Everyone Hates Iowa: ‘Sh*tshow’ Caucuses in Hawkeye State Enrage 2020 Campaigns, Trigger Political Critics
Photo credit: Joe Raedle, Getty Images.
Both critics and 2020 campaigns blasted the Iowa Democratic Party on Monday night for the unprecedented delay in reporting that state’s caucus results, dismissing its “unbelievable explanation” and slamming the disorganization and lack of transparency as a “shitshow.”
Representatives for the 2020 Democratic campaigns reportedly reacted in anger and utter dismay when the IDP blamed unspecified “inconsistencies” for the vote delay in a midnight conference call that culminated with party officials abruptly hanging up on the campaigns.
“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.'” https://t.co/4QsrXLEWFZ
— Katherine Miller (@katherinemiller) February 4, 2020
How the call between the Iowa Democratic Party and campaign representatives went down, per a source on it:
-Party basically read statement about “inconsistencies”
-Campaigns started asking questions and got angry
-IDP hung up the call— Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) February 4, 2020
An adviser for one of the Dem campaigns tells me this is going to be the end of the Iowa caucus. “It’s dead. The campaigns gave them millions of dollars. It’s dead.”
— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) February 4, 2020
Besides the internal campaign blowback, political pundits also sharply criticized — often in not-so-polite terms — the Iowa vote-counting debacle and used it to likewise question the wisdom of that state’s rarefied status as hosting the first votes in presidential primaries.
Our New York Times style headline: In Iowa, a shitshow. https://t.co/xZmA8DHzwj pic.twitter.com/TMT8LwG1EA
— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) February 4, 2020
I can’t believe this Iowa shitshow is what we were all made to invest so much time and energy and news space into.
And New Hampshire ain’t much better.
How about one nationwide Primary Day? Make it the first Tuesday in May, six months out from Election Day.
— Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) February 4, 2020
So… Iowa is a shitshow. It’s midnight and they don’t know who won??? Why does the DNC allow Iowa to be first? It’s not the DNC saying we want Iowa to be first. It’s Iowa demanding to be first and the DNC accepting it. And it’s a mess. WTF.
— Touré (@Toure) February 4, 2020
Having Iowa be the first test for the Democratic primary is a dumb idea and if Iowa can’t count their own votes effectively and efficiently then they need to be removed from their traditional first in the nation slot.
— Touré (@Toure) February 4, 2020
The good news: People are now seeing the Iowa caucuses as a massive undemocratic shitshow with questionable logistics and flawed reasoning for even existing.
— John Buysse (@JohnBuysse) February 4, 2020
It’s one thing if Iowa Democrats decide they’re not going to care about people with disabilities and voter suppression so they can stick with caucuses, but I’m not sure why the national party insists on letting this shitshow launch the entire election.
— German Lopez (@germanrlopez) February 4, 2020
This is a total mess. I respect the people of Iowa, they’ve been great—but it’s become very clear that our democracy has been misserved by a broken system. #IACaucus
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) February 4, 2020
Turns out there isn’t an app for that. What an unbelievable shitshow. #IowaCaucuses https://t.co/miPyT7TnZX
— Helen Dale (@_HelenDale) February 4, 2020
A map of Iowa blurred out with a buffering symbol on it, send tweet
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) February 4, 2020
Iowa passed the malarkey stage and is entering the realm of tomfoolery https://t.co/ygLoFmc18z
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 4, 2020
24 hours ago pretty much everyone thought Bernie would win Iowa. Now we get an inconclusive result out of the first contest due to, and I’m being as generous as possible, world-historical incompetence by the Democratic Party. That, to be clear, is the least conspiratorial version
— David Klion? (@DavidKlion) February 4, 2020
It. Is. 2020. Just have a Damn Primary for the Love of God! https://t.co/PlztmEJu81
— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) February 4, 2020
This is no way to run an election in Iowa or anywhere. As I‘ve been saying at #ElectionMeltdown book events, you are much more likely to be disenfranchised by incompetence than voter suppression or fraud. https://t.co/G1zlM9pTVL
— Rick Hasen (@rickhasen) February 4, 2020
