buzzfeed--2020-02-03--Who Is The Yang Gang’s Second Choice? His Diehard Supporters Aren’t Sure They Have One.

BOONE , Iowa — Andrew Yang has pitched himself as the only Democratic candidate who can unite people from across the political spectrum to join his campaign or to vote for a Democrat for the first time .
But the ideological diversity of Yang ’ s supporters could have unpredictable consequences on the night of the Iowa caucus .
Voters confess to Yang that they voted for Trump in the last election or that they ’ re a former Republican and had only registered as a Democrat to vote for him .
In interviews with over a dozen Yang supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday ’ s caucuses , it was clear that Yang supporters ’ wide range of political ideologies has made it hard for them to coalesce behind a particular candidate who they ’ d support during a realignment vote if Yang doesn ’ t reach the viability threshold — 15 % on the first round — or if they ’ d even continue voting for a Democrat in the caucus and in the general election at all .
Dena , 39 , and Chris Hilpipre , 42 — a married couple from Mitchellville — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice .
Chris got his introduction to Yang through Joe Rogan 's podcast , and `` I liked what he was talking about so much .
It just made sense to me . ''
`` He ’ s not a politician , he ’ s a normal person like us , '' said Dena , a purchasing buyer .
Chris , a programmer for the Iowa Department of Transportation , said Yang 's `` argument for what AI is doing to society really spoke to me and made a lot of sense .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ threshold at their caucus site , however , they 're not decided on what to do .
`` There ’ s a big potential for us not to move anywhere , '' Chris said .
`` It ’ s just really something I ’ d have to feel on the night I think .
There ’ s other candidates I like . ''
`` There ’ s nobody that really compares '' to Yang , Dena said .
Though Chris likes Bernie Sanders , he does n't think his plans are `` viable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't move to Sanders during the caucus process and does n't expect him to be viable at their caucus site .
Yang has hinted that his supporters might gravitate toward the Sanders campaign , telling a Bloomberg News roundtable last week “ there ’ s a lot of overlap in support.
” But he admitted on Sunday that he did not know where his supporters would end up .
“ We have a very , very diverse group of supporters .
I can ’ t speak for where they would head , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Week .
“ I do have a sense that many of them have supported Bernie in the past , but many of them supported President Trump and they might just leave.
” Yang added that his campaign doesn ’ t currently have plans to direct his supporters to support a particular candidate during a realignment vote .
That he is drawing so many different kinds of supporters is key to his electability pitch .
“ What ’ s the number one criteria Democrats are looking for in a nominee ?
To beat Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a town hall in Boone .
“ People who are betting cash on this have me as the heaviest favorite to beat Donald Trump .
The next best candidate is even money.
” “ I ’ m going to throw a couple of facts out for you , ” Yang added .
“ One survey said 18 % of college Republicans would choose me over the president .
Another poll said that 10 % of Trump voters in the state of New Hampshire would choose me over the president.
” During a packed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a student told Yang that he ’ d never donated to a Democrat before and asked if he could give him the $ 35 in his pocket — Yang told him to find someone to caucus instead .
At his final Iowa rally in Des Moines , Yang asked supporters who ’ d voted for Trump in 2016 to raise their hands .
Over a dozen hands shot up before he asked the audience to give them a round of applause .
In the latest poll from Monmouth University , Yang had support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iowa and 4 % of those Iowans indicated that he ’ d be their second choice .
Two sisters from West Des Moines , Natalie Jensen , 23 , and Gloria Jensen , 26 , both decked out in Yang merch , attended Yang ’ s Saturday night rally in Des Moines together ; they had become Yang fans around last October .
Both were firm that they were going on Monday to caucus for Yang .
But they had differing perspectives on what they would do if Yang did n't cross @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caucus .
`` My plan is to go gung ho on Yang and If I have to snag some Tulsis or whoever I possibly can to make Yang viable — and then I haven ’ t decided if I ’ m just gon na leave or not after that , '' Natalie Jensen said .
`` As of right now for me , I would go to Sanders , but I ’ m gon na look more tomorrow at both Warren and Sanders ' policies just to make up my mind , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is really about humanity and moving the country forward and uniting the country , ” Paige Bortman , a 26-year-old independent voter who leans Republican , told BuzzFeed News .
“ I was considering supporting Trump in 2016 , but I ended up not voting .
If Yang doesn ’ t reach viability at my caucus , then I ’ m probably just going to go home.
” She added that none of the other Democratic candidates have been able to catch her interest .
“ I was a Republican .
and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew , ” said Christy Thede , a voter from central Iowa .
“ I ’ m not planning on caucusing for anyone else on Monday if he doesn ’ t reach viability and if he doesn ’ t get the nominee then I ’ m voting for Trump.
” Dave Waters , from Boone , said he ’ s read every candidates ’ book and seen every one of them in person and that he ’ s committed to caucusing for Yang as his first choice .
“ It ’ s very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said about Yang not reaching the viability threshold .
He added that he and his wife have been weighing the pros and cons of each candidate and have been wavering between supporting Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Pete Buttigieg during their realignment vote .
“ I ’ m not planning on caucusing for Bernie at all , but if he got the nomination , I ’ d gladly vote for him.
” Sanders organizers on college campuses like Iowa State University said they ’ ve been having conversations with Yang supporters about Sanders ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d be open to supporting Sanders if he doesn ’ t reach the viability threshold .
After a Yang event in Boone , a college student decked in Bernie gear who ’ d flown in from Kansas to volunteer for Sanders told BuzzFeed News she ’ d been independently talking to Yang supporters about supporting Sanders as a second choice .
If there is a plan for Yang to push his supporters toward a particular candidate , it may be a hard sell for the voters and precinct captains who ’ ve settled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precinct captains stood near each other after Yang ’ s final rally in Des Moines .
Both were from outside Iowa ; Christina Lee Shane had driven all the way from San Antonio , Texas , to volunteer , and Emilio Medina , holding a large Yang flag , had left Minnesota to be in Davenport , Iowa for a month volunteering .
They were both serving as precinct captains in Muscatine .
They did n't directly answer when asked what their instructions had been from the campaign in terms of guiding their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the threshold .
`` We ’ re all in various different trainings and caucus trainings and we have strategies of course , but ... '' Shane said , trailing off .
`` I ’ m not at liberty to say , but I would just say that the Yang campaign has a brilliant and genius revolutionary strategy that we ’ re going to be working on , '' Medina said .
Another precinct captain , Rafael C. ( who declined to provide his last name ) , who had left his home in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in with the Yang campaign , said , `` One of the funniest things about the Yang Gang is you can ask five different people what their second choice is and all five of them will give you different answers .
You can get Bernie , you can get Trump , you can get Amy Klobuchar , you can get Biden . ''
`` I don ’ t think he ’ s going to be unviable in most precincts .
I think we ’ re in a very good position , but in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I think it ’ s very unpredictable , '' he said .

