3rd Time's a Charm

Third time may be a charm, but being tied for third place -- not so much.

Unfortunately for Sarah Palin, that's were she ended up in the beauty queen contest for the affection of the conservatives in the Republican Party. As noted by CQ Politics, Conservative Activists Still Favor Romney:

If the Republican Party’s conservative wing had the power to choose presidential nominees, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would be the hands-down choice.

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Of 1,757 registered attendees who chose to take this year’s survey, 20 percent said they would vote for Romney as president in 2012.

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A relative newcomer who has been much in the news came in second: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was favored by 14 percent of the conservatives at the annual Washington gathering.

Third place was a tie between Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin , who was the party’s vice presidential nominee in 2008 and former presidential candidate Ron Paul . Each was preferred by 13 percent of conference goers.

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Little weight is given to any survey this far out from the election, but the straw poll is an indicator of the current thinking in the GOP’s conservative wing.

I think Mudflats expresses the import of this vote best, CPAC Speaks.:

Sarah Palin…the conservative sweetheart, the down home girl who grew up in a small town in Alaska, whose meteoric rise to mayor, governor, VP candidate, and Presidential contender in 2012 can only be described as a phenomenon. She has fired up the passions of conservatives, inspired tens of thousands to join her fan club site “Team Sarah” and has been able to assemble crowds of cheering supporters, the size of which John McCain only dreamed about. She’s been wined and dined by GOP fundraising operatives, invited to speak at events all over the nation, has an 11 million dollar book deal in the works. The world appears to be her political oyster, and she’s reaching for the cocktail sauce.

At the conservative Mecca, (also known as the CPAC conference) this weekend a straw poll was taken. Who do conservatives want to see run for the presidency in 2012? Well, who d’ya think? Get ready to start chanting! Sa-RAH! Sa-RAH! Sa-RAH! Sa-…… Mitt?

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That’s right, Mitt Romney is the conservative’s choice. And Sarah Palin is tied for {third} place with Ron Paul. Wow. That’s as good as… Undecided and Mark Sanford combined. Is there a Hallmark card for that?

In other words, as Sam Stein of the Huffington Post said, Romney Wins CPAC Poll, Palin Tied For Third:

For the Alaska Governor, the belle of the conservative movement in the '08 election, the results aren't the best of news.

I might say the same for my LLWL colleague who wagered against me in the Palin Be-Gone contest. See Out of the Spotlight.