What's wrong with the R's?

Have they given up the election already? Perhaps they think it's a good idea to start saving for 2012... Why else would you schedule an R debate at 9am on a Sunday? I mean mostly the only people who were likely to tune into an R debate are R's and most of them are either at church or thinking of good excuses for having skipped church. It's like they were trying to keep the debate secret. Which maybe they were. It would surprise me if the R's were conspiring to keep a low profile and let the D's self destruct.

What's more interesting is another little secret that many major news sources are trying to keep under wraps. The winner of the debate. According to numerous online polls, most interestingly one by ABC who ran the debate, Ron Paul won by more than a significant margin. There are numerous reports of the ABC poll resetting after RP took the early lead. Some more of Drudge numbers moving in both directions. Creepy.

ABC POLL

Of course online polls don't reflect what more intricate polling would. For instance, the online polls don't weed out those that are unlikely to actually vote, and while they do have an option for "Nobody won. I'm voting Democratic" there are no safeguards to establish who R primary voters would choose.

I think it's safe to say that while many in this same group have praised RP in the past he and his ideas are open territory for negative attacks amongst the R's. It may be the most taboo idea in the world for an R to suggest that the war with Iraq isn't a good idea. That spells little protection from the RNC for our boy. It's funny that the man polls suggest would be a hands down favorite if he were to be let loose in a general election, stands the least likelihood of actually getting his party's nomination. Well not the least likelihood, I mean Duncan Hunter will be lucky if his own family voted for him. In similar wickedly interesting news (if only in a sense of shcadenfruede) Rudy's daughter's facebook page revealed this week that she plans to vote for Obamalamadingdong. Thanks to Slate for that.

But I digress, the point is that anyone in the media or anywhere else that claims that Ron Paul isn't a contender in this race, that he isn't running to win, is trying to sell you something you shouldn't buy. I've met the man more than once and I promise you that he's not fucking around.