BOONE, Iowa — Andrew Yang has pitched himself as the only Democratic candidate who can unite people from across the political spectrum to join his campaign or to vote for a Democrat for the first time. But the ideological diversity of Yang’s supporters could have unpredictable consequences on the night of the Iowa caucus.
Voters confess to Yang that they voted for Trump in the last election or that they’re a former Republican and had only registered as a Democrat to vote for him. In interviews with over a dozen Yang supporters across Iowa in the final days before Monday’s caucuses, it was clear that Yang supporters’ wide range of political ideologies has made it hard for them to coalesce behind a particular candidate who they’d support during a realignment vote if Yang doesn’t reach the viability threshold — 15% on the first round — or if they’d even continue voting for a Democrat in the caucus and in the general election at all.
Dena, 39, and Chris Hilpipre, 42 — a married couple from Mitchellville — are committed to Yang as their first choice. Chris got his introduction to Yang through Joe Rogan's podcast, and "I liked what he was talking about so much. It just made sense to me."
"He’s not a politician, he’s a normal person like us," said Dena, a purchasing buyer. Chris, a programmer for the Iowa Department of Transportation, said Yang's "argument for what AI is doing to society really spoke to me and made a lot of sense."
If Yang doesn't meet the threshold at their caucus site, however, they're not decided on what to do. "There’s a big potential for us not to move anywhere," Chris said. "It’s just really something I’d have to feel on the night I think. There’s other candidates I like."
"There’s nobody that really compares" to Yang, Dena said. Though Chris likes Bernie Sanders, he doesn't think his plans are "viable," and said he probably wouldn't move to Sanders during the caucus process and doesn't expect him to be viable at their caucus site.
Yang has hinted that his supporters might gravitate toward the Sanders campaign, telling a Bloomberg News roundtable last week “there’s a lot of overlap in support.” But he admitted on Sunday that he did not know where his supporters would end up.
“We have a very, very diverse group of supporters. I can’t speak for where they would head,” Yang said on ABC’s This Week. “I do have a sense that many of them have supported Bernie in the past, but many of them supported President Trump and they might just leave.” Yang added that his campaign doesn’t currently have plans to direct his supporters to support a particular candidate during a realignment vote.
That he is drawing so many different kinds of supporters is key to his electability pitch. “What’s the number one criteria Democrats are looking for in a nominee? To beat Trump,” Yang told the audience at a town hall in Boone. “People who are betting cash on this have me as the heaviest favorite to beat Donald Trump. The next best candidate is even money.”
“I’m going to throw a couple of facts out for you,” Yang added. “One survey said 18% of college Republicans would choose me over the president. Another poll said that 10% of Trump voters in the state of New Hampshire would choose me over the president.”
During a packed town hall at a Mexican restaurant, a student told Yang that he’d never donated to a Democrat before and asked if he could give him the $35 in his pocket — Yang told him to find someone to caucus instead. At his final Iowa rally in Des Moines, Yang asked supporters who’d voted for Trump in 2016 to raise their hands. Over a dozen hands shot up before he asked the audience to give them a round of applause.
In the latest poll from Monmouth University, Yang had support from 3% of likely caucus goers in Iowa and 4% of those Iowans indicated that he’d be their second choice.
Two sisters from West Des Moines, Natalie Jensen, 23, and Gloria Jensen, 26, both decked out in Yang merch, attended Yang’s Saturday night rally in Des Moines together; they had become Yang fans around last October. Both were firm that they were going on Monday to caucus for Yang. But they had differing perspectives on what they would do if Yang didn't cross the threshold to stay viable during the caucus. "My plan is to go gung ho on Yang and If I have to snag some Tulsis or whoever I possibly can to make Yang viable — and then I haven’t decided if I’m just gonna leave or not after that," Natalie Jensen said.
"As of right now for me, I would go to Sanders, but I’m gonna look more tomorrow at both Warren and Sanders' policies just to make up my mind," Gloria Jensen said.
“His message is really about humanity and moving the country forward and uniting the country,” Paige Bortman, a 26-year-old independent voter who leans Republican, told BuzzFeed News. “I was considering supporting Trump in 2016, but I ended up not voting. If Yang doesn’t reach viability at my caucus, then I’m probably just going to go home.”
She added that none of the other Democratic candidates have been able to catch her interest.
“I was a Republican. and I switched my registration to caucus just for Andrew,” said Christy Thede, a voter from central Iowa. “I’m not planning on caucusing for anyone else on Monday if he doesn’t reach viability and if he doesn’t get the nominee then I’m voting for Trump.”
Dave Waters, from Boone, said he’s read every candidates’ book and seen every one of them in person and that he’s committed to caucusing for Yang as his first choice.
“It’s very likely in my precinct,” Waters said about Yang not reaching the viability threshold. He added that he and his wife have been weighing the pros and cons of each candidate and have been wavering between supporting Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Pete Buttigieg during their realignment vote. “I’m not planning on caucusing for Bernie at all, but if he got the nomination, I’d gladly vote for him.”
Sanders organizers on college campuses like Iowa State University said they’ve been having conversations with Yang supporters about Sanders' policies and asking them if they’d be open to supporting Sanders if he doesn’t reach the viability threshold. After a Yang event in Boone, a college student decked in Bernie gear who’d flown in from Kansas to volunteer for Sanders told BuzzFeed News she’d been independently talking to Yang supporters about supporting Sanders as a second choice.
If there is a plan for Yang to push his supporters toward a particular candidate, it may be a hard sell for the voters and precinct captains who’ve settled on caucusing for him.
Two Yang precinct captains stood near each other after Yang’s final rally in Des Moines. Both were from outside Iowa; Christina Lee Shane had driven all the way from San Antonio, Texas, to volunteer, and Emilio Medina, holding a large Yang flag, had left Minnesota to be in Davenport, Iowa for a month volunteering. They were both serving as precinct captains in Muscatine. They didn't directly answer when asked what their instructions had been from the campaign in terms of guiding their caucus-goers in case Yang didn't meet the threshold. "We’re all in various different trainings and caucus trainings and we have strategies of course, but..." Shane said, trailing off.
"I’m not at liberty to say, but I would just say that the Yang campaign has a brilliant and genius revolutionary strategy that we’re going to be working on," Medina said.
Another precinct captain, Rafael C. (who declined to provide his last name), who had left his home in Miami to come to Iowa and pitch in with the Yang campaign, said, "One of the funniest things about the Yang Gang is you can ask five different people what their second choice is and all five of them will give you different answers. You can get Bernie, you can get Trump, you can get Amy Klobuchar, you can get Biden."
"I don’t think he’s going to be unviable in most precincts. I think we’re in a very good position, but in the case that he’s unviable, I think it’s very unpredictable," he said.


buzzfeed--2020-02-03--Michael Moore’s Speeches In Iowa Are A Lot To Take In

DES MOINES — Ahead of Monday ’ s caucus , Michael Moore ’ s been everywhere in his dark green jacket and Tigers ballcap , headlining events and going hard in defense of Bernie Sanders .
His point about Bernie Sanders is that he ’ s always been on the right side of the issues .
But Moore will hit one point , pivot off to the right , loop back around , deliver the punchline , then correct himself .
Sometimes he shouts into the mic .
His speeches are both objectively too much and captivating .
Since last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a “ gender apartheid ” in the United States while discussing wage disparity and the lack of elected women .
Prefaced the gender apartheid comment by noting , “ Not to take anything away from South Africa , because obviously that was a far , far more brutal situation.
” Informed his crowd in Ames that they were in “ the French Resistance.
” Performed a rendition of Matthew 25 ( the least among you ) on Sunday morning , concluding , “ I know about an hour or two ago you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get on down to the hall there , because Michael Moore is going to be preaching the Sunday sermon . '
Sorry I don ’ t have any wine or communion here.
” Produced two loose sheets of paper with the 10 cities in which Hillary Clinton rallied for Barack Obama in 2008 ( a Clinton aide subsequently said she did 46 events for Obama ) , and the 42 in which Sanders campaigned for Clinton in 2016 .
Gave different numbers ( 12 and 39 , respectively ) on MSNBC .
Asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What part of heaven did she fall out of ?
” Answered , again referring to Ocasio-Cortez , “ Of course you know her story , it was not heaven.
” The weird part , actually , is what then follows , which has often been Ocasio-Cortez .
Her calm energy so contrasts with Moore that her arrival can feel like walking through one of those misters at a theme park .
In Perry , Iowa , I watched two women and a man with a mustache and a blue Bernie cap listen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the duration of Ocasio-Cortez ’ s remarks , which focused half on Sanders ’ ideological consistency and the ways each person present could contribute to the movement .
At that same event , within minutes of each other , Moore joked about communion and Clinton ’ s rallies , and Ocasio-Cortez asked the younger people in the room to make sure they thank their “ elders , ” who “ have been part of this fight for a really long time.
” “ I want to thank you , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lately , there ’ s been a sudden revisitation of 2004 : John Kerry is back in Iowa ( campaigning for Joe Biden ) , and the Strokes will play a show ( for Sanders ) in New Hampshire .
Moore , who experienced a major cultural moment as a Bush antagonist in the bruised-heart , ironic-laugh aughts of Jon Stewart and Al Franken , is back too .
Back then , Sanders was still the fighter of lonely fights , often treated as a novelty in Washington , someone without many allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last weekend , he ’ s known Moore for many , many years .
Arguably , the Bernie wing of the Democratic Party has two wings of its own , the Moore wing and the Ocasio-Cortez wing .
If Sanders is the nominee , and certainly if he is the president , it ’ ll be interesting to see — after all the lonely years — which wing wins out .

DES MOINES — Ahead of Monday’s caucus, Michael Moore’s been everywhere in his dark green jacket and Tigers ballcap, headlining events and going hard in defense of Bernie Sanders.
His point about Bernie Sanders is that he’s always been on the right side of the issues. But Moore will hit one point, pivot off to the right, loop back around, deliver the punchline, then correct himself. Sometimes he shouts into the mic. His speeches are both objectively too much and captivating.
Since last Saturday, he has:
Said we have a “gender apartheid” in the United States while discussing wage disparity and the lack of elected women.
Prefaced the gender apartheid comment by noting, “Not to take anything away from South Africa, because obviously that was a far, far more brutal situation.”
Informed his crowd in Ames that they were in “the French Resistance.”
Performed a rendition of Matthew 25 (the least among you) on Sunday morning, concluding, “I know about an hour or two ago you said to yourselves, 'Let’s get on down to the hall there, because Michael Moore is going to be preaching the Sunday sermon.' Sorry I don’t have any wine or communion here.”
Produced two loose sheets of paper with the 10 cities in which Hillary Clinton rallied for Barack Obama in 2008 (a Clinton aide subsequently said she did 46 events for Obama), and the 42 in which Sanders campaigned for Clinton in 2016.
Gave different numbers (12 and 39, respectively) on MSNBC.
Asked, referring to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, “What part of heaven did she fall out of?”
Answered, again referring to Ocasio-Cortez, “Of course you know her story, it was not heaven.”
The weird part, actually, is what then follows, which has often been Ocasio-Cortez. Her calm energy so contrasts with Moore that her arrival can feel like walking through one of those misters at a theme park. In Perry, Iowa, I watched two women and a man with a mustache and a blue Bernie cap listen with literal smiles on their faces for the duration of Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks, which focused half on Sanders’ ideological consistency and the ways each person present could contribute to the movement.
At that same event, within minutes of each other, Moore joked about communion and Clinton’s rallies, and Ocasio-Cortez asked the younger people in the room to make sure they thank their “elders,” who “have been part of this fight for a really long time.”
“I want to thank you,” she said. “I want to thank you.”
Lately, there’s been a sudden revisitation of 2004: John Kerry is back in Iowa (campaigning for Joe Biden), and the Strokes will play a show (for Sanders) in New Hampshire. Moore, who experienced a major cultural moment as a Bush antagonist in the bruised-heart, ironic-laugh aughts of Jon Stewart and Al Franken, is back too. Back then, Sanders was still the fighter of lonely fights, often treated as a novelty in Washington, someone without many allies — though, as the candidate noted last weekend, he’s known Moore for many, many years.
Arguably, the Bernie wing of the Democratic Party has two wings of its own, the Moore wing and the Ocasio-Cortez wing. If Sanders is the nominee, and certainly if he is the president, it’ll be interesting to see — after all the lonely years — which wing wins out.
Matt Berman contributed reporting.


