Ron Paul had a better showing in the Iowa caucuses then most people expected. He received 10% of the vote which was enough to gain two delegates from that state. It was also nearly triple Rudy Giuliani's numbers.
The Giuliani campaign will have you believe that the reason they did so bad was because they decided to "skip" Iowa. As
lewrockwell.com points out, this is a lie; he visited Iowa nearly as many times as McCain and fewer times than Dr. Paul. In fact, Rudy Giuliani spent 30% more time there, but Paul still managed to triple his votes.
Congressman Paul's 10% put him in
fifth place among Republicans, right behind Thompson and McCain who were virtually tied for third with 13% each. Paul gained two delegates from the caucuses while Thompson and McCain each gained three. Paul's Iowa numbers are much better than anyone expected, and are very good for a "third-tier" candidate. If you look at the Democrats caucuses, no one outside of the top three managed to break 2%.
Even Fox News is beginning to take notice of Paul. On Tuesday night, Greta van Sustern had this to say about his Iowa showing:
"Ten per cent is not insignificant - that's a huge number. Here you have a candidate that 10 per cent of the people caucused in his party really want him and it's not like he's an insignificant player. He didn't just drop in yesterday to the process, he has been running for president for a long time, and certainly many of the issues he's raised are rather provocative and certainly stimulate the debate; that's not a bad thing."
So now its off to New Hampshire, where the most recent
Rasmussen Poll puts Ron Paul in third place with 14%. Maybe since he is polling third, Fox News will allow him in the
upcoming forum. Wishful thinking, but anything is possible.
