I had to laugh this morning when I saw the banner headline on Drudge: "Ron Paul Wins California Straw Poll". For those of you who do not know, the straw poll in California had 833 voters. It was not a scientific poll; rather, it was a fundraising effort by the California Republican party. Any California Republican could vote in the poll by paying a small fee. Participation was so low that the effort was clearly a dud. Ron Paul got a few hundred supporters to pay the fee and vote for him. Indeed, although he has very low support among all Republicans, Paul has a cadre of devoted supporters who seem really adept at voting in meanlingless straw polls. Simply put, the results of the California straw poll are meaningless. So why did Drudge highlight the results so? The answer is simple. Drudge loves to post things with "shock value". What could be more shocking to the uninitiated that hearing that Ron Paul actually won anything, even a straw poll?
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