COMMENTARY | The three players leaving the rest of Republican candidates in the dust at the Iowa caucus are Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. The New York Times has tallied the final votes and Romney beat Santorum by eight votes. Paul came in with 21.4 percent. Left far behind were Newt Gingrich (13.3 percent), Rick Perry (10.3 percent) and Michele Bachmann (5 percent).
The electoral choices of caucus attendees underscore that -- even at the grass-roots level -- conservatives are floundering when it comes to choosing a decisive direction for the GOP. Moderate Romney is a direct opposite of a staunchly conservative Santorum. Libertarian Paul is opposed to virtually all the far-reaching legislative decisions Romney and Santorum have made in their respective positions as governor and senator.
To be fair, the far-reaching caucus consequences -- for GOP candidates -- should be called into question. Compare 2011 results with the 2008 Republican Iowa caucus outcomes. CNN showed that at the end of the night, Mike Huckabee came in with 35 percent, while Romney garnered 25 percent and Fred Thompson -- as well as John McCain -- lagged behind with 13 percent each. McCain eventually became the candidate for the presidency against Barack Obama.
Unlike this election cycle, 2008 Iowa voters favored a clear direction for their GOP leadership. The 10 percent spread between the winner and the first runner-up exemplifies decisive conservative values and attitudes. The somewhat baffling 2011 results show that just a handful of voters made the difference between a middle of the road approach and a right off center stand. There is a good chance that the Iowa microcosm will play out time and again during other 2012 primaries.
The candidates are also busy setting the tone for the foreseeable election future. "I want to take just a minute and congratulate a good friend of ours, Rick Santorum. He waged a great, positive campaign. I admire how positive he was," the Daily Caller quotes Gingrich during his concession speech. "I wish I could say that for all candidates," Gingrich sniped in the direction of Romney.
"With the voters' decision tonight, I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race," the Washington Post quotes a visibly disappointed Perry.
Placing last in the second tier of Republican candidates, Bachmann is nevertheless not yet ready to re-evaluate. "It's the people of Iowa who chose tonight. It wasn't the pundits, it wasn't the media," the Los Angeles Times quotes her in the aftermath of the Iowa results. She quit the race this morning.
The Associated Press -- via YouTube -- highlights that Romney early on considered a second-place finish to be a clear victory and mandate to continue. Santorum took the state by storm, and much like a dark horse came from behind and took the lead. The Los Angeles Times showcases supporters' reactions of joyful disbelief and enthusiasm as his lead solidified.
In the final analysis, 2008 results have shown that the Iowa caucus may not be on par with the Sibylline Oracles when it comes to picking the actual Republican nominee. At the same time, the miniscule spread of votes between pure conservative and moderate Republican values functions quite adequately like a canary in a coalmine: The electorate is as divided over the meaning of conservative politics as the GOP leadership.
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