buzzfeed--2020-02-03--A Key Iowa Democrat Hasn’t Endorsed Anyone For President Yet

It was never about one of us .
It was always about all of us .
Thank you @ KamalaHarris for this journey !
# ForThePeople # TTBFO DES MOINES – Deidre DeJear — one of Iowa ’ s last undecided top Democrats — is likely to make an official endorsement before the caucuses on Monday .
But in a sign of how fluid the primary still is , DeJear , Iowa ’ s 2018 Democratic nominee for secretary of state and former state chair for Kamala Harris ’ s presidential campaign , has not yet made up her mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she ’ s deciding between former South Bend , Indiana , mayor Pete Buttigieg , Sen. Elizabeth Warren , and former vice president Joe Biden .
DeJear said she ’ s likely to make a decision tomorrow , adding there ’ s still a small chance she only caucuses for a candidate instead of making a public pronouncement .
“ We ’ re broken and we 're sick but I think the solution is in recalibrating our moral compass as a country , and I ’ m looking for somebody who can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeJear also said that she didn ’ t want to feel forced into a decision but thinks it might ultimately be necessary to do so .
“ My message to people with this endorsement is that the decisions we make to support leaders are not always easy ones , ” she said .
“ But if we ’ re going overcome any challenges that exist in our country , we have to first begin with the internal challenge of making a choice.
” DeJear said that after Harris suspended her campaign in December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But she savored the freedom to simply encourage participation in the caucuses among her community in Des Moines .
In brief interviews , the state ’ s Democrats said her endorsement mattered as a black woman who was able to broadly speak about concerns in the community .
Aides around the candidates said the campaigns had worked hard for her endorsement because of her reputation as a motivator , whose leadership could serve as a boost to caucusgoers suffering from apathy .
Her intentions on Sunday — DeJear ’ s self-imposed deadline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday night dinner party for Biden fans hosted by senior adviser Symone Sanders at a black-owned restaurant in Des Moines .
DeJear suggested that she has spoken with Harris in recent days , but said she couldn ’ t elaborate on their conversations .
“ If this was just a personal decision , I would n't be going through all this , ” DeJear said .

DES MOINES – Deidre DeJear — one of Iowa’s last undecided top Democrats — is likely to make an official endorsement before the caucuses on Monday.
But in a sign of how fluid the primary still is, DeJear, Iowa’s 2018 Democratic nominee for secretary of state and former state chair for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, has not yet made up her mind. In an interview, DeJear said that she’s deciding between former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former vice president Joe Biden.
DeJear said she’s likely to make a decision tomorrow, adding there’s still a small chance she only caucuses for a candidate instead of making a public pronouncement.
“We’re broken and we're sick but I think the solution is in recalibrating our moral compass as a country, and I’m looking for somebody who can do that,” she said.
DeJear also said that she didn’t want to feel forced into a decision but thinks it might ultimately be necessary to do so.
“My message to people with this endorsement is that the decisions we make to support leaders are not always easy ones,” she said. “But if we’re going overcome any challenges that exist in our country, we have to first begin with the internal challenge of making a choice.”
DeJear said that after Harris suspended her campaign in December, her supporters were quickly scooped up. But she savored the freedom to simply encourage participation in the caucuses among her community in Des Moines.
In brief interviews, the state’s Democrats said her endorsement mattered as a black woman who was able to broadly speak about concerns in the community. Aides around the candidates said the campaigns had worked hard for her endorsement because of her reputation as a motivator, whose leadership could serve as a boost to caucusgoers suffering from apathy.
Her intentions on Sunday — DeJear’s self-imposed deadline — were a hot topic at a Saturday night dinner party for Biden fans hosted by senior adviser Symone Sanders at a black-owned restaurant in Des Moines. DeJear suggested that she has spoken with Harris in recent days, but said she couldn’t elaborate on their conversations.
“If this was just a personal decision, I wouldn't be going through all this,” DeJear said.


buzzfeed--2020-02-03--Iowa’s Oldest Chinese Restaurant Is Now The Weirdest Fusion Pizza Place You’ll Visit

