# Iowa Straw Poll results (2012 GOP) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 13, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-straw-poll-results-2012-gop/592611 "2011-08-13T21:41:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-straw-poll-results-2012-gop/592611/61 "2011-08-15T16:25:18Z")
So, the GOP’s social-religious-conservative/Tea Party wing (represented by Bachmann) beats its Libertarian wing (Paul). This time, in this straw poll. Does this portend anything, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-straw-poll-results-2012-gop/592611/62 "2011-08-15T16:33:12Z")
It leaves Romney as the only non-crazy candidate (though, for some reason the media is trying to present Perry as one of the sane choices, he’s just as around the bend as Bachmann-Palin Overdrive). If the media keeps protecting Perry, he could steal the nomination from Romney, but he can’t wn the general. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-straw-poll-results-2012-gop/592611/63 "2011-08-15T16:37:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > So, the GOP’s social-religious-conservative/Tea Party wing (represented by Bachmann) beats its Libertarian wing (Paul). This time, in this straw poll. Does this portend anything, I wonder? Um, you don’t need a Straw to drink Tea? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-straw-poll-results-2012-gop/592611/64 "2011-08-15T17:33:31Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > The results were extraordinary: > > \*\*Nutters and fringies \*\* > 1 Michele Bachmann 4,823 28.6% > 2 Ron Paul 4,671 27.7% > 4 Rick Santorum 1,657 9.8% > 5 Herman Cain 1,456 8.6% > Scattering 162 1.0% > > Sum: 75.7% > > **Establishment Types, Neurotypicals and Wannabees** > 3 Tim Pawlenty 2,293 13.6% > 6 Rick Perry (write-in) 2718 4.3% > 7 Mitt Romney 3567 3.4% > 8 Newt Gingrich 385 2.3% > 9 Jon Huntsman 69 0.4% > 10 Thaddeus McCotter 35 0.2% > > Sum: 24.2% > > Total 16,892 100% > > Three-quarters of the represented Republican base are loons. And the one person to drop out came in first on team sanity. > > In other news, I couldn’t find out how many voted for Colbert’s Rick Parry. I know this is a Republican fundraiser, but I understand that the Iowa Secretary of State plays a role in the proceedings. I understand he was a write-in, but what I don’t understand is why you placed Perry in the sane camp? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-straw-poll-results-2012-gop/592611/65 "2011-08-16T05:32:44Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I understand he was a write-in, but what I don’t understand is why you placed Perry in the sane camp? He had not declared his candidacy and he was being framed that way. Also, he’s a multi-term governor of a big state, which puts him the Establishment column. Newt Gingrich is also in the Establishment collective, notwithstanding his facile and idiosyncratic futurism. **But is Rick Perry a nutjob?** Judging from his latest book, _Fed Up_, Rick Perry is a perfect modern conservative. He complains that Social Security goes against the principles of the founding fathers. He thinks WWII, where we had rationing, price controls, and the actual arrest of uncooperative executives, was, "when FDR was finally persuaded to unleash private enterprise.” Weird. And there’s more… and better! [http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/08/15/295427/295427/](http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/08/15/295427/295427/) Incidentally, I would argue that the sane Republican’s choice would be Jon Huntsman, notwithstanding some of his objectively odd judgments such as turning down a budget deal with 10% tax increases and 90% spending decreases. He also embraced Ryan’s dismantling of Medicare. Pundits think he’s angling for 2016 or maybe a VP slot. ETA: One of my points is that the GOP used to be the party of squares. They were, um, conservative in their beliefs. But now they tend to gravitate towards the far-out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iowa-straw-poll-results-2012-gop/592611.md?page=3)