Game Day Thread: Iowa Caucuses

[uallas5]

Right now Fox is beating this CF to death with statements like "How can the Democrats fix Healthcare if they can't run a Caucus" and crap like that. This just directly feeds into Trump's narrative of how you can't trust elections. His campaign manager is adding to the discord by tweeting about how the Caucus was "rigged"

 

[IronWing]

This describes a level of engagement that the vast vast majority of Americans are not capable of or inclined to even if they had the time (which many don't). That's how we get an unrepresentative shit show like Iowa. The candidates have spent months talking to each other and moving towards basic concepts of what the platform should look like with ample polling to divine the wants and desires of party voters and the larger electorate.

The candidates aren't supposed to represent America. They are supposed to represent the party platform, developed by the party members.

 

[Brainonska511]

Who the f has 3hrs of their time to waste sitting around in a school gymnasium bickering or horse trading with their neighbors? Nobody has other shit to do?

Caucuses are a bad look for a party who maintain a plank of expanding voting access.

 

[K1052]

The candidates aren't supposed to represent America. They are supposed to represent the party platform, developed by the party members.

A few white party members in Iowa that have the time to sit around and do this shit. This is a terrible way to do things.

 

[K1052]

Right now Fox is beating this CF to death with statements like "How can the Democrats fix Healthcare if they can't run a Caucus" and crap like that. This just directly feeds into Trump's narrative of how you can't trust elections. His campaign manager is adding to the discord by tweeting about how the Caucus was "rigged"

Trump accused Cruz of committing fraud in the 2016 GOP Iowa caucus and demanded a new election.

These motherfuckers can take a seat for a bit.

 

[IronWing]

Who the f has 3hrs of their time to waste sitting around in a school gymnasium bickering or horse trading with their neighbors? Nobody has other shit to do?

Campaigns have been going for a year. There have been endless debates, town halls and advertising.

What else in God's name do you need to know?

Voting shouldn't be an elitist exercise if you want to run a real democracy. Doesn't even represent the population that shows up in Nov well.

Early voting with reliable mail-in ballots, and booths on election night for those that want them. Everyone gets to vote easily.

People spend hours a day at their computers bickering about politics. Taking three hours when it actually matters seems like a small price to have a say in shaping an election. I'm not ware of any "elitist" caucus systems.

 

[Bitek]

Caucuses are a bad look for a party who maintain a plank of expanding voting access.

And decry "white privilege" yet let some of the two whitest states in the country pick their nominee.

It wasn't white folks who sent Doug Jones to the Senate.

 

[Perknose]

American politics is weird.

You have a bunch of people who appear to hate the Democratic party trying to vote for some who isn't a member of the Democratic party to be leader of the Democratic party and then getting surprised that the existing members of the Democratic party who have worked for the party for decades aren't massively enthused about this.

The candidates aren't supposed to represent America. They are supposed to represent the party platform, developed by the party members.

^^^This, damn it, all of this!

There's this obvious contempt of Bernie among "liberals".

That's not particularly true. I'm a "liberal" and fiercely proud of it. What we have a problem with is the more angry, immature and "out there," conspiracy-loving Bernie Bros.

I love and deeply respect Bernie. He's, hands down, the most honest and forthright candidate for Pres. on either side, on any side. It's not even close. But, PLEASE, he would be slaughtered in a general Pres. election.

Once Lyin' Donnie and the Repub/Faux News Smear and Fear machine got done with this JEWISH COMMUNIST LEFTIST ELITIST, he'd be toast and anathema with that broad spectrum of the "low information" American electorate that simply outnumbers us "woke" folks.

Bernie Bros don't seem to recognize or understand that they live in a bubble with their friends, who are many, who are legion, but who, in stark overall demorgraphic numbers, are still, nationally, a fucking minority.

Politics is the art of the fucking POSSIBLE. Our house is burning and we must do whatever is necessary to get Hump out of office, before he does even more fucking damage. Bernie Bros too fucking proud, too fucking pure, or too fucking resentful to vote for Hillary contributed to a Supreme Court which will put it's right wing thumb on the scales of our "justice" for FUCKING decades to come.

To them I say, "We NEED you to grow the fuck up and stand with us and actually DEFEAT Pres. Shit Stain."

 

[Bitek]

People spend hours a day at their computers bickering about politics. Taking three hours when it actually matters seems like a small price to have a say in shaping an election. I'm not ware of any "elitist" caucus systems.

And I had to wait in line to get a driver's license to prove my identity, so should everyone else. Bc voter fraud.