King Ying Low was one of America ’ s oldest Chinese restaurants when it closed in 2008 .
Its history is a story of perseverance and survival in the face of contempt and persecution .
Fong ’ s Pizza is one of the weirdest places in Des Moines .
When you walk in , the booths in the narrow room and the mural of a heron on the back wall may seem like you ’ ve just entered a traditional Chinese American restaurant .
But to the left , there ’ s a fully stocked midcentury tiki bar that serves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heavy plastic cups etched with cartoonish iconography .
Fong 's — a popular restaurant that ’ s been featured on shows like Man v. Food and The Best Thing I Ever Ate — is a Frankenstein exercise in American fusion .
The menu features Chinese cheese sticks ( mozzarella cheese encased in an egg roll wrapper and served with marinara sauce ) alongside crab rangoon pizza ( the expected combination of cream cheese and artificial crab mixed with Asiago and mozzarella cheese , topped with a sweet chili sauce and crispy wontons ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crust as thin and white as a saltine cracker .
The cultural tensions at work are illustrated in the origins of its name , chosen by a partner in the restaurant group that owns the place who also considers himself a movie buff .
The “ Fong ” in Fong ’ s Pizza is an homage to Benson Fong , a Chinese American actor famous for his roles in Charlie Chan movies , a popular series of films from the mid–20th century .
The films are widely considered controversial since the titular role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an actor in yellowface .
Beneath all this , Fong 's sits on a small piece of American history : the remodeled remains of King Ying Low , a vintage Chinese American restaurant that closed permanently in 2008 with little fanfare .
At least a century old , King Ying Low was not only the oldest still-operating restaurant in Des Moines ; it was one of the oldest still-operating Chinese American restaurants in the entire country .
( Pekin Noodle Parlor in Butte , Montana , which opened in 1911 , currently claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time when Chinese immigrants faced steep structural barriers in all aspects of life alongside pervasive racism , the history of King Ying Low is actually one history of Chinese Americans in the Midwest — and America .
It ’ s a story of perseverance and survival in the face of contempt and persecution , but also a demonstration of how a small cultural minority embedded itself deep within the fabric of its community .
In a 1910 article , a reporter for the Register and Leader reported on the lack of New Year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 Chinese immigrants .
Lee Din , the local founder of Chinese restaurant King Ying Low , was interviewed , lamenting the lack of festivities .
For Din and his fellow immigrants to Iowa , there was little to celebrate and more than enough reason for them to keep their heads down in their adopted city , which was less than welcoming .
Din had made his way to St. Paul and then Des Moines after initially immigrating from Guangzhou to San Francisco in 1880 .
When he opened the restaurant sometime between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still closer to its origins as a frontier town — a Manifest Destiny–era military settlement built upon the confluent banks of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers — than to the insurance town filled with professionals , which the city would later become .
Din and King Ying Low settled into the second floor of a building on Mulberry Street , above a saloon and below a medical school .
It quickly became entrenched as one of the city ’ s few Chinese restaurants .
King Ying Low offered a limited menu in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around chop suey , a bland collection of meat , vegetables , and rice in a starchy sauce that has little in common with traditional Cantonese dishes but became immensely popular across America in the early 19th century , so ubiquitous that Chinese restaurants were mostly referred to as chop suey houses .
Mob violence and intense prejudice toward Chinese American communities plagued coastal cities in the years after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882 .
But the community in Des Moines , governed and policed by almost exclusively white settlers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ success of his fledgling restaurant .
Immediately upon King Ying Low ’ s opening , the restaurant became an integral part of the heart of downtown Des Moines , then an area of never-closing saloons and pool halls that were home to the region ’ s most diverse , marginalized , and often criminalized populations .
Almost as soon as he arrived , Din had to fight not just to ensure the survival of his own restaurant but for the survival of the small community of Chinese Americans who called Des Moines home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America at the turn of the 19th century was an almost direct result of the Chinese Exclusion Act .
Due to the restrictions imposed by the law and subsequently limited jobs available , these restaurants functioned as sustainable sources of income and ideal vehicles through which to sponsor the immigration of Chinese workers to America .
King Ying Low was no different .
Din was even arrested and fined in 1919 after he was accused of attempting to bribe an immigration officer by slipping a $ 100 bill in his pocket ; the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ papers of one of the restaurant ’ s employees .
Din 's first appearance in the public record was in 1905 , when he appeared in court on charges of keeping a “ disorderly house ” — essentially an accusation that he allowed prostitution at King Ying Low , after he was arrested with six women .
Later , in 1911 , he had to appeal a ruling by local law enforcement that barred women from visiting King Ying Low after a similar arrest by arguing that it was “ no crime to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of downtown Des Moines , rather than the nearby saloons and dance halls , drew the particular ire of law enforcement throughout the first decade of King Ying Low ’ s existence .
“ The chop suey restaurant is the worst place left in Des Moines and it has to go , ” proclaimed a Des Moines police chief in 1909 after a young woman from a well-to-do family was arrested in one .
The subsequent crackdown resulted in further raids and more arrests .
Chinese American restaurant owners found themselves consistently brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A fellow downtown Chinese restaurateur named George Wee , who came to Des Moines in an attempt to expand Chicago ’ s chop suey tradition , was arrested and harangued by law enforcement so frequently that he was eventually forced to close his restaurant and was nearly deported .
A pause in arrests in the spring of 1910 was so noticeable that it was remarked upon in the local paper .
“ The police must be pretty busy these days , ” the comment reads .
“ They haven ’ t found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in over a week.
” The racist campaign to characterize chop suey restaurants as illicit and criminal didn ’ t go unanswered by Din .
He donated large sums of money to local charities to address problems of poverty .
When his son graduated from medical school back in Guangzhou , Din had his picture printed along with an announcement of his graduation in the paper for everyone in the community to see .
When a union of Iowa laundry workers threatened a community of Chinese business owners in Des Moines in 1916 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community ’ s spokesperson .
As World War I erupted in Europe , Din became the vocal leader of a small minority of Chinese Americans in the Des Moines and weighed in on foreign policy .
In multiple instances , he correctly predicted publicly that Japan ’ s power and empire expansion would continue to grow and entreated the United States to ally with China , something the country wouldn ’ t do until World War II .
Though Din and his fellow Chinese American immigrants were not allowed citizenship and therefore could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Red Cross .
As King Ying Low entered its second decade in Des Moines in 1924 , Lee Din announced his intent to return to his native Guangzhou .
His son was now a practicing doctor , and he hadn ’ t seen his wife in 20 years .
By this time , his restaurant was already considered the “ oldest chop suey house in Des Moines.
” In 1932 , only a few years after taking over management of the restaurant , Charles Chong died of pneumonia , which he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he was compelled to testify in the immigration trial of a former King Ying Low employee .
His partner , Sun Leong , had barely taken sole ownership of the business when he too was subpoenaed to testify in yet another immigration trial in San Francisco .
His son , Louis Leong , stepped in to take full control of the restaurant .
Like Din before him , Leong was called upon to represent his home country in his new community .
As conflict with Japan began to seem more inevitable and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owner of King Ying Low , at 26 , declared publicly that he would fight for China if he hadn ’ t immigrated to America .
During the lead-up to WWII and after the US entered the war , Leong led public charity drives to raise money for the Chinese relief .
During and immediately after the war , the restaurant hosted several events held by the Iowa Socialist Party , including a speech on “ America ’ s Role in Asia ” by a writer who had also spoken out against Japanese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a leading representative of Saskatchewan ’ s democratic socialist party .
By the end of the decade , King Ying Low had established itself on the ground floor of the Elliott Hotel , where it would remain until its closure .
After an alliance with China during WWII finally prompted the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943 and King Ying Low had established its position as a pillar of Des Moines ’ culinary scene under the steady hand of Leong , the restaurant settled into a long period of stability .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ WWII , Leong continued the King Ying Low tradition of using the restaurant to facilitate Chinese American immigration , this time within the context of the Cold War .
King Ying Low itself was a longtime staging ground for the progressive political movements that would make dramatic and lasting changes in Iowa during the ’ 60s and ’ 70s .
Park Rinard — a liberal power broker who worked with painter Grant Wood before to orchestrate the campaigns , policy issues , and speeches that would successfully propel Democratic governors and members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant as a base of operations for his wheeling and dealing in Des Moines .
The 1970s also brought an influx of restaurants to the Midwest .
When Leong retired in 1975 , his successors were a group of Chinese immigrant chefs .
The chefs brought a new range of cuisine to the old chop suey house , led by Ludwig Young , a charismatic chef who chose the moniker for himself .
( He claimed that Beethoven ’ s 5th Symphony was the first piece of Western music he ’ d ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better . )
A profile of King Ying Low ’ s new guard called the restaurant ’ s revamped cuisine “ short on American chop suey and long on the sophisticated Mandarin school of Chinese cookery , with Szechuan specialties also , as well as the more familiar Cantonese.
” In stark relief to its early history , King Ying Low found itself being written about and judged on the authenticity of its Chinese food , decor , and service , as opposed to its ability to assimilate and survive in a community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reviews in the late ’ 70s highlighted this change , both by the same food critic .
The first slammed the authenticity of King Ying Low and blamed the bad dining experience on the “ occidental ” waitress and the poor service she provided .
A revision that came just a few years later remarked upon the “ authentic ” quality of the food and that many Asian Americans seemed to be eating at the restaurant .
In 1980 , as the ownership of King Ying Low settled in and only 60 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chinese New Year celebrations in Des Moines , the Register profiled Young and his family in honor of the same holiday , an article in which Young discussed Chinese cultural traditions and his own opinions on his home country .
Young and his family ran the restaurant , and they planned another ( closer to the suburbs where many families continued to migrate ) .
He began to choose textbooks and help develop a curriculum for the first Chinese-language classes offered in Des Moines Public Schools that , with a special permit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All these plans were cut abruptly short when Young died of cancer in 1987 .
The following year , Young ’ s predecessor , Louis Leong , also died of cancer at 77 .
After decades as a Des Moines institution , King Ying Low entered the ’ 90s in crisis , especially as the city ’ s downtown completed its long transformation into a neighborhood where people worked but did not live .
King Ying Low coasted through several decades of atrophy and cultural neglect that perfectly mirrored the status of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review in the Des Moines Register in 2005 rated the food as average , the atmosphere shabby , and the history not worth the hype . )
And so , in 2008 , after a century of the restaurant 's existence , generations of Chinese American immigrants , and decades spent as a cornerstone of Chinese American culture in the city where its pioneering founder had made his home , the final owner , Tony Wong , quietly announced King Ying Low ’ s permanent closure as the result of particularly damaging kitchen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the traditional Chinese American restaurant .
Retiring older owners have given way to restaurant closures .
A younger generation of owners has brought more regionalized Chinese cuisines to the US , where a more diverse and globalized palette has made for a receptive audience .
This , in turn , has sparked fraught debates about what authentic food really is : Generations of Chinese American restaurateurs have defended their approach to food as an authentic American style .
Placing Fong ’ s Pizza in that wider landscape is a difficult task .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s closure , Full Court Press — one of two restaurant groups that own the majority of restaurants in downtown Des Moines , an area known for its kitschy , popular bars — bought the space .
Originally , the plan was for a traditional late-night pizza joint .
But the concept for the restaurant changed when the new owners surveyed the ruins .
“ Seeing the pieces from this restaurant and , honestly , the history of it all , what a sad thing to have laid that to bed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gwen Page , co-owner and manager of Fong ’ s Pizza for the past decade , told BuzzFeed News .
The original concept for a tiki bar that served pizza expanded to accommodate the influence of this history , and Fong ’ s was born .
Other than peeling away layers of wallpaper and adding a bar , the former King Ying Low ’ s layout remained mostly unchanged , with parts of the old decor directly incorporated into the new restaurant .
A framed King Ying Low menu sits above the sticker-covered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bric-a-brac .
Without the purchase , the restaurant might have been completely gutted and changed into something completely different , the decor and history lost .
In the wake of the catastrophic fire that destroyed 85,000 pieces at the Museum of Chinese in America in New York ’ s Chinatown , the preservation of this history feels especially urgent .
The concept of Chinese American pizza , simultaneously radical and broadly appealing to the takeout preferences forged through decades of culinary evolution and tradition in the 20th century , has also been met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Early customers walked out after discovering there was no traditional Chinese American food being served .
An early review in the Register dismissed the restaurant as “ King Ying Kitsch.
” ( Since then , the restaurant has been featured on the Travel Channel series Man v. Food .
It recently made a personal fan out of Alton Brown , which resulted in a feature on his Food Network show and personal praise on Twitter .
It has also expanded , with three other locations in the state , the most of any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a blonde mother of two who plays in a jam band in her spare time , said addressing concerns about cultural appropriation is just part of the modern restaurant world .
But , she said , it 's a complaint they seldom hear .
`` Every once in a while , we 'll get a comment that somebody is offended , ” she said .
“ I think that goes with a lot of things .
You have to be pretty sensitive anymore these days , which I am .
That 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think , early on , when we were still learning and growing , there may have been more opportunity to do that .
We 've evolved and streamlined , and the best way to be successful in business is to interact with your guests and get that feedback — and if you do hear a sort of comment that someone is caught off-guard or just not feeling that , I honor that and I take that very seriously .
But I have n't really .
The biggest complaints we get here are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience Des Moines ’ Chinese American culinary history in its original form , direct descendants of the King Ying Low tradition can still be found in the city , just in a different neighborhood .
When Louis Leong retired and sold his restaurant in 1975 , his son , Frank Lee , took up ownership of the restaurant Rice Bowl in Beaverdale , a tranquil , family-oriented neighborhood in the northwestern reaches of the city .
The traditional Chinese American restaurant opened in 1966 , and Lee brought his family recipes from King @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rice Bowl still stands today , just as it has for decades , now run by Kenny Lee , the grandson of Louis Leong .
( The Lee family declined an interview . )
Despite a national trend that sees the younger generation leaving multigenerational Chinese American restaurants for other careers , Rice Bowl remains a family affair with the 65-year-old Lee at the helm and his daughter , Jenna , assisting him .
●

