So Long Corn

You know how when you're at the supermarket you see that mass produced coffee cake, it looks good so against your better judgment you buy it. Afterwards you feel vaguely unsatisfied, even a bit queasy. Kind of like the Iowa Caucuses. Thankfully it's behind us now but I wonder how many Iowans have buyer's remorse this morning?

The good news is I pretty much nailed it on the outcome, so good for me. This is clear evidence of my political brilliance. Of course I could have been wrong but it wouldn't have been a reflection on my analysis but rather the fault of bad data.

The surprise of the night is Marco Rubio coming in at a strong number three, close to Donald Trump's number two. Those high numbers will get Rubio second and third looks in New Hampshire.

Hillary Clinton was declared the apparent winner at 4:00A.M. At the time I'm writing the word "apparent" hangs in the air. It's the closest Democratic race in the history of the Iowa Caucuses which means it is a giant victory for Bernie Sanders.
Clinton made two shrewd but tacky political moves last night. The first was having her team declare victory a little after 10:00 P.M. The second was when she delivered her victory speech an hour and a half later, never saying she won but conveying she did and trying to dominate the evenings narrative. She took a page from Bill Clinton's playbook, even if it turned out she didn't win, you just ignore it and embrace the triumph of your battle. The speech was strong and hit every note including a comment about fighting for universal healthcare, which is interesting since she's spent two weeks bashing Sanders for his pie in the sky rhetoric and suggesting such a thing can't be done because it's too devisive.

Sanders spoke after midnight and made it clear that at that time he and Clinton were in a virtual tie. He gave a great Bernie speech, did not play political games and gave Clinton something to worry about.

I would be remiss in not noting that Mike Huckabee and Martin O'Malley have now dropped out. Ben Carson should consider joining them because his number four position shows he has a serious problem. If he couldn't convince the evangelicals to deliver him victory in Iowa, he's finished.

Here comes New Hampshire!