Iowa Democratic Party vs Democratic voters: Can the shepherd find the sheep?

by Glenn Hurst


In 2016, when Bernie Sanders lost the primary to Hillary Clinton and then Donald Trump won the presidency, Iowa Democrats were at each other’s throats. Blame was laid on the left-leaning voters for not turning out for Clinton. The establishment was accused of running a system to “fix” the nomination for an unpopular candidate.

This intraparty drama was such a common phenomena across the country that a reconciliation committee, a.k.a. the “Unity Panel” was formed to address the conflict.

If my Facebook wall and Twitter feed are a measure of political discontent, the party is absolutely pacified. There has been a relative lack of backroom chatter regarding the presidential outcome this year compared to 2016. The Joe Biden win appears to be taken as a relief and eyes have turned away from questioning why he lost in Iowa. This does not mean the Iowa Democratic Party has wiped its brow and is moving on with business as usual.

The party’s State Central Committee is poised to clean house with regards to its leadership. And, though directly related to the outcome of the 2020 election, the focus of most disappointment has been on the party’s inability to elect Democrats to the state House or Senate.

Read more: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/12/06/iowa-democratic-party-vs-democratic-voters-can-the-shepherd-find-the-sheep/