2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: ABC News: How Bernie Sanders Got the Biggest Twitter Bump From the GOP Debate [View all]CoffeeCat
(24,411 posts)...and do notice. Younger voters, who may not be aware of the Black and Brown Forum or the IPTV debate, may not understand.
Plenty of Iowans who've been around for many caucus cycles absolutely notice.
Excuse my language, but when you fuck with our caucus system, you're not making a smart move. We take this process very seriously. We're humbled at being first in the nation, and we want to do a good job. That's why you see thousands of Iowans at outdoor rallies in Downtown Des Moines, standing out in 10 degree temps to hear candidates speak. Most people I know attend many political events and often meet the candidates in person. They want to ask them questions.
We demand to vet these candidates, so we make a sound, informed decision. I was pretty proud of how we chose Obama, during a time when he was the underdog. He truly was the best candidate. He made himself outrageously accessible, which made it easy for Iowans to speak with him, ask him questions and get to know him. He embraced our process.
The media this year is really pulling a number on us. It's a total Bernie blackout. The Iowa media--especially the Des Moines Register and the networks are ignoring Bernie. He had a rally in Dubuque that had 2000+ attendees and one in Waterloo that had nearly 1500. No coverage. It's BAD. However, he's getting large crowds and his supporters are active in the campaigns. Hillary's crowds are around 300, so it appears that the media favoritism is really playing no part. The big, front-page pre-debate article in the Des Moines Register had this for a headline, "As Iowa Debate Approaches, Clinton Seems Inevitable Again." LOL! Ok, then. It's fine though. We'll win anyway. This stuff just gets a little ridiculous.