Pre-Straw Poll Open Thread

I'll be at the Ames GOP Straw Poll circus Saturday, and will be updating the blog throughout the day, starting sometime in the morning. I'll be one of the 300 journos on site. You can't miss me. I'll be the one in a blue shirt.

If you also happen to be at the poll and want to look me up, the best way is by email at dorman.todd@gmail.com. I'll also be tweeting as @tdorman. And you can find plenty 'o coverage at our Iowa Caucus 2012 site.

In the meantime, feel free to sound off on the poll of straw, it's implications and hype. Maybe you'd also like to make a prediction.

Here's my top 3 - Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty. I think T-Paw does well enough to hang in the race, post-poll.

Wild card - How many votes do Romney (not participating) and Perry (write in) get? You got me. Could be more than we expect.

If turnout is tepid, and Paul wins, look for the straw poll hype to get swallowed whole in the national news cycle by Rick Perry's South Carolina roll out. Perry

is scheduled to speak in SC around 2 p.m. Iowa time Saturday.