The subsequent crackdown resulted in further raids and more arrests. Chinese American restaurant owners found themselves consistently brought up on charges of prostitution and indecency. A fellow downtown Chinese restaurateur named George Wee, who came to Des Moines in an attempt to expand Chicago’s chop suey tradition, was arrested and harangued by law enforcement so frequently that he was eventually forced to close his restaurant and was nearly deported. A pause in arrests in the spring of 1910 was so noticeable that it was remarked upon in the local paper. “The police must be pretty busy these days,” the comment reads. “They haven’t found time to raid the Chop Suey joint in over a week.”
The racist campaign to characterize chop suey restaurants as illicit and criminal didn’t go unanswered by Din. He donated large sums of money to local charities to address problems of poverty. When his son graduated from medical school back in Guangzhou, Din had his picture printed along with an announcement of his graduation in the paper for everyone in the community to see. When a union of Iowa laundry workers threatened a community of Chinese business owners in Des Moines in 1916, he stood against them as the community’s spokesperson.
As World War I erupted in Europe, Din became the vocal leader of a small minority of Chinese Americans in the Des Moines and weighed in on foreign policy. In multiple instances, he correctly predicted publicly that Japan’s power and empire expansion would continue to grow and entreated the United States to ally with China, something the country wouldn’t do until World War II. Though Din and his fellow Chinese American immigrants were not allowed citizenship and therefore could not be drafted, they all donated to the Red Cross.
As King Ying Low entered its second decade in Des Moines in 1924, Lee Din announced his intent to return to his native Guangzhou. His son was now a practicing doctor, and he hadn’t seen his wife in 20 years. By this time, his restaurant was already considered the “oldest chop suey house in Des Moines.”
In 1932, only a few years after taking over management of the restaurant, Charles Chong died of pneumonia, which he contracted while returning from San Francisco, where he was compelled to testify in the immigration trial of a former King Ying Low employee. His partner, Sun Leong, had barely taken sole ownership of the business when he too was subpoenaed to testify in yet another immigration trial in San Francisco.
His son, Louis Leong, stepped in to take full control of the restaurant. Like Din before him, Leong was called upon to represent his home country in his new community. As conflict with Japan began to seem more inevitable and the Second Sino-Japanese War loomed, the owner of King Ying Low, at 26, declared publicly that he would fight for China if he hadn’t immigrated to America.
During the lead-up to WWII and after the US entered the war, Leong led public charity drives to raise money for the Chinese relief. During and immediately after the war, the restaurant hosted several events held by the Iowa Socialist Party, including a speech on “America’s Role in Asia” by a writer who had also spoken out against Japanese internment during the war and dinner with a leading representative of Saskatchewan’s democratic socialist party.
By the end of the decade, King Ying Low had established itself on the ground floor of the Elliott Hotel, where it would remain until its closure. After an alliance with China during WWII finally prompted the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943 and King Ying Low had established its position as a pillar of Des Moines’ culinary scene under the steady hand of Leong, the restaurant settled into a long period of stability.
Despite the easing of immigration restrictions after WWII, Leong continued the King Ying Low tradition of using the restaurant to facilitate Chinese American immigration, this time within the context of the Cold War.
King Ying Low itself was a longtime staging ground for the progressive political movements that would make dramatic and lasting changes in Iowa during the ’60s and ’70s. Park Rinard — a liberal power broker who worked with painter Grant Wood before to orchestrate the campaigns, policy issues, and speeches that would successfully propel Democratic governors and members of Congress to victory — often used the restaurant as a base of operations for his wheeling and dealing in Des Moines.
The 1970s also brought an influx of restaurants to the Midwest. When Leong retired in 1975, his successors were a group of Chinese immigrant chefs. The chefs brought a new range of cuisine to the old chop suey house, led by Ludwig Young, a charismatic chef who chose the moniker for himself. (He claimed that Beethoven’s 5th Symphony was the first piece of Western music he’d ever heard, but he thought Bach was better.) A profile of King Ying Low’s new guard called the restaurant’s revamped cuisine “short on American chop suey and long on the sophisticated Mandarin school of Chinese cookery, with Szechuan specialties also, as well as the more familiar Cantonese.”
In stark relief to its early history, King Ying Low found itself being written about and judged on the authenticity of its Chinese food, decor, and service, as opposed to its ability to assimilate and survive in a community largely opposed to its existence.
Two reviews in the late ’70s highlighted this change, both by the same food critic. The first slammed the authenticity of King Ying Low and blamed the bad dining experience on the “occidental” waitress and the poor service she provided. A revision that came just a few years later remarked upon the “authentic” quality of the food and that many Asian Americans seemed to be eating at the restaurant.
In 1980, as the ownership of King Ying Low settled in and only 60 years after a reporter remarked upon the absence of Chinese New Year celebrations in Des Moines, the Register profiled Young and his family in honor of the same holiday, an article in which Young discussed Chinese cultural traditions and his own opinions on his home country.
Young and his family ran the restaurant, and they planned another (closer to the suburbs where many families continued to migrate). He began to choose textbooks and help develop a curriculum for the first Chinese-language classes offered in Des Moines Public Schools that, with a special permit, he planned to teach as well.
All these plans were cut abruptly short when Young died of cancer in 1987. The following year, Young’s predecessor, Louis Leong, also died of cancer at 77.
After decades as a Des Moines institution, King Ying Low entered the ’90s in crisis, especially as the city’s downtown completed its long transformation into a neighborhood where people worked but did not live. King Ying Low coasted through several decades of atrophy and cultural neglect that perfectly mirrored the status of its longtime neighborhood. (A final review in the Des Moines Register in 2005 rated the food as average, the atmosphere shabby, and the history not worth the hype.)
And so, in 2008, after a century of the restaurant's existence, generations of Chinese American immigrants, and decades spent as a cornerstone of Chinese American culture in the city where its pioneering founder had made his home, the final owner, Tony Wong, quietly announced King Ying Low’s permanent closure as the result of particularly damaging kitchen fire.


buzzfeed--2020-02-03--Amy Klobuchar Is Promising Iowa Voters Electability — But Has Almost No Black Support

