theguardian--2020-02-04--What to make of the Iowa fiasco? Our panelists react

Having the first caucus in the Democratic primaries in Iowa was always a bad decision .
The state is small , almost certainly going for Trump in November , and completely unrepresentative of the broader US population .
And I am not even talking about the bizarre way in which supporters caucus around candidates , moving from “ unviable ” to “ viable ” candidates .
But things got even worse on the night itself .
After changing the rules to ensure “ quality control ” , the party claimed “ inconsistencies ” in reporting were responsible for an hours-long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Still , while we did not know the Democratic winner by midnight , we did already know the real winner : Donald Trump .
I can see the Facebook ads already : “ Democrats can not even organize an election .
How can you trust them with running your country ?
” ( Honest to God , I wrote that before I saw this tweet by Brad Parscale , Trump ’ s campaign manager . )
And in true Trump fashion , Parscale was already spreading conspiracy theories last night , tweeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” They will use the chaos of the Iowa caucuses to fuel conspiracy theories and discord within camps of Democratic supporters , targeting supporters of unsuccessful candidates in the hope that they will not come out in November .
Iowa Democrats , you had one task yesterday , and you failed .
Trump thanks you !
America doesn ’ t even let other countries have socialist leaders , so it ’ s no wonder that when the results were delayed for mysterious reasons , the conspiracy theories started online almost immediately .
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caucus results ?
Probably pretty easy , since no one seems to have a full understanding of how a caucus works .
I ’ ve read through the procedure dozens of times over the years and I ’ m still not sure I could explain it effectively .
The whole process , which is convoluted and based around the idea that no one has anything better to do than sit in a school gymnasium or parish building all night long , does seem hopelessly midwestern , though .
Since 2016 , the thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many people are just now waking up to how American democracy works , in that it does not .
The electoral college allows people with fewer votes to win the presidency ?
Yes , and it has always been this way .
The Iowa caucus holds too much power over our electoral process , due to its arbitrary placement in the primary season and the way its complex format allows someone with half as many votes to get the same number of delegates as the winner .
The American system has always been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least now our party magicians are so incompetent we can see where the card we chose really went .
We need real campaign reform that is transparent and fair .
No more gerrymandering , even when it benefits our “ side ” .
No more votes that go toward delegates rather than totals .
No more dark money , no more mass disenfranchisement .
No more voting on days that are not guaranteed work holidays .
And no more apps !
We need to rebuild the process from the ground up , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jessa Crispin is the host of the Public Intellectual podcast Jill Filipovic : This does not bode well for the election One good thing came out of Monday night ’ s absolute debacle of a primary in Iowa : it gave us one big , final reason why the state should never again be the first to vote .
( It also confirmed why the caucusing system is one of the worst ideas ever to enter American politics , and suggested election infrastructure and security should be at the top of the list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hacked the caucuses , and no evil-doers appear to have messed with the app ; the delayed results in Iowa were thanks to good old-fashioned incompetence , and magnified by a lack of transparency .
The Iowa primary was already facing criticism for being unrepresentative ( Iowa is overwhelmingly white ; the country , and to an even greater degree the Democratic party , is not ) and mobbish : the caucus system requires a public vote and encourages what is at best persuasion but at worst bullying , as voters may feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in front of family , friends , coworkers , bosses , neighbors and loved ones .
Plus it involves a lot of math .
It is a terrible and profoundly stupid system .
And now it is failing spectacularly .
In a particularly disturbing but entirely predictable twist , conspiracy theories and fear-mongering began to spread almost immediately on social media .
This does not bode well for the general election in 2020 .
The only person who won the night was Amy Klobuchar , who , despite the fact that she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ savvy choice to get out and give what sounded a lot like a victory speech – at the exact moment that every news network was live on air and out of stuff to say .
Her words were given prime placement .
By the time the other candidates spoke , even the most politics-addicted east coasters were headed to bed .
No matter who wins Iowa or when we find out , can we all agree on one thing ?
Let ’ s never do this again .
• None Jill Filipovic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Feminist Pursuit of Happiness Lloyd Green : Monday was a bad night for clarity – and technology Six hours after the caucuses began , the Iowa Democratic party was still unable to release results .
Fittingly , this may be the last time Iowa Democrats go first , or caucus instead of holding a primary .
Make no mistake , all that would be a good thing .
Adding insult to injury , reality didn ’ t match the hoopla .
Caucus turnout was in the same ballpark as 2016 , when Hillary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders .
The magic of 2008 and Barack Obama were clearly missing .
As for a winner , there were only outlines of “ entrance polls ” , vague projections , and whispered pronouncements .
Bernie Sanders ’ and Pete Buttigieg ’ s camps both laid claim to finishing first .
Joe Biden has plenty to worry about .
Younger voters wanted someone other than Obama ’ s vice-president .
Divisions among Democrats and attitudinal schizophrenia were also on display .
Vermont ’ s senior senator showed limited appeal beyond his base of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and older Iowans were uninterested .
Democratic socialism comes with a floor and a ceiling .
Last , caucusgoers expressed a preference for a candidate who was electable while supporting government-driven healthcare over private insurance .
Good luck with that .
Monday was a bad night for technology and clarity alike .
• None Lloyd Green was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush ’ s 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992

Cas Mudde, Jessa Crispin, Jill Filipovic and Lloyd Green

Cas Mudde: Trump won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa
Having the first caucus in the Democratic primaries in Iowa was always a bad decision. The state is small, almost certainly going for Trump in November, and completely unrepresentative of the broader US population. And I am not even talking about the bizarre way in which supporters caucus around candidates, moving from “unviable” to “viable” candidates. But things got even worse on the night itself. After changing the rules to ensure “quality control”, the party claimed “inconsistencies” in reporting were responsible for an hours-long delay in the announcement of the results.
Still, while we did not know the Democratic winner by midnight, we did already know the real winner: Donald Trump. I can see the Facebook ads already: “Democrats cannot even organize an election. How can you trust them with running your country?” (Honest to God, I wrote that before I saw this tweet by Brad Parscale, Trump’s campaign manager.) And in true Trump fashion, Parscale was already spreading conspiracy theories last night, tweeting: “Quality control = rigged?” They will use the chaos of the Iowa caucuses to fuel conspiracy theories and discord within camps of Democratic supporters, targeting supporters of unsuccessful candidates in the hope that they will not come out in November. Iowa Democrats, you had one task yesterday, and you failed. Trump thanks you!
Cas Mudde is a Guardian US columnist
Jessa Crispin: Democratic party magicians are incompetent
America doesn’t even let other countries have socialist leaders, so it’s no wonder that when the results were delayed for mysterious reasons, the conspiracy theories started online almost immediately. How easy would it be to hijack the caucus results? Probably pretty easy, since no one seems to have a full understanding of how a caucus works. I’ve read through the procedure dozens of times over the years and I’m still not sure I could explain it effectively. The whole process, which is convoluted and based around the idea that no one has anything better to do than sit in a school gymnasium or parish building all night long, does seem hopelessly midwestern, though.
Since 2016, the thing I have noticed the most is how many people are just now waking up to how American democracy works, in that it does not. The electoral college allows people with fewer votes to win the presidency? Yes, and it has always been this way. The Iowa caucus holds too much power over our electoral process, due to its arbitrary placement in the primary season and the way its complex format allows someone with half as many votes to get the same number of delegates as the winner. The American system has always been a democratic sleight of hand.
At least now our party magicians are so incompetent we can see where the card we chose really went. We need real campaign reform that is transparent and fair. No more gerrymandering, even when it benefits our “side”. No more votes that go toward delegates rather than totals. No more dark money, no more mass disenfranchisement. No more voting on days that are not guaranteed work holidays. And no more apps! We need to rebuild the process from the ground up, no matter who ultimately wins.
Jessa Crispin is the host of the Public Intellectual podcast
Jill Filipovic: This does not bode well for the election
One good thing came out of Monday night’s absolute debacle of a primary in Iowa: it gave us one big, final reason why the state should never again be the first to vote. (It also confirmed why the caucusing system is one of the worst ideas ever to enter American politics, and suggested election infrastructure and security should be at the top of the list of 2020 concerns.)
No one hacked the caucuses, and no evil-doers appear to have messed with the app; the delayed results in Iowa were thanks to good old-fashioned incompetence, and magnified by a lack of transparency. The Iowa primary was already facing criticism for being unrepresentative (Iowa is overwhelmingly white; the country, and to an even greater degree the Democratic party, is not) and mobbish: the caucus system requires a public vote and encourages what is at best persuasion but at worst bullying, as voters may feel pressured by having to state their choice in front of family, friends, coworkers, bosses, neighbors and loved ones. Plus it involves a lot of math. It is a terrible and profoundly stupid system. And now it is failing spectacularly.
In a particularly disturbing but entirely predictable twist, conspiracy theories and fear-mongering began to spread almost immediately on social media. This does not bode well for the general election in 2020.
The only person who won the night was Amy Klobuchar, who, despite the fact that she was clearly going to lose, made the savvy choice to get out and give what sounded a lot like a victory speech – at the exact moment that every news network was live on air and out of stuff to say. Her words were given prime placement. By the time the other candidates spoke, even the most politics-addicted east coasters were headed to bed.
No matter who wins Iowa or when we find out, can we all agree on one thing? Let’s never do this again.
Jill Filipovic is the author of The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness
Lloyd Green: Monday was a bad night for clarity – and technology
Six hours after the caucuses began, the Iowa Democratic party was still unable to release results. Fittingly, this may be the last time Iowa Democrats go first, or caucus instead of holding a primary. Make no mistake, all that would be a good thing.
Adding insult to injury, reality didn’t match the hoopla. Caucus turnout was in the same ballpark as 2016, when Hillary Clinton eked out a squeaker over Bernie Sanders. The magic of 2008 and Barack Obama were clearly missing.
As for a winner, there were only outlines of “entrance polls”, vague projections, and whispered pronouncements. Bernie Sanders’ and Pete Buttigieg’s camps both laid claim to finishing first.
Joe Biden has plenty to worry about. Younger voters wanted someone other than Obama’s vice-president.
Divisions among Democrats and attitudinal schizophrenia were also on display. Vermont’s senior senator showed limited appeal beyond his base of youthful and liberal voters. Moderate Democrats and older Iowans were uninterested. Democratic socialism comes with a floor and a ceiling.
Last, caucusgoers expressed a preference for a candidate who was electable while supporting government-driven healthcare over private insurance. Good luck with that. Monday was a bad night for technology and clarity alike.


