Caca at the Caucuses

As of this morning, the day after the Iowa Democratic Party caucuses, we STILL don't know who met the threshold of 15 percent, which translates into a portion of the 41 delegates. 

Thanks to a "new, improved" system of apps for this year, the caucuses have turned into an unmitigated disaster.  There is widespread talk of getting rid of the caucus system altogether for the Democratic primary season in favor of primaries.

The big problem here, of course, is cost.  The reason caucuses have been used, especially in the smaller states, is to save money.  Since the states control the manner of elections, I don't know how many of them will scrap the caucus systems in their states.

Here is some of the latest about the caucus results.

A Canadian Wins the Iowa Caucuses, and Hillary Eked Out a Win

Results:

Democrats

100% reporting Delegates Vote %
Clinton (won) 23 49.9%
Sanders 21 49.6%
O'Malley 0 0.6%



Republicans:

100% reporting Delegates Vote %
Cruz (won) 8 27.6%
Trump 7 24.3%
Rubio 7 23.1%
Carson 3 9.3%
Paul 1 4.5%
Bush 1 2.8%
Fiorina 1 1.9%
Kasich 1 1.9%
Huckabee 0 1.8%
Christie 0 1.8%
Santorum 0 1%
Gilmore 0 0%

Live Audio Stream of Iowa Caucuses

NPR has an audio stream here.

Results here for the Dems, and here for the GOP.

It appears that Martin O'Malley will be "suspending" his campaign tonight. GOP's Mike Huckabee is out as well.

Cruz has been declared the winner of the Iowa caucuses. That should be the end of the road for him.

Landslide Mitt

won the Iowa caucuses last night by an overwhelming eight-vote margin over main competitor Rick Santorum, the latter having no chance of winning the nomination.

Newt and Perry have one foot on a banana peel and the other out the door while Michelle Bachmann packed it in.

Ron Paul was a close third but of course he isn't a serious candidate. Jon Huntsman was an asterisk.

I Couldn't Care Less

about the Iowa caucuses because they don't mean much anyway. That is especially true if unelectable candidates like Ron Paul or Rick Santorum come out on top.

I did the caucus thing in Nevada four years ago, the only time I ever participated in it. It was fun in a way, but I couldn't stand the attitude of the Obama supporters. I wasn't going to caucus for him no matter what. I went from Edwards to Clinton and became a Clinton delegate for the county and state conventions.

Results here if you care.

Campaign Stupidity

Howard Wolfson makes an ass out of himself by blaming Edwards for Clinton's poor showing in Iowa.

SHE WOULDN'T HAVE WON IT, REGARDLESS.

Talk about passing the fucking buck.

I suggest Wolfson keep his fucking mouth SHUT next time.

Edwards Did All the Grunt Work

while asshole Obama stole the thunder, thanks to Oprah and a corrupt media.

I just can't believe this whole sorry shit of a campaign. I just can't.

For the Record,

here is Edwards' speech last night:

Joe Conason Proves

he's a media whore like all of the rest.

They've got their goddamned marching orders to ignore Edwards, and it will take a miracle for Edwards to overcome this blatant, immoral bullshit.

Walter Shapiro

joins the corrupt media in hailing the Audacity of Hype as something he is not.

By the way, Jesse Jackson won primaries back in the 1980s, and he was and is more electable than this American Idol piece of shit.

You Goddamned Right.

It better not be Obama:

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Although I am slightly pleased by John Edwards' second-place finish ahead of Hillary Clinton in last night's Iowa primary, I am less pleased that Barack Obama won it so handily, mostly with the assistance of what have come to be called "first-time caucus goers."

My analysis of that phenomenon is not as rosy as some. It indicates something that is actually rather obvious, that Barack Obama has excited our excitable young folks who respond to his amorphous "message of hope" rather than delve more deeply into the nuts and bolts of his policy proposals (his ideas on Social Security are practically Republican, and his health care plan is very weak and far too conciliatory to the health insurance industry), and without considering what an Obama candidacy would really mean in the heat of the general election.

I know the argument that holds that Obama will bring new Democrats into our party. I merely don't think it will offset the effect it will have on the currently somnolent right, and on the residual bigotry, both ethnic and racial, that still resides in the hearts of many people who deny it. Generally speaking, in a general election, a black man has to show a preference rate in the polls, even the exit polls, of greater than 6% in order to win the actual vote count, because that many people are racists but are afraid to admit it to pollsters.

When I couple this with Mike Huckabee's trouncing of the rest of the Republicans' sorry field last night, I am filled with the same feeling that the background music in various suspense and horror films tends to impart -- one of impending doom.

