Des Moines Register Editorial: Something smells in the Democratic Party

[Gass3268]

Des Moines Register questions what happened on the Democratic side on Monday

[7,052,770]

Well maybe Iowa should leave the 19th century and abolish this awful caucus process and just have a primary.

Iowa made its bed by wanting to be cute and have a caucus year after year. Now it must live with the consequences.

[Lincoln Republican]

As I have been saying all along, far too much emphasis is put on Iowa every four years, and far too much money is being spent there each Presidential cycle.

Iowa is a cross section of nothing.

Now they can't even tell us conclusively what the raw numbers actually say.

[Lord of the Dome]

There's obviously no doubt the processes underpinning the Iowa Caucuses (and the whole primary system) are ridiculous but I don't think there's any reason to panic about this when in all likelihood Hillary Clinton was the legitimate winner in Iowa. Frankly, even if she'd lost the state by a few points essentially nothing could've stopped her from going on to annihilate Bernie beyond New Hampshire.

[Panhandle Progressive]

Frankly, even if she'd lost the state by a few points essentially nothing could've stopped her from going on to annihilate Bernie beyond New Hampshire.

I've said this as well too. Couldn't agree more. 26 days til Super Tuesday when Hillary will obliterate him.

As Josh Marshall (of TPM) said yesterday:
Whites make up only the slenderest majority of the Democratic coalition - just a few percentage points over 50. So Democrats are making their key winnowing decisions with what is essentially a lily white (Iowa and NH) electorate when racial minorities make up roughly half their national coalition (maybe more). That strikes me as frankly untenable. Not just in the sense of me saying "That's untenable!" but it being literally untenable. As in, I don't think that's going to be sustainable for much longer, nor should it."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/will-this-be-the-last-time

[Holmes]

I believe it. The caucus system is a mess. The GOP caucus in Wyoming in 2012 was fishy too (but it's not like a Romney win was ever in doubt), and the GOP caucuses in Colorado and North Dakota this year also have the potential to be fishy as well.

[Reginald]

Well maybe Iowa should leave the 19th century and abolish this awful caucus process and just have a primary.

But then they'd lose their guaranteed first place on the primary calendar. NH would fight for it for sure. It's still in IA's interest to keep the caucus, no matter how stupid and broken it is.

[Panhandle Progressive]

Well maybe Iowa should leave the 19th century and abolish this awful caucus process and just have a primary.

But then they'd lose their guaranteed first place on the primary calendar. NH would fight for it for sure. It's still in IA's interest to keep the caucus, no matter how stupid and broken it is.

More importantly, it's in the interest of the media to keep everything as is. So they can make it appear like a close race when in reality it isn't, nor ever truly was.

[Shadows]

What has Hillary destroying Bernie at Super Tuesday & beyond have anything to do with having a free fair process at Iowa. What is Bernie has won this way?

The reactions are despicable. This is the reason young people do not trust Hillary. Have some idea of justice, a moral stand & stick to it regardless of whoever is winning,

[Panhandle Progressive]

What has Hillary destroying Bernie at Super Tuesday & beyond have anything to do with having a free fair process at Iowa. What is Bernie has won this way?

The reactions are despicable. This is the reason young people do not trust Hillary. Have some idea of justice, a moral stand & stick to it regardless of whoever is winning,

You'll come around in the summer once Bernie and Liz Warren have endorsed Hillary. As will many former Bernie supporters. The alternative would be Republican selected Sup. Court nominees. Throw away any progress for the next 30/40 years if you can't evolve to the Dem. nominee.

[Shadows]

What has Hillary destroying Bernie at Super Tuesday & beyond have anything to do with having a free fair process at Iowa. What is Bernie has won this way?

The reactions are despicable. This is the reason young people do not trust Hillary. Have some idea of justice, a moral stand & stick to it regardless of whoever is winning,

You'll come around in the summer once Bernie and Liz Warren have endorsed Hillary. As will many former Bernie supporters.

I would give up on politics, maybe think after 1-2 decades. And if a gun was put to my head, I would go for even Green Party over Hillary.

If not Bernie, then would consider Biden (I know impossible), but 0% chance of Hillary.

[Panhandle Progressive]

What has Hillary destroying Bernie at Super Tuesday & beyond have anything to do with having a free fair process at Iowa. What is Bernie has won this way?

The reactions are despicable. This is the reason young people do not trust Hillary. Have some idea of justice, a moral stand & stick to it regardless of whoever is winning,

You'll come around in the summer once Bernie and Liz Warren have endorsed Hillary. As will many former Bernie supporters.

