COMMENTARY | CNN reports that Iowans will caucus Tuesday to begin the process of choosing the Republican presidential nominee. As a prospective Republican voter living in Ohio, here is how the caucus in Iowa will affect my choice for a nominee.
If a candidate does better than expected in Iowa, it will not impact my decision for the person I will be voting for. My first and only choice has always been Ron Paul and this will not change, even if he does not come in first place in the Iowa caucuses. Paul is predicted to either be in first or second place, which shows he might have what it takes to win in other states as well. The Iowa caucus has rarely picked the candidate that has become president, so I do not really hold much stock into the event. I think it will help Paul though because if he wins or winds up in second place, it might make more people look at him as a potential candidate to vote for. For example, if Paul beats out Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucus, I predict that some of the Santorum voters will gradually start looking at Paul as an option.
I have remain steadfast in my opinion that Paul is the only true conservative for the Republican Party, and I support a lot of his ideas, such as limiting the government. Paul might not have been a serious contender in the beginning, but I think if he wins the Iowa caucus, it will show people that the time is now for real change. I do not think I will even look at another candidate as a viable option, because none of the other candidates are as conservative as Paul, and I think Paul is the only real Constitutionalist. At the end of the day, the Iowa caucus is just like a popularity contest to me, and it does not change how I feel about Paul, and it also does not change the fact that the other candidates are basically light Democrats. I think the time to get back to smaller government and end government programs is now, and that can only happen with Paul, so what happens in Iowa does not matter to me.