Photo sent in from a reader in Waukee, Iowa.
ADDED: My Waukee reader says: "Here is the line to register in Waukee Iowa (point of grace church) at 714pm. That's 14 mins after the doors closed. Rick Perry is here. No way we start before 745."
And a few minutes later: "Perry's talking. Says he'll take a 'Sharpie pen' to Obama care. Obviously well received. Romney's wife is talking now. Praising his exec abilities..."
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81 comments:
Waukee - Fox News just had a report from one of their news babes in Waukee. I guess you could call her a Waukee Talkee.
It would be nice if Perry shows significantly greater strength in Iowa than polls or debates would indicate warranted, and that he could then fix his campaign. I'm not holding my breath though.
Being in a smaller precinct, we're done and home already! For our precinct*, here's the order of the vote-getters high to low: Paul, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, Perry, Bachmann, Huntsman. No big surprises there, to me, given the makeup of the area.
*not the location; there were several precincts meeting in the building
***
My son decided he wanted to go to the county convention as a junior delegate. He'll go with our neighbor, who is a delegate. I figure--what the heck? Civics in action. I'll put together a mini-unit on conventions in our homeschooling curriculum.
Had about 100 at our caucus on the SW side of Cedar Rapids. Strong showing from Ron Paul (34 votes). Santorum, Perry, and Romney split the rest with a few for Newt.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/iowa-caucus-jan-3
Live link to Iowa Caucus Results via Foxnews. Romney, Paul, and Santorum seem to be fighting it out.
The speakers for the candidates at the caucus we attended--each and every one of them--were local people not officially attached with the campaigns, which I thought was interesting.
rcommal - same here. People in the precinct stood up and spoke for Gingrich, Romney, Paul, Perry, and Santorum. Nobody spoke for Bachmann - they didn't even spell her name right on the blackboard! - and one guy stood up and gave an impassioned speech for "none of the above". All were politely received.
Romney is the winner. Yeah!
Yes, I wanted this to happen, as you all know.
1. Romney
2. Santorum (he will flame out by SC)
3. Paul (the looney, loved and endorsed by Global Dictators Association).
4. Newt, Bachmann, and Perry (who cares, the losers).
Yes, this is happening at 31% of reporting.
Obama: If Romney has Christie as VP, you are finished. Watch out.
Newt: Cry baby, be happy that you are the nominee, what Romney and Paul did would have been pale in comparison. Cry Baby...
What Tim said.
Since Milton's sounded a little more tentative about ZeroCare in recent days, what Perry said may have an effect.
We shall see.
I saw Jim Bob Duggar and his 19 children supporting Rick Santorum.
I am sold.
rcommal
That all looks pretty chaotic, and a bit haphazard as far as protecting the integrity of the vote. Are you confident in the vote totals with no photo ID requirements and being able to register same day?
garage - I had to show my driver's license.
garage:
I had to show ID to change my registration, of course! (Those who weren't changing their registration--and I believe we were the only ones at our specific precinct meeting--didn't.) And we had to fill out forms and sign officially and all of that.
We were most appreciative that a neighbor--known for his madcap sense of humor--didn't yell out, "Never saw those freaks in my entire LIFE! [etc.]"
Paco:
same here
I suspect that it was more like our experience than not in most precincts. Those, of course, are not the ones that will get the media attention--which, to be fair, since there are so many meetings, makes some sense on the basis of practicality, if not on the front of balance.
(Those who weren't changing their registration--and I believe we were the only ones at our specific precinct meeting--didn't.)
Or maybe they did. You know, I don't actually know, since I was at a different table. I'll make a point of making a phone call to find out, though it's probably too late tonight to do so.
For a fact, though, when voting in any election here if you're already registered, you do not have to show ID.
Anyway, at our caucus it was Romney way out in front, then Santorum / Paul / Gingrich / Perry, then way at the back, Bachmann, 3 votes for Donald Trump, 2 for Huntsman, 1 for Rudy Giuliani, 1 for Buddy Roemer, 1 for 'no preference'.