theguardian--2020-02-04--Joe Biden flopped in Iowa. And so did the Democratic party's reputation | Nathan Robinson

If you ’ re the type of person who thinks the Democratic party is a creaking , incompetent entity whose leadership needs overthrowing , the Iowa caucuses certainly validated your point of view .
None of us knew who would win , but we had at least expected a result .
We didn ’ t get one , at least not on caucus night .
State Democratic party officials announced that due to “ quality control ” issues , release of the result would be indefinitely delayed .
On a conference call with representatives of the candidates , party officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the totals would be released .
So what do we know ?
Well , one thing we can say confidently is that “ frontrunner ” Joe Biden flopped .
There were places where Biden didn ’ t even meet the 15 % threshold needed to maintain viability from the first round to the second round – at one caucus site , the attorney general of Iowa had to switch from Biden to Buttigieg when Biden was disqualified .
It explains why Biden ’ s surrogate John Kerry was heard on the phone the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible for him to enter the race at the last minute to save the Democratic party from being conquered by Sanders .
Internal numbers released by the Sanders campaign , showing results from 40 % of caucus sites , showed Sanders winning with approximately 30 % of the vote , Pete Buttigieg coming in second with 25 % , Elizabeth Warren third with 21 % , and Joe Biden a very distant fourth with 12 % .
If those numbers match the ultimate totals , they are great for Sanders and absolutely horrific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crap out of the frontrunner , Barack Obama ’ s former vice-president and the man most favored to win the nomination .
It would be a stunning upset .
But Biden caught a lucky break .
With the party not releasing the actual result , his campaign sent a letter demanding that the result be suppressed until such time as the “ quality control issues ” were resolved .
If it takes long enough to get the official count , Biden may hope that Iowa is old news , or that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than the actual result .
( That ’ s one reason we need to make sure we don ’ t get bogged down too much in talking about the procedural issues rather than the actual outcome . )
So what went wrong ?
It ’ s still not quite clear , though there were reports that a special app used to transmit vote totals had malfunctioned .
Questions were immediately raised about who built the app and how it had been deployed .
Ironically , it was introduced in order to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and had been “ hastily put together ” over the last two months .
There had been security concerns from the start , and when NPR questioned the state party chairman , he “ declined to provide more details about which company or companies designed the app , or about what specific measures have been put in place to guarantee the system ’ s security ” .
Ironically , it was apparently developed by a firm literally called “ Shadow ” , partly funded by the Pete Buttigieg campaign .
If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have reason to be suspicious .
We had already seen the Des Moines Register suppress the results of its “ gold standard ” poll on the eve of the election , after a complaint from Buttigieg .
And with 0 % of caucus results in , Buttigieg declared himself “ victorious ” , praising the “ incredible result ” and saying Iowa had “ shocked the nation ” .
The only thing that had shocked the nation at this point was Iowa ’ s total inability to perform the relatively simple task of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buttigieg , good McKinseyite that he is , was getting a head start on deploying the PR spin .
For Sanders supporters , being denied a rightful victory in Iowa gives feelings of déjà vu .
In 2016 , Sanders may well have won Iowa , possibly by a lot , but the state party did not release the vote totals .
Instead , it only released delegate numbers , which showed Bernie narrowly losing the state “ 701-697 ” to Hillary Clinton .
The delegate numbers are calculated strangely ( this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beat Buttigieg 111 votes to 47 votes in the “ first alignment ” but both ended up with two delegates ) .
If the vote totals had been known in 2016 , it might have been clear Bernie had won .
With his New Hampshire victory shortly after , Clinton would have been seen as losing the race , and the whole election might have turned out differently .
That ’ s why , this time around , the Sanders campaign ensured that the vote totals would be released ( and took a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
This time , if he wins , everyone will know … eventually .
Despite the chaos , certain aspects of the Iowa caucus were inspiring .
For the first time , a caucus was held in a mosque , and hundreds of Muslims and non-Muslims came together to vote for Bernie .
In the first caucus of the day , immigrant pork plant workers , whose evening shifts prevented them from joining the main event , came out early to line up for Bernie .
Internationally based Iowans caucused around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Georgia .
The Iowa caucus might seem like a good illustration of the dysfunction in American democracy , but some of its participatory elements are beautiful .
It would be a shame if the lively , communal caucus system disappeared entirely in favor of secret ballots in voting booths , as some were already recommending as the vote-counting mess unfolded .
If the Sanders team ’ s count is close to accurate ( bear in mind , it was only 40 % of caucus sites ) , he had the night he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still being split between Sanders and Warren , but at least Biden hasn ’ t managed to capitalize on that so far .
The good news for Sanders is that , even if Buttigieg does unexpectedly well , Mayor Pete is destined to struggle as the campaign moves toward more racially diverse states .
But all of the results remain speculative , since the Iowa Democratic party seemed determined to prove that we need a political revolution that overthrows the party establishment .
• None Nathan Robinson is a Guardian US columnist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affairs

If you’re the type of person who thinks the Democratic party is a creaking, incompetent entity whose leadership needs overthrowing, the Iowa caucuses certainly validated your point of view. None of us knew who would win, but we had at least expected a result. We didn’t get one, at least not on caucus night. State Democratic party officials announced that due to “quality control” issues, release of the result would be indefinitely delayed. On a conference call with representatives of the candidates, party officials hung up the phone when asked when the totals would be released.
So what do we know? Well, one thing we can say confidently is that “frontrunner” Joe Biden flopped. There were places where Biden didn’t even meet the 15% threshold needed to maintain viability from the first round to the second round – at one caucus site, the attorney general of Iowa had to switch from Biden to Buttigieg when Biden was disqualified. It explains why Biden’s surrogate John Kerry was heard on the phone the other day asking whether it would be possible for him to enter the race at the last minute to save the Democratic party from being conquered by Sanders.
Internal numbers released by the Sanders campaign, showing results from 40% of caucus sites, showed Sanders winning with approximately 30% of the vote, Pete Buttigieg coming in second with 25%, Elizabeth Warren third with 21%, and Joe Biden a very distant fourth with 12%. If those numbers match the ultimate totals, they are great for Sanders and absolutely horrific for Biden. Sanders will have kicked the crap out of the frontrunner, Barack Obama’s former vice-president and the man most favored to win the nomination. It would be a stunning upset.
But Biden caught a lucky break. With the party not releasing the actual result, his campaign sent a letter demanding that the result be suppressed until such time as the “quality control issues” were resolved. If it takes long enough to get the official count, Biden may hope that Iowa is old news, or that the issues surrounding the caucus are discussed far more than the actual result. (That’s one reason we need to make sure we don’t get bogged down too much in talking about the procedural issues rather than the actual outcome.)
So what went wrong? It’s still not quite clear, though there were reports that a special app used to transmit vote totals had malfunctioned. Questions were immediately raised about who built the app and how it had been deployed. Ironically, it was introduced in order to “get results out to the public quicker” and had been “hastily put together” over the last two months. There had been security concerns from the start, and when NPR questioned the state party chairman, he “declined to provide more details about which company or companies designed the app, or about what specific measures have been put in place to guarantee the system’s security”. Ironically, it was apparently developed by a firm literally called “Shadow”, partly funded by the Pete Buttigieg campaign.
If you’re a Sanders supporter, you have reason to be suspicious. We had already seen the Des Moines Register suppress the results of its “gold standard” poll on the eve of the election, after a complaint from Buttigieg. And with 0% of caucus results in, Buttigieg declared himself “victorious”, praising the “incredible result” and saying Iowa had “shocked the nation”. The only thing that had shocked the nation at this point was Iowa’s total inability to perform the relatively simple task of counting people’s votes. But Buttigieg, good McKinseyite that he is, was getting a head start on deploying the PR spin.
For Sanders supporters, being denied a rightful victory in Iowa gives feelings of déjà vu. In 2016, Sanders may well have won Iowa, possibly by a lot, but the state party did not release the vote totals. Instead, it only released delegate numbers, which showed Bernie narrowly losing the state “701-697” to Hillary Clinton. The delegate numbers are calculated strangely (this time around, in one precinct, Sanders beat Buttigieg 111 votes to 47 votes in the “first alignment” but both ended up with two delegates). If the vote totals had been known in 2016, it might have been clear Bernie had won. With his New Hampshire victory shortly after, Clinton would have been seen as losing the race, and the whole election might have turned out differently. That’s why, this time around, the Sanders campaign ensured that the vote totals would be released (and took a count of its own for good measure). This time, if he wins, everyone will know … eventually.
Despite the chaos, certain aspects of the Iowa caucus were inspiring. For the first time, a caucus was held in a mosque, and hundreds of Muslims and non-Muslims came together to vote for Bernie. In the first caucus of the day, immigrant pork plant workers, whose evening shifts prevented them from joining the main event, came out early to line up for Bernie. Internationally based Iowans caucused around the world, including in Scotland and Tblisi, Georgia. The Iowa caucus might seem like a good illustration of the dysfunction in American democracy, but some of its participatory elements are beautiful. It would be a shame if the lively, communal caucus system disappeared entirely in favor of secret ballots in voting booths, as some were already recommending as the vote-counting mess unfolded.
If the Sanders team’s count is close to accurate (bear in mind, it was only 40% of caucus sites), he had the night he needed to have. The progressive vote is still being split between Sanders and Warren, but at least Biden hasn’t managed to capitalize on that so far. The good news for Sanders is that, even if Buttigieg does unexpectedly well, Mayor Pete is destined to struggle as the campaign moves toward more racially diverse states. But all of the results remain speculative, since the Iowa Democratic party seemed determined to prove that we need a political revolution that overthrows the party establishment.


