I pride myself on intellectual honesty and not playing double standards. I consider it the key validator of one’s integrity or lack of it. It’s the old, “He’d sell his mother if...” thing and those type of people always worry me because I know they cannot be trusted. Same with rank partisanship. Yuck. Such people are tribalists, and tribalism in its various flavors are why humans are incapable of escaping war, genocide, and all the shitty “isms” that are supposed to be anathema to progressives. Tribalism is the real reason why humans really can’t have nice things, like lasting peace.
Today’s pie fights are a laugh fest, reading all the serious people’s “analysis” that tries to assert ridiculous claims. Who does anyone think they are kidding playing spin doctor to this community? I also don’t know whether to be insulted or to have pity. Go ahead and get excited about “winning” by a coin toss and a rounding error. Go ahead and tell me Sanders is in trouble.
I’ve asked 5 people today as I’ve gone about my morning. A check out lady at the store. A teacher in the car line. Two people getting their coffee at the convenience store next to me. A guy in the electrical section of Lowe’s. I asked each of them casually about last night. Interestingly, and encouragingly to me, 4 of 5 knew the results. Of those 4, the sum of the comments were, “It sounds like it was pretty much a tie” and “What a nail biter!”
So get real. There were 6 coin tosses. Is was less than ½ a percentage point. It was not called until about 3AM, and there are still some minor questions. One side entered the race with massive disadvantages and not even a career of Party affiliation. One side entered it with the most advantages in the history of any non-incumbent Democratic candidate. And the result? A moderately high turnout and a rounding error margin — the closest margin in the history of the Iowa Democratic caucus. Play your narrative games. The people know people doing that are people they should not listen to, because such people are not to be trusted.
Meanwhile, the most honest person last night was the man who took the stage and announced a virtual tie as he congratulated his opponents and called on the People to join him, proving once again his character is unassailable, as he speaks simple, declarative truths, not insulting spin. That’s integrity.
The voters see this thing as it is. A surprisingly close race where one side was expected to run away with the nomination, but is butting against a lot of popular resistance. And then they paid for their coffee and walked out the door to live their lives.
Onward to New Hampshire and beyond. May the best candidate win.