I read on the webs that no photo ID was required to cast a vote, and only new registrants would be asked for any ID. And that ID did not have to be photo. It could be something such as a utility bill or paycheck stub. Even an Attester could vouch for someone who had absolutely nothing on them.
It looks like the story of the night is Santorumentum! Or Santorumania! Or Sacre Santorum, for those of a more classically religious bent. In any case, it is to laugh.
Paco:
I haven't checked official totals yet, so I'm not even sure whether they've been reported/counted in the totals yet currently being presented on TV. We're in Davenport.
official "local" totals, I mean--sorry, distracted by getting the kid to bed etc.
garage mahal said...
I read on the webs...
Got link?
For the edification of the uniformed - the voting at the caucuses is nothing more than glorified straw poll and has nothing to do with delegate selection.
Obama: "For relaxing times, make it Santorum time."
No photo ID is required for this election. The chance of fraud is slim.
A) At a local party event like this, you tend to know most everyone.
B) I am not sure who would really go to the bother of voting in several locations. The extra work for a minimal payoff doesn't seem worth while.
C) Most voter fraud is committed by Democrats. I suppose a bunch of Democrats from out-of-state could go to Iowa to vote for the weakest candidate.
I think the VP choices are more exiting than the Presidental wannabes.
Chrisite. T-Paw. Haley. Jindel.
Chuck:
the caucuses start at 7:00pm, sharp. If you aren't in the room at 7, you don't get in (unless the assembly votes to let you in). It makes it hard to vote in more than one place. It's even harder with the system the Democrats use.
And as Der Hahn points out: the convention delegates are not bound by the results of the polling.
C) Most voter fraud is committed by Democrat
Hahahaha. That talking point has been updated to "Sure, we can't prove any voter fraud by Democrats, but we'll keep trying!"
rcommal - story co. here. Not sure if the results have been tabulated or not.
Huge win for Romney, obviously. Six months ago, everyone knew that Romney couldn't even compete in Iowa; today, he either won it or came in a very close second to a candidate who has spent a year doing doing but Iowa and is custom-tailored to a SoCon audience. It's hard to see that as anything but a massive win.
Santorum is a real conservative. The media and liberals hate him. The media and liberals like Romney. That tells you all that you need to know.
Keep the Tea Party alive! Go Rick Santorum!
Santorum has nothing to do with the 'Tea Party'. He's a SoCon whackjob.
garage mahal said...
"I read on the webs that no photo ID was required to cast a vote, and only new registrants would be asked for any ID. And that ID did not have to be photo."
And that's fine by you? Or that's a problem? I would tend to think it was a problem, wouldn't you agree?
All the people I saw changing registration (including myself) had photo ID, and it was looked over very, very carefully by the people sitting behind the tables where they handed out the ballots, and they spent several minutes grilling one or two. I don't know what would have happened if somebody had shown up with nothing at all.
Santorum is going to come out golden in this. You know why? Because he canvased every county in Iowa for a long long time. People have been looking for a conservative and Santorum has always been a dark horse in the primaries. I like him a lot and I hope he can move into a position that would put the Urkle camp into scratching their heads. Romney will take it, but not by much. He will get pushed aside while everyone clamors to get at Santorum now.
Paul is still a douche.
The liberal media always portray candidates like Santorum as "whack jobs" because they say conservative things.
Santorum has no personal skeletons in his closet. He is an honorable man and a real conservative.
Romney is Obama-lite.
Cripes, Romney leading Santorum by 13 votes!
Paid media $/vote so far: Santorum $1.65, Bachmann $8, Romney $113.07, Gingrich $139 Paul $227, Perry $817
If money is speech, why not just pay people to vote for you? Would be cheaper for some candidates.
If money is speech, why not just pay people to vote for you? Would be cheaper for some candidates.
Since Obama has laid in a gigabuck so far and is trolling for still more one assumes that's just his plan.