theguardian--2020-02-04--The Iowa results seem to fall where everyone expected they would: undecided | Art Cullen

All the talk a week ago was that half the Iowa caucus crowd remained undecided .
By Monday night at 6pm when the doors opened in the Buena Vista University dining hall to Democrats in Storm Lake precinct four , just one person walked in uncommitted .
Mike Kelly , a wind development project manager , immediately sat down with the Elizabeth Warren camp .
Tim Horsey , who owns an insurance agency , said he finally made up his mind Monday morning .
He settled on Pete Buttigieg , who got the most votes of the 126 Democrats who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in at 7pm .
“ I was going back and forth every day between Pete and Bernie , ” said Horsey .
His son , Bazyl Horsey , delivered the speech exhorting the attendees to support Sanders , while the dad settled in with his Buttigieg neighbors .
The Buttigieg table , 30 of them , applauded enthusiastically for Bazyl .
The Warren supporters clapped for the Joe Biden precinct captain .
There were none of the deep divisions evident among Democrats over which the chattering class chips its teeth .
These were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to be told by the caucus chair to stay in their own corners and quit kibitizing with each other across camps so accurate counts could be taken .
Craig and Sue Boyd of Storm Lake came in split between Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar , and they too made up their minds late .
He went with Buttigieg , she with Klobuchar .
That ’ s how the caucuses work : neighbors get together and hear from each other , even husbands and wives , then move into their respective preference groups .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 15 % viability threshold spelled out in state party rules .
Andrew Yang had 14 people at Storm Lake four , not enough .
Supporter Marquis Dominique , a Buena Vista University student , said he voted for Donald Trump four years ago because he was fed up with the system .
When Yang couldn ’ t float , he switched to Sanders to see if he can beat the president .
But he said he would neot vote for Sanders in November ; he would go third-party because all the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He has given up on Trump for his lack of respect for the military .
“ I ’ m a military brat , ” he said .
Rob Smith , who delivered the speech for Yang , ended up moving over to caucus with Klobuchar , who tied with Warren at 20 votes each .
Biden had 16 on the first cut , and they were scrambling for more .
After that tally was read , viable campaigns sent their ambassadors to the unviable tables begging them to come over .
Biden supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had picked up three to remain alive .
But Sam Prell , a Warren supporter , was working to peel off Biden supporter Shelby O ’ Bannon for a solid 15 minutes trying to get her to move .
“ I won ’ t let her go , ” said her best pal Whitney Robinson , who had just committed to Biden that day , having also considered Warren .
Biden staffer Camillo Haller intervened when Prell ran out of breath .
“ They ’ re just trying to keep us not viable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county convention , ” Haller told O ’ Bannon , referring to the former vice-president .
She stuck with Biden .
He remained viable in the precinct .
But not across Iowa .
Biden failed to reach 15 % in key Democratic precincts in Ames ( home of Iowa State University ) and in Des Moines .
This might be the nosedive that the pundits had been predicting .
Chrissy Garcia was delighted that Sanders put in a good showing with 26 voters .
“ I ’ ve been following him for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him to get it this time , ” she said .
Zayra Sanchez said she fell for Sanders when he held a rally a week ago at the hotel at which she works .
“ He talked to me .
He was very sweet .
That ’ s when I made up my mind .
He got me.
” She had dabbled with Warren .
But Sanders swept Latinos in Storm Lake .
With more than 1,000 Latino registered voters , a special Spanish-speaking precinct was set up at a café in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 105 votes from that precinct .
That appears who came out on top narrowly across Iowa : Sanders and Warren , though at the time of publication we still await the final tally .
In Des Moines and Iowa City ( home of the University of Iowa ) , the biggest precincts were split between the two progressives .
The same was true from early reports in Dubuque , a river town , manufacturing center and union stronghold where talk of big change is selling big .
Biden also performed well in Dubuque @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iowa campaign and had strong endorsements from local politicians .
The projected Sanders-Warren performance validates the economic anxiety that pervades the midwest as farm bankruptcies rise , manufacturing exports slump amid worker layoffs and strikes , and diabetics can ’ t afford insulin .
Prell , the Warren supporter , lifted his shirt in front of the caucus crowd to display drainage tubes from a recent surgery that he could only get two hours away because doctors wouldn ’ t see him in Storm Lake on his government insurance policy , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change , ” Prell said .
Sanders , Warren , Buttigieg and Biden appeared to punch a ticket to New Hampshire as the official results were still not available knocking on midnight in Iowa .
Klobuchar ran strong in rural areas in the northern part of the state , as expected , but could not mount a surge that would give her viability everywhere .
And because of the delay in reporting results , the word into the wee hours is that the Iowa caucuses are done .
They are too complicated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the media was having a fit over the confusion .
The people who actually were involved in them appeared happy with the process and the results .
“ Whoever gets it has 110 % of my support , ” said local insurance agent Clark Fort , a longtime Democrat and veteran of many caucuses .
“ I ’ ve been thinking about this every day since 2016 .
Whoever can win is best .
They ’ re all pretty close.
” • None Art Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won the Pulitzer prize for editorial writing .
He is a columnist for the Guardian US and author of the book Storm Lake : Change , Resilience , and Hope in America ’ s Heartland , recently released in paperback