Pete Buttigieg ’ s campaign has struggled with black voters for months .
But Klobuchar ’ s problems are just as pronounced .
DES MOINES — Both are moderate Midwesterners who have pitched their presidential campaigns on a promise to speak to the heartland voters who moved away from Democrats in 2016 .
Both come from mostly white states where black leaders have questioned their records on issues of racial justice .
And both are polling at or near zero percent with black voters nationwide .
But unlike Pete Buttigieg , Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar ’ s struggles with black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as she pitches herself as the Democrats ’ most electable candidate in the Midwest , and makes plans to continue her campaign beyond Monday ’ s Iowa caucuses .
In a Washington Post poll of black voters earlier this month , Klobuchar was at 0 % to Buttigieg ’ s 2 % .
And while she has racked up endorsements from scores of current and former elected officials — among the most of any candidate in the race — just 18 are from people of color , most of them from her home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facing criticism there this week over revelations about her decades-old prosecution of a black teenager .
A group of black leaders in Minnesota called for her to suspend her campaign in light of an Associated Press investigation suggesting the 16-year-old boy Klobuchar put in jail for life may have been innocent .
The case highlights a stark reality for Klobuchar a few days before the first votes are cast in the presidential race : She has done very little in the course of her year-long , electability-focused campaign to win over the support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — black Democrats .
Her home state ’ s two most prominent black politicians , Rep. Ilhan Omar and Attorney General Keith Ellison , endorsed Bernie Sanders .
Outside of Minnesota and the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire , she has scarce support from people of color , including just one elected official , California Rep. Linda Sanchez , who endorsed her Saturday .
No black elected officials have announced their support for Klobuchar in other states .
Perhaps more significantly , Klobuchar faces serious hurdles to winning over black voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her career as a tough-on-crime prosecutor and has been criticized for failing to prosecute a single killing by the police when she headed prosecutions in Hennepin County , Minnesota ’ s largest county .
The revelation of serious flaws in the case Klobuchar built against Myon Burrell , the teenager Klobuchar charged with the murder of an 11-year-old girl , Tyesha Edwards , in Minneapolis , is likely to cause a further issue for Klobuchar .
Klobuchar has repeatedly used Burrell ’ s prosecution to bolster her own political career — including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she cut an ad with Edwards ’ mother , who said , “ When our little girl , Tyesha , was murdered , Amy saw to it that those gang members were put away.
” And she brought the prosecution up in a recent Democratic debate , where she cited the case to deflect criticisms that she had not been committed to racial justice .
“ The cases that came to us , the African American community that came to us , they said there was no justice for their little kids , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killing of a boy named Byron Phillips .
“ We found the shooter and we put him in jail , ” Klobuchar said .
“ We did the same for the killer of a little girl named Tyesha Edwards who was doing her homework at her kitchen table and was shot through the window.
” An Associated Press investigation this week found evidence of serious inconsistencies and a lack of forensic evidence in the case against Burrell , who is now 33 and has maintained his innocence for 14 years , refusing any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the Associated Press that she believed any new evidence in the Burrell case should be reviewed immediately , noting that Burrell had been tried and convicted twice of the murder .
The head juror in the case said Saturday that he regretted convicting Burrell in light of the investigation , telling the Associated Press , “ I feel , for lack of a better word , that we were misled.
” Ruth Ann Gaines , one of handful of black legislators in Iowa and the first state representative to endorse Klobuchar , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Burrell case from campaign staff on Friday .
“ I think she ’ s gon na stand tall , stand firm , be honest , have integrity — and if things come up that can change the case , then go for it .
This is a young man ’ s life that ’ s in jeopardy here , ” Gaines said on Saturday of the push to look at new evidence .
“ I think she would be willing to maybe retract it .
Maybe mistakes were made .
Maybe things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissuade me from voting for her.
” Still , Gaines said she expects most black voters to stick with former vice president Joe Biden .
“ I think she ’ s picking up support in the black community — even in the last several days , ” she said .
“ Our hope is among younger voters who are still out there making up their minds.
” Carlie Waibel , the campaign ’ s communications director , pointed to the recent endorsement of another black legislator in Iowa : Rep. Ross Wilburn .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senator Klobuchar visits more places and meets more people , her support grows — including with people of color , ” Waibel said .
“ As our campaign continues to ramp up , we expect our support to continue to grow . ''
Black voters are a vital demographic in the Democratic primary — candidates simply can ’ t win without them — and are important in the Midwest during the general election , where high voter turnout among black voters in cities like Detroit , Milwaukee , and Minneapolis are necessary for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klobuchar , who was reelected to a third US Senate term in 2018 , has consistently won the support of black voters in Minnesota , a highly engaged voting block in the state .
But the Burrell case has highlighted what some black leaders in the state say is a disconnect with the state ’ s black community .
“ I would say that Amy Klobuchar does not have any real connection to the black community in [ Minneapolis ] or in Minnesota , ” said Nekima Levy Armstrong , a community activist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Klobuchar to suspend her campaign and address the Burrell case .
“ She has portrayed herself as a tough-on-crime prosecutor while working to appeal to mainstream white middle-class voters .
But the reality is that Klobuchar did measurable amounts of harm to the black community when she was the lead prosecutor in Hennepin County , ” Levy Armstrong said .
Klobuchar has also been criticized for failing to bring charges against a single police officer who killed a citizen in her eight-year run as the top prosecutor in Minnesota ’ s most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two dozen police-involved killings in that period .
Minneapolis police have long faced allegations of excessive force — leading to unrest that culminated in widespread protests over the 2015 killing of Jamar Clark .
Though Omar and Ellison endorsed Bernie Sanders , Klobuchar has been endorsed by several other black leaders , like St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Moorhead Mayor Johnathan Judd .
Wilburn , the Iowa legislator who endorsed Klobuchar earlier this week after his first-choice candidate , Sen. Kamala Harris , dropped out of the race , said he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of color in her policies , and had put people of color in influential positions within her campaign , he said .
“ Because of how she ’ s been listening , because of how she ’ s been reaching out to communities of color , I have confidence in her willingness and ability to take on criminal justice reform , ” Wilburn said .
He had doubts , he said , about polls that showed Klobuchar at zero with black voters ; in the past , he said , they had not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ color .
“ There ’ s movement going on — word is getting out , and it ’ s not being reflected in polls.
” Buttigieg , who is courting similar voters as Klobuchar , has also made almost no inroads with black voters .
Both come from states where black people account for just about 10 % of the population .
But unlike Klobuchar , he has faced a litany of headlines about his “ struggles and stumbles.
” He briefly left the campaign trail last summer to deal with an officer-involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For months , his campaign has sought in private and in public to deal with those struggles , though many of those efforts have been clumsy or failed altogether .
He released a “ Douglass Plan ” focused on racial justice , a high-profile policy rollout attached to a list of endorsements from the black community in the key primary state of South Carolina — except some of the people on the list later said they had not actually endorsed the plan or were white .
This week , days before Iowa will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal published stories detailing his campaign ’ s extended efforts to allay concerns among staffers of color .
Inside the campaign , according to the reports , some of those staffers said that senior Buttigieg officials were not receptive to their feedback .
Earlier this month , as nearly every other Democratic presidential candidate prepared to pause their campaigns in Iowa to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in South Carolina , black leaders in the state criticized Buttigieg and Klobuchar for initially planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , both candidates moved to change their schedules at the last minute .
The night before MLK Day , during a town hall in Waukee , Iowa , Klobuchar told the crowd she was headed to South Carolina later that night .
In a yearlong primary and a historically large Democratic field , Klobuchar has remained a competitive factor , polling just points below top-tier candidates like Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren .
She is popular in northern Iowa , a region of the state that borders Minnesota , and her campaign has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , money , and time in the caucus state .
Earlier this month , Klobuchar earned endorsements from the New York Times editorial board and several early-state newspapers , prompting voters here to give her a second look .
At recent appearances on the trail this week , she has repeatedly suggested that her campaign is built to last through Iowa and that she intends to compete in New Hampshire , the next state on the primary calendar .
Deborah Berry , a Buttigieg supporter who served for 14 years as one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said she felt Klobuchar ’ s appeal to people of color should be receiving equal scrutiny .
“ I do feel like it ’ s unfair , ” said Berry , who endorsed Buttigieg in December and defended his record on race in a phone interview on Friday .
“ He encourages people to speak out , ” she said , asking why voters didn ’ t have similar questions for Klobuchar .
“ It ’ s really frustrating.
” Leslie Redmond , the president of the Minneapolis NAACP , who had joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be suspended , raised another contrast : between Klobuchar and another former candidate who was a prosecutor , Kamala Harris .
“ It is crazy to me that Kamala Harris got all of that national attention on her history as a prosecutor , and Amy Klobuchar as a white woman has been allowed to dance all over her own record , ” said Redmond .
“ It is disrespectful .
This is 2020.
” Black leaders in Minneapolis say they want Klobuchar to suspend her campaign in order to focus on helping Burrell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s no way that a person who represents good , old-fashioned Midwestern values can sit back silently and allow an innocent person to suffer inside the criminal justice system , knowing that they had a role in putting them there , and even using the case as a talking point in the debate , ” said Levy Armstrong .
“ Her response has been to try to deflect and put the focus on the current prosecutor .
But if she ’ s going to take credit for putting this man behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to take responsibility now .
”

DES MOINES — Both are moderate Midwesterners who have pitched their presidential campaigns on a promise to speak to the heartland voters who moved away from Democrats in 2016. Both come from mostly white states where black leaders have questioned their records on issues of racial justice. And both are polling at or near zero percent with black voters nationwide.
But unlike Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar’s struggles with black voters have received little attention — even as she pitches herself as the Democrats’ most electable candidate in the Midwest, and makes plans to continue her campaign beyond Monday’s Iowa caucuses.
In a Washington Post poll of black voters earlier this month, Klobuchar was at 0% to Buttigieg’s 2%. And while she has racked up endorsements from scores of current and former elected officials — among the most of any candidate in the race — just 18 are from people of color, most of them from her home state of Minnesota.
Now Klobuchar is facing criticism there this week over revelations about her decades-old prosecution of a black teenager. A group of black leaders in Minnesota called for her to suspend her campaign in light of an Associated Press investigation suggesting the 16-year-old boy Klobuchar put in jail for life may have been innocent.
The case highlights a stark reality for Klobuchar a few days before the first votes are cast in the presidential race: She has done very little in the course of her year-long, electability-focused campaign to win over the support of a key demographic in the Midwest — black Democrats.
Her home state’s two most prominent black politicians, Rep. Ilhan Omar and Attorney General Keith Ellison, endorsed Bernie Sanders. Outside of Minnesota and the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, she has scarce support from people of color, including just one elected official, California Rep. Linda Sanchez, who endorsed her Saturday. No black elected officials have announced their support for Klobuchar in other states.
Perhaps more significantly, Klobuchar faces serious hurdles to winning over black voters moving forward: She spent a chunk of her career as a tough-on-crime prosecutor and has been criticized for failing to prosecute a single killing by the police when she headed prosecutions in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s largest county.
The revelation of serious flaws in the case Klobuchar built against Myon Burrell, the teenager Klobuchar charged with the murder of an 11-year-old girl, Tyesha Edwards, in Minneapolis, is likely to cause a further issue for Klobuchar.
Klobuchar has repeatedly used Burrell’s prosecution to bolster her own political career — including during her first Senate run, when she cut an ad with Edwards’ mother, who said, “When our little girl, Tyesha, was murdered, Amy saw to it that those gang members were put away.” And she brought the prosecution up in a recent Democratic debate, where she cited the case to deflect criticisms that she had not been committed to racial justice.
“The cases that came to us, the African American community that came to us, they said there was no justice for their little kids,” Klobuchar said. She cited the killing of a boy named Byron Phillips.
“We found the shooter and we put him in jail,” Klobuchar said. “We did the same for the killer of a little girl named Tyesha Edwards who was doing her homework at her kitchen table and was shot through the window.”
An Associated Press investigation this week found evidence of serious inconsistencies and a lack of forensic evidence in the case against Burrell, who is now 33 and has maintained his innocence for 14 years, refusing any plea deals.
Klobuchar’s campaign told the Associated Press that she believed any new evidence in the Burrell case should be reviewed immediately, noting that Burrell had been tried and convicted twice of the murder.
The head juror in the case said Saturday that he regretted convicting Burrell in light of the investigation, telling the Associated Press, “I feel, for lack of a better word, that we were misled.”


buzzfeed--2020-02-03--John Kerry, Who Lost To Bush, Makes The Electability Argument For Joe Biden

