the East Coast, we don't lump ourselves in with New York and New England parts of the coast. We consider ourselves to be South East, South, or South Coast
- thebellmaster1x, on 10/11/2007, -11/+3Okay, that's it. I can't stand this Ron Paul ***** anymore. THIS STORY ISN'T EVEN ABOUT HIM WINNING, BUT YOU'VE MADE IT ABOUT HIM. There is no way he would be a good President. "OMG, HE VOTED AGAINST IRAQ AND HE WANTSTO LEGALZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA!!!11" That's great. I guess those are both reasons to forget he's pro-life, a gun-nut, a Jesus-freak, for the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, for ending income tax (yeah, sounds nice, UNTIL THE NATION COLLAPSES), and, oh, yeah, against Net Neutrality.
Sounds great, guys.- schoate09, on 10/11/2007, -8/+1stfu
- TJATL, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1Pro-life, OMG....atleast he's not anti-life. A gun nut, what do you want to use to protect yourself?....Jesus-freak....should he idolize clay aiken instead? don't ask, don't tell what?...end income tax and replace it with the fair tax (national sales tax, so if you save money you don't pay taxes) OMG NO!!!! I want my pet spade and neutered, bob barker told me too...
- stealthc, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Is Fred Thompson running?
- kinerry, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2No
- Americanboy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0I doubt Fred Thompson will even enter the race.
- kinerry, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2No
- mochaman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2It was 2 years ago pundits were declaring the McCain Giulliani ticket as formidable or the one to defeat. I just hope that these straw polls are sustainable over the long run, I would hate to see the GOP front runners taking a serious lead, because their only interest is continuing Bush's fail policy in Iraq.
- stealthc, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6So... I guess this straw poll registered Ron Paul as #1 among the declared candidates!
Fred Thompson will be at his most popular when he announces. The rest is downhill after that. People are sick of actors and sick of Bush clones. Ron Paul is the real deal. -
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