All the talk a week ago was that half the Iowa caucus crowd remained undecided.
By Monday night at 6pm when the doors opened in the Buena Vista University dining hall to Democrats in Storm Lake precinct 4, just one person walked in uncommitted. Mike Kelly, a wind development project manager, immediately sat down with the Elizabeth Warren camp.
Tim Horsey, who owns an insurance agency, said he finally made up his mind Monday morning. He settled on Pete Buttigieg, who got the most votes of the 126 Democrats who were there when the caucus bell rang in at 7pm.
“I was going back and forth every day between Pete and Bernie,” said Horsey.
His son, Bazyl Horsey, delivered the speech exhorting the attendees to support Sanders, while the dad settled in with his Buttigieg neighbors.
“He will fight for us!” Bazyl declared.
The Buttigieg table, 30 of them, applauded enthusiastically for Bazyl. The Warren supporters clapped for the Joe Biden precinct captain. There were none of the deep divisions evident among Democrats over which the chattering class chips its teeth. These were all neighbors, after all, who had to be told by the caucus chair to stay in their own corners and quit kibitzing with each other across camps so accurate counts could be taken.
Craig and Sue Boyd of Storm Lake came in split between Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, and they too made up their minds late. He went with Buttigieg, she with Klobuchar.
That’s how the caucuses work: neighbors get together and hear from each other, even husbands and wives, then move into their respective preference groups. Each group needed 19 votes to meet a 15% viability threshold spelled out in state party rules.
Andrew Yang had 14 people at Storm Lake four, not enough. Supporter Marquis Dominique, a Buena Vista University student, said he voted for Donald Trump four years ago because he was fed up with the system. When Yang couldn’t float, he switched to Sanders to see if he can beat the president. But he said he would neot vote for Sanders in November; he would go third-party because all the Democratic candidates are part of the problem. He has given up on Trump for his lack of respect for the military. “I’m a military brat,” he said.
Rob Smith, who delivered the speech for Yang, ended up moving over to caucus with Klobuchar, who tied with Warren at 20 votes each. Biden had 16 on the first cut, and they were scrambling for more. After that tally was read, viable campaigns sent their ambassadors to the unviable tables begging them to come over.
Biden supporters worked the Yang crowd and thought they had picked up three to remain alive. But Sam Prell, a Warren supporter, was working to peel off Biden supporter Shelby O’Bannon for a solid 15 minutes trying to get her to move.
“I won’t let her go,” said her best pal Whitney Robinson, who had just committed to Biden that day, having also considered Warren.
Biden staffer Camillo Haller intervened when Prell ran out of breath.
“They’re just trying to keep us not viable. That man deserves a delegate to the county convention,” Haller told O’Bannon, referring to the former vice-president.
She stuck with Biden. He remained viable in the precinct.
But not across Iowa. Biden failed to reach 15% in key Democratic precincts in Ames (home of Iowa State University) and in Des Moines. This might be the nosedive that the pundits had been predicting.
Chrissy Garcia was delighted that Sanders put in a good showing with 26 voters. “I’ve been following him for eight years, and my hope is for him to get it this time,” she said.
Zayra Sanchez said she fell for Sanders when he held a rally a week ago at the hotel at which she works. “He talked to me. He was very sweet. That’s when I made up my mind. He got me.”
She had dabbled with Warren.
But Sanders swept Latinos in Storm Lake. With more than 1,000 Latino registered voters, a special Spanish-speaking precinct was set up at a café in downtown Storm Lake. Sanders got all 105 votes from that precinct.
That appears who came out on top narrowly across Iowa: Sanders and Warren, though at the time of publication we still await the final tally. In Des Moines and Iowa City (home of the University of Iowa), the biggest precincts were split between the two progressives. The same was true from early reports in Dubuque, a river town, manufacturing center and union stronghold where talk of big change is selling big. Biden also performed well in Dubuque, which is where he launched his Iowa campaign and had strong endorsements from local politicians.
The projected Sanders-Warren performance validates the economic anxiety that pervades the midwest as farm bankruptcies rise, manufacturing exports slump amid worker layoffs and strikes, and diabetics can’t afford insulin. Prell, the Warren supporter, lifted his shirt in front of the caucus crowd to display drainage tubes from a recent surgery that he could only get two hours away because doctors wouldn’t see him in Storm Lake on his government insurance policy, he said. “It’s got to change,” Prell said.
Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg and Biden appeared to punch a ticket to New Hampshire as the official results were still not available knocking on midnight in Iowa. Klobuchar ran strong in rural areas in the northern part of the state, as expected, but could not mount a surge that would give her viability everywhere.
And because of the delay in reporting results, the word into the wee hours is that the Iowa caucuses are done. They are too complicated. They report first choices and second choices, and the media was having a fit over the confusion. The people who actually were involved in them appeared happy with the process and the results.
“Whoever gets it has 110% of my support,” said local insurance agent Clark Fort, a longtime Democrat and veteran of many caucuses. “I’ve been thinking about this every day since 2016. Whoever can win is best. They’re all pretty close.”


theguardian--2020-02-04--The botched Iowa caucuses have become the ultimate political metaphor

Iowa is like soccer .
It is the most important of all the least important things in politics .
It may be the first state in the nation to vote in an election that will ultimately decide whether a sociopathic cretin keeps his finger on the nuclear button .
But it is also a state with just six electoral college votes and a total population of barely 3 million souls , around 90 % of whom are the same color as a frozen cornfield .
And somehow it ’ s now a state that apparently finds it hard to count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll ( canceled ) to the votes of a couple of hundred thousand caucus-goers ( curiously late ) , Iowa ’ s relationship with numbers is about as clean as one of its many hog farms .
If the gods of political metaphors wanted to send us a message about the 2020 election , they could have been a little less obvious , if only to maintain a little mystique .
First the Iowa Democratic party ’ s new vote-tallying systems suffered from unexplained “ inconsistencies ” .
Then their phones failed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates took to the microphones to declare victory .
All of them were winners , at least according to their own speechwriters and egos .
It may be true that every Democrat is running to cleanse the stain of Donald Trump .
But it ’ s also true that ignoring the facts to declare victory is the most Trumpian move of them all .
Elizabeth Warren made the unfortunate choice of giving her pseudo-victory speech while Joe Biden was talking about how democracy was literally at stake in this election .
“ Indications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be close , ” said the former vice-president .
“ We ’ re going to walk out of here with our share of delegates , so it ’ s on to New Hampshire , Nevada , South Carolina and beyond.
” Buzz Lightyear would have been proud .
By the time the cameras cut to her , Warren was talking about the abolition of slavery and the civil war .
The nation ’ s non-Iowan voters were thus spared her account of the first century of American history .
“ I believe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she declared .
“ All it takes is some hard work and some better connections.
” Dream big , Iowa .
And switch cellphone service when you can .
“ When those results are announced I have a good feeling we ’ re going to be doing very , very well in Iowa , ” said Bernie Sanders .
“ The message that Iowa has sent to the nation is a message shared by the American people , that we want a government that represents all of us , not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” If Iowa wanted to send a message to the nation , they could have mailed it first class .
Whatever the reason for the counting delays , the Iowa results were always going to be less about the numbers and more about something far more notional .
As a guide to the near future , Iowa ’ s importance rests on the magical concept of expectations and the stampede concept of media coverage .
Jimmy Carter came out of nowhere to win in 1976 in only the second cycle when Iowa was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected the former Georgia governor to break through until he won in Iowa , much like nobody expected an African American senator to win in the ghostly white state 32 years later .
But in terms of expectations , Iowa taketh away as much as Iowa giveth .
Howard Dean , the last Bernie-like insurgent to challenge the establishment , was trounced into third place in 2004 .
For the next week , his campaign suffered a protracted funeral in New Hampshire as the cable news channels played his fateful Iowa night scream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago , the razor-thin margin of Hillary Clinton ’ s victory over Bernie left Clinton looking wounded and Sanders sounding sore for months on end .
In one week , New Hampshire will have its say in ways that will be treated as profoundly meaningful , as if Barack Obama had never lost the state in 2008 after his big breakthrough in Iowa .
At some point , one of the candidates will rack up enough of a winner ’ s aura that the bandwagon voters jump onboard .
In the bigger states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engaged or as bored as they are in Iowa , the winner ’ s aura is actually worth something .
In the meantime , we need to be honest about expectations in Iowa .
Both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders need to win : Biden because he ’ s the national frontrunner , Sanders because he was leading in the most recent Iowa polls .
For the other two candidates in the top tier – Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg – any finish near the top would be enough make a plausible case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ split decision mean ?
As much as Bernie ’ s true believers want to argue their case , the Democratic party is more divided by character than creed .
And the character trait that matters most is beating the cartoon character in the Oval Office .
According to CNN ’ s entrance poll , about two-thirds of Iowa voters said they preferred a nominee who could beat Donald Trump , rather than a nominee who agreed with them on the issues .
We ’ re supposed to be heart-warmed by the sight of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide on their party ’ s nominee to be the next commander-in-chief .
But the sight of a gym full of peer pressure and vote counters made this democratic exercise look like a Kafka-esque nightmare about Miss Congeniality .
Quite why the Democrats insist on a 15 % viability threshold is not entirely clear .
The impact of second-choice voting in a tightly bunched contest is clear : bleachers full of cheering and jeering rather than reasoned debate .
In any case , the process was so complicated that the vote-counters sounded confused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an impeached president looks so reassuringly reliable .

