Iowa Straw Poll

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Comment by carol ann parisi on August 10, 2011 at 10:15am

Thanks Mrs Smith for the great info!!!!!

Comment by Mrs. Smith on August 10, 2011 at 10:12am

Here's the Straw Poll Speaking Schedule, which is subject to change: 

 

http://iowagop.org/iowagop/?p=635

Comment by Art Ellingsen on July 26, 2011 at 9:58pm

I have made some phone calls to Iowa and found out the event starts at 9 AM and lasts all day but no one could tell me exactly how long.  It is about about a 6 hour drive to get there w/o stops.  If we leave at 7 am and it takes us 6 hours to get there, we would arrive at about 1 PM, then we'd have to leave at 3 PM to get home about 9 PM.  That's not counting time to eat.  It seems to me we would need to leave about 1 AM or 2 AM and plan to get home about 1 AM or 2 AM the next day.

Of course you guys may have more information than I do and the info. I got might not be correct.

Comment by carol ann parisi on July 26, 2011 at 9:10pm

TIME AND LOCATION ARE STILL TO BE DETERMINED WE ARE LOOKING AT ABOUT A 7 AM DEPARTURE (GIVE OR TAKE AN HOUR) AND AN ARRIVAL BACK ABOUT 9 PM (ALSO GIVE OR TAKE)   HERE IS A GREAT REVEIW OF THE STRAW POLL FROM JOHN BIVER  EDITOR CHAMPION NEWS

 

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The Iowa Republican Straw Poll event shows just how pathetic the IL GOP really is

Posted on August 13, 2007, 10:31 am, Leadership, Politics & Citizenship.

My friends, you should have been there in Iowa to see it.

Picture a cross between a large county fair and a political convention. Picture tens of thousands of rank and file Republicans showing up on a hot, humid August day despite temperatures well into the nineties. Picture live entertainment, good food, and people enjoying the opportunity to talk face to face with presidential candidates.

For me the road to Ames was 700 miles round-trip, but well worth it. It was, simply, the most impressive grassroots political event I’ve ever attended.

The Republican Party of Iowa said the attendance was 33,000. Note that this was an event in a state that’s a fraction of the size of Illinois. Iowa’s population is 2.9 million; Illinois’ is 12.8 million.

It was a sight you won’t see here any time soon. Illinois rank and file Republicans won’t get a chance to have a one on one conversation with a presidential candidate unless they write a check and attend a high dollar campaign event.

The Ames Straw Poll dates back to 1979 and its significance is debated every time it’s held. Even how it is run is the subject of controversy. For example, wealthy campaigns have a distinct advantage (as the Romney campaign had this year).

Those discussions, however, are for others. The straw poll is what it is, a gauge of Iowa opinion on one Saturday. What was significant for me was the contrast between the Iowa and Illinois GOP.

Again, I’m telling you, you should’ve seen it. I’m willing to bet that most Illinois Republicans have absolutely no idea what’s possible – and thus no idea what bad shape the Illinois Republican Party is really in.

The Iowa GOP, like all state party organizations, has its intramural struggles, its wins and losses, and its ongoing struggles to adapt so it can effectively connect with a busy population. But from the looks of what they put on this past Saturday, it’s obvious there’s a level of competence and professionalism in their operation that Illinois hasn’t seen in decades.

Some of us have chronicled the history of the IL GOP’s ills which date back to the Governor Thompson years. That’s when small-minded top-down control became the rule. Edgar and Ryan continued that iron fist tradition in spades. Wh

Comment by jackie menconi on July 25, 2011 at 9:45pm

Art I still can only tell you that the final headcount has not been set if you are planning to attend I will need a $30.00 check from you made payable to Strong America Now which you will get back when you board the bus on the 13th.  I will keep you updated on the particulars when I get them.

Comment by Art Ellingsen on July 24, 2011 at 7:54pm

I want to attend, but I still don't know when the event will occur.  None of the links provided in the E-mail Joe T. sent me tells me the time either.

Comment by Joseph K. Ptak on July 18, 2011 at 1:46pm

It's Maria's (wife) birthday on the 13th.  I told her (and daughter) it would be a fantastic idea for ALL of us to attend!  I told them, be a part of history in the making!  We will see you Thursday night.

Joe Ptak