June 25, 2007 1:35 PM
A dollop of hope for Tancredo and friends
View image Photos by M.E. Sprengelmeyer
Why is this man smiling?
Because he really loved playing lunch lady at a Republican Party barbecue in West Union, Iowa, on Sunday? Perhaps. (See full entry for details.)
But Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado also was smiling this weekend because he finished third in the Linn County Republican Party's straw poll in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday.
The big winner:
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin
33.1 percent
Followed by:
Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas
30.4 percent
Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado
15.5 percent
And the Linn County also-rans: former Gov. Mitt Romney, 4.7 percent; businessman John Cox, 4.1 percent; Rep. Ron Paul, 3.4 percent; former Sen. Fred Thompson, 2.7 percent; former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 2 percent; David Gilbert of North Carolina, 2 percent; Rep. Duncan Hunter, 1.4 percent; former Gov. Mike Huckabee, 0.7 percent. (Zero percent for Sen. John McCain and Hugh McCort)
It's only one county, and the results are just a symbolic measure of who can turn out the vote when they try. But it's something.
Now, about that ambrosia fruit salad Tancredo was serving on Sunday.
Tancredo, the man from Littleton, Colo., had a whirlwind of campaign stops over the weekend. He started in New Hampshire, where he visited "the other" Littleton. Then he flew to Iowa, where, somewhere between Dubuque, West Union and Allison, he came within nine miles of "yet another" Littleton.
At the Echo Valley Speedway in West Union, he volunteered to dish out marshmallow-filled ambrosia fruit salad. We watched. This might not have been the best way to reach out to male voters, who turned down the offering more often than the women.
"It's hard to present yourself as running for president when you're slapping a thing of this fruit salad on their plate," Tancredo said.
At one point, longshot Republican presidential candidate John "4.1 percent" Cox came through the line.
"He didn't take any. He just told me this was a good job for me," Tancredo said. "Why do I tell you these things?"
From where we stood, it looked like Tancredo was less popular than the potato salad ladies or the men who were serving the main course.
We told Tancredo: "Congressman, if you were a committee chairman, they'd let you dish out the pork."
Ever resourceful, Tancredo stole the line for his speech 30 minutes later. You're welcome, ambrosia man.
For a recap, CLICK HERE.
June 27, 2007
10:20 PM
KLH writes:
One bit at a time is how you eat an elephant. Thats what Tancredo is doing in Iowa and when you have to compete with mega bucks candidates the message has to get out the old way........ What a nice change from $400 haircuts, Limousines and private jets..... and politicians who say whatever it takes to every crowd. Hmmmmm Real Core Values ! KLH
June 27, 2007
7:15 AM
slim writes:
Was Tancredo wearing proper sanitary gloves, or did he just wrap his hands in plastic wrap? It's hard to tell in the photos.
How many people participted in the Linn County straw poll? I bet it's a really small sample size, making the results little more than anecdotal. Is creationism taught in public schools in Linn County?
June 26, 2007
7:48 AM
Mike C writes:
You can only hope!
June 25, 2007
7:42 PM
nappyheadedho writes:
I can only hope that the bowl Tancredo is serving from, doesn't contain enriched uranium. He doesn't look like a guy that suggested "nuking" Mecca, that hired criminal illegal Mexicans, or illegally interferred into the deportation Duane "Dog" Chapman to Mexico, on kidnapping charges.