Iowa is like soccer. It is the most important of all the least important things in politics.
It may be the first state in the nation to vote in an election that will ultimately decide whether a sociopathic moron keeps his finger on the nuclear button.
But it is also a state with just six electoral college votes and a total population of barely 3 million souls, around 90% of whom are the same color as a frozen cornfield.
And somehow it’s now a state that apparently finds it hard to count. From the final Des Moines Register poll (canceled) to the votes of a couple of hundred thousand caucus-goers (curiously late), Iowa’s relationship with numbers is about as clean as one of its many hog farms.
If the gods of political metaphors wanted to send us a message about the 2020 election, they could have been a little less obvious, if only to maintain a little mystique. First the Iowa Democratic party’s new vote-tallying systems suffered from unexplained “inconsistencies”. Then their phones failed.
In the absence of facts, the candidates took to the microphones to declare victory. All of them were winners, at least according to their own speechwriters and egos. It may be true that every Democrat is running to cleanse the stain of Donald Trump. But it’s also true that ignoring the facts to declare victory is the most Trumpian move of them all.
Elizabeth Warren made the unfortunate choice of giving her pseudo-victory speech while Joe Biden was talking about how democracy was literally at stake in this election.
“Indications are that it’s going to be close,” said the former vice-president. “We’re going to walk out of here with our share of delegates, so it’s on to New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and beyond.” Buzz Lightyear would have been proud.
By the time the cameras cut to her, Warren was talking about the abolition of slavery and the civil war. The nation’s non-Iowan voters were thus spared her account of the first century of American history. “I believe that big dreams are still possible in America,” she declared. “All it takes is some hard work and some better connections.”
Dream big, Iowa. And switch cellphone service when you can.
“When those results are announced I have a good feeling we’re going to be doing very, very well in Iowa,” said Bernie Sanders. “The message that Iowa has sent to the nation is a message shared by the American people, that we want a government that represents all of us, not just wealthy campaign contributors and the one percent.”
If Iowa wanted to send a message to the nation, they could have mailed it first class.
Whatever the reason for the counting delays, the Iowa results were always going to be less about the numbers and more about something far more notional. As a guide to the near future, Iowa’s importance rests on the magical concept of expectations and the stampede concept of media coverage.
Jimmy Carter came out of nowhere to win in 1976 in only the second cycle when Iowa was the first state to vote. Nobody expected the former Georgia governor to break through until he won in Iowa, much like nobody expected an African American senator to win in the ghostly white state 32 years later.
But in terms of expectations, Iowa taketh away as much as Iowa giveth. Howard Dean, the last Bernie-like insurgent to challenge the establishment, was trounced into third place in 2004. For the next week, his campaign suffered a protracted funeral in New Hampshire as the cable news channels played his fateful Iowa night scream on an endless loop. Four years ago, the razor-thin margin of Hillary Clinton’s victory over Bernie left Clinton looking wounded and Sanders sounding sore for months on end.
In one week, New Hampshire will have its say in ways that will be treated as profoundly meaningful, as if Barack Obama had never lost the state in 2008 after his big breakthrough in Iowa.
At some point, one of the candidates will rack up enough of a winner’s aura that the bandwagon voters jump onboard. In the bigger states, where voters aren’t as engaged or as bored as they are in Iowa, the winner’s aura is actually worth something.
In the meantime, we need to be honest about expectations in Iowa. Both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders need to win: Biden because he’s the national frontrunner, Sanders because he was leading in the most recent Iowa polls. For the other two candidates in the top tier – Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg – any finish near the top would be enough make a plausible case for their candidacy.
What does a split decision mean? As much as Bernie’s true believers want to argue their case, the Democratic party is more divided by character than creed. And the character trait that matters most is beating the cartoon character in the Oval Office. According to CNN’s entrance poll, about two-thirds of Iowa voters said they preferred a nominee who could beat Donald Trump, rather than a nominee who agreed with them on the issues.
We’re supposed to be heart-warmed by the sight of regular Iowans caucusing with their neighbors to decide on their party’s nominee to be the next commander-in-chief. But the sight of a gym full of peer pressure and vote counters made this democratic exercise look like a Kafka-esque nightmare about Miss Congeniality.
Quite why the Democrats insist on a 15% viability threshold is not entirely clear. The impact of second-choice voting in a tightly bunched contest is clear: bleachers full of cheering and jeering rather than reasoned debate.
In any case, the process was so complicated that the vote-counters sounded confused. Thank goodness the process for firing an impeached president looks so reassuringly reliable.
Thank goodness for Iowa.


theguardian--2020-02-03--'You basically are nothing': the Americans shut out of the Iowa caucuses

As Democratic candidates began a last-minute blitz across Iowa on Friday evening , nearly a dozen men gathered in a cavernous YMCA meeting room in downtown Des Moines to have a conversation that felt a universe removed from the 2020 race .
They were part of one of the largest groups shut out of Monday ’ s caucus : people with felony convictions .
Iowans are barred from voting for life once they commit a felony , and people can ’ t vote even if they committed a crime decades ago .
The state ’ s policy , one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 42,000 Iowans out of prison won ’ t have a say in choosing a presidential candidate .
Almost 10 % of the black voting-age population can ’ t vote because of a felony conviction .
For decades , the Iowa caucuses have marked the beginning of the presidential primary , and often set the tone for the election year .
But the event has come under increasing scrutiny for giving some voters – namely white and wealthy Iowans – outsized power in choosing the president in a state that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , the physical and legal barriers built into the structure of the caucuses leave out large swaths of the population , whether they are disabled , work long hours , or were once convicted of a crime .
“ When you know you can ’ t vote , you remove a certain segment of people from the political process , ” said Mendoor Smith , one of the participants at the two hour meeting , organized by Image 4 Lives , a mentorship and support group founded by Robert Pate , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re removed from the process , then they ’ re not learning anything .
If they have children , then they ’ re not telling their children anything.
” Smith , 46 , who got his bachelor ’ s degree after getting released from prison said he had been closely following the caucuses and has been going to rallies and encouraging others to caucus , even though he can ’ t .
A few miles north , Gretchen Brown-Waech was getting ready for a historic caucus designed to serve another community often sidelined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting-age Iowans with disabilities .
For decades the population has struggled to take part in the caucuses , which requires Iowans to physically show up at a location and spend hours choosing a candidate .
Brown-Waech , who is deaf , first tried to caucus in the 1990s , but when people started talking over each other , she found it overwhelming and left early .
She didn ’ t try again until 2016 with the help of a friend because she felt the choice was so important .
Now , on Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Brown-Waech is leading the first ever Iowa caucus in American Sign Language .
She expects about 20 people to come to the event on Monday , some from hours away , including a deaf couple in their 60s that has never voted .
“ Anytime anyone who is not part of the mainstream is shut out of the political process , our country loses , ” said Brown-Waech .
“ If we don ’ t design something for people on the margins , someone will always be left out.
” Since 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic party to address obstacles like transportation , navigating crowded spaces and seating that people with disabilities face to caucusing .
The party has introduced some solutions – like allowing some groups to hold satellite caucuses in their homes or accessible locales .
“ We ’ ve made it easier for Iowans to request accommodations , get in the room faster , and caucus at a site that ’ s more convenient to them , ” said Mandy McClure , a spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic party , in a statement .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all of these changes.
” But many advocates say the party ’ s approach has been abysmal , noting that a staffer handling disability outreach wasn ’ t hired until January .
“ Because there ’ s such a lack of understanding about this constituency , not only in the Democratic party , but just systematically , there ’ s a reticence to engage in the process of making spaces more inclusive and accessible , ” said Reyma McDeid , executive director of the Central Iowa Center for Independent Living .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to be confusing , it ’ s going to be expensive .
It ’ s going to be time consuming .
Let ’ s just put this off.
’ ” That places undue burden on people with disabilities to create their own caucuses , said Emmanuel Smith , a disability rights advocate who works at Disability Rights Iowa .
Smith , who has brittle bone disease and uses an electric wheelchair , said they had to travel over an hour each way to caucus in 2016 .
This year , Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house .
But they ’ ve had to spend time learning the rules for caucuses and on Monday , they will have to leave work early to set up .
“ The very people who need their voices heard the most in our democratic system are facing all these barriers .
They ’ re often the populations that are going to be directly threatened or bolstered by the policies that get implemented , ” Smith said .
As Monday approached , Brown-Waech worked on the final touches to the American Sign Language caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure that people knew to arrive on time and wanted to make a video explaining how it would work for the attendees , but had yet to receive their information from the state Democratic party .
Brown-Waech is hoping her single ASL caucus will evolve to be 15 or 20 next time around .
But for the men in YMCA room , the ability to participate remains out of reach .
While Iowa ’ s governor , Kim Reynolds , a Republican , supports a constitutional amendment to end the policy , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed last year .
Reynolds has declined to follow the lead of the governors of Kentucky and Virginia in issuing an executive order to automatically restore voting rights to some people with felonies once they complete their sentences .
Currently , the only way for someone to have their voting rights restored is to have Reynolds approve their right to vote on an individual basis after they have completed their sentences entirely , including probation and parole .
Over the last month , Reynolds ’ office has reviewed more than 400 applications , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Until there ’ s a sweeping reform , Iowa will continue to leave out tens of thousands of people .
People like Aundrey Roberts , 44 , who was released in 2017 and has never voted in his life .
“ It sends the message that once you ’ re a felon you basically are nothing , ” he said .

