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How the Iowa Caucuses Became an Epic Fiasco for Democrats. The problems that beset the Democratic Party’s first state caucus of the presidential race ran far deeper and wider than one bad app.
New York Times ^ | February 9, 2020 | Reid J. Epstein, Sydney Ember, Trip Gabriel and Mike Baker

Posted on 02/10/2020 7:28:22 AM PST by karpov

DES MOINES — The first signs of trouble came early.

As the smartphone app for reporting the results of the Iowa Democratic caucuses began failing last Monday night, party officials instructed precinct leaders to move to Plan B: calling the results into caucus headquarters, where dozens of volunteers would enter the figures into a secure system.

But when many of those volunteers tried to log on to their computers, they made an unsettling discovery. They needed smartphones to retrieve a code, but they had been told not to bring their phones into the “boiler room” in Des Moines.

As a torrent of results were phoned in from school gymnasiums, union halls and the myriad other gathering places that made the Iowa caucuses a world-famous model of democracy, it soon became clear that the whole process was melting down.

Volunteers resorted to passing around a spare iPad to log into the system. Melissa Watson, the state party’s chief financial officer, who was in charge of the boiler room, did not know how to operate a Google spreadsheet application used to input data, Democratic officials later acknowledged.

Others, desperate to verify results, began telling some precinct leaders to email photographs of their worksheets — the paper forms used to tally results — to a dedicated email address. But for hours, no one monitored the inbox. When it was finally opened Tuesday morning, there were 700 unread emails waiting, with photos that had been sent sideways; volunteers had to crane their necks to decipher the handwritten forms.

An hour after the caucuses began, the Iowa Democratic Party chairman, Troy Price, huddled in another room with other officials, none of them with a clear strategy to manage the unfolding chaos or answers to share with increasingly exasperated presidential campaigns.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: iowacaucus
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Related thread: Iowa Democrats Won’t Correct Errors on Caucus Tally Sheets, Emails Show. The worksheets could not be changed even if they contained mistakes, according to the lawyer for the state party, because they were a legal record and altering them would be a crime..

The Democrats can't count but want to take over health care and electricity production?

1 posted on 02/10/2020 7:28:22 AM PST by karpov
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To: karpov

It’s ok, the elites will be well cared for, and that is what matters, right?


2 posted on 02/10/2020 7:29:54 AM PST by brownsfan (Behold, the power of government cheese.)
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To: karpov

Shakespearean farce. Don’t let them play with a ouija board!


3 posted on 02/10/2020 7:40:54 AM PST by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: karpov
How the Iowa Caucuses Became an Epic Fiasco for Democrats. The problems that beset the Democratic Party’s first state caucus of the presidential race ran far deeper and wider than one bad app.

There Are No Good Democrats, Not Anymore!

Dem primaries are becoming circular firing squads!

Just Stand Back, and let them destroy each other!

Sit back and enjoy the dems in their circular firing squads!

Thanks to Bonemaker for this great reality.

4 posted on 02/10/2020 7:43:46 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Our president is now serving Democrats the hemlock tea, they ordered up with a smile!)
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To: brownsfan
It’s ok, the elites will be well cared for, and that is what matters, right?

Bingo - since the MSM has covered over every single misstep the elites have made since Woodrow Wilson, why would they waste time actually doing the hard work of figuring out what will actually work and trying to sell that?

5 posted on 02/10/2020 7:44:12 AM PST by ghost of nixon
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To: karpov

The CFO cannot operate a spreadsheet.Did she also design the obamacare website??


6 posted on 02/10/2020 7:47:48 AM PST by DeFault User
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To: Grampa Dave

LOL. That gif is just too funny!!!


7 posted on 02/10/2020 7:50:36 AM PST by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them.)
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To: karpov

Things that make you go hmmmm.

It’s almost as if the Democrat elitists WANTED to tank Iowa. They’ve long complained that this “fly-over” state holds too much sway in their nominating process by holding their caucus so early, & giving momentum to candidates the coastal elites wouldn’t otherwise support.


