**Iowa Poll: Not even in the race, Joe Biden leads herd of Democrats; Bernie Sanders close behind**

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Joe Biden has yet to enter the 2020 presidential race — he’s been weighing the decision in a closely watched will-he-or-won’t-he saga — but the former vice president still leads the pack in Iowa.

According to a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll of likely Democratic caucusgoers, 27 percent say Biden is their first choice for president. That’s down slightly from the 32 percent who said the same in December, but it tops the 19 other declared and potential candidates tested.

Biden has a 2-percentage-point advantage over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Though that’s within the poll’s 4.9 percentage point margin of error, other numbers bode well for the former vice president and suggest a stronger advantage over Sanders. The poll of 401 likely Democratic caucusgoers was conducted March 3 through 6.

...


https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/iowa-poll/2019/03/10/election-2020-joe-biden-bernie-sanders-harris-warren-democrats-iowa-caucuses-poll-president-caucus/3098982002/

[katmondoo]

1. Bernie only runs for President

What bills has he sponsored since his 16 years in the House and 8 years in the Senate

[CrossingTheRubicon]

3. He sponsored two bills to re-name post offices.

One for a member of the "Know Nothing" party.

[Hortensis]

14. But that's NOT nothing. Names of our P.O.s are important.

Just think of the job creation whenever one is changed. Keep it up, Bernie!

[Eric J in MN]

18. Bernie Sanders sponsored three bills this year to lower prescription drug prices.

Bills he sponsored in the previous years would give us Medicare-for-All and tuition-free public colleges.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

28. Thanks... though facts won't make a difference to some.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[marylandblue]

33. He has sponsored many bills in his career, but only about 7 passed.

Does he like to shoot the moon, or is he just not good at compromising? A little of both, I think.

[LakeArenal]

2. Even tho this sounds good for Joe...

I’m not sure I trust polls anymore.

Still... Joe 2020.

[Hortensis]

15. They're mostly meaningless at this point, except

for professionals who are tracking them serially for various things.

Both Biden and Sanders are the only names many recognize yet. Big whoopee.

If anything, over a year-and-a-half out, responses might for instance suggest to analysts something about current level of interest in the election itself and which direction is dominating.

[LakeArenal]

20. The "Big whoopee" was pretty unnecessary.

I guess you aren’t leaning Biden or Sanders.

Biden/Beto 2020.

[Hortensis]

23. The "big whoopee" is for "exciting" news from polls

that won't mean anything in the long run. Although, of course, they could be forever meaningful to people who see something they're eager to believe.

A cool eye looking off into the distance isn't a bad thing. Remember, our brains store lies we hear repetitively as truth (even when we know they're lies) in our "bags of knowledge" that we then run new information by for acceptance or rejection. That's why many people these days literally cannot be reached by truth. It's immediately rejected by bags they've obligingly stuffed with trash.

Over the next 1-3/4 years I'll be ignoring most the blizzard of uninformative polls. Especially because a large portion of them will be generated not for informing but for the purpose of implanting disinformation.

[LakeArenal]

24. Gee aren't you the expert.

[Hortensis]

25. :) I'll also be trying to avoid most of the horse race

coverage since by its nature it will inevitably badly delude.

Although I couldn't help noticing that a pair of near octogenarians, one of whom isn't even in the race, are apparently running practically neck and neck far ahead of the rest of the pack. And we're off! So exciting!

[Me.]

27. As Per My POst Below

I noticed on MTP that it's a Caucus Poll

[Hortensis]

35. Lol, critical point?! I just saw silly results that had to be invalid

and didn't look further.

[Me.]

36. I Saw It On The Chiron On MTP

Just happened to notice and then came to DU to see it being trumpeted with great fanfare.

[former9thward]

34. We are less than 11 months from the Iowa Caucus.

Not "over a year-and-a-half out". Candidates are actively campaigning in Iowa. Polls are "mostly meaningless at this point" only if your candidate is not doing well.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

4. Bernie ALWAYS gains in the polls as the race goes on and, so, he'll easily win this thing going away

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[CrossingTheRubicon]

5. Like last time, when he lost by 4 million votes?

[Hortensis]

16. With Russia's and Repubs' help, so don't count him out.

He has both again. But this time it'll be discussed. And Sanders is no longer "new;" other candidates have that advantage. So the press will eventually be talking about it this time, along with other issues most blew off before.

Political scientists are no doubt counting bots and measuring...everything they can. And, unless the Republicans can suppress it better than they have so far, our intelligence agencies will be providing information since foreign interference in our elections has become a grave matter of national security.