MAQUOKETA , Iowa — The scene John Kerry entered on Thursday was a nice one , inside a warm diner , right during that calming hour between lunch and dinner .
Older couples sat in booths catching up and laughing quietly , under pink paper hearts for Valentine ’ s .
Spoons clinked against coffee mugs .
Snow fell outside .
Day faded into evening .
“ Mr .
Johnny !
” said the owner , and there was Kerry — in a leather jacket and baby blue cashmere scarf — greeting and asking questions of the waitstaff .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s sister and adviser , met up there in Maquoketa , three hours east of Des Moines and three hours west of Chicago , to visit a pleasant room with precinct captains already prepared for Monday ’ s caucus .
He , in fact , had been there before .
Biden Owens introduced Kerry , numero uno on the list of Joe Biden supporters traveling Iowa in service of the candidate , as the quintessential statesman and Irishman , embodying the Irish “ passion and principle , faith and fortitude , courage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you , wow , ” said Kerry , “ I accept the nomination.
” Tanned and blue blazered , he talked a little about world affairs ( he ’ d just been to Germany to present Angela Merkel with the Kissinger award ) and impeachment ( “ Anyone want Alan Dershowitz to be their lawyer ?
My god.
” ) .
But Kerry , far more than most high-profile supporters of any campaign , offered tactical advice , attentive to the details of the actual contest at hand .
Kerry was game to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without affectation .
How would these precinct captains convince supporters of a failed candidate that their “ home ” was with Biden ?
His was the three-pronged argument : a ) Biden ’ s electability ( addressed to supporters of candidates who “ make appealing arguments that everything ’ s free in life ” ) , b ) Biden ’ s experience ( addressed to supporters of candidates without “ a little life under ” their feet ) , c ) Biden ’ s experience in international relations ( addressed , implicitly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like any Biden event you attend , even a quieter one like this , the emphasis is eternal : “ Joe Biden can win , ” Kerry said .
“ He can win.
” Kerry ticked off states the other candidates couldn ’ t win ( they couldn ’ t even go ) , and general election poll numbers of which they could only dream .
Biden ’ s own decency hasn ’ t been questioned .
“ Joe Biden and Barack Obama : not a whiff of scandal in all eight years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only reason — remember how they threw , how they tried to distort my military record ?
They did distort my military record !
And they threw the swift boat stuff at me ?
That ’ s what ’ s happening to Joe now .
“ They ’ re swiftboating him , ” Kerry said .
“ It ’ s exactly what ’ s going on .
There ’ s no foundation .
”

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — The scene John Kerry entered on Thursday was a nice one, inside a warm diner, right during that calming hour between lunch and dinner. Older couples sat in booths catching up and laughing quietly, under pink paper hearts for Valentine’s. Spoons clinked against coffee mugs. Snow fell outside. Day faded into evening.
“Mr. Johnny!” said the owner, and there was Kerry — in a leather jacket and baby blue cashmere scarf — greeting and asking questions of the waitstaff. He and Valerie Biden Owens, the candidate’s sister and adviser, met up there in Maquoketa, three hours east of Des Moines and three hours west of Chicago, to visit a pleasant room with precinct captains already prepared for Monday’s caucus. He, in fact, had been there before.
Biden Owens introduced Kerry, numero uno on the list of Joe Biden supporters traveling Iowa in service of the candidate, as the quintessential statesman and Irishman, embodying the Irish “passion and principle, faith and fortitude, courage and commitment.”
“Valerie, thank you, wow,” said Kerry, “I accept the nomination.”
Tanned and blue blazered, he talked a little about world affairs (he’d just been to Germany to present Angela Merkel with the Kissinger award) and impeachment (“Anyone want Alan Dershowitz to be their lawyer? My god.”). But Kerry, far more than most high-profile supporters of any campaign, offered tactical advice, attentive to the details of the actual contest at hand. Kerry was game to do a quiet service to the campaign without affectation. How would these precinct captains convince supporters of a failed candidate that their “home” was with Biden?
His was the three-pronged argument: a) Biden’s electability (addressed to supporters of candidates who “make appealing arguments that everything’s free in life”), b) Biden’s experience (addressed to supporters of candidates without “a little life under” their feet), c) Biden’s experience in international relations (addressed, implicitly, to all of them). But like any Biden event you attend, even a quieter one like this, the emphasis is eternal:
“Joe Biden can win,” Kerry said. “He can win.”
Kerry ticked off states the other candidates couldn’t win (they couldn’t even go), and general election poll numbers of which they could only dream. Biden’s own decency hasn’t been questioned.
“Joe Biden and Barack Obama: not a whiff of scandal in all eight years,” he said. “The only reason — remember how they threw, how they tried to distort my military record? They did distort my military record! And they threw the swift boat stuff at me? That’s what’s happening to Joe now.
“They’re swiftboating him,” Kerry said. “It’s exactly what’s going on. There’s no foundation.”


buzzfeed--2020-02-04--Without Iowa Results, Everybody’s On Stage And A Winner On Caucus Night

DES MOINES — Elizabeth Warren stepped out on stage to supporters ’ cheers and began , “ So , it is too close to call , so I ’ m just going to tell you what I do know— ” “ YOU WON !
” a supporter screamed from the crowd , to cheers .
But on caucus day itself , nobody won .
As Feb. 3 , 2020 ended on the east coast , there still weren ’ t results .
But the candidates all took the stage , and according to them , they all look strong in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory .
Bernie Sanders predicted that whenever the results came in , they ’ d look good for his campaign .
Joe Biden thinks he ’ s “ going to walk out of here with our share of delegates.
” Amy Klobuchar ’ s campaign is “ punching above ” their weight .
Massive reporting delays in Iowa created a total vacuum in results on Monday night , and cable news hosts and reporters on Twitter struggled to fill the dead air while local officials complained about reporting problems .
Klobuchar was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night , taking advantage of the confusion caused by the delayed results to benefit from TV airtime — networks carried her speech in full — and to set a narrative that she had performed well , in the absence of solid results .
Klobuchar ’ s campaign began filling the stage at her caucus night party at the Des Moines Marriott around 10 p.m. , and Klobuchar came on shortly after in all red .
“ You ’ ve probably heard we don ’ t know the results , ” Klobuchar said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ let another minute go by without thanking all of you .
We know there ’ s delays but we know one thing : We ’ re punching above our weight.
” “ We are feeling so good tonight , and I can not wait — somehow , some way , I ’ m gon na get on a plane tonight to New Hampshire , ” Klobuchar said .
“ We are bringing this ticket to New Hampshire .
Even in a crowded field of candidates , even during the well-earned impeachment hearing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bolted to my Senate desk for the last two weeks , we kept fighting , and you kept fighting for me.
” Next up were Biden and Warren .
Warren gave what sounded , effectively , like her victory speech — with a brief acknowledgement of the uncertainty tacked on .
She positioned herself as a general-election candidate , moving quickly to compare herself — her political career , her upbringing in Oklahoma — to Donald Trump .
“ We don ’ t know all the results tonight , but tonight has already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for big , structural change to make our economy and our democracy work for everyone , ” she said .
“ Tonight showed that our path to victory is to fight hard for the changes that everyone is demanding.
” Warren ’ s campaign manager , Roger Lau , seemed in the face of uncertainty to shrug off the details of who actually emerged victorious from Iowa .
“ We ’ re confident that it ’ s close at the top between Warren , Sanders , Buttigieg , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distant fourth.
” CNN , meanwhile , was carrying Biden ’ s speech .
He and Jill Biden appeared , and he paced the stage , giving a version of his stump speech , and though he too proclaimed good results were on the way , he slightly tempered expectations .
`` Indications are , from all indications it ’ s going to be close .
We ’ re going to walk out of here with our share of delegates , We don ’ t know exactly what it is yet but we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Biden said , before pivoting to parts of his stump speech .
Then Sanders was up next .
He joked about the results not coming in — then talked at length about inequality and injustice in America that will be corrected .
His victory party has remained wild , with the crowd maybe even growing as the night went on , one reporter noted .
Off-camera , away from the big time coverage , even Andrew Yang told a crowd of around 50 that what they saw tonight — even without actual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Iowans around the state realized that the economy is transforming around them in profound ways.
” “ That message rang loud and clear here in Iowa tonight thanks to each and everyone of you , ” he said .
“ And now we ’ re going to take that message to New Hampshire to you and the rest of the country.
” Of the five top candidates , Buttigieg took the stage last .
He briefly acknowledged the fact that the results were not known but then straight up declared victory — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters inside a Drake University gymnasium .
`` By all indications , we are going on to New Hampshire victorious , '' Buttigieg said .
The crowd soon began chanting at the former South Bend , Indiana mayor , who a year ago began introducing himself to unfamiliar voters as “ Mayor Pete ” as a means of navigating around his tricky last name : `` President Pete !
President Pete ! ''
By that point in the night , the lights were already back on at Klobuchar HQ and they were breaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headed to the airport .

