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How Michele Bachmann Bought the Ames Straw Poll

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beac Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:05 PM
Original message
How Michele Bachmann Bought the Ames Straw Poll

Headlines on FoxNews, CNN, MSNBC, and all over the web should have been “Randy Travis Wins Ames Straw Poll Edging out Ron Paul” instead of headlines which touted Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s victory.

Bachmann spent upwards of $1 million, paid for over 6000 tickets, paid for Grammy Award winning, country musician Randy Travis to show up, and bussed in Randy Travis fans in order to secure 152 more votes than Congressman Ron Paul. Michele Bachmann’s camp handed out flyers, which stated that in order to see the entertainment, you had to vote for her first. http://www.unelected.org/how-michele-bachmann-bought-the-ames-straw-poll


Another good analysis of the Straw "Poll" here: http://malialitman.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/when-is-a-poll-not-a-poll/ including the info that voters have to PAY $30 each to cast a vote and yes, candidates can BUY their votes.
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ellenfl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:07 PM
Response to Original message
1. she paid for 6000 tickets but got less than 5000 votes? perhaps that should be the story. eom
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livetohike Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:08 PM
Response to Original message
2. Last night, through a local radio talk show host I learned that
one had to pay in order to vote in the Ames straw poll. I had not heard that before. Thanks for posting this :hi:.
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KeepItReal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:16 PM
Response to Reply #2
5. My local news said it was $30 to vote, but campaigns would pay for you
If you promised to vote for them.

I was shocked.

The reporter didn't think anything of it.
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livetohike Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:18 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. I won't hold my breath waiting for this relevation to come out
in the MSM :-(. Most stations are giving the straw poll so much credence and it's all B.S.
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Historic NY Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:08 PM
Response to Original message
3. Cheating Republican style........throw money around.
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WhiteTara Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:08 PM
Response to Original message
4. Paid politics in action! Go MB
NOT! Now everyone knows what a shill Randy Travis is too. :puke: as if I liked his music before.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:23 PM
Response to Original message
7. I was about to post a snarky well duh answer to this
but I guess it is not as well known as I though it was that this is a vote buying orgy. This is a scam for the Iowa GOP to raise big bucks. I thought that was better known that it apparently is. Bush bought it in 2000 pretty much the same way.
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beac Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:32 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. I guess I never paid that much attention to it, thinking "meh, it's just a 'straw poll'
at a state fair" but I really had no idea until today how TRULY meaningless it was, not to mention rather shady and totally corruptible-- in other words, a perfect reflection of the GOP.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:41 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. To be fair it is to some extent a test of organization
but it is pretty much an over rated scam.
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beac Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:50 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. How about the 'clever' voters who took Michele's money and then
voted for someone else-- nice GOP values on display.

If the MSM would occasionally mention the fee-to-vote/buy-a-vote aspect, it would be nice. Holding my breath, I am not.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 01:50 PM
Response to Reply #11
14. I am presuming it isn't a secret ballot
but I don't know.
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LiberalFighter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 12:35 PM
Response to Original message
9. Did anyone get paid more than once to vote?
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catbyte Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 01:05 PM
Response to Original message
12. Did you see that picture of her fellating the corndog? LOL And hubby's
pic on The Rude Pundit?
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Cosmocat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 01:34 PM
Response to Original message
13. To the republican freakshow THIS is what democracy is ...
Caught a bit with Chris Wallace late last night, and he was all lathered up on how if anyone had been a witness to it, this weekend was THE very definition of our great democracy ...
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yellowcanine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-15-11 01:51 PM
Response to Original message
15. The Ames Straw Poll is a joke. It is not a poll at all. Who ever heard of paying to vote?
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