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JoeOtterbein

JoeOtterbein's Journal
JoeOtterbein's Journal
February 5, 2020

How a broken app overshadowed Biden's Iowa fail

Politico

The election mess robbed Buttigieg of his election-night laurels while allowing Biden’s campaign to limp ahead.

By MARC CAPUTO

02/04/2020 09:18 PM EST

NASHUA, N.H. — Joe Biden entered the presidential race leading in Iowa. Later, he predicted he’d win the state as he rolled up local endorsements galore.

So Biden’s likely fourth-place finish in Iowa would normally put his campaign in ICU, especially when a former no-name mayor of a small town in Indiana came in first and bested the former vice president along with four senators.

But this is no normal campaign.

Iowa Democrats so badly botched their caucus that the results weren’t released until nearly a day later — and even now only two-thirds of the vote is in — making the biggest storyline about a broken app. It robbed Pete Buttigieg of his election-night laurels while allowing Biden’s campaign to limp ahead.

Because of the disarray, “The people like Biden who have ‘splaining to do aren’t ‘splaining,” said Joe Trippi, a veteran Democratic consultant of multiple presidential campaigns.

snip


more at link
February 5, 2020

Scenes from Bernie's dispirited would-be victory party

Politico

His revolution was not televised from Iowa on Monday night.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN

02/04/2020 09:53 PM EST

ABOARD BERNIE SANDERS’ CHARTER PLANE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE — The political revolution was put on hold.

When Bernie Sanders’ campaign was preparing for a potential win in the first 2020 contest Monday, his aides and allies envisioned him giving a primetime victory speech, raising millions of dollars from small-dollar donors amid their ecstatic high, and savoring proving so many elites wrong at a party at the Holiday Inn.

Instead, Sanders and his senior aides found themselves working to reassure demoralized and shaken staffers and volunteers on Tuesday.

In a last-minute all-staff call around noon, Sanders’ campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, told aides that the Iowa Democratic Party had been incompetent and the delayed results were frustrating. But, he said, it was critical to appreciate what had just happened despite receiving the most negative news coverage of any 2020 campaign.

With 62 percent of precincts counted, initial results released Tuesday showed Sanders and Pete Buttigieg in a close race for first place, and Sanders aides think there is a good chance they will win in the end.

snip


more great reporting at link
February 5, 2020

It would be easy if we Just Count the Vote

No need for complicated ways of coming up with "winners" based on caucus results and the allotted "delegates" at a convention. It would be much more transparent if the states pick their nominees the way we do in the General Election.

Of course this still leaves the chance we will be denied again in General Election because of the archaic, and racist, Electoral College.

But what would be better way for Democrats to show democratic leadership on the General Election than to rid ourselves of caucuses and convention delegates and instead, we Just Count the Vote?

The states could still be allowed to vote on the present schedule, along with the normal primary election procedures for other races in those states.

The winner of each state would be clear and limit the ability for repubs to play dirty tricks.

Then we could use the time and money saved by eliminating the conventions, to beat whatever evil creature the repubs may appoint as their el duce for the election.

Because be it Trump or another evil one, we need to defeat them.

February 4, 2020

BERNIE! Also, just....

BERNIE

(ntn) !!!!!!!

Profile Information

Name: Joe Otterbein
Gender: Male
Hometown: DelMarVa & PA (heading to PNW soon!)
Home country: United States
Current location: York County, PA
Member since: Sun Oct 28, 2012, 09:54 AM
Number of posts: 7,841

About JoeOtterbein

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