Ladies and Gentlemen, once more we must announce the winner of the Iowa Caucus. And it isn't Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney after all. It is Ron Paul.
This weekend, delegates duly elected to represent the GOP at their state convention, gave the Texas congressman 21 of the 25 contestable delegates to the RNC in Tampa. They will all be unbound, able and willing to vote for Ron Paul for president.
This ends a process that began with the Iowa Cavalcade last summer, when Ron Paul came within a few votes of winning the Straw Vote, and handily defeated Romney, Santorum, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty.
Paul's strong showing was virtually ignored by the mainstream media whose executives apparently felt threatened by his call for transparency in the actions of the Federal Reserve, a prime support system for their corporate advertisers and, in some cases, their own parent holding companies.
The following January, Dr. Paul finished third in the Iowa Caucus presidential preference poll but swept the precinct caucuses which elected delegates that led to the state convention triumph this weekend.
Interestingly enough, the New York Times and the Associated Press still cling to their marvelous fiction that Ron Paul has won only a single delegate from last January's Iowa Caucus. According to their chart, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have each won 13.
But now the facts are in and as we have been telling you since last January, Dr. Paul won a clear majority of the delegates. He won 10 of 13 delegates elected at today’s state convention in addition to having won 11 of 12 delegates elected at this weekend’s district conventions, for a weekend total of 21 of 25 contestable delegates, all unbound.
Paul’s victory in the Hawkeye State affirms his delegate-attainment strategy and it has the added benefit of having occurred in the first-in-nation voting state, also a swing state.
“We thank the many Iowa Republican activists for working tirelessly toward this meaningful victory, in particular the work they performed in the service of constitutional government and personal liberty. This win is a real validation for our campaign and its many supporters in Iowa and across our great nation,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.
“We look forward to bringing the Ron Paul delegation to Tampa and to making a significant, positive contribution to the 2012 Republican Party Platform,” added Benton.
Had the media accurately reported events in Iowa it is likely that Paul's campaign would have benefited substantially in subsequent contests. But its incomplete coverage of Iowa turned out to be a harbinger of things to come.
The national television networks routinely marginalized his speaking times in the presidential debates and virtually excluded him from their national coverage.
Nevertheless, the final tally in Iowa reflects the ongoing transformation of the Republican Party as it brings in more youth, Hispanics, and independents who support Paul's vision of an end to corruption in Washington, a return to free markets, and constitutional government.
Doug Wead is a presidential historian and a senior adviser to the Ron Paul presidential campaign. He is a New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, and adviser to two presidents, including President George H.W. Bush. Read more reports from Doug Wead — Click Here Now.
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