First observations from the Iowa Steak Fry

[brooklynite]

12,000+ attending

Warren has the best ground operation. Nobody gets in without being intercepted about volunteering. Second best operation seems to be Buttigieg. Biden has lots of support but not reaching out to undecided. Beto, Booker and Harris have small but enthusiastic teams.

Bernie is nonexistent. No signs, nobody at their rally tent. No supporter march into the site. Nobody showing support in the crowd.

[HerbChestnut]

1. "Bernie is nonexistent. No signs, nobody at their rally tent. No supporter march into the site."

If true, that's very strange.

[George II]

6. Here's a photograph, ignore the comment (that isn't mine and that isn't me):

Link to tweet

[HerbChestnut]

8. This might explain it.

Link to tweet

/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1175425673986543618&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2Fd7ek1w%3Fresponsive%3Dtrue%26is_nightmode%3Dfalse

[brooklynite]

10. Nice excuse...why did he rent the tent in the first place?

Apparently the 12 people he brought up on stage for the tableau vivante could be spared from door-knocking.

[vsrazdem]

13. This explains it.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287289174

[George II]

16. Probably the biggest Iowa event in the fall, and his people are out canvassing.

There were 13,000 Iowans at the steak fry today.

[Blue_true]

18. It just shows how "organized???" his campaign is. nt

[George II]

19. Maybe when the Deputy Field Director left recently he took the play book with him?

[Blue_true]

20. I hope not. For the good of the Democratic Party.

Does not sound like Senator Sanders had any competent staff in his campaign, anywhere.

[brooklynite]

11. Some context...

The major campaigns set up rally tents for their supporters to meet at and then marched in with their candidate at the front of the line. Bernie booked the tent but didn’t organize anything on site.

[Hortensis]

14. Well, he has had that Iowa staff shakeup. Looks like

whoever got that tent up wasn't the one in charge of detailing a handful of meet-and-greeters there while their candidate and everyone else were elsewhere. But oh, well. His name's up big and bold.

What I noticed on going to the Sanders Twitter site was nothing but tweets about medical debt. Vote for Bernie and he'll make your medical bills go away. He can't win on that, but maybe his goal is just to get the 300 required delegates to the convention to put his name in nomination. So we can have 2016 deja vu all over again.

[ritapria]

2. Bernie's peope decided to engage in canvassing and phone banking

According to their field director, Misty Rebik, Team Bernie has contacted almost 35,000 (updated) Iowa voters today ….. At their Tent they have written :" Out door knocking Be back later " … (See Misty Rebik twitter account for confirmation )

[HerbChestnut]

3. That makes sense.

[George II]

7. It has just been reported that their deputy field director has left the campaign.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/21/sanders-deputy-field-director-in-iowa-is-no-longer-with-campaign-1507264

Sanders deputy field director in Iowa is no longer with campaign

[George II]

4. He says he has 25,000 volunteers in Iowa (there are only 620,000 Democrats in the state)

[HerbChestnut]

5. 25,000 is believable.

That's 4% of democrats in the state according to your number, which is about a quarter of his support there and doesn't include independents.

[brooklynite]

9. Sanders speaking now...

...fairly tepid crowd response in comparison to Beto and Warren.

[vsrazdem]

12. Better check again.

[cwydro]

15. Seems odd that Bernie isn't there?

Perhaps he’s still fighting laryngitis?

[George II]

17. The LBGTQ event is over. He flew to Iowa for the steak fry today.