DES MOINES — Elizabeth Warren stepped out onstage to supporters’ cheers and began, “So it is too close to call, so I’m just going to tell you what I do know—”
“YOU WON!” a supporter screamed from the crowd, to cheers.
But on caucus day itself, nobody won. As Feb. 3 ended on the East Coast, there still weren’t results. But the candidates all took the stage, and according to them, they all look strong in Iowa.
Pete Buttigieg is already claiming victory. Bernie Sanders predicted that whenever the results came in, they’d look good for his campaign. Joe Biden thinks he’s “going to walk out of here with our share of delegates.” Amy Klobuchar’s campaign is “punching above” its weight.
Massive reporting delays in Iowa created a total vacuum in results on Monday night, and cable news hosts and reporters on Twitter struggled to fill the dead air while local officials complained about reporting problems.
Enter: the live speech.
Klobuchar was the first candidate to speak publicly on caucus night, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the delayed results to benefit from TV airtime — networks carried her speech in full — and to set a narrative that she had performed well, in the absence of solid results.
Klobuchar’s campaign began filling the stage at her caucus night party at the Des Moines Marriott around 10 p.m., and Klobuchar came on shortly after in all red.
“You’ve probably heard we don’t know the results,” Klobuchar said. “But I did not want to let another minute go by without thanking all of you. We know there’s delays, but we know one thing: We’re punching above our weight.”
“We are feeling so good tonight, and I cannot wait — somehow, someway, I’m gonna get on a plane tonight to New Hampshire,” Klobuchar said. “We are bringing this ticket to New Hampshire. Even in a crowded field of candidates, even during the well-earned impeachment hearing of Donald J. Trump, which had me bolted to my Senate desk for the last two weeks, we kept fighting, and you kept fighting for me.”
Next up were Biden and Warren.
Warren gave what sounded, effectively, like her victory speech — with a brief acknowledgment of the uncertainty tacked on. She positioned herself as a general-election candidate, moving quickly to compare herself — her political career, her upbringing in Oklahoma — to Donald Trump.
“We don’t know all the results tonight, but tonight has already showed that Americans have a deep hunger for big, structural change to make our economy and our democracy work for everyone,” she said. “Tonight showed that our path to victory is to fight hard for the changes that everyone is demanding.”
Warren’s campaign manager, Roger Lau, seemed in the face of uncertainty to shrug off the details of who actually emerged victorious from Iowa.
“We’re confident that it’s close at the top between Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg,” he said. “I believe the vice president is a distant fourth.”
CNN, meanwhile, was carrying Biden’s speech. He and Jill Biden appeared, and he paced the stage, giving a version of his stump speech, and though he too proclaimed good results were on the way, he slightly tempered expectations. "Indications are... From all indications, it’s going to be close. We’re going to walk out of here with our share of delegates. We don’t know exactly what it is yet, but we feel good about where we are," Biden said, before pivoting to parts of his stump speech.
Then Sanders was up next. He joked about the results not coming in — then talked at length about inequality and injustice in America that will be corrected.
His victory party remained wild, with the crowd maybe even growing as the night went on, one reporter noted.
Off-camera, away from the big-time coverage, even Andrew Yang told a crowd of around 50 that what they saw tonight — even without actual results — showed “tens of thousands of Iowans around the state realized that the economy is transforming around them in profound ways.” “That message rang loud and clear here in Iowa tonight thanks to each and every one of you,” he said. “And now we’re going to take that message to New Hampshire to you and the rest of the country.”
Of the five top candidates, Buttigieg took the stage last. He briefly acknowledged the fact that the results were not known but then straight-up declared victory — to the earsplitting delight of about 2,000 supporters inside a Drake University gymnasium.
"By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious," Buttigieg said.
The crowd soon began chanting at the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, who a year ago began introducing himself to unfamiliar voters as “Mayor Pete” as a means of navigating around his tricky last name: "President Pete! President Pete!"
By that point in the night, the lights were already back on at Klobuchar HQ, and they were breaking down the stage, as the candidate headed to the airport.


buzzfeed--2020-02-04--The Iowa Caucus Results Are Still Delayed And Campaigns Are Angry

The Iowa Democratic Party is delaying releasing the results of Monday night ’ s Iowa caucus because of reporting inconsistencies , infuriating campaigns eager to move on with the election .
`` We found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results , ” IDP communications director Mandy McClure said in a statement .
“ In addition to the tech systems being used to tabulate results , we are also using photos of results and a paper trail to validate that all results match and ensure that we have confidence and accuracy in the numbers we report.
” McClure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a “ hack or intrusion ” and that the “ underlying data and paper trail is sound.
” The IDP told campaigns in a call just after midnight Tuesday that they would release the results on Tuesday , according to two people on the call .
IDP chair Troy Price delivered a brief statement to reporters after 1 a.m. , via conference call , echoing what he just told campaigns : The party experienced reporting issues , are verifying results against a `` paper trail '' and `` back-up system , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than expected . ''
In an earlier short conference at around 10:30 p.m. in Des Moines on Monday , with representatives from each campaign , the IDP said they currently had just 35 % of precinct numbers reported and that due to “ user error ” with their reporting app , they found some slight “ inconsistencies , ” according to participants on the call .
Some numbers , the party said , “ didn ’ t add up.
” The party told campaigns they were comparing the app results with cell phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where caucus results are recorded manually by hand .
The IDP did not take any questions .
At one point , a participant could be heard shouting on the call : “ This is an unbelievable explanation.
” Another person chimed in , “ I think he speaks for all of us.
” One campaign aide described the call as being “ hung up ” on .
Early Tuesday morning , after the second call , an aide with one of the campaigns told BuzzFeed News they were still unhappy .
The IDP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no specificity '' about when results would be released Tuesday , or how they would verify official results .
`` It 's not just the app that did n't work , '' the aide said .
`` There are numerous reports that precinct chairs did not gather preference cards from every caucus goer , precinct chairs that left because they could n't report results .
It 's a real question on how results could be verified at all . ''
On Twitter and even on radio and television , local officials have reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party while trying to report results .
The Biden campaign ’ s general counsel , Dana Remus , sent a sternly worded letter to the state party ’ s top leaders Monday night , expressing frustration with “ considerable flaws ” in the reporting process .
“ The app that was intended to relay Caucus results to the Party failed ; the Party ’ s back-up telephonic reporting system likewise has failed , ” Remus wrote .
“ Now , we understand that caucus chairs are attempting to — and , in many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telephonically to the party .
These acute failures are occurring statewide.
” Remus also asked that official results not be released until campaigns had a chance to hear more about “ quality control ” measures and respond to such information .
It was not immediately clear if the letter was sent before the conference call .
`` The integrity of the process is critical , and there were flaws in the reporting systems tonight that should raise serious concerns for voters , '' Kate Bedingfield , Biden 's deputy campaign manager , tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic congressional candidate in northern Iowa , was also perplexed by the glitches .
`` I ’ m not sure what to make of it , '' Scholten told BuzzFeed News .
`` I tried reporting , but I was on hold forever , so I decided to hit up my favorite local bar . ''

The Iowa Democratic Party is delaying the release of the results of Monday night’s Iowa caucus until some time Tuesday because of reporting inconsistencies, infuriating campaigns eager to move on with the election.
“As precinct caucus results started coming in, the IDP ran them through an accuracy and quality check," Iowa Democratic Party chair Troy Price said in a statement Tuesday morning, after a long night of calls with campaigns and occasional public updates. "It became clear that there were inconsistencies with the reports."
Price said that the party "determined with certainty" that the underlying data from the caucuses was "sound," and that although the app responsible for recording and reporting the data to the party was "recording data accurately, it was reporting out only partial data."
"We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in the reporting system," he said. "This issue was identified and fixed." Precinct results are still being reported to the party as of Tuesday morning.
"While our plan is to release results as soon as possible today, our ultimate goal is to ensure that the integrity and accuracy of the process continues to be upheld,” he said.
The party has consistently emphasized that the problem was not the result of a “hack or intrusion” and that the “underlying data and paper trail is sound.”
Price had delivered a brief statement to reporters after 1 a.m., via conference call, echoing what he just told campaigns in a private call: The party experienced reporting issues, are verifying results against a "paper trail" and "backup system," and the process is "taking longer than expected."
In an earlier short conference at around 10:30 p.m. in Des Moines on Monday, with representatives from each campaign, the IDP said it currently had just 35% of precinct numbers reported and that due to “user error” with its reporting app, it found some slight “inconsistencies,” according to participants on the call. Some numbers, the party said, “didn’t add up.”
The party told campaigns it was comparing the app results with cellphone pictures of the caucus paper worksheets, where caucus results are recorded manually by hand.
The IDP did not take any questions.
At one point, a participant could be heard shouting on the call: “This is an unbelievable explanation.” Another person chimed in, “I think he speaks for all of us.”
One campaign aide described the call as being “hung up” on.
Early Tuesday morning, after the second call, an aide with one of the campaigns told BuzzFeed News they were still unhappy. The IDP, the aide said, "provided no specificity" about when results would be released Tuesday or how it would verify official results.
"It's not just the app that didn't work," the aide said. "There are numerous reports that precinct chairs did not gather preference cards from every caucusgoer, precinct chairs that left because they couldn't report results. It's a real question on how results could be verified at all."
On Twitter and even on radio and television, local officials have reported hour-long hold times with the Iowa state party while trying to report results.
The Biden campaign’s general counsel, Dana Remus, sent a sternly worded letter to the state party’s top leaders Monday night, expressing frustration with “considerable flaws” in the reporting process.
“The app that was intended to relay Caucus results to the Party failed; the Party’s back-up telephonic reporting system likewise has failed,” Remus wrote. “Now, we understand that caucus chairs are attempting to — and, in many cases, failing to — report results telephonically to the party. These acute failures are occurring statewide.”
Remus also asked that official results not be released until campaigns had a chance to hear more about “quality control” measures and respond to such information. It was not immediately clear if the letter was sent before the conference call.
"The integrity of the process is critical, and there were flaws in the reporting systems tonight that should raise serious concerns for voters," Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager, tweeted later.
J.D. Scholten, a Democratic congressional candidate in northern Iowa, was also perplexed by the glitches.
"I’m not sure what to make of it," Scholten told BuzzFeed News. "I tried reporting, but I was on hold forever, so I decided to hit up my favorite local bar."