T-Paw Is No More

The Ames Straw Poll conducted yesterday by the Iowa Republican party claimed its first presidential wannabe victim.
Former Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty, has ended his quest for the presidency pretty much as it began. With a whimper.
In a sense I am thoroughly disappointed with Mr. T-Paw for bailing on the race because of this straw poll.
Yes, it is important. But to base whether or not any candidate will or will not gain traction because of the result of a poll that is a glorified fundraiser for the Iowa GOP is pretty lame.
Ever heard of President Pat Robertson? Of course not. Yet he won the Ames Straw Poll in 1987. Eventually, former Kansas senator Bob Dole won the Iowa caucus. And yet he did not even win the nomination.
How about President Phil Gramm? He tied, by coinkidink, Bob Dole in the Ames Straw Poll. Yet he did not even win the Iowa caucus. Mr. Dole did that en route to his drubbing by then-President Bill Clinton.
And what about President Mitt Romney? He won the Ames Straw Poll in 2008 and yet the Rev. Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucus and Sen. John "F--- You" McCain ended up winning the nomination.
While it is a barometer, way too much stock is put into the Ames Straw Poll. It ended up dooming the Pawlenty campaign.
But at some level, the campaign did itself in. The results yesterday may be more of a reality that Mr. T-Paw is not the right man at this point in history to go all the way. But, I believe that he should have stayed in the race. For the simple fact that any of the multiple candidates can flounder between now and the actual caucus in January of next year.
But do not feel all that bad for the guy known as T-Paw.
He may have dropped his race to be president. But according to this, Mr. T-Paw maybe asked to consider a race for the senate against the incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
So in the end, maybe Mr. T-Paw just was in the wrong race. We shall see. But I am disappointed that Mr. T-Paw was weak enough to end the race based on one straw poll that people paid to participate in.