Day: February 6, 2020

Maybe we’ll have final results from New Hampshire before we get them from Iowa

benfell

Reminder: There was a new blog post this morning entitled, “Bipartisan ‘meritocracy’ and ‘vote Blue no matter who’.”

Iowa

There has been no further progress in the count. None.

In the meantime, as the doubts I predicted[1] spread on Twitter, where some point to what they think is dubious rounding that somehow very often seemed to work against Bernie Sanders, Tom Perez is calling for the math to be done again.[2]

Despite Perez’ embarrassment, it’s not yet clear to me that the ‘recanvass’ will actually occur. Apparently, a campaign has to request it and foot the bill for it.[3]

Rod Dreher, at the American Conservative, suspects the timing of Perez’ call, coming as it does, just as Sanders is beginning to look like he might pass Pete Buttigieg.[4]

Rod Dreher, “DNC Sandbagging Bernie?” American Conservative, February 6, 2020, https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/democrats-dnc-sandbagging-bernie/

Isaac Stanley-Becker, “DNC chair calls for recanvass in Iowa,” Washington Post, February 6, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dnc-chair-calls-for-recanvas-in-iowa/2020/02/06/0ec4dc4c-4906-11ea-9164-d3154ad8a5cd_story.html

  1. [1]David Benfell, “Neoliberal hubris and the Iowa fiasco,” Not Housebroken, February 5, 2020, https://disunitedstates.org/2020/02/05/neoliberal-hubris-and-the-iowa-fiasco/↩
  2. [2]Isaac Stanley-Becker, “DNC chair calls for recanvass in Iowa,” Washington Post, February 6, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dnc-chair-calls-for-recanvas-in-iowa/2020/02/06/0ec4dc4c-4906-11ea-9164-d3154ad8a5cd_story.html↩
  3. [3]Isaac Stanley-Becker, “DNC chair calls for recanvass in Iowa,” Washington Post, February 6, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dnc-chair-calls-for-recanvas-in-iowa/2020/02/06/0ec4dc4c-4906-11ea-9164-d3154ad8a5cd_story.html↩
  4. [4]Rod Dreher, “DNC Sandbagging Bernie?” American Conservative, February 6, 2020, https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/democrats-dnc-sandbagging-bernie/↩

But, by all means, #VoteBlueNoMatterWho

benfell

The neoliberal party

There is a new blog post entitled, “Bipartisan ‘meritocracy’ and ‘vote Blue no matter who’.”

Expect a lot more of this:

Seung Min Kim, “These Republicans said they hope Trump has learned a lesson from impeachment. He said he hasn’t,” Washington Post, February 5, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/these-republicans-said-they-hope-trump-has-learned-a-lesson-from-impeachment-he-said-he-hasnt/2020/02/04/fa68c18c-478e-11ea-ab15-b5df3261b710_story.html

With 96.94% reporting in Iowa, it’s between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg

benfell

Iowa

The caucus count has tightened considerably (figure 1) while Bernie Sanders has maintained a lead in the popular vote (figure 2).

FireShot Capture 066 - Election Results - U.S. ELECTIONS - elections.ap.org
Fig. 1. Screenshot of Associated Press Iowa caucus count, 3:14 am.[1]

FireShot Capture 067 - Election Results - U.S. ELECTIONS - elections.ap.org
Fig. 2. Screenshot of Associated Press Iowa popular vote, 3:16 am.[2]

It’s still not over. But maybe today?

I will have to say that I am surprised by Pete Buttigieg’s strength. I figured the fact he is openly gay would doom him. Apart from that, he has the sort of appearance my grandmother would love.

Joe Biden’s performance was terrible, and inexcusable for a supposed front-runner. It’s a pretty safe bet that the neoliberals will now coalesce around Buttigieg. If some candidates’ times have yet to come, Biden’s is long past. He should drop out, retire, and put an end to this futile misery. Unfortunately, he seems to be driven by the same sense of entitlement as Hillary Clinton.

Elizabeth Warren is still in the race, but clearly, trying to fit somewhere between Sanders and the rest of the pack pleased relatively few. Even the capitalist libertarian Cato Institute is having to acknowledge that capitalism has become unpopular among the young;[3] but Warren billed herself as a capitalist.[4] She will need strong performances that I’m not hearing are in the cards.

The rest should be out of the race. Period. I have some sympathy for Tulsi Gabbard for being on the receiving end of Clinton’s assholery,[5] but this is not her year.

  1. [1]Associated Press, “Iowa Elections Results,” February 6, 2020, https://elections.ap.org/dailykos/results/2020-02-03/state/IA/race/P/raceid/17275↩
  2. [2]Associated Press, “Iowa Elections Results,” February 6, 2020, https://elections.ap.org/dailykos/results/2020-02-03/state/IA/race/P/raceid/17278↩
  3. [3]Emily Ekins, “Socialism Is Legitimately Popular,” Cato, February 4, 2020, https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/socialism-legitimately-popular↩
  4. [4]Ali Donaldson, “Why Elizabeth Warren Still Calls Herself a Capitalist,” Bloomberg, February 1, 2019, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-02/why-elizabeth-warren-still-calls-herself-a-capitalist↩
  5. [5]David Benfell, “Hillary Clinton needs to just shut the fuck up,” Not Housebroken, October 22, 2019, https://disunitedstates.org/2019/10/22/hillary-clinton-needs-to-just-shut-the-fuck-up/↩