As I sit here at my desk awaiting the results from tonights Iowa Caucuses, I ponder who will next my vote next month (in the Kansas Caucuses). The projected winners are Obama and Huckabee. With Ron Paul pulling a strong 5th place. Folks, I wouldn't count Ron Paul out of this. In the next few weeks we could see Paul do better then expected, much as he has done in Iowa. He wasn't expected to get more then 5%, yet as the votes are being tallied, he is getting 11%. That's right behind John McCain's 4th place finish with 13%.
As an undecided voter, I like Ron Paul's Libertarianism. However, as a pro-lifer, I also like Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. Paul views on the war in Iraq matches that of mine. Although, I am not sure we should cut and run either. Paul's 30+ years of experience in Congress is another strong reason to vote for him, but is he really the guy I want to endorse?
Mitt Romney would be an excellent choice on pro-life grounds but his record on the issue in Massachusetts, causes one to wonder what he really believes. His website makes him out to be the perfect fiscal candidate as well. Overall, he sounds great, but can I really trust what he says.
Mike Huckabee is another candidate that I like his views on most issues. Hey we aren't going to agree with any candidate 100%, but his past record of raising taxes in Arkansas. Not to mention his apparent flip flop on the illegal immigration are things that concern me.
As for the fourth and final candidate, Fred Thompson seems to be a great choice, but is it just another role for an aging actor to show us his acting skills? However, a look at his Congressional voting record seems to indicate that he would be great at trying to keep our taxes low and perhaps even cutting them.
I am still not sure who to vote for. There has never been a year where I have been undecided at this stage of the campaign. In fact, until a couple of months ago I was an ardent Brownbacker, then he withdrew and throwing me into the position of being undecided. Hopefully in the next week or two I will have made my decision. Once I do, you can expect that all 3 of my major blogs will carry the endorsement. You can also expect that the decision will focus on the candidates fiscal policy, since 2 of those blogs are personal finance related.
With that, you can see the results (as of 9:30 CT) with results still coming in.
Republican Party Results:
Huckabee 34%
Mitt Romney 25%
Fred Thompson 13%
John McCain 13%
Ron Paul 11%
Rudy Giuliani 3%
Democratic Party Results:
Obama 38%
Edwards 30%
Clinton 29%
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-it was almost a three way tie for 3rd
ReplyDelete(pretty good for a lack of media coverage for Paul)
-perhaps it was really a four way tie for 3rd. (Giuliani was surprisingly low)
- Assuming Thompson, McCain, Paul, & Giuliani each had roughly 10%
Then it is conceivable that 6% of Giuliani's supports split to support Thompson and McCain to boost their numbers up to around 13%
Now,
The negative attack adds between the leaders can tear each other down leaving Paul unmolested.
Wyoming on 01/05/2008 may be a good showing for Rep. Ron Paul (although probably little media coverage)
New Hampshire, with it's libertarian leanings, may be really big for Paul.
Also, I suspect that Nevada on the 19th will be good for Paul especially if N.H. is big on the 8th.
Let's hope that the money raised by Rep. Paul can be put to good use in the lead up to the 5th of February.
Lastly,
Paul's fund raising has been increasing at an exponential rate and far surpasses Huckabee.
Slow and steady wins the race, and if Paul is picking up speed then all the better.
I still remain optimistic for the Paul candidacy.