The National Federation of Republican Assemblies, NFRA, held a Presidential Preference Convention in Des Moines, Iowa this last Saturday, October 29, to measure all the candidates' popularity among Ronald Reagan/Barry Goldwater conservatives. The Convention was promoted on the NFRA website as "the last major straw poll before the Iowa Caucuses" and The NFRA is one of the oldest and largest GOP grassroots organizations and promotes Reagan and Goldwater conservatism, small government, lower taxes, free market capitalism, a strong defense, the right to life, and a decent America.

430 votes were cast and it was no surprise that Ron Paul won 82% among Reagan/Goldwater conservatives in Iowa. What WAS a surprise to many was the condemnation of the Ron Paul supporters by, Eric Golub a.k.a. the "preeminent politically conservative comedian", one of the guest speakers during the luncheon, questioning Paul supporters to be "good little soldiers and fall in line when Ron Paul is not the party's nominee" which immediately erupted into boo's by many of the members of the Convention. Then to add insult to injury, the 94 NFRA delegates representing 26 of the 37 states where the NFRA operates, later disregarded their own convention members' vote for Ron Paul and nominated instead Rick Santorum, the third place candidate with less than 1% of the vote, as their organization's official endorsement.

Rick Santorum is known for his stance against privacy rights and his interest in perpetual war and nation building like the Bush and Obama presidential administrations of the past and present. This is hardly a Reagan/Goldwater Conservative favorite, as indicated by his poor support at the Convention by Iowa members. "If this is what the leadership of this organization really represents, then I doubt they will continue to exist in the near future as the liberty movement continues to grow across this country," said Michael Elliott, one of the Iowa voters and attendees at the Convention.

One thing is for certain, Ron Paul and his supporters were definitely the life of the Party at this convention and could very well be the life of the Republican Party so long as Republican Party leaders don't miss this window of opportunity to boost its membership and popularity. Michael Elliott added, "As the old saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, let's see if the other Republican leaders are wise enough to learn from the NFRA's missed opportunity."

Iowans For Accountability (IFA) is fighting to hold politicians accountable to we the people, and make sure government works for all of us, not just wealthy special interests and the well-connected. IFA is a Non-Party Political Organization (NPPO) that actively supports or opposes ballot issues or candidates, regardless of party affiliation and when necessary, IFA runs its own candidates. Michael D. Elliott is the IFA Chairman. Website: www.ScottcountyIFA.com