As Democratic candidates began a last-minute blitz across Iowa on Friday evening, nearly a dozen men gathered in a cavernous YMCA meeting room in downtown Des Moines to have a conversation that felt a universe removed from the 2020 race.
They were part of one of the largest groups shut out of Monday’s caucus: people with felony convictions. Iowans are barred from voting for life once they commit a felony, and people can’t vote even if they committed a crime decades ago. The state’s policy, one of the strictest in the country, means more than 42,000 Iowans out of prison won’t have a say in choosing a presidential candidate. Almost 10% of the black voting-age population can’t vote because of a felony conviction.
For decades, the Iowa caucuses have marked the beginning of the presidential primary, and often set the tone for the election year. But the event has come under increasing scrutiny for giving some voters – namely white and wealthy Iowans – outsized power in choosing the president in a state that’s already more than 90% white. Meanwhile, the physical and legal barriers built into the structure of the caucuses leave out large swaths of the population, whether they are disabled, work long hours, or were once convicted of a crime.
03:13 How the Democrats will decide who fights Trump – video
“When you know you can’t vote, you remove a certain segment of people from the political process,” said Mendoor Smith, one of the participants at the two hour meeting, organized by Image 4 Lives, a mentorship and support group founded by Robert Pate, a former felon. “If they’re removed from the process, then they’re not learning anything. If they have children, then they’re not telling their children anything.”
Smith, 46, who got his bachelor’s degree after getting released from prison said he had been closely following the caucuses and has been going to rallies and encouraging others to caucus, even though he can’t.
A few miles north, Gretchen Brown-Waech was getting ready for a historic caucus designed to serve another community often sidelined in the political dialogue: the 300,000 voting-age Iowans with disabilities.
Gretchen Brown-Waech at her home in Des Moines. ‘Anytime anyone who is not part of the mainstream is shut out of the political process, our country loses.’ Photograph: Nick Rohlman/for the Guardian
For decades the population has struggled to take part in the caucuses, which requires Iowans to physically show up at a location and spend hours choosing a candidate. Brown-Waech, who is deaf, first tried to caucus in the 1990s, but when people started talking over each other, she found it overwhelming and left early. She didn’t try again until 2016 with the help of a friend because she felt the choice was so important.
Now, on Monday, after pressing state Democratic party officials, Brown-Waech is leading the first ever Iowa caucus in American Sign Language. She expects about 20 people to come to the event on Monday, some from hours away, including a deaf couple in their 60s that has never voted. “Anytime anyone who is not part of the mainstream is shut out of the political process, our country loses,” said Brown-Waech. “If we don’t design something for people on the margins, someone will always be left out.”
Since 2016, advocates have been pushing the Iowa Democratic party to address obstacles like transportation, navigating crowded spaces and seating that people with disabilities face to caucusing. The party has introduced some solutions – like allowing some groups to hold satellite caucuses in their homes or accessible locales.
“We’ve made it easier for Iowans to request accommodations, get in the room faster, and caucus at a site that’s more convenient to them,” said Mandy McClure, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic party, in a statement. “Expanding participation has been at the heart of all of these changes.”
But many advocates say the party’s approach has been abysmal, noting that a staffer handling disability outreach wasn’t hired until January.
“Because there’s such a lack of understanding about this constituency, not only in the Democratic party, but just systematically, there’s a reticence to engage in the process of making spaces more inclusive and accessible,” said Reyma McDeid, executive director of the Central Iowa Center for Independent Living. “The thought is, ‘it’s going to be confusing, it’s going to be expensive. It’s going to be time consuming. Let’s just put this off.’”
Emmanuel Smith, who has brittle bone disease, said their caucuses had to travel over an hour each way to caucus in 2016. Photograph: Nick Rohlman/Nick Rohlman/for The Guardian
That places undue burden on people with disabilities to create their own caucuses, said Emmanuel Smith, a disability rights advocate who works at Disability Rights Iowa. Smith, who has brittle bone disease and uses an electric wheelchair, said they had to travel over an hour each way to caucus in 2016.
This year, Smith is hosting a caucus event at their house. But they’ve had to spend time learning the rules for caucuses and on Monday, they will have to leave work early to set up. “The very people who need their voices heard the most in our democratic system are facing all these barriers. They’re often the populations that are going to be directly threatened or bolstered by the policies that get implemented,” Smith said.
As Monday approached, Brown-Waech worked on the final touches to the American Sign Language caucus she was planning. She was making sure that people knew to arrive on time and wanted to make a video explaining how it would work for the attendees, but had yet to receive their information from the state Democratic party.
Brown-Waech is hoping her single ASL caucus will evolve to be 15 or 20 next time around. But for the men in YMCA room, the ability to participate remains out of reach.
Aundrey Roberts, 44, was released from prison in 2017 and has never voted in his life. Photograph: Sam Levine/The Guardian
While Iowa’s governor, Kim Reynolds, a Republican, supports a constitutional amendment to end the policy, a push to put it on the ballot failed last year. Reynolds has declined to follow the lead of the governors of Kentucky and Virginia in issuing an executive order to automatically restore voting rights to some people with felonies once they complete their sentences. Currently, the only way for someone to have their voting rights restored is to have Reynolds approve their right to vote on an individual basis after they have completed their sentences entirely, including probation and parole.
Over the last month, Reynolds’ office has reviewed more than 400 applications, a sliver of the population in question. Until there’s a sweeping reform, Iowa will continue to leave out tens of thousands of people. People like Aundrey Roberts, 44, who was released in 2017 and has never voted in his life.
“It sends the message that once you’re a felon you basically are nothing,” he said.


theguardian--2020-02-04--'Iowa, you have shocked the nation': Democrats remain hopeful despite results chaos – video

The Democratic candidates vying to challenge Donald Trump for the US presidency in November were left in limbo and forced @ @ @ @ @ to supporters without knowing the outcome .
Despite the lack of results , all candidates @ @ @ @ @ of victory • Smartphone app at center of Iowa debacle causes delays in results

The Democratic candidates vying to challenge Donald Trump for the US presidency in November were left in limbo and forced to make their scheduled speeches to supporters without knowing the outcome. Despite the lack of results, all candidates sought to claim a form of victory


theguardian--2020-02-04--Iowa caucus results: Pete Buttigieg pulls ahead as state Democrats release partial count – live

Some Iowans expressed frustration on Tuesday that the state Democratic party had bungled its moment in the national spotlight after the party delayed releasing the results of the caucuses because of a technical glitch .
“ I think it ’ s a shame .
Everybody ’ s got their eye on Iowa to be first and then they got everything all screwed up , ” said Joe Pendergrass , 52 , as he waited for the bus in the East Village neighborhood of Des Moines .
Pendergrass likened the episode to the 2000 Florida election debacle and said it might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would ever be certain who had won .
As the country waited for the Iowa Democratic party to release partial caucus results on Tuesday , Des Moines was cold and quiet .
Many of the candidates left in the early hours Tuesday morning to go directly to New Hampshire , which will hold its primary on 11 February .
Reporters left for the airport to leave Des Moines , which has been jam-packed the last few days .
In RAYGUN , a store that sells tongue-in-cheek goods , some people were stocking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Taking a cigarette break downtown , Scott Day , 28 , said he was surprised the party had botched the results .
“ I think it was actually pretty dumb .
They ’ ve done it for so many years and accurately gotten a result after that , ” he said .
Eating lunch at a food court , another woman , who declined to give her name , said she wasn ’ t surprised the new technology Democrats were using had caused a snafu .
The entire episode , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If I was a Democrat it would probably bother me , ” she added .

Maanvi Singh (now), Amanda Holpuch and Paul Owen (earlier)

As the final results in Iowa remain elusive, CNN reports that the Democratic National Committee is taking “an increasingly active role” in chasing up data from the locations across the state where caucuses were held.
From CNN:
The Democratic National Committee is taking an increasingly active role in the process of tracking down the data from the nearly 1,700 caucus sites across Iowa, including checking data sent to the Iowa Democratic Party via their failed app, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
A team of roughly a dozen party officials are currently in Iowa working with the state party to report out the results of last night’s caucuses, which were delayed due to widespread reporting issues between the Iowa precincts and the Iowa Democratic Party.
The team from the DNC includes staffers tracking online disinformation, we well as data and communications staff, one source said. DNC Chair Tom Perez is not in Iowa, according to a DNC aide, but has been getting updates from the team of the ground.
The DNC officials are also chasing down data from individual caucus chairs from precincts across the state, hoping to track down precincts that had not reported their results.
A spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic Party said that the DNC was “chasing precinct results,” something that they described as “something that happens after every caucus.”


theguardian--2020-02-04--Trump wants to 'Make Federal Buildings Beautiful Again' with neoclassical order

Donald Trump wants to “ make federal buildings beautiful again ” by mandating a return to “ the classical architectural style ” , according to a draft executive order obtained by Architectural Record on Tuesday .
The Record reported that it had obtained “ what appears to be a preliminary draft of the order ” .
Under the order , it said , the White House would require a rewrite of the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture , issued in 1962 , “ to ensure that ‘ the classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style ’ for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Confirming to the Guardian that the Record was reporting a genuine draft document , the Pulitzer prize-winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger said the problem with the order was “ not with classical architecture per se ” .
It was , he said , that “ the mandating of an official style is not fully compatible with 21st-century liberal democracy ” .
The Guiding Principles were written for John F Kennedy by the New York senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan , who died in 2003 .
They explicitly say “ an official style must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reflect their own time .
“ Design must flow from the architectural profession to the government and not vice-versa , ” Moynihan writes .
“ The government should be willing to pay some additional cost to avoid excessive uniformity in design of federal buildings.
” On its website , the American Planning Association calls Moynihan ’ s work “ the cornerstone of the General Services Administration [ GSA ] Design Excellence Program ” , which the APA says “ elevated attention to design and the integration of planning , architecture , public art @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of beauty and utility ” .
Before entering the White House , Trump was for nearly 50 years a real estate tycoon not noted for using the classical style in his residential and commercial buildings , favouring standard steel-and-glass modernism instead .
The Trump Organization , the president ’ s family business empire , has been criticised for its brutal treatment of older buildings which come under its sway , for example the Bonwit Teller building in New York .
But the draft Trump order on a return to classicism is reportedly entitled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – in echo of Trump ’ s 2016 campaign slogan , “ Make America Great Again ” .
It reportedly argues that when designing and building the federal capital in Washington in the late 18th century , America ’ s founders “ embraced the classical models of ‘ democratic Athens ’ and ‘ republican Rome ’ … because the style symbolized the new nation ’ s ‘ self-governing ideals ’ ” .
Pointing out that neoclassicism was simply the dominant architectural style of the time , the Record also said the draft order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for its failure to re-integrate ‘ our national values into federal buildings ’ ” , which have too often been “ influenced by brutalism and deconstructivism ” .
The US federal building in San Francisco ( 2007 ) , the US courthouse in Austin , Texas , ( 2012 ) and the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US courthouse in Miami ( 2007 ) are reportedly cited as having “ little aesthetic appeal ” .
The Record said the draft order uses words used by Moynihan – “ dignity , enterprise , vigor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deconstructivism “ fail to satisfy these requirements and shall not be used ” .
Goldberger said that in the realm of public architecture , Moynihan was “ the most important officer of the federal government since Thomas Jefferson ” .
The Trump order , he said , appears to “ twist and contort … his language to do precisely what he warned against ” .
Goldberger questioned whether the leak of the draft order would “ frighten ” the administration away from making it a reality or perhaps “ embolden ” it to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Record noted that David Insinga , the GSA ’ s chief architect and director of the Design Excellence Program , resigned his post last week .
It also noted the appointment to a key presidential commission of Justin Shubow , the president of the Civic Arts Society and an opponent of much modern architecture in the public sphere , including a new federal memorial to President Eisenhower , designed by Frank Gehry and soon to be unveiled in Washington DC .