Romney is a Big Government liberal Republican. Nobody would claim that Rick Santorum is a closet liberal. Look folks this is not American Idol (Sorry Ann), we are electing a president. A true conservative like Santorum is what this country desperately needs.
You're so right, Dane County Taxpayer. Santorum is the heart and soul of conservatism today. Santorumania - catch it!
Man, this is fascinating (to me, at least)!
When Rick Santorum became a U.S rep from Pennsylvania for the very first time, I was sitting in a newsroom (actually, sitting intensely while waiting alternating with furiously working to update and edit stories and pages), in Pennsylvania, on the night desk, assigned to election coverage. It was a squeaker and an upset. (For some of you here who know the person with whom I co-blogged briefly, he was in [and out] of that newsroom that night, too. We were colleagues at the time.)
Sonuvagun.
***
Just watched Newt Gingrich's speech, and he said what I expected him to say. I'd bet he's likely to survive at least through New Hampshire and South Carolina or so, or die trying--though of course I could very well be wrong.
On a frivolous note, Mrs. Gingrich looks exactly, precisely the way she did, still, at 9 a.m. this morning (adjusting for the fact that--as I noted this morning--she is quite nice in person, much more personable than she seems on TeeVee or, Lord knows, in still shots.). Gingrich himself does, too, except that his collar was slightly askew tonight and his shirt front a tad wrinkled, in comparison to this morning--but all things considered, not very different at all, at all.
Dane County Taxpayer said...
"Romney is a Big Government liberal Republican. Nobody would claim that Rick Santorum is a closet liberal. "
No, but they would claim—accurately—that like Mike Huckabee, he verges on being a big government conservative, a "Larsonite" in Goldwater's lexicon. Like Huckabee, he fits Hayek's complaint that the trouble with some conservatives is that they want to use the coercive power of the state to impose their own agenda rather than dismantling it.
Now, I'm not a libertarian myself, and I'm not entirely averse to using government to encourage certain preferred results. I'm no Paul supporter. But Santorum goes too far, and he and his supporters often make statements about the scope and purpose of federal power that aren't acceptable.
I agree that a true conservative is what this country desperately needs, but it doesn't need a conservative like Santorum right now, and even if it did, it ain't getting one.
Santorum extending his slight lead now...
Dane County Taxpayer,
Rick Santorum voted for Medicare Part D. He is not conservative. He is part of the problem, not the solution. He loves deficits and spending. Loves them.
I am starting a new organization Gays for Santorum.
Please join me in electing Santorum, the next president of the United States.
Thank you and Good night.
Toodles.
tits.
Santorum is Latin for Awesome! Don't forget that, people.
Looks like Perry may be pulling out...
mccullough said...
Dane County Taxpayer,
Rick Santorum voted for Medicare Part D. He is not conservative. He is part of the problem, not the solution. He loves deficits and spending. Loves them.
Really? That's what you're hanging your hat on? As opposed to that texas nut job Ron Paul who claims he's for following constitutional principals and then shits all over them by not standing up for voting against the 2 month payroll tax extension? How many of his unfathomable ideas has the 30 career congressman known as Ron Paul passed? ZERO!!! If you think his ideas if he ever makes it as president will ever work, then clearly you can use his influence in congress as a benchmark for rational discourse. If Paul couldn't do it in the congress and convince his other colleagues that he is right, then he certainly won't do it as president either.
Perhaps Rick Perry should think about Tim Pawlenty and the decision he made and when.
Arizona Senator John McCain, his party's 2008 nominee, will endorse Mitt Romney in New Hampshire tomorrow.
If only they could all lose...
Methadras,
I'm not a Paul supporter. Santorum is a big government conservative, like W. McCain voted against pork and Medicare Part D, unlike Santorum. McCain is more conservative than Santorum and W. If you like big deficits and more federal welfare, then Santorum is your guy.
somefeller said...
"Santorum is Latin for Awesome! Don't forget that, people."
