| THE LEDE If you’d asked me two years ago who would win Iowa, I might have predicted roughly this week’s outcome — with one exception: Whatever you think of Pete Buttigieg, his rise has been remarkable.
The Media and the Party: The overwhelming impression you have in Iowa at this time of year is of a tiny, overwhelmed, and rusted-out party apparatus, overgrown and overwhelmed by a rainforest of media. That’s the big story of the past century of politics — how media has replaced the old structures — and one way to see the confusing mess was that the party failed to deliver results fast enough for its masters on cable news, and it will pay for it.
Bernie in Iowa: Many of us in the media dismissed Sanders in 2016, and it would be unreasonable not to step back from what's happening now and realize that he likely won the most votes in the most important early state. He did it by energizing his base of support without broadening it, traveling with high-profile, sometimes divisive, figures of the left like Michael Moore and Rep. Ilhan Omar.
The recent meltdown deepened his supporters’ sense of a system rigged against them — and while not all the specifics of those charges are true, there’s a broader way in which the Democratic Party’s failure to deliver what feels like legitimately democratic results makes his case for him.
READ RECEIPTS Evan Henshaw-Plath I texted this week with Evan Henshaw-Plath, better known as @Rabble, a web developer who was part of the team that wound up building Twitter, whose thread on what went wrong in Iowa was widely shared this week. ON THE TRAIL WITH BUZZFEED NEWS If you were too busy thinking about Iowa and missed it, Trump was acquitted in the Senate. Here’s the coverage from the Hill team.
From Nidhi and Henry: Joe Biden really blew it in Iowa, so what happens now?
What did go well in Iowa? The Republican caucuses. More here from Miriam and Rosie.
Bernie Sanders is having a very weird week, Ruby reports.
Molly went to Pete Buttigieg’s rally in New Hampshire the day after Iowa, and he...did not mention Iowa at all.
P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide.) 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Ben Smith, Veronica Dulin, and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
🔔 Want to be notified as soon as news breaks? Download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS and Android (available in Canadian, UK, Australian, and US app stores).
💌 Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to get BuzzFeed News in your inbox! Show privacy notice and cookie policy. BuzzFeed, Inc.
111 E. 18th St.
New York, NY 10003 Unsubscribe | 