Posted on 02/03/2020 8:03:12 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
DES MOINES, Iowa -- A Democratic campaign that has cost more than $1 billion, dashed the ambitions of veteran politicians, forced conversations about race, gender and identity and prompted fierce debate over health care and taxes crests Monday in the Iowa caucuses.
By days end, tens of thousands of Democrats will have participated in the famed Iowa caucuses, the premiere of more than 50 contests that will unfold over the next five months. The caucuses will render the first verdict on who among dozens of candidates is best positioned to take on President Donald Trump, whom Democratic voters are desperate to beat this fall.
It is a moment thick with promise for a Democratic Party that has seized major gains since Trump won the White House in 2016. But instead of optimism, a cloud of uncertainty and deepening intraparty resentment hangs over Mondays election, which, after a multi-year buildup, will finally begin to reveal who and what Democrats stand for in this tumultuous era.
If anybody tells you they know whos going to win, either theyve got a whisper from God or theyre loony, because nobody knows, said Deidre DeJear, the former state chair for Kamala Harris and the first black woman to win a statewide primary in Iowa.
Polls suggest that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may have a narrow lead, but any of the top four candidates Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg could score victory in Iowas unpredictable and quirky caucus system as organizers prepare for record turnout. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents neighboring Minnesota, is also claiming momentum, while outsider candidates such as entrepreneur Andrew Yang, billionaire activist Tom Steyer and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard could be factors.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
These are caucuses, not primaries, and ANY Iowan who is pro-life has no business voting for ANY of the Democrats.
It's not going to be a blowout win, and anything but that will really puncture all the hopes and dreams of the lifelong freeloader Sanders. Buttplug has already shifted his organization to focus on New Hampshire.
If Klobuchar makes fifth place (behind the top four), it could be a real knife into Psychojawea, who will finish fourth.
Wouldn't surprise me to see the order Biden, Buttigieg, Sanders, Warren, Klobuchar, followed by the rest of the also rans.
It also wouldn't surprise me to see the order Buttigieg, Sanders, Biden, Warren, Klobuchar, followed by the rest of the also rans.
I have the feeling democrat everyday citizens are going to take this opportunity to give the finger to the thugs in the democrat Establishment. They’re growing to hate their ‘elites’ as much as we did... as much as we did before we started the long process of sweeping the filth out of our party.
IOWA - tell your arrogant ‘elites’ you don’t want them ... turn your back on the Clinton’s and their war machines..
Feel the Bernobyl.
“dimocrats should select their weakest candidate. So when the long knives come out after the election, they can squarely blame the poor quality candidate for the reason they lost to the bad Orange Man “
plus, that would save their “good” candidates from the ignominy of certain defeat ...
“It’s not going to be a blowout win, and anything but that will really puncture all the hopes and dreams of the lifelong freeloader Sanders.”
it’s impossible for a blowout win with this bunch because the Dem primary/causcuses allocate delegates proportionally, so all bernie needs to do is come away with more delegates that anyone else to maintain his momentum ...
furthermore, any candidate with less than 15% of the votes at a caucus is eliminated from sending delegates to county assemblies (ditto for county delegates to the state assembly, and same there as well), so it’s possible that Butty and Warren ultimately come away with far fewer delegates (maybe even zero) than state wide polls might indicate .... almost certainly none of the candidate polling in the single digits will walk away with ANY iowa delegates at all ... btw, most Dem primary/caucus states have some sort of 15% rule, so the really weak sisters get eliminated pretty quickly ..
Impossible is nothing.
Sanders 28%, Biden 21%, Buttigieg 15%, Warren 14%, Klobuchar 11%, margin of error of +/- 3.3%.
What is the timeline tonight?
First results should start coming in after 7 pm Central. Might take many hours for finals.
Thanks.
Plenty of time for meditation (nap).
Good question, hope someone knows. I rely on FR as my news aggregator. :^)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.