I would give up on politics, maybe think after 1-2 decades. And if a gun was put to my head, I would go for even Green Party over Hillary.

If not Bernie, then would consider Biden (I know impossible), but 0% chance of Hillary.

Then you and other sore Bernie losers could allow a Republican to win, which is the exact opposite of progressive.

[Shadows]

What has Hillary destroying Bernie at Super Tuesday & beyond have anything to do with having a free fair process at Iowa. What is Bernie has won this way?

The reactions are despicable. This is the reason young people do not trust Hillary. Have some idea of justice, a moral stand & stick to it regardless of whoever is winning,

You'll come around in the summer once Bernie and Liz Warren have endorsed Hillary. As will many former Bernie supporters.

I would give up on politics, maybe think after 1-2 decades. And if a gun was put to my head, I would go for even Green Party over Hillary.

If not Bernie, then would consider Biden (I know impossible), but 0% chance of Hillary.

Then you and other sore Bernie losers could allow a Republican to win, which is the exact opposite of progressive.

See This is my opinion, each will take his or her independent decision.

I personally think the Green Party Candidate is a better candidate than Hillary for me on the issues. (after listening to her for hours). I don't believe in choosing lesser of the 2 evils.

Hillary maybe be a shade better  than GOP candidates, but for me is A VERY BAD Candidate & I will be damned if I support such a candidate compromising all my principles.

IMO it is very necessary for Hillary to loose to save the soul of the progressive movement. I would swallow the poison pill & accept 1 term of Rubio. Her loss would mean a new VERY STRONG progressive leader will rise in 2020!

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

What has Hillary destroying Bernie at Super Tuesday & beyond have anything to do with having a free fair process at Iowa. What is Bernie has won this way?

The reactions are despicable. This is the reason young people do not trust Hillary. Have some idea of justice, a moral stand & stick to it regardless of whoever is winning,

You'll come around in the summer once Bernie and Liz Warren have endorsed Hillary. As will many former Bernie supporters.

I would give up on politics, maybe think after 1-2 decades. And if a gun was put to my head, I would go for even Green Party over Hillary.

If not Bernie, then would consider Biden (I know impossible), but 0% chance of Hillary.

Then you and other sore Bernie losers could allow a Republican to win, which is the exact opposite of progressive.

Lol what a joke you are

[Panhandle Progressive]

What has Hillary destroying Bernie at Super Tuesday & beyond have anything to do with having a free fair process at Iowa. What is Bernie has won this way?

The reactions are despicable. This is the reason young people do not trust Hillary. Have some idea of justice, a moral stand & stick to it regardless of whoever is winning,

You'll come around in the summer once Bernie and Liz Warren have endorsed Hillary. As will many former Bernie supporters.

I would give up on politics, maybe think after 1-2 decades. And if a gun was put to my head, I would go for even Green Party over Hillary.

If not Bernie, then would consider Biden (I know impossible), but 0% chance of Hillary.

Then you and other sore Bernie losers could allow a Republican to win, which is the exact opposite of progressive.

Lol what a joke you are

At least I'm intelligent enough to know Republicans will never nominate Cruz.

[Cory]

But then they'd lose their guaranteed first place on the primary calendar. NH would fight for it for sure. It's still in IA's interest to keep the caucus, no matter how stupid and broken it is.

But at the very least can the Democrats use the much more reasonable GOP system in the caucus? Where you just vote instead of this over complicated process where we don't even know the actual vote totals.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Caucuses need to go in the dustbin of history where they belong. I've felt this way since 2008, but it was impossible to have an honest discussion about it then when Obama was dominating the process and using it to win the nomination. Now with no one invested anymore, it's time for the caucus to go.

[Ebsy]

Not that surprising that the even the Des Moines Register has little understanding of how the caucuses work. I agree that we should move away from them, and that they serve little purpose, but I can't even imagine how you could audit 1600+ precincts after the fact, when any evidence is immediately destroyed after the caucuses end.

[Reginald]

But then they'd lose their guaranteed first place on the primary calendar. NH would fight for it for sure. It's still in IA's interest to keep the caucus, no matter how stupid and broken it is.

But at the very least can the Democrats use the much more reasonable GOP system in the caucus? Where you just vote instead of this over complicated process where we don't even know the actual vote totals.

It'd be nice. I think if Sanders beat Clinton like this, you'd probably see more of an official push to get rid of it eventually.