‘If you order it, pizza will come’ – Herman Cain wins Florida straw poll

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Once again, the "conventional wisdom" of the media villagers and Beltway bloviators has been demonstrated to be entirely WRONG. Who knew that "conventional wisdom" is just another term for "always wrong"? Tell me again why anyone listens to these fools?

After two "Survivor – GOP Presidential Primary" debates in Florida this month in which the rabid teabagger audience garnered more attention than the candidates for cheering death penalty executions and letting the uninsured die, and for booing a gay soldier serving his country in Afghanistan and Gov. Rick Perry for chastising them for being "heartless" to deny the children of immigrants an education, the GOP field of candidates is once again in flux.

Expect a panicked GOP establishment to push Gov. Chris Christie (NJ) to enter the race, and the halfling governor of Alaska, the Quitta from Wasilla, to tease her media base with tantalizing tweets this week.

Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain won a surprise victory at the Republican Party of Florida’s nationally watched presidential straw poll Saturday in a sign that frontrunner Rick Perry is in deep trouble. Herman Cain wins Florida straw poll in stunning victory; Rick Perry in deep trouble – MiamiHerald.com:

Cain’s landslide victory, with 37 percent of the vote, exceeded the combined total for Perry and Mitt Romney, who only garnered 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

But it was a particularly stinging defeat for Perry, the frontrunner in Florida and national polls. He had wooed the nearly 3,000 party faithful with fliers before the weekend and a free breakfast Saturday.

PRESIDENCY 5 RESULTS

Herman Cain: 37 percent
Rick Perry: 15 percent
Mitt Romney: 14 percent
Rick Santorum: 10.9 percent
Ron Paul: 10.4 percent
Newt Gingrich: 8.4 percent
Jon Huntsman: 2.3 percent
Michelle Bachmann: 1.5 percent
Gary Johnson (not on ballot)

"Folks, this is what you call momentum," Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, said in a video message from his campaign bus. "The Herman Cain train is picking up steam."

The vote also showed how soft Republican support is for Mitt Romney, who came in third with 14 percent. Unlike Perry, though, he avoided schmoozing the voters.

The straw poll is a mock election and doesn’t necessarily reflect the sentiment of the voters at large. In past years, it has predicted the party’s national nominee, but that streak could be in jeopardy because even some Cain voters doubted that he could ultimately win. Still, the vote is a major indication of how badly damaged Perry was by a poor debate performance Thursday when he fumbled answers and failed to give specifics.

Many straw poll voters were especially dissatisfied by the answers Perry gave over his moderate immigration position and his plan to inoculate girls from human papillomavirus — issues that have haunted him since the first debate weeks ago.

“I came in thinking Rick Perry,” said Tommy Langford, a Gilchrist County commissioner who voted for Cain. “I didn’t like the debate at all. I really thought Perry lost it.”

* * *

Cain’s centerpiece: His plan to scrap the tax code and replace it with a flat 9 percent tax on income, national sales and business profits. Saturday morning, in a speech before the vote, the crowd chanted “9-9-9!” and had an electric response to almost everything he said.

* * *

It resonated in a convention where vendors sold “Don’t Tread on Me” ties and some activists dressed as revolutionary soldiers with tri-corner hats. After the vote, people streamed out of the convention hall roaring: “No more RINOS! No more RINOS!” — an acronym for Republicans in Name Only.

The vote and spectacle underscored that Cain, who polled in single digits this week, is the new tea party darling. And Michele Bachmann isn’t. She was the big loser, coming in last place.

* * *

“This seriously undermines the electability of Perry and Romney,” said Ralph Camp, 64, of Marianna, who voted for Cain.

Ana Navarro, of Miami-Dade and an advisor to Jon Huntsman, said Perry is more show than substance.

“Rick Perry is a Texas stud, a real macho-man who looks great in cowboy hat and boots and was supposed to come galloping on his stallion to rescue Republicans and lead us to the promise land,” said Navarro, an advisor to Huntsman’s campaign. “But it’s become increasingly clear he can’t perform. He has electile dysfunction.”

* * *

St. Johns County delegate Randy Covington said he arrived in Orlando ready to vote for Perry, but the debate "shattered" that plan. Covington decided to support Cain after the businessman’s rousing speech on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference. It was wedged in between the party’s Presidency 5 Thursday debate and Saturday straw poll.

But Covington said he wasn’t sure if Cain would or should be the nominee. He said the primary shouldn’t be a two-man race.

"We need this process to go on," Covington said.

In short, Tea-Publicans are dissatisfied with their choices and are still looking for a savior, the perfect candidate with whom they can fall in love. Maybe they should try e-Harmony.com.