Ron Paul Won in Iowa by David Franke

Ron Paul Won in Iowa by David Franke:

The winners in Iowa were (1) Ron Paul, (2) Rick Perry, and (3) Michele Bachmann, in that order.

Michele Bachmann is the winner of record, and will always be listed that way in the history books. But in terms of the dynamism and impact of the race, she has been hurt by the Iowa Straw Poll results. Behind closed doors, she and her campaign managers cannot be happy tonight.

She had the home turf advantage and she had the media for and against her in just the right ways. She supposedly had momentum on her side. Given all that, the fact that she beat Ron Paul by a mere 152 votes (1% of the total votes cast) is an embarrassment and a sign of long-term weakness.

Let me explain two kinds of media bias, and their pivotal role in the voting at the Iowa Straw Poll.

The mainstream/liberal media detests Michele Bachmann, no doubt about it. She’s not the kind of person they invite to their cocktail parties. But the important point is, they treat her as a serious candidate. When they acknowledge that she can win in Iowa, and perhaps win the Republican nomination, they legitimize her. And when they are nasty to her, as with the Newsweek cover, that helps her too. Nothing earns you votes in a Republican primary or other grassroots event like a nasty attack by the liberal media.

The media attacks on Ron Paul are...
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