Donald Trump wants to “make federal buildings beautiful again” by mandating a return to “the classical architectural style”, according to a draft executive order obtained by Architectural Record on Tuesday.
The Record reported that it had obtained “what appears to be a preliminary draft of the order”.
Under the order, it said, the White House would require a rewrite of the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, issued in 1962, “to ensure that ‘the classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style’ for new and upgraded federal buildings”.
Confirming to the Guardian that the Record was reporting a genuine draft document, the Pulitzer prize-winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger said the problem with the order was “not with classical architecture per se”.
It was, he said, that “the mandating of an official style is not fully compatible with 21st-century liberal democracy”.
The Guiding Principles were written for John F Kennedy by the New York senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who died in 2003. They explicitly say “an official style must be avoided” and that new buildings should reflect their own time.
“Design must flow from the architectural profession to the government and not vice-versa,” Moynihan writes. “The government should be willing to pay some additional cost to avoid excessive uniformity in design of federal buildings.”
On its website, the American Planning Association calls Moynihan’s work “the cornerstone of the General Services Administration [GSA] Design Excellence Program”, which the APA says “elevated attention to design and the integration of planning, architecture, public art and the landscape into a public realm of beauty and utility”.
Before entering the White House, Trump was for nearly 50 years a real estate tycoon not noted for using the classical style in his residential and commercial buildings, favouring standard steel-and-glass modernism instead.
The Trump Organization, the president’s family business empire, has been criticised for its brutal treatment of older buildings which come under its sway, for example the Bonwit Teller building in New York.
But the draft Trump order on a return to classicism is reportedly entitled “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” – in echo of Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again”.
It reportedly argues that when designing and building the federal capital in Washington in the late 18th century, America’s founders “embraced the classical models of ‘democratic Athens’ and ‘republican Rome’ … because the style symbolized the new nation’s ‘self-governing ideals’”.
Pointing out that neoclassicism was simply the dominant architectural style of the time, the Record also said the draft order criticises the GSA Design Excellence Program “for its failure to re-integrate ‘our national values into federal buildings’”, which have too often been “influenced by brutalism and deconstructivism”.
The US federal building in San Francisco (2007), the US courthouse in Austin, Texas, (2012) and the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US courthouse in Miami (2007) are reportedly cited as having “little aesthetic appeal”.
The Record said the draft order uses words used by Moynihan – “dignity, enterprise, vigor and stability” – but says brutalism and deconstructivism “fail to satisfy these requirements and shall not be used”.
Goldberger said that in the realm of public architecture, Moynihan was “the most important officer of the federal government since Thomas Jefferson”. The Trump order, he said, appears to “twist and contort … his language to do precisely what he warned against”.
Goldberger questioned whether the leak of the draft order would “frighten” the administration away from making it a reality or perhaps “embolden” it to push ahead with the change.
The Record noted that David Insinga, the GSA’s chief architect and director of the Design Excellence Program, resigned his post last week. It also noted the appointment to a key presidential commission of Justin Shubow, the president of the Civic Arts Society and an opponent of much modern architecture in the public sphere, including a new federal memorial to President Eisenhower, designed by Frank Gehry and soon to be unveiled in Washington DC.
The Guardian has requested White House comment.


theguardian--2020-02-04--Impeachment trial: five takeaways after day two of senators' speeches

Senators held a second day of speeches on Tuesday in advance of a vote on Wednesday afternoon on whether to convict Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment .
Here are five key takeaways : With about half of the 100 senators having spoken as of early Tuesday evening , none made a clear break with his or her party .
Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the sole speaker to leave in doubt how he would vote , blasting Trump ’ s conduct while questioning the wisdom of removal .
On Tuesday afternoon , Republican Susan Collins , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering witnesses at the trial , announced she would vote to acquit on both articles of impeachment .
“ I do not believe that the House has met its burden in showing that the president ’ s conduct , however flawed , warrants the extreme step of removal from office , ” she said .
Potentially defecting senators from whom we have not yet heard include Republican Mitt Romney of Utah and Democrats Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona .
An out-of-reach two-thirds majority of voting senators would be needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 53-seat majority in the Senate .
A Gallup poll published on Tuesday indicated Trump was at or near an approval high , with 49 % overall approval and 94 % approval among Republicans .
Trump ’ s average approval remains in the low 40s .
Trump touted the numbers on Tuesday – offering false and inflated approval numbers : “ The Republicans refused to get the evidence because they were afraid of what it would show , ” said the minority leader , Chuck Schumer , in a speech on the floor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to be said.
” Paul uses name tied to whistleblower on Senate floor In a reprise of a previous controversy at the trial , Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky appeared on the Senate floor on Tuesday with a placard bearing the text of a question he had attempted to ask last week , only to have the question refused by the supreme court chief justice , John Roberts , who is presiding .
The question included a name that reports have associated with the whistleblower whose August complaint set the impeachment inquiry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take pressure off Trump by attacking the whistleblower as a partisan , despite federal laws protecting whistleblowers from retribution .
Following Trump ’ s State of the Union speech on Tuesday tonight , the senators will resume their impeachment speeches on Wednesday morning .
Then at 4pm , Roberts is scheduled to return to the chamber to reconvene the impeachment court .
The majority leader , Mitch McConnell , was expected immediately to call a vote on the first article of impeachment , with a second vote to follow .
Should Trump be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will adjourn and the process will conclude .

Senators held a second day of speeches on Tuesday in advance of a vote on Wednesday afternoon on whether to convict Donald Trump on two articles of impeachment. Here are five key takeaways:
No clear defections – yet
With about half of the 100 senators having spoken as of early Tuesday evening, none made a clear break with his or her party. Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the sole speaker to leave in doubt how he would vote, blasting Trump’s conduct while questioning the wisdom of removal.
On Tuesday afternoon, Republican Susan Collins, who earlier had voted in favor of considering witnesses at the trial, announced she would vote to acquit on both articles of impeachment. “I do not believe that the House has met its burden in showing that the president’s conduct, however flawed, warrants the extreme step of removal from office,” she said.
Potentially defecting senators from whom we have not yet heard include Republican Mitt Romney of Utah and Democrats Doug Jones of Alabama and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. An out-of-reach two-thirds majority of voting senators would be needed for acquittal. The Republicans hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate.
Trump hits approval high
A Gallup poll published on Tuesday indicated Trump was at or near an approval high, with 49% overall approval and 94% approval among Republicans. Trump’s average approval remains in the low 40s.
Trump touted the numbers on Tuesday – offering false and inflated approval numbers:
My Approval Rating in the Republican Party = 95%, a record! Big Iowa win. Approval Rating overall = 53%, a new high. With our great Economy and other major successes, would be 20 points higher without the phony Witch Hunts and Hoaxes??? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2020
Democrats blast Republican ‘cover-up’
“The Republicans refused to get the evidence because they were afraid of what it would show,” said the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, in a speech on the floor. “And that’s all that needs to be said.”
.@SenSchumer: "It's a serious charge. The Republicans refused to get the evidence because they were afraid of what it would show. And that's all that needs to be said." pic.twitter.com/i5Tvmf602b — CSPAN (@cspan) February 4, 2020
Paul uses name tied to whistleblower on Senate floor
In a reprise of a previous controversy at the trial, Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky appeared on the Senate floor on Tuesday with a placard bearing the text of a question he had attempted to ask last week, only to have the question refused by the supreme court chief justice, John Roberts, who is presiding.
The question included a name that reports have associated with the whistleblower whose August complaint set the impeachment inquiry in motion. Republicans have sought to take pressure off Trump by attacking the whistleblower as a partisan, despite federal laws protecting whistleblowers from retribution.
What’s next
Following Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday tonight, the senators will resume their impeachment speeches on Wednesday morning. Then at 4pm, Roberts is scheduled to return to the chamber to reconvene the impeachment court. The majority leader, Mitch McConnell, was expected immediately to call a vote on the first article of impeachment, with a second vote to follow.
Should Trump be acquitted as expected, the impeachment trial will adjourn and the process will conclude.


theguardian--2020-02-04--Pete Buttigieg holds early lead in Iowa caucuses after chaos over results

