The Guardian: "Iowa proved Bernie Sanders can win – and that Hillary Clinton is beatable"

[Attorney in Texas]

Iowa proved Bernie Sanders can win – and that Hillary Clinton is beatable

On Tuesday, the race in which pundits long-ago declared Hillary Clinton the presumptive victor will begin in earnest; sit tight, it’s going to be a very long, bumpy ride.

The margin between Sanders and Clinton was razor thin all of Monday night – certainly thinner than anyone would have imagined possible last spring, when he was down by 42 points in a national poll. Coming in anywhere near close to Clinton in the Iowa caucus would’ve been a significant victory for Sanders; the near-tie showed the deep resonance of his message.... Monday night proved that he could win and, in proving it, he’s weakened Clinton by exposing her as something other than the inevitable candidate we had all but assumed her to be. Some Sanders staffers have argued Sanders definitely did win if you count raw totals and not state delegates; given the geographical layout of Iowa, that claim is likely if unproven. ... Numbers aside, by sheer momentum Iowa was a win for Sanders – and that’s how progressive groups were framing it before the race was called. Democracy for America’s Charles Chamberlain – which had endorsed Sanders weeks ago – was calling the night’s results are “a huge win for Bernie” and “a major upset” for Clinton before Sanders even took the stage.

“Together, the people of Iowa and millions of grassroots progressives all across the country, turned a candidate who was polling in the single digits just six months ago into a race-altering force of nature in the Democratic primary and national conversation,” he said in a statement.... When Sanders finally spoke on Monday night, he drove home the message behind their virtual tie. “What Iowa has begun tonight is a political revolution”, he said, as the crowd erupted in screams. “When young people and working people and seniors begin to stand up and say loudly and clearly enough is enough ... that the government of our great country belongs to all of us and not just billionaires, when that happens, we will transform this country.”

It was textbook Bernie: inspirational, focused on class inequality and mad as hell. And every time he got fired up about a moral point – like his assertion that healthcare is a right not a privilege – the crowd returned his fire with shouts and calls of “Bernie!

“You guys ready for a radical idea?” Sanders asked his ecstatic audience tonight. “Well, so is America.”

[amborin]

1. The Guardian is an objective, trustworthy voice; Bernie's on the way to the nomination! nt

[merrily]

2. Ya think? However, Bernie was wrong. His ideas are much less radical than

the New Deal/Fair Deal was for its time or the Great Society was for its time.

[Binkie The Clown]

3. There is one thing Iowa should put a stop to once and for all.

And that is the "He's not electable" bullshit meme.

[Happenstance24]

4. It doesn't. Not remotely but I'm tired of pointing out the elephant in the room. -nt

[BlueMTexpat]

5. It was a nail-biter to be sure.

But Clinton didn't need to win Iowa. Bernie did.

This was a demographic much more favorable to him than states other than New Hampshire and Vermont will be.

His supporters did well to get him this close. But in the grand scheme of things, it does not bode well for his campaign.

Btw, I actually know Lucia Graves (the author of this article) and have an autographed copy of her memoir, A Woman Unknown as well as a copy of her brother Willam's memoir, Wild Olives. Both were greatly marked by their upbringing in Majorca. I also knew their late mother, Laura, and have visited the family home in Deia, Majorca. Both Lucia and William are children of the English writer, Robert Graves of I, Claudius fame, among other things. He had passed on by the time that I met his family. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Graves

Lucia is a British national (may also be a dual Spanish national - I'm not sure), a brilliant woman, a writer, and an outstanding translator. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia_Graves

I wouldn't really call the US political scene one of her strengths. But the article is still fun to read.

[Roy Ellefson]

7. which demographic are you referring to?

The demographic that Bernie clearly won in Iowa was semi-urban traditional progressive/liberal areas (very often influenced by colleges and universities) that are comparable to similar demographics in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, New York etc. etc. The rural demographic overwhelmingly chose Clinton. In order to win the election the Democratic candidate must dominate the "demographic" that Sanders dominated in Iowa.

[amborin]

6. Bottom line: HRC is no longer the presumed front-runner; the contest is wide open, and Bernie

can win the nomination and the GE.

Hillary supporters are trying to frame this as a "win" for Hillary based on a 0.4% difference, which is a virtual tie.

Think about it: Nate Silver gave Hillary an 80% likelihood of winning! He and almost all of the other pundits and pollsters were wrong. HIllary needed to do what her supporters and the pollsters and pundits expected: achieve a decisive win, by a significant margin. She failed to do so.

Bernie's accomplishment is even more meaningful considering the incredible obstacles he needed to surmount: the entire establishment, the MSM, the Super Pacs, the DNC, the Clinton machine etc. were shilling for him 24/7 for the past several months. He was slandered and marginalized and dismissed. And yet, with only small donors supporting his candidacy, he came from WAY behind (40 points, 60 points)? to achieve a stunning tie.