Ron Paul wins his largest percntage of the vote and five delegates in Idaho. Obama gets a win by rtbohan
(libertarian)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Idaho primary election was held yesterday, but it would be hard to find that out from the major media. The national press largely ignored the race, and the Idaho press, while it covered the races for state office took minimal notice of the presidential primary.
In a way this is not surprising. The press have largely concluded that they have done their job and the voters are just wasting their time in expressing an opinion. Certainly the Republicans, in their determination to project an image of unity are doing their best to suppress any opposition to the McCain nomination at the convention. And the Obama campaign is largely avoiding the few remaining contested states.
But the voters of Idaho did express their preferences on Tuesday, and while McCain won the primary, there was still a surprisingly strong anti-McCain and pro-Paul vote. The final tally was MCain 87,341 (70%), Paul 29,741 (24%), Uncommited 7974 (6%). This translates to seventeen delegates for Senator McCain, five delegates for Representative Paul and one uncommitted delegate. Again, given the presumption that John McCain has the nomination clinched, this is a disappointing performance for him, as he continues to be opposed by 30% of the Republican voters.
For Representative Paul, this is a major victory since it increases his delegate strength at the convention (the object of the campaign since it became clear that McCain would have a majority of the pledged delegates). The popular vote is even more impressive, since Paul made only one campaign appearance in the state, well before the primary. The revolution appears to be alive and well and Idaho. After the presidential campaign it forms the basis for bulding a permanent force in the Republican party.
In the Democratic primary, Barack Obama won by a large margin. This did not receive the kind of attention Hillary Clinton's huge win in West Virginia did. The press is focusing on the Clinton victories because it feeds the illusion that there is still a major contest going on in the Democratic Party. Certainly there is conflict, and the conflict is likely to continue until November. But there is as little doubt about who will win the nomination of the Democrats as there is about the Republican nomination. The Democratic vote was Obama 23,973 (56%), Clinton 16,117 (38%), Uncommitted 2542 (6 %). Clearly, Senator Clinton still has supporters, but the vote in Idaho also makes it clear that the contest is not a black v. white contest, as Clinton would like to portray it.
On the whole, the news from the Republican primary is the more interesting. The Ron Paul movement represents a revolutionary political movement growing within the Republican party. It appears the movement will continue and will grow after the campaign of 2008. The Clinton support, on the other hand, seems to be personality driven rather than issue driven. And it is not even the candidate's personality that the supporters, for the most part are attracted to.
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Charles Kennedy: Thanks for the message. My figures are from a different source later in the day, and may include the absentee ballots. I appreciate your bringing this up, but in this case I think my figures are correct.
