Business Insider: Ron Paul May Have Just Secretly Won Iowa

www.businessinsider.com...

Senior advisors for Paul's coalitions team told Business Insider this week that the campaign's organizational strategy was focused not only on getting as many votes as they can, but in making sure that their volunteers stuck around after the voting to make sure that they were nominated as delegates to the county's Republican convention — the first step towards being appointed as a delegate to the Republican National Convention.

That's because Iowa's Republican caucuses are actually non-binding — it's technically just a straw poll. The only thing that will get Paul's — or any other candidate's — Iowa supporters to Tampa next year is if they stuck around and volunteered, or were elected, as delegates.

Sydney Hay, a senior advisor, said Monday night indicated that she was confident Paul's supporters would blow opponents out of the water when it came to the important delegate vote, adding that she has spent the last few weeks criss-crossing the state to ensure Paul's voters knew exactly what to do when the caucuses rolled around.

Read more: www.businessinsider.com...

With Santorum caught in a perfect storm cooked up by the media and coming in a tie with Romney, he didn't have the expectation to organize delegates but Paul and Romney do.

Let's see how this all plays out.

reply to post by eLPresidente
That's the secret everyone forgets...it's all about the delegates, and the Paul supporters have been organizing for years and getting involved with the party. I'd have preferred a better showing, but this was a good one regardless, and paints a smaller media target on our back...on to the convention, and NH next week.

Soldier on.

reply to post by Praetorius

and paints a smaller media target on our back..

I'm glad you pointed this out. As much as I wanted Ron Paul to win, I knew the media discrediting campaign would launch into full swing if he had. Now they'll be preoccupied with the Santorum surge and Paul can keep on the way he had before - slow and steady wins the race.

reply to post by Maluhia

Sure thing. Remember, VERY professional campaign this time, and DeeDee Benkie (repub strategist) pointed out very clearly last night that this was a stacked deck against Paul - they swung it as they wanted.

But, we still got 4 delegates awarded compared to Romney & Santorum's 6 each...and likely at least 2 or 3 each of theirs are Paul supporters as well

Sneaky sneaky, not JUST slow and steady...

Time will tell.

reply to post by Praetorius


So what does these mean with the delegates? Thanks

reply to post by Praetorius



Where did you get that info from? I'd like to read the source.

Here is another piece talking about Ron's Iowa delegate game:

campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com...

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA -- "I think Ron Paul just won Iowa," declared Mark Hansen, Ron Paul's Pottawattamie County coordinator. Here at a bar serving as the unofficial county headquarters of the Paul campaign, Hansen had just conceded that Paul would not win the popular vote in Iowa, but he also pointed out that after the straw polls, the precincts appointed delegates to the county conventions in March -- and that in every precinct in Pottawattamie, at least, two or three Ron Paul supporters volunteered to be delegates, and few other candidates' supporters volunteered.

Delegates at the county conventions help select delegates to the state convention, which then select delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Technically, tonight's vote was a straw poll, determining no delegates, but setting the tone. The only actions that actually could make a difference in electing delegates to the National Convention heavily favored Paul. Nobody will be watching in June, unless this election gets much more exciting, but Ron Paul might send more Iowa delegates to Orlando than any other candidate.

reply to post by Deja`Vu


Delegates is what determine who the GOP nominee is at the RNC (Republican National Convention) this Summer.


And since Iowan delegates are unbound, when they get to the RNC, they can vote for whoever they want.

I think Iowa has 25 unbound delegates, would be nice if we had the bulk of those. If I find out more, I'll post here.

reply to post by Deja`Vu
Delegates at the convention actually pick the nominee. Even binding delegates have no legal responsibility to support their state's winner.
Want as many Paul supporters as delegates as possible (outright wins ARE nice too...) - delegates at convention supporting your candidate are really all that matters, in the end.

Originally posted by Praetorius
reply to post by Maluhia

 

Sure thing. Remember, VERY professional campaign this time, and DeeDee Benkie (repub strategist) pointed out very clearly last night that this was a stacked deck against Paul - they swung it as they wanted.

But, we still got 4 delegates awarded compared to Romney & Santorum's 6 each...and likely at least 2 or 3 each of theirs are Paul supporters as well

Sneaky sneaky, not JUST slow and steady...

Time will tell.

This is the crown jewel of hypocricy. A chance for Paul to have a back door unfair advantage and Paul fans cheer but cry foul at every thing else, imaginary or real.
This is perfectly inline with Paul Supporters attitude towards online polls and anything else they can find to do underhandedly. Then they wonder why there is no sympathy.

So let me get this straight. A Ron paul supporter can secretly volunteer as a Mitt Romney or Santorum Delegate, and go further, only to change his vote for Ron Paul later?

That would be a sneaky move indeed

Thanks for the info, It cleared it up for me. If this hold true its been a win win situation. RP 2012

Originally posted by Praetorius
reply to post by Deja`Vu

 

Delegates at the convention actually pick the nominee. Even binding delegates have no legal responsibility to support their state's winner.
Want as many Paul supporters as delegates as possible (outright wins ARE nice too...) - delegates at convention supporting your candidate are really all that matters, in the end.

Well, I am willing to bet the GOP establishment can spot a Ron Paul plant a mile away and this will not be much of a problem at picking them.

reply to post by TinfoilTP


What the heck are you talking about?

It is a FACT Santorum wasn't prepared to win delegates, he was climbing the polls off on the media's dime.

Delegates is how you win elections and is how the electoral college works as well.

Yes it is a 4/6/6 split right now.

But if Santorum does badly later on, those delegates just might not show, but Paul's will and replace them.

this link has some results

shows 6 delegates for Paul.

Iowa Republican


DELEGATE COUNTING DEFINITIONS

reply to post by eLPresidente
Hah - even better. Will look for independent confirmation, but reports are 6 delegates each for top 3 tonight : Green Papers report.

As far as Paul supporters amongst the others, just a guess based on zealousness - other candidates admit we've got the die-hards, and have prepped long - the RedStaters even discussed it the other week (nervously).



Lemme know if link no work...on android and manual-coding sucks...

Duplicate

Duplicate

Duplicate

reply to post by eLPresidente


I wonder what your reaction would be if Ron Paul won the popular vote...and Romney claimed to have won all the delegates???


Paul lost by so much, I don't think it matters...these precinct delegates don't go to the state convention. They go to the county convention where they elect a delegate, then those go to the district convention to elect a delegate, they go to the state convention to elect the delegates that go to the convention.

By the time it goes through all those levels...Paul will end up with probably the same amount of delegates supporting him as is being estimated by the media...4. Which doesn't matter anyway, because the nomination is already decided by the time the convention rolls around and the Iowa delegates almost always vote for the front runner at the time.


But yes...I would agree with another poster...hypocrisy at it's finest.