Bernie and Pete get screwed, everyone loses.

[DanTex]

Bernie's (likely) win, Pete's (likely) huge performance relative to expectations, those get obscured by the whole catastrophe. Nobody gets that "Iowa moment" that kicked off Obama's road to eight years as president. Instead of people excitedly watching results roll in, people were confusedly wondering what happened.

Pete got screwed the worst. His (likely) close second would have been a bigger story than Bernie's (likely) win, because Bernie was expected to win, but Pete was expected to get third or fourth. Sure, he (and everyone else) gave a victory speech, but it's not anything like Obama 2008, which it could have been for him. It was way late when most people were asleep, it was clouded by the uncertainty, and the TV commentators weren't talking about how great he did, instead they were talking about how incompetent the IDP was.

But really the Dem party lost, which sucks. Now there will be a day or so if figuring out what happened. Then will be the Trump impeachment vote, and the SOTU, and the whole Iowa momentum, not just for one candidate or another, but for the Democratic Party, doesn't happen.



This is what we all missed out on:

[Hortensis]

1. Boy, and that we wouldn't be seeing this kind of stuff

claiming Sanders was screwed was, I thought, at least something good coming out of Iowa. Do you visit less controlled forums? Any really juicy evil DNC conspiracies yet?

[Thekaspervote]

3. Poor poor bernie 😥

[DanTex]

4. This is not a conspiracy theory. The Sanders and Buttigieg campaigns *did* get screwed.

Pete more than Sanders. He's a rising star, like Obama was. It would have been huge for him.

Nobody did this on purpose to screw Bernie or Pete. It was just a fuck-up. But it was a bad one.

[Hortensis]

8. That sounds quite reasonable, but probably a bit overblown.

NH isn't for another 2 weeks, and there'll be plenty of time to talk about the IA results and "the leaders going into NH." Plus, nothing like a pileup to cause people to slow and gawk.

As for the other, I'm just mildly curious about what they're saying over on places where those prone to unreason and excessive political aggression act out. I'm not inclined to go find out myself.

[DanTex]

12. May be overblown. But maybe not.

I think Obama winning Iowa (without any mess) in 2008 was a pivotal moment. Not just the speech, but lots of people suddenly in that moment realizing that this guy is for real. There's no way to tell, but it's at least plausible that if this happened in 2008 he wouldn't have become the nominee.

And aside from which candidate gets to give that victory speech, it's bad for the whole party. Instead of talking about how great one or more of our candidates our, everyone is talking about how incompetent the Iowa Democratic Party is.

Yeah, life goes on. It sucks is all. I'm venting.

[Hortensis]

22. :) Delegates rule, DanTex. The frivolous, silly minds you're

worried about will be drawn one way and another over the next months, depending on what direction the current ice cream cone's offered from, but delegates rule.

[stonecutter357]

26. lol Bernie is not a victim !

[Sloumeau]

2. Until we get the official numbers, we don't really know for sure who did well. :) nt

[DanTex]

5. Yeah, but however the numbers turn out, we don't get an "Iowa moment" like Obama 2008.

We all lose.

[George II]

6. Alexandra Rojas, Executive Director of Justice Democrats, declared a few minutes ago...

....that Sanders won and she sneered that Biden was fourth.

[Sloumeau]

7. Where did you see this? :) nt

[George II]

9. About a half hour ago on CNN.

[DarthDem]

27. Can't the Justice Democrats . . .

. . . ever learn how to get along with people? I'm talking basic human interaction here. They always seem to be sneering, making divisive comments, or doing something ill-advised. They don't have to pitch a tent and sing Kumbaya with Republicans or anything, but just being proud of their own positions and disagreeing with others in a respectful manner would be cool. I don't ask for much.

[cilla4progress]

10. I think the problem is what this country is and always has been about,

probably what soared drumpf to the presidency: hype and film flam. A land of wanna bes, pursuers, domnators, climbers, capitalists. People who step all over others to succeed, wiping out indigenous lives here when they landed. It's all mixed in with the good, but, lordy, from Jefferson to today's GOP - there is a strong thread of usurpation and show, lies, fakery, hypocrisy, and short-sightedness, that still prevails, that others see around the world. America is a country of Hollywood and Ellis Island; MLK and the KKK; WWII and VietNam. A lot of sound and fury, and still young in its arc.

Jeebiz - the media cacophany and hysteria about Iowa this year, descending there like news vultures. "We need another moment like Obama had". It's like there is no one with any perspective, no adult in the room.

[George II]

11. Is that what it's all about, that we get to see a "victory speech"?

[DanTex]

13. That's part of it. Iowa is a proving ground, it's about momentum not delegates.

That's why all the candidates pour millions of dollars into it. It's the first official contest in the campaign, gets huge media coverage, and shapes the narrative. It's when a lot of people first realized that Obama was for real. Could have done that for Pete.

I realize Biden has been downplaying Iowa ever since his poll numbers there looked bad. But he didn't even believe his own spin, judging by how much money he and his superpac spent there.

[femmedem]

15. A victory speech could have been huge

For either candidate, but especially for Buttigieg, who is likely known to many voters more via the press and debate answers rather than via longer speeches and interviews, where his eloquence shines.

[Thekaspervote]

14. The truth is in the numbers...they don't lie.

Link to tweet

?s=21

Even if sanders won Ia and won big it doesn’t change the real story

[DanTex]

16. I guess by "the real story" you mean that Biden got crushed.

Which, you're right, that's a big story too, after all the money he poured in. But Bernie winning and Pete doing far better than expectations are the headlines. Or would have been, if not for the whole screw-up.

[TexasTowelie]

28. But in post #13 you criticized Biden for not pouring money into Iowa.

What changed between post #13 and post #16?

[DanTex]

29. No I didn't. The opposite.

I pointed out that Biden DID pour tons of money into Iowa even while his surrogates tried to say it didn't matter. The point is that Biden actually did think Iowa mattered, otherwise he and his SuperPAC wouldn't have spent all the money.

[NCProgressive]

17. Bernie ain't no Obama

A skateboard just ain't no Lamborghini Sir.

[LanternWaste]

18. Of course Sanders was among the most oppressed. It's his thing.

The martyrdom routine got old a long time ago, but as my guilty pleasure is the Beating A Dead Horse cable channel, I still like to watch...




(You're watching the BAD Horse channel... coming up next, Horses Go Wild-- Spring Break Edition)

[DanTex]

19. Actually, Pete got screwed the worst.

[marlakay]

20. Its going to make tonight easier for T

And that pisses me off! We should have been able to go to speech and been on top of the truth.

We still are but no one is talking about that anymore, all they are saying is democrats are a mess.

Wouldn’t surprise me if T mentions it.

[kcr]

21. Obama's win and speech also elevated Iowa even further in its importance

So, if you want a silver lining, this screwup knocked Iowa off its undeserved pedestal and that's nothing but good for democracy.

[msongs]

23. if 70% of people wanted someone else how is that a big win lolol nt

[Zolorp]

25. BLOOMBERG WINS!

By choosing not to participate in the clusterfuck of a caucus.