The GOP's Iowa Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa on Saturday August 13th was well worth attending, if only because Ron Paul and his legion of supporters in Iowa were all in the same place at one time.

Photo by Jesse Anderson

Excerpts from a more candid perspective on Ron Paul and the Ames Straw Poll:

"Still, Paul climbed from 5th place in the straw poll four years ago to a virtual tie for first yesterday, doubling his number of votes. So he is surging. And don't forget Democrats nominated a guy last election whose strength was winning caucuses due to a dedicated core of support.

So, again, why doesn't Paul get the attention he seems to deserve? Mostly because the mainstream media and the Republican establishment wish he would just go away.

But also, Paul lacks the eloquence and self-control to win over the barely-attentive voters that make up most of the electorate. He rambles, sometimes slipping into incoherence, and seems to eschew efforts to cast his outside-the mainstream ideas in a more palatable light. Some GOP disdain for Paul likely comes from a -- not unfounded -- belief than Obama would wipe the floor with him in a general election. "

Read the entire article at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/08/will-no-one-rid-gop-troub...

I did not hear Ron Paul ramble or slip into incoherence in Ames at the Iowa GOP Straw Poll, yesterday.
His message was spot on. Sure, he stumbles like the rest of us would in standing up to onslaught after onslaught on common sense from every faction imaginable. He's been consistent enough for 30 years to get him this far, against all odds and every notion of what the establishment spoon feeds Americans as meaningful.

Click here to watch his speech to supporters on the quad outside the coliseum: http://youtu.be/jHcPygdgOd8?t=16m44s

And here's his remarks at the Iowa GOP hosted official schedule of speeches:
http://youtu.be/txVg1C0PkLI

And FOX's own nationwide poll has Paul winning the August 11th Ames debate in a landslide:
http://www.topix.com/issue/fox/gop-debate-aug11

Here's the film reel of Paul at the Ames FOX debate:

http://youtu.be/sdGsPioLLvQ

I don't know how much more eloquent and self-controlled Ron Paul has to be for this to sink in with voters:

"You don't bail out the people who are bankrupt and dump the debt on the people!"

Maybe the author needs to rephrase:

Paul lacks the ability to adopt the rehearsed and tested, double talking, sound-byte-driven, self-aggrandizing stumping and promising of the establishment GOP candidates.

On the handicapping that Obama would "wipe the floor with him in the general election".... the author provides no background or support for such a commentary.

Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate remotely capable of eroding any support from Barrack Obama's supporters...there's plenty of them who are dissatisfied with BHO... I've talked to a lot of them.

And, they don't know where to turn, and ARE listening to Ron Paul, willing to give him an ear.

If Ron Paul does well in the Iowa and NH caucuses and does NOT get the nomination, then he should run 3rd party and punish the GOP for being morons and walking into a Bob Dole v Bill Clinton repeat... that's what they will get with ANY of the other candidates, decided or undecided to run.

Watch for distraction after distraction to emerge from GOP and media handlers... they are all excuses to write prepared statements as headlines and not deal with the serious issues Paul consistently hammers.

In fact, CNN and Politico acknowledge the cover up by the media regarding Paul's legitimacy in competing:

http://youtu.be/rZ9aDpEKtQw

With Ron Paul, Ames Straw Poll Grows Liberty in Iowa

I'm really glad I went on the Straw Poll bus yesterday. I met alot of folks I didn't know who are paying attention in Scott County. And now we are more connected about our LOCAL efforts to fight the violations our office holders perpetuate upon us every day, right here at home. Now more people in Scott County are aware of http://www.ScottCountyIFA.com, and http://www.SuperLiberty.com and http://www.ArticlesOfFreedom.us and http://www.CC2009.us and http://www.LibertyLawIowa.org and the issues that such projects expose and inform on the local and state level, than ever before.

Ron Paul's courage to stay in the race is worth every dime if only his campaign serves as a medium for us to find and connect with more who are willing to stand up to the status quo rubber stamping in local and county government, law enforcement and the courts.

We are lucky we live in Iowa and get access to a man like Ron Paul and all the people that come out to support him. We have a lot of smart people in Iowa.
We may actually be a nation state that survives, with our freedoms and liberties intact, from the inevitable fall that our current systems perpetuate.

If Ron Paul were not in the race, I would not be in Ames and I suspect many Iowans reading this would not be either. And thus, we would not be connecting with all the new liberty minded people in Iowa, like so many of us did on Saturday.