8 posted on 02/10/2020 7:53:04 AM PST by Be Free (When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.)
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To: karpov

I would guess that may of those involved in this fiasco aspire to a position in the next Democrat administration to help run the federal government.
We can only hope it does not come to pass. Under the Peter Principle they have already topped out.


9 posted on 02/10/2020 7:54:35 AM PST by beekay
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To: karpov

It took 4 people to write this dreck?


10 posted on 02/10/2020 8:07:36 AM PST by dynachrome (Build the wall, deport them all. And send her back!)
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To: dynachrome

Specialists in spin, woke, grammar and spelling.


11 posted on 02/10/2020 8:12:53 AM PST by rightwingcrazy (;-,)
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To: karpov
The Democrats can't count but want to take over health care and electricity production?

Counting, correcting, and caring about being right are all ways of "acting white."

12 posted on 02/10/2020 8:23:32 AM PST by Steely Tom ([Seth Rich] == [the Democrats' John Dean])
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To: karpov
The Democrats can't count but want to take over health care and electricity production?

And our election process.

13 posted on 02/10/2020 8:23:40 AM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
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To: Grampa Dave

Which movie is that from?


14 posted on 02/10/2020 8:30:14 AM PST by nwrep
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To: karpov
All of them claim they won. OTOH we have this:

No-Flag-No-Winner

15 posted on 02/10/2020 8:37:07 AM PST by SkyDancer ( ~ Just Consider Me A Random Fact Generator ~ Eat Sleep Fly Repeat ~)
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To: SkyDancer
All of them claim they won

They all also claim they would terrorists who kill thousands roam freely.

16 posted on 02/10/2020 8:38:22 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: GOPJ; Grampa Dave; poconopundit; Ann Archy; Jane Long; TADSLOS
THIS IS HILARIOUS.

The first signs of trouble at the Iowa Caucuses came early.

<><> the smartphone app had been ok'ed last fall by Harvard's Harvard’s “Defending Digital Democracy Project”
to develop strategies and systems to protect results and deal with misinformation.

<><> The Harvard group included "party campaign experts” and experts in
(A) cybersecurity, (B) national security, (C) technology and (D) election administration.

<><> fortuitously, the Harvard group simulated different ways “things could go wrong” on caucus night.

<><> (cue maniacal laugh machine here).

<><> but a simple task like reporting the results began failing last Monday night.

<><> "quick-thinking" Democrat party officials then instructed precinct leaders to move to Plan B:

<><> plan B had precincts call-in results into caucus hdq in Des Moines, to be entered into a secure system by volunteers.

<><> but when volunteers tried to log on, they discovered they needed smartphones to retrieve a code,

<><> the caucus team they had been told NOT to bring phones into the “boiler room” in Des Moines.

<><> a torrent of results were phoned in from gyms, union halls and elsewhere, places that made the Iowa caucuses a world-famous "model of democracy,"

<><> it soon became clear that the whole smart-phone, app process was melting down.

<><> desperate volunteers resorted to passing around a spare iPad to log into the system

<><> other Dems , desperate to verify results, were telling precinct leaders to email photos of worksheets that tallied results — to a dedicated email address.

<><> for hours, no one monitored the inbox; finally opened Tues AM, there were 700 emails with photos sent sideways;

<><> volunteers faced the task of deciphering the handwritten forms.

<><> Iowa Demo Party chair, Troy Price, huddled with other Democrat officials,

<><> alas, no Democrat had a clear strategy to manage the unfolding chaos with exasperated presidential campaigns.

17 posted on 02/10/2020 8:38:44 AM PST by Liz (Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side d. <P><><> Iooesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: karpov

So it makes perfect sense to let these incompetent clowns take over the entire health care industry.

They’ll get it right this time.

L


18 posted on 02/10/2020 8:47:27 AM PST by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Liz

...and these people want to control the rest of us....


19 posted on 02/10/2020 9:22:06 AM PST by TADSLOS (You know why you can enjoy a day at the Zoo? Because walls work.)
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To: TADSLOS

They cant even count.............


20 posted on 02/10/2020 9:55:52 AM PST by Liz (Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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