If there was a "santum" that was a latin synonym of "awesome" I suppose he'd be "Rick of Awesome"—santum, santi, santo, santum, santo, santa, santorum, santis, santa, santis. But there isn't.
Of course McCain is going to endorse Romney. No surprise there.
Cool. My own county is responsible for the delay in vote totals. Apparently the guy responsible for collecting the vote totals from 11 precincts was delayed at his own caucus and still hasn't collected them all. Must be a Wisc. transplant -
Santorum maintained one of the most conservative ratings during his tenure in the Senate.
The liberal Republicans here can trash him all you like but Romney is still Obama-lite and because of that will lose the general if he is the nominee.
Waukesha County is typically the last county to report. Sometimes days.
Dane County Taxpayer said...
"Romney is still Obama-lite and because of that will lose the general if he is the nominee."
Only if idiots in the base desert him. By contrast, Santorum would lose if nominated because he has zero appeal to the independents we need to win, and one can hardly call them idiots if they don't vote for him because they won't be sabotaging their own cause.
Santorum is the worst of both worlds; a social conservative but lover of Big Ideas, Big Government programs and pork spending. Think he lost his last race by close to 20 pts.
Dane County,
You need to start thinking for yourself. Rick Santorum is a big borrower and spender. He's a weak version of W. It's understandable that you don't like Romney. Maybe you should support Perry. He's pretty conservative. Santorum is not.
I will freely admit to being a RINO. (Those 700 Huntsman votes? One of them was mine.) 4 years ago, I was a DINO voting against John Edwards. Ain't no effin' way I will vote for Santorum.
Why would I vote for Romney so that he can carry on Obama's agenda? That makes no sense. I will vote third party if the Republicans do not have a conservative alternative to Obama. Romney would be by far the most liberal nominee in my lifetime if Big Government Republicans are successful in cramming him down our throats. Why do some of you believe it will take a liberal like Romney to defeat Obama?
"Dane Co. Taxpayer", I'd take your comments a lot more seriously if your blogger ID wasn't identical with several known moby commenters ('Maximum Twine' and 'Tidy Righty'). Because of that, I pretty much assume everything you say is a falsehood.
That said, it looks like Romneycare is a big old albatross around Mitt's neck, at least here in Iowa.
Anyhoo, I'm going to bed. A busy day tomorrow, shovelling pig shit, cooking up some meth and inbreeding. Toodles!
I need to correct something I wrote:
Being in a smaller precinct, we're done and home already!
That was sloppily written. It's not that our precinct is small. It's not. The precinct is deep blue and the Republican draw is small, and therefore so is the R caucus.
Did Bachmann actually point out her fag husband was picking out sun glasses for their dog.
Good Lord.
Paco:
The article at the link was a topic of conversation at the table at which we sat during the period before the caucus started. I had read it when it first came out and while I found it offensively dismissive and self-serving, I basically shrugged it off (as I do with most such things, 95%+ of the time, until I just can't stand it anymore and must burst out, however briefly--and as you all know, the target might surprise). It struck me as pretty de rigueur, especially online wise and not all that different than what people feel free to say therein oh-so-confidently as they revel in all their glorious assumptions and presumptions about all sorts of things and places and people on a regular basis.
That one, I didn't take that seriously.
Tonight I learned that it pissed off a number of people profoundly and royally, and what is most interesting about that to me is those people--unlike me!!! for example--cannot be, and never could be under any circumstances, characterized as a "dramatic chipmunk," for example.
Wow. Talk about bad shit and stupid timing.
Yo. Hey.
Clinton County, Iowa, being the focus of national pundits?
Surreal.
***
Over and out. 'Night all, and all best wishes and regards to everyone settling back into everyday routines as this new year, this 2012, begins (and stuff happens, as it always does).
I just finished talking with my brother in Iowa. He voted 3rd party in 08 because he couldn't stand McCain. He said he likes Perry and is going to look into Santorum. He won't vote for Romney. My sister lives in Iowa, too. I know there is no way she'd ever vote Romney after she got to know him in the 08 campaign - well, she probably woud since Obama is the other choice. She got to know him in 08, too, and figured out his policies (and his personality) are just plain evil.
