Ron Paul's 'Prosperity Playground,' and Other Straw Poll Wonders

Everyone was there to put on a show

Everyone is putting on a show at today's Iowa Straw Poll. People are passing out fried butter. Herman Cain is singing Gospel music. Michele Bachmann has Randy Travis. Rick Perry isn't there. Sarah Palin is (that's a show enough). But one of the most intriguing elements to emerge over our Twitter feed today are pictures from something called "Ron Paul's Prosperity Playground." We weren't sure who came up with this name, but we've heard it tweeted from ABC's Jake Tapper and mentioned by the National Review Online, so (we're hoping, at least) that that's what it's really called. And why wouldn't it be? Who doesn't want to play in the Prosperity Playground?

While Paul is busy giving heavy anti-abortion speeches ("We cannot play God and make those decisions. All life is precious," he said, according to Politico), this is some the joy he is spreading elsewhere: ABC New's Jake Tapper tweeted: "One of the exhibits at @RonPaul's "Prosperity Playground":

Tapper also tweeted: "Dunk Ben Bernanke at the @RonPaul "Prosperity Playground"

Another wonder of the Straw Poll is Mike Huckabee's Ubiquitous Sideshow Act. Huckabee is appearing in not one, not two, but three musical sideshows. He's performing with The Crickets, Buddy Holly's original band, at Rick Santorum's tent. He's playing with Sonicflood at Tim Pawlenty's tent. And he's performing with candidate Herman Cain himself. Truly, he may be putting the actual candidates to shame with his multi-tasking. And he's even had time to throw out a few criticisms for those not part of his favored trifecta (he criticized Perry and Romney for skipping the poll, reports The Hill).

Because we know you need to watch him at least once, here's him performing with Herman Cain on video. Enjoy!

And speaking of wonders, Michele Bachmann remained totally unfazed by yet more unflattering pictures of her posted by media outlets who despise her, and drew record turnout. Tim Albrecht (Communications director for Governor Terry E. Branstad) tweeted: "I have been to 4 #iastrawpoll events and never seen a line as long as Bachmann's." If you want further proof of how intimidatingly long Bachmann's line was, it was so long that her opponents had to find ways to spin it: Jon Ward, political reporter at Huffington Post, tweeted that "pawlenty advisers saying same thing: bachmann tent has long line b/c they're not moving people through quickly."

Albrecht later tweeted a picture when he "found the end of the Bachmann line, fully out of sight of her tent."