The First Test

Last night were the Iowa Republican Caucuses - the first state in the nation to cast actual votes for the next President. Results: Mitt Romney - 25% (30,015 votes), Rick Santorum - 25% (30,007 votes), and Ron Paul 21% (26,219) followed by Newt with 13%. So, an unbelievably close finish between Romney and Santorum with Paul not too far behind.

I was a little disappointed to not see Ron Paul win - it would have been very exciting if he had just blown everybody out of the water. But I think the results did show that he is more electable than a lot of people think. I won't be in denial though, we have a tough race ahead of us and Romney is going to be a tough candidate to beat. There are some interesting statistics about this Iowa contest that I would like to mention: there were about 4,000 more votes cast this year than in 2008, and Mitt Romney only got about 60 more votes than he did in 2008, earning 25.2% of the vote back then. Ron Paul got 14,402 more votes than he did in 2008, up from only 10% of the vote from 2008. Last time around, Mike Huckabee had a huge victory with 34% of the vote and the eventual nominee, John McCain, finished in 4th place with about 14% of the vote. 

So, overall I am pretty happy with this first test of the 2012 Presidential Race. Ron Paul more than doubled his support in this one state, and I'm excited to see what kind of progress we have made in the rest of the states. Meanwhile, we have our work cut out for us in helping people to understand the importance of the Constitution in helping us get back on our feet as a country. I know a lot of you are Mitt Romney fans; I used to be and voted for him in 2008. Once I really looked into the issues, however, I obviously changed my support and now passionately support Ron Paul, but more importantly, I support the cause of liberty and freedom. These things that our Founders fought for are in danger. My goal from here: persuade people to look at the issues, not just the issues that the TV is telling you to look at. You can youtube just about any debate you want. Look at 2008 vs. now to see how the candidates have changed or haven't changed. I urge you to find out about Ron Paul and what he believes in. Listen to his speeches, not just biased articles and quotes taken out of context. Have an open mind; he's not saying the same repeated talking points that the media feeds you (see this Will Rogers quote). If you don't know where to start, there are plenty of videos and such on my blog that are informative. Once you form an opinion, please share it! I would love to hear comments, or I would love it if you talked to your friends and neighbors about this important election, whether you support Paul or not!

P.S. Speaking of trying to get people to learn and study for themselves, T-shirts are in! I have a few of each in most sizes, so if you'd like one, they ended up being $14ish buck a piece. Let me know and I'll get you one!