On my blog's predictions for 2012 I predicted that Cthulhu would come in second. Was I close?
I WIN:
I said: Romney will win. He did. Obama is screwed.
Santorum will flame-out after SC.
Paul (the looney will endorse the Libertarian party, not the GOP, and thus it is strange that he is still in GOP nomination race). He just got endorsed by the President Assad of Syria.
Newt, the CRY BABY of CONGRESS. Enough said.
Perry, the DUMB KID of GOP. Enough said.
Michele, even my former GF is embarrassed by her performance. Get out and show dignity for women who need to have a First Woman President in future, but you are not.
Huntsman, Obama wants you return to his admin.
26 December at 7:16 am CST America's Politico predicted:
Ron Paul will win the IA caucuses. You heard it here first. The internal polling at a super K-street shop sent the results to me two days ago. He wins by 2% over Romney (who is still invisible). Newt comes in third, then Santorum. Perry, oh well...
Oh well, indeed.
What do they vend at Politico's legendary K-street shop? Bagels?
America's Pathetico = 'squirrel'.
Thats all you need to know.
Thanks and have a great day.
Musket, re: Romney
" She got to know him in 08, too, and figured out his policies (and his personality) are just plain evil."
Your sister, I must tell you, suffers from a disease called, "hyper-xageration".
To call Rommney, in person and philosophy, "plain evil", your perspective can only be from "a way off the beaten path" position.
To call Romney's policies "plain evil" confirms not only this delusion, but the radically immodest confidence one has in their own policy prescription. (In the old days, they called that "pride" and it wasn't a good thing).
Dane County Taxpayer said...
"Why would I vote for Romney so that he can carry on Obama's agenda?"
Romney won't carry on Obama's agenda, so you should vote for him to thwart Obama's agenda. If you don't—if you instead "vote third party"—you're essentially voting for a second Obama term. Not smart. Back in 2000, a lot pf people on the left said that voting for Nader made sense because there was no difference between Bush and Gore. Well, there was. And there is.
"Romney would be by far the most liberal nominee in my lifetime if Big Government Republicans are successful in cramming him down our throats."
That's a much less impressive claim once we realize that you're eleven, but anyways, it would still be wrong: I'd say Bush was more liberal in practice than Romney threatens to be in theory.
"Why do some of you believe it will take a liberal like Romney to defeat Obama?"
I believe that it'll take someone for whom independents can vote because I can do math.
If there was a "santum" that was a latin synonym of "awesome" I suppose he'd be "Rick of Awesome"—santum, santi, santo, santum, santo, santa, santorum, santis, santa, santis. But there isn't.
Love this.
Tarkwell Robotico - - read my post again and do me the little favor of trying to figure out the pronouns that obviously I needed to make more clear.
She (my sister) didn't say Romney was evil - she said Obama's policies and (cult) personality were evil.
I did use other words to say she (my sister) wouldn't vote for Romney unless he's (Romney)the eventual GOP candidate, i.e., running against Obama. (Read that to say she will vote for Romney in the general election, if he (Romney) is the GOP candidate)
She (my sister) wasn't impressed with his (Romney's) personality back in 08.
Personally, I can find something negative with each GOP candidate. Each and every GOP negative fades to nothingness when put up against Obama's negatives.
While my sister and I won't vote 3rd party next November, my brother will. It could be a tough election, folks.
wv: rallogiz - the logic used to assign pronouns in another person's writing, just so you can attack and vent
"Why do some of you believe it will take a liberal like Romney to defeat Obama?"
I believe that it'll take someone for whom independents can vote because I can do math
DING, DING, DING...WE HAVE A WINNER!
"I will vote third party if the Republicans do not have a conservative alternative to Obama."
Do the "smart" thing - go straight to the bottom line and vote for Obama, because that's the result you obviously want.
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