Did you like what the Swift Boaters did to John Kerry in 2004? Well, neither did I, but we all have to recognize how effective it was in helping to engineer a second term for George W. Bush. But I will tell you right now, it will seem like a lovefest when compared to what this same bunch (and they were just a finger on the iron-fisted hand of the Republican slander machine) will do to a guy whose middle name is "Hussein" and whose primary school education was, in part, received in a "madrassa."

Add to this his admission of cocaine use. What do you suppose is the percentage among undecideds and independents who think his straightforwardness on this point outweighs their negative opinion of cokeheads? This is DESPITE so many of them having twice voted for one -- because they gave the benefit of the doubt to Bush's DENIALS.

It doesn't matter that he's a member of the mainstream United Church of Christ. It doesn't matter that schools in largely Arabic nations like Indonesia where he lived with his parents are ALL called "madrassas." It doesn't matter that Bush was a drunk and a cokehead and cocaine dealer in real life. Do you think that most of the Republican rank and file care about, or even KNOW about, these actual facts, which are not generally mentioned in the venues from which they receive their information exclusively? Republicans pander to ignorance, fear and bigotry, and they will be HIGHLY motivated to vote against Barack Obama to the point at which Huckabee, with his non-threatening, socially reasonable aw-shucks persona will TROUNCE us throughout the redlands and in some bluer areas as well, like Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Much now depends on New Hampshire. If it turns out similarly, we have to look to some places we aren't accustomed to depending on, like South Carolina, to prevent us from making what I fear will be an ENORMOUS mistake.

Please, people, think about who we are likely to be able to elect next November, and vote with your brain rather than your heart. Actually, though, in my opinion, John Edwards is MORE liberal than either Obama or Clinton, and is likelier to get America back on the right track more directly and effectively than either, even if we COULD elect them, which is doubtful.

But if the race is Obama v. Huckabee, we are cruisin' for a bruisin'. Mark my words.

It's 1972 again, mark my words. The only person Obama could beat is Alan Keyes.

Thank God

Katrina Whatshername has good things to say about Edwards' showing tonight, which was really impressive, believe it or not.

More

stats:

Senator Barack Obama : 35.06%
Senator John Edwards : 31.19%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 30.87%
Governor Bill Richardson : 1.78%
Senator Joe Biden : 0.97%
Uncommitted : 0.11%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.03%
Precincts Reporting: 1262 of 1781

The nutworks are calling it for Obama, who will lose anyway in the primaries, thank God.

Oh, yeah, the Republicans. I forgot all about them. Huckabee was declared the winner.

Here's More:

Senator Barack Obama : 34.52%
Senator John Edwards : 31.61%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 31.13%
Governor Bill Richardson : 1.69%
Senator Joe Biden : 0.98%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.04%
Uncommitted : 0.03%
Precincts Reporting: 1000 of 1781

I am going to call it for the candidate I can't stand, but of course the primary season is early.

I hope the media don't try to force Edwards out despite a strong showing in Iowa. He should stay in until Super Tuesday at least. After all, Iowa ain't winner-take-all.

Can't wait to see how New Hampshire shakes out.

Biden Says

he's going to stay in the race despite a near-invisible showing there.

Why should he drop out? Iowa is one contest.

It appears the corporate media hype suckered enough Iowans to help Obama:

Senator Barack Obama : 34.06%
Senator John Edwards : 31.71%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 31.45%
Governor Bill Richardson : 1.76%
Senator Joe Biden : 0.94%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.05%
Uncommitted : 0.03%
Precincts Reporting: 923 of 1781

He won't get the nomination, though. The party bigwigs will see to it.

The Latest

from Iowa:

Senator Barack Obama : 33.29%
Senator John Edwards : 32.11%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 31.71%
Governor Bill Richardson : 1.74%
Senator Joe Biden : 1.03%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.07%
Uncommitted : 0.05%
Precincts Reporting: 659 of 1781

It's Really Early

but Clinton and Edwards are very close at this early stage.

Right now it's basically a three-way tie, according to this site.

You Can Find

the results of the Iowa caucuses right here.

A better one is here.

An even better one is here.

I am having one hell of a time being able to watch the results on CSPAN. The wind is blowing like hell outside in anticipation of a snowstorm, so it is screwing up the dish.

The Rumors

are bullshit.

Until Tonight,

nobody really knows how the caucuses will turn out in either the Democratic or Republican races.

The kicker is the damned thing is STARTING, not finishing.