Pete Buttigieg , the previously little-known former mayor of South Bend , Indiana , held a narrow lead in the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday night , according to a partial release of a majority of the results by the state Democratic party a day after an embarrassing organizational breakdown that marred the biggest night of the election year so far .
With 62 % of the precincts reporting from all of Iowa ’ s 99 counties , Buttigieg held 26.9 % of the state ’ s delegate count , trailed closely by the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders with 25.1 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18.3 % and the former vice-president Joe Biden falling well behind with 15.6 % .
Sanders , meanwhile , had so far earned the largest share of total votes cast .
However , clouded by doubts and uncertainty , the result could change as additional precincts report .
“ We know this data is accurate and we also have a paper trail , ” Troy Price , chair of the Iowa Democratic party , said at a press conference in Des Moines .
“ We have been working day and night to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declined to answer questions about when the state party would release the remainder of the results .
The early tally reflects Buttigieg ’ s remarkable rise from little-known mayor of a midsize midwestern city to a top-tier presidential candidate .
Immediately after the initial numbers were released , the 38-year-old openly gay candidate declared it an “ astonishing victory ” for a campaign that has already defied long odds .
“ A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members , no name recognition , no money – just a big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have no business even making this attempt , has taken its place at the front of this race to replace the president with a better vision , ” Buttigieg said at a campaign event in Laconia , New Hampshire .
In a rare display of emotion , Buttigieg said the result “ validates for a kid , somewhere in a community , wondering if he belongs , where she belongs , or they belong in their own family , that if you believe in yourself and your country , there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Sanders campaign was quick to point to the raw vote count as evidence of the senator ’ s ability to excite Democratic voters .
Jeff Weaver , a senior adviser for Sanders ’ campaign , said in a statement : “ So far it ’ s clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field.
” It was a blow for Biden , however , who has led the field in national polling since he entered the race and campaigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s campaign objected to the party ’ s decision to release the partial results .
By all accounts , Iowa Democrats were determined to support a candidate who they believe could defeat Donald Trump in the election in November .
The caucuses offered a first glimpse of who voters believe is best suited to do that .
In Iowa on Monday night , a mobile app meant to help steer organizers through the complicated caucus process and help them report results turned out to be defective .
As the hours dragged on without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates claimed success while minor candidates saw no reason to drop out .
“ The reporting of the results and circumstances surrounding the 2020 Iowa Democratic party caucuses were unacceptable , ” said Price .
“ As the chair of the party , I apologize deeply for this.
” But Price insisted the data was “ accurate ” and “ secure ” and vowed a “ thorough , transparent and independent examination ” would follow .
Part of the issue on Monday night was a decision by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of data from the caucuses in response to complaints over transparency by the Sanders campaign in 2016 , when Hillary Clinton defeated him in the state delegate count by a quarter of a percentage point .
Meanwhile , Democratic officials in Nevada sought to mitigate concerns ahead of the states caucuses on 22 February , announcing that the party would not use the same app or vendor .
Iowa awards only 41 delegates , who eventually nominate the Democratic presidential candidate at the party ’ s national convention in July , which represents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total .
Success in Iowa instead is largely built on expectations : candidates who fall short of projections often exit the race while those who defy the odds are rewarded with a burst of momentum that can raise their national profile and boost their fundraising as they move into New Hampshire , Nevada , South Carolina and beyond .
But the confusion and chaos engulfing the process may yet overshadow the results as attention turns to New Hampshire , which holds the next nominating contest on 11 February .
On Monday night after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought to turn the confusion to their advantage , delivering bold speeches that touted their strong performances in Iowa without a clear sense of who was in pole position .
The president wasted little time in crowing over his opponents ’ predicament , tweeting on Tuesday morning : “ The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster .
Nothing works , just like they ran the Country … the only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is ‘ Trump ’ .
” Michael Bloomberg , the billionaire former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compete in Iowa but on Tuesday announced that he would double the fortune he ’ s already spending on national television advertising and expand his sprawling staff .
Bypassing the early-voting states , Bloomberg is pursuing a highly unconventional approach to the party ’ s nomination that involves massive ad spending and a focus on the delegate-rich states that hold contests in March .
The New Hampshire primary takes place next Tuesday 11 February .
“ Iowa is supposed to be the place lots of candidates go to die , ” the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama ’ s 2012 re-election campaign , told the Guardian .
“ Now , it seems like almost everyone is getting a ticket to ride to New Hampshire , ” he continued .
“ Folks like [ Andrew ] Yang , [ Tom ] Steyer and maybe [ Amy ] Klobuchar all should have and would have had to get out today .
Now they all can soldier on .
”

Lauren Gambino in Washington and Daniel Strauss in Manchester, New Hampshire

Pete Buttigieg, the previously little-known former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, held a narrow lead in the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday night, according to a partial release of a majority of the results by the state Democratic party a day after an embarrassing organizational breakdown that marred the biggest night of the election year so far.
With 71% of the precincts reporting from all of Iowa’s 99 counties, Buttigieg held 26.8% of the state’s delegate count, trailed closely by the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders with 25.2%, the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren with 18.4% and the former vice-president Joe Biden falling well behind with 15.4%. Sanders, meanwhile, had so far earned the largest share of total votes cast.
However, clouded by doubts and uncertainty, the result could change as additional precincts report.
“We know this data is accurate and we also have a paper trail,” Troy Price, chair of the Iowa Democratic party, said at a press conference in Des Moines. “We have been working day and night to make sure these results are accurate.”
The party initially released results from 62% of precincts, before trickling out a few more figures late on Tuesday night.
He declined to answer questions about when the state party would release the remainder of the results.
The early tally reflects Buttigieg’s remarkable rise from little-known mayor of a midsize midwestern city to a top-tier presidential candidate. Immediately after the initial numbers were released, the 38-year-old gay candidate declared it an “astonishing victory” for a campaign that has already defied long odds.
“A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money – just a big idea – a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt, has taken its place at the front of this race to replace the president with a better vision,” Buttigieg said at a campaign event in Laconia, New Hampshire.
In a rare display of emotion, Buttigieg said the result “validates for a kid, somewhere in a community, wondering if he belongs, where she belongs, or they belong in their own family, that if you believe in yourself and your country, there’s a lot backing up that belief”.
The Sanders campaign was quick to point to the raw vote count as evidence of the senator’s ability to excite Democratic voters.
Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser for Sanders’ campaign, said in a statement: “So far it’s clear that in the first and second round more people voted for Bernie than any other candidate in the field.”
It was a blow for Biden, however, who has led the field in national polling since he entered the race and campaigned on his perceived electability. Biden’s campaign objected to the party’s decision to release the partial results.
By all accounts, Iowa Democrats were determined to support a candidate who they believe could defeat Donald Trump in the election in November. The caucuses offered a first glimpse of who voters believe is best suited to do that.
In Iowa on Monday night, a mobile app meant to help steer organizers through the complicated caucus process and help them report results turned out to be defective.
As the hours dragged on without an announced result, leading contenders in the crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates claimed success while minor candidates saw no reason to drop out.
“The reporting of the results and circumstances surrounding the 2020 Iowa Democratic party caucuses were unacceptable,” said Price. “As the chair of the party, I apologize deeply for this.”
But Price insisted the data was “accurate” and “secure” and vowed a “thorough, transparent and independent examination” would follow.
Part of the issue on Monday night was a decision by the state party to release three sets of data from the caucuses in response to complaints over transparency by the Sanders campaign in 2016, when Hillary Clinton defeated him in the state delegate count by a quarter of a percentage point.
Meanwhile, Democratic officials in Nevada sought to mitigate concerns ahead of the states caucuses on 22 February, announcing that the party would not use the same app or vendor.
Iowa awards only 41 delegates, who eventually nominate the Democratic presidential candidate at the party’s national convention in July, which represents around just 1% of the national total. Success in Iowa instead is largely built on expectations: candidates who fall short of projections often exit the race while those who defy the odds are rewarded with a burst of momentum that can raise their national profile and boost their fundraising as they move into New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and beyond.
But the confusion and chaos engulfing the process may yet overshadow the results as attention turns to New Hampshire, which holds the next nominating contest on 11 February.
On Monday night after Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg and Biden sought to turn the confusion to their advantage, delivering bold speeches that touted their strong performances in Iowa without a clear sense of who was in pole position.
The president wasted little time in crowing over his opponents’ predicament, tweeting on Tuesday morning: “The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster. Nothing works, just like they ran the Country … the only person that can claim a very big victory in Iowa last night is ‘Trump’.”
03:13 How the Democrats will decide who fights Trump – video
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, did not compete in Iowa but on Tuesday announced that he would double the fortune he’s already spending on national television advertising and expand his sprawling staff.
Bypassing the early-voting states, Bloomberg is pursuing a highly unconventional approach to the party’s nomination that involves massive ad spending and a focus on the delegate-rich states that hold contests in March.
The New Hampshire primary takes place next Tuesday 11 February.
“Iowa is supposed to be the place lots of candidates go to die,” the Democratic strategist Jim Messina, campaign manager for Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, told the Guardian.
“Now, it seems like almost everyone is getting a ticket to ride to New Hampshire,” he continued. “Folks like [Andrew] Yang, [Tom] Steyer and maybe [Amy] Klobuchar all should have and would have had to get out today. Now they all can soldier on.”
Maanvi Singh contributed reporting