Iowa Republicans have dropped plans to hold the presidential-candidate straw poll scheduled for early August. It had been a pre-caucus staple since 1979.
According to State GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, GOP candidates had been indicating that they were feeling unnecessary pressure to participate. “You spend more time gaming your own candidates rather than worrying about Hillary Clinton,” he explained. “That’s not how a first-in-the-nation state acts. A first-in-the-nation has to roll out the welcome mat.”
“I guess you could say we had a political epiphany,” added Kaufmann. “We’ve enjoyed outsized media coverage and influence even though we had major ethical issues with out-of-staters bused in and voters washing off their stamps and re-voting.
“Plus, we have a history of fringe, extremist candidates doing well because ours is not a very representative state. Hell, the silo majority makes Utah look diverse. Recall that Michelle Bachman won last time. Anybody remember the presidencies foreshadowed in the straw poll wins of Phil Gramm and Pat Robertson?
“Let’s face it,” acknowledged Kaufman. “Our time is up. We’ve been outed. This had been a stimulus bump for our economy, an ego trip for local Republicans and a political sideshow and farce unworthy of something so important to this country. Besides, Donald Trump would have won it this year.”