Sound familiar?

 

[theeedude]

Glad to see Iowa caucuses exposed for the joke that they really are. Politicians should stop wasting time on those.

 

[thilanliyan]

Yeah, I'm not sure how effective a president Bernie would be, especially if the GOP still controls the Senate at that time. Priority #1 at this point is to defeat Trump, and I'm not sure Bernie can manage that with all the FUD about "socialism".

 

[IronWing]

And I had to wait in line to get a driver's license to prove my identity, so should everyone else. Bc voter fraud.

Sound familiar?

You have a right to vote in a general election. You have no right to select a party's candidate. How a party selects their candidate isn't up to anyone but the party members. The Dems in Iowa chose to have a very open system where if you show up and spend a few hours, you can have a say in selecting the party's candidate. They didn't charge an entrance fee, they didn't auction off ballots, or simply close the doors and pick the candidate privately. Any of these other choices would have been legitimate but all they asked of folks who wanted a say was to show up.

 

[Genx87]

Yeah, I'm not sure how effective a president Bernie would be, especially if the GOP still controls the Senate at that time. Priority #1 at this point is to defeat Trump, and I'm not sure Bernie can manage that with all the FUD about "socialism".

Bernie would have an issue with a lot of democrats as well.

The funny thing, I actually respect Bernie the most of all the candidates on both sides of the aisle. At least he is being honest.

btw it isnt fud. The guy identifies as a socialist but caucuses with the Democrats.

 

[cytg111]

Anyone mentioned the possibility of sabotage yet?

 

[thilanliyan]

Bernie would have an issue with a lot of democrats as well.

The funny thing, I actually respect Bernie the most of all the candidates on both sides of the aisle. At least he is being honest.

btw it isnt fud. The guy identifies as a socialist but caucuses with the Democrats.

I also think he's the most honest, but that is not enough to win the presidency and be effective unfortunately.

And I know he's a socialist (nothing wrong with that), but the spin that Fox and the right will put on it will be "but Venezuela!!!!!".

 

[uallas5]

Anyone mentioned the possibility of sabotage yet?

Yes various GOP pundits looking to stir up the FUD

 

[SMOGZINN]

Yeah, I'm not sure how effective a president Bernie would be, especially if the GOP still controls the Senate at that time.

No Democrat is going to be effective as President if the GOP still holds the Senate. They will spend 4-8 years stonewalling.
Honestly I think we are now so fully partisan that I doubt our government will ever work again when our government is split between the parties.

 

[Brainonska511]

No Democrat is going to be effective as President if the GOP still holds the Senate. They will spend 4-8 years stonewalling.
Honestly I think we are now so fully partisan that I doubt our government will ever work again when our government is split between the parties.

If the GOP maintains hold of the Senate, the only way a Dem president can be effective is to use the regulatory apparatus of the executive to advance policy goals and to use their bully pulpit to hammer Republicans.

 

[brycejones]

Yes various GOP pundits looking to stir up the FUD

Was it the Bidens in league with Ukraine?

 

[dank69]

ahh well

https://twitter.com/x/status/1224561008150110209

This shit is just as bad as any shit that comes from the conservative media bubble. Spreading disinformation makes you part of the problem.

 

[nakedfrog]

Bernie would have an issue with a lot of democrats as well.

The funny thing, I actually respect Bernie the most of all the candidates on both sides of the aisle. At least he is being honest.

btw it isnt fud. The guy identifies as a socialist but caucuses with the Democrats.

Doesn't he identify as a democratic socialist?

 

[cytg111]

Yes various GOP pundits looking to stir up the FUD

Just saying it would be an obvious GRU op.

 

[dank69]

Bernie would have an issue with a lot of democrats as well.

The funny thing, I actually respect Bernie the most of all the candidates on both sides of the aisle. At least he is being honest.

btw it isnt fud. The guy identifies as a socialist but caucuses with the Democrats.

The idea that socialism is bad is the FUD.

 

[dank69]

If the GOP maintains hold of the Senate, the only way a Dem president can be effective is to use the regulatory apparatus of the executive to advance policy goals and to use their bully pulpit to hammer Republicans.

You know if the GOP holds the Senate they are going to investigate the shit out of the next President. If they manage to get the House back the President will be impeached a few times a year at least.

 

[ch33zw1z]

You know if the GOP holds the Senate they are going to investigate the shit out of the next President. If they manage to get the House back the President will be impeached a few times a year at least.

Yup, Republicans have gone off the rails since '08. Party over country, 100%