For those who are unsure of this, the Mueller investigation has confirmed Russia's promotion of Sanders for the express purpose of electing Trump and defeating Democrats. It was horribly real, and he's running again as the same old Bernie. Putin must keep Republicans in power and defeat Democrats. This is an existential issue for Putin and the fellow kleptocrats he must satisfy, or else.

All in all, I think we have to assume InA is right. Note that Sanders can already be considered to have "gained in the polls."

[forklift]

7. Last time was different

He was an unknown and became familiar.

Now he is familiar already. It is all downhill from here with no brakes.

[LakeArenal]

21. 50% undecided.

[forklift]

6. If Bernie is running behind an undeclared candidate

despite all the hoopla, opportunistic photo ops and inserting himself in issues like he invented them for 4 years, he has no prayer.

[gyroscope]

8. Within the margin of error

what part of that do you not understand? Biden could very well be running behind Sanders.
so according to you, Biden has no hope.

[forklift]

9. mmmmmkay

Whatever makes you feel better.

[gyroscope]

10. Ignore the facts

if it makes you feel better.

[forklift]

11. Sir, you forget that Biden will get an announcement bounce

Biden has yet to peak.

Bernie is at his peak. He is a known quantity and his one stump speech is already memorized by hundreds of millions of people.

It is all downhill for Bernie from here on out. With no brakes.

[Quixote1818]

13. Here is some discussion on this poll

[floppyboo]

17. Great to see Warren in 3rd!

I so hope the news infotainment learn how to present her. Right now, they are doing a poo job.

[getagrip_already]

19. F#$% Iowa - Sorry Iowans, but....

Your opinion means exactly dick. I know, I know, it's an early pony show. But really, it doesn't mean a damn thing. It's an undemocratic expression of club behavior among old white voters.

Stop focusing on it. It isn't predictive and it isn't consequential. It's like that lettle town in NH with 12 voters, Every news outlet falls over themselves to announce the results.

Go away. We don't need you any more.

I wish the candidates would just announce they aren't campaigning there and end this nonsense.

[SharonClark]

29. Well F#$% right back at ya.

Bernie will win the Democratic caucus in Iowa and then everyone will move on to the other states and their more important primaries.
No harm done.

[getagrip_already]

30. well, the only good thing will be...

that when bs loses iowa, he will be painted as gone. It still won't mean jack, but it will hurt.

[Hortensis]

22. Democratic candidates ALREADY were and are under foreign attack.

The 2020 race is hardly underway, and already candidates are being targeted with the same techniques Russia employed in the 2016 and 2018 cycles. According to Politico, which confirmed its findings with digital experts, a “sustained and ongoing” disinformation campaign has begun in earnest, targeting top Democrats ...

“It looks like the 2020 presidential primary is going to be the next battleground to divide and confuse Americans,” said Brett Horvath, co-founder of Guardians.ai, a tech company that aims to protect pro-democracy groups from online meddling. “As it relates to information warfare in the 2020 cycle, we’re not on the verge of it—we’re already in the third inning.” ...

According to the analysis, the latest disinformation campaign reportedly consists of a familiar cocktail of memes, hashtags, and misleading portrayals of candidates’ positions. The aim, it seems, is to exploit and exacerbate divisions between Americans; as in 2016, many of the posts specifically play on race. Harris, Politico notes, has been the subject of “racist and sexist stereotypes” in tweets sensationalizing her relationship with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Another popular false story claimed Warren had a blackface doll in the background of an Instagram live stream she conducted on New Year’s Eve. And O’Rourke was the subject of a tweet from a suspicious account that claimed he had used racist language in a voicemail in the 1990s.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/is-russia-already-meddling-in-2020-election

Actually, our intelligence experts are warning that both China and Russia have been ratcheting up flooding of social media, with us as their targets. Something to always keep in mind when exposing our minds to what's being published and trying to figuring out what's really happening and why "out there" on the various campaign trails.

[Me.]

26. It's A Caucus Poll!

Grain of salt time.

[madville]

31. The breakdown by voter age says a lot

Under 45 breaks big for Bernie and 45+ loves Joe.

[marlakay]

32. Which only goes to show

If the youth actually showed up to vote big time they could get their progressive candidates they want.

Why I wish we had voting like Australia, where everyone has to. I have young online friends that say they pay attention because of being forced to vote.

I think we would have a better balance in the country and definitely would not be center right if the kids all voted.