Dear All;
While Bachman came in first look who came in a real close second.
Ron Getty
They are both first class "firebrands." Bachman seems to have inherited the Tea Party machinery, so I am not surprised she won the straw poll. Dr. Paul supporters are to be commended for their efforts against such odds.
Marcy
Dear Marcy
Bachman co-opted the Tea Party she was never elected to head the loosely joined together Tea Party.
Ron Getty
Dear Ron,
The beauty of popular movements such as the Tea Party is that the crowd does not need formal elections or formal policy..they just show up or not to support the candidate that best reflects their political sentiments. The media, the pundits, the regular folk pick up on who the crowd showed up for, and that candidate becomes the "favorite."
Indeed, Ron Paul supporters, as I recall, were the first to stage a tea party (on some bridge in Texas, as I remember), but that's seems irrelevant now.
Even more interestingly, Ron Paul is the "libertarian" candidate per media accounts, because libertarians showed up to support him, given the absence of credible Libertarian candidates. I remember all the talk about Dr. Paul co-opting the libertarian movement. Candidates either succeed in representing the sentiments of a movement or they don't!
Marcy