I think in part because the experience of participating in caucuses is increasingly disappointing. People also point to 20%-30% first time caucus goers as a sign of enthusiasm. Flip it around, & it means a lot of people went once then never did it again. https://t.co/9rQLvMFlaU
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) February 24, 2020
Harry Reid, who helped bring the early caucus here in 2008, now wants it and others gone, as do many others. He also says M4A is "a big, big boondoggle." And: "I don't think Donald Trump is smart enough to understand what's going on."@SHO_TheCircushttps://t.co/bxT2GwcdPB
— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) February 23, 2020
Statement from Senator Reid: “I believe it’s time for the Democratic Party to move to primaries everywhere.” pic.twitter.com/2yiwRoeEu2
— Adam Jentleson 🎈 (@AJentleson) February 24, 2020
And he’s not alone…
No matter how smoothly the #NVCaucus is run, this should be the last year we as Democrats allow caucuses. They lower participation leading to a whiter, older electorate and frankly are really expensive for the parties to run. Rather them sink that money into organizing.
— Julia Rosen (@juliarosen) February 22, 2020
caucuses vs primaries and democracy:
-New Hampshire’s total population is 1.35 million and just under 300,000 voted in the Democratic primary
-Nevada’s total population is 3 million and under 100,000 voted in the caucuses—with early voting that is not available in NH https://t.co/1710PWNKaE
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) February 24, 2020
Back-of-envelope math: Sanders turned 34% support on 1st ballot into almost 69% of delegates. That's what happens in caucuses. https://t.co/9ADwJaGe4p
— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) February 24, 2020
Pretty huge spread between the different vote counts in Nevada. pic.twitter.com/de2FaJOKcr
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) February 24, 2020
anarchoRex
About time.
lamh36
https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1232074182369988608
anarchoRex
I know as a Bernie Bro I’ve sworn a pledge to hate every Democrat besides Bernie ***”he’s not a democrat” echoes in the comments*** but I miss Harry Reid, always had a soft spot for him.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’ve been too busy to keep up the last week: so this massive Nevada victory I’m reading about was 27,000 votes? The NV presidential electorate in the last three cycles was ~1,000,000
Morzer
If you want some data about what self-identifying as a democratic socialist will do for the nominee’s electability:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/socialism-bernie-sanders-independents-general-election.html
Mandalay
@Morzer: You whine incessantly about Sanders. Fine.
Now tell us how any of the Democratic candidates who are less popular than Sanders would do better.
Thought not.
TaMara (HFG)
Just a reminder to everyone, the pie filter was created to not allow someone like anarchorex to derail threads. I suggest you use pie liberally.
This is your nightly troll PSA.
TaMara (HFG)
From a town hall tonight.
;
Fun times.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@TaMara (HFG): it’s like Biden wanting to brag about his bipartisan bona fides, and instead of talking about John McCain or John Warner or Olympia Snow, he drags Eastland and Talmadge out of the mothballs. Bernie could name Canada, South Korea, Japan or half of Europe as models for successfully expanded social safety nets. But he talks about China and Cuba
rikyrah
Caucuses are undemocratic😠😠
Jackie
I’m sorry, I haven’t figured out how to attach a link, but, this editorial recommending Buttigieg in S. Carolina is jaw-dropping – in a good way! https://www.thestate.com/opinion/article240519821.html
Ohio Mom
This is not my area of expertise, but maybe you could say it was Bill Clinton, egged on by Sam Walton, who in giving China Most Favored Nation status, was ultimately responsible for lifting all those Chinese people out of poverty?
At any rate, Bernie needs to get his foot out of mouth if we’re going to have to depend on him to oust Trump. Sheesh.
anarchoRex
@TaMara (HFG): I honestly wish some people would take your advice.
gwangung
@TaMara (HFG): Given China’s size of population, couldn’t you also say they had a lot of people they COULD take out of poverty? A poverty that was self-inflicted by the Cultural Revolution
@Ohio Mom: Yeah. Could have said, even a poor, dictatorship like Cuba got 100% literacy; we can just as well.
Duane
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: If Sanders keep talking like that he’s going to talk himself right out of the nomination.
Morzer
@Ohio Mom: Deng Xiaoping is the guy who deserves the credit for dumping Maoism and starting to move China towards a free market economy.
Morzer
@Jackie:
Jackie
@Morzer: I know, right? Why not???
Jay Noble
@rikyrah: I just don’t know how caucuses survived past WWII and the advent of car culture. It’s nothing but bullying and peer pressure writ large. Why would you do a caucus and then insist no one can see your presidential ballot?
Jay
https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/A983/production/_104859334_chart-china_poverty_ws_languages-7869h-nc.png&imgrefurl=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-46602785&docid=FNGOruarC-52OM&tbnid=qPgfZGrtUpKO4M:&vet=1&w=624&h=403&hl=en-ca&source=sh/x/im
https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.economicsjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/poverty-rate-historical1.png&imgrefurl=https://www.economicsjunkie.com/us-poverty-rate-how-the-great-society-programs-reversed-its-decline/&docid=o5_pejXCSaA3hM&tbnid=aTX_5x15fyb1jM:&vet=1&w=649&h=434&hl=en-ca&source=sh/x/im
Notice the differences?
Morzer
@Jackie: Doubtless he was improving his literacy with the special Castro reader for 80-year old children.
smike
@Jay Noble: We had caucuses for one year in Tx, and I thought it sucked. Now I vote early (on paper ballots a/la ‘fill in the bubble’) and there is no comparison.
Mousebumples
I caucused in 2004,in Iowa , when I was at school. It was a very interesting experience that I enjoyed participating in…. Along the lines of “it was cool to take a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon one time.”
As a college student, my nights were (mostly) free. As a mother of baby, I can’t imagine keeping her with me for an hour or two on the evening, probably past her bedtime…
Ken
Why does Harry Reid hate the Iowa corn dog and fried butter-stick industry?
(Pardon me a moment…)
I’ve just been informed that ridiculous campaign appearances are also held in non-caucus states. Objection withdrawn.