Iowa caucus process, the kind that I

don’t think anybody who has participated

in presidential politics has ever seen before.

“You’ve probably heard we don’t know the results.”

“Very, very frustrating.”

“And when those results are announced —”

“Get them straight.”

This state has just been frozen in uncertainty.

Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg

both seem to have had a pretty good night.

And not so much for Joe Biden.

“Let’s hear it for the Biden people.

You guys look good.”

But there was nobody there

sort of holding a trophy over their head

in the way the candidates go in expecting

to be able to do.

“Anybody with an S to Z last name?”

“L to R. L to R.”

“Anybody want a sign?”

[Whistle]

So the winner of Iowa is supposed

to be able to go out on the night of the caucuses

and in national prime time give a soaring victory speech

that introduces themselves to a larger swath

of the country,

and claim a burst of energy and momentum that carries them

forward into the next round of primaries and caucuses.

“55, 56, 57, 58 —”

But the end result was so deeply unsatisfying

to virtually everybody involved.

“There is no name on it.”

“O.K., I need his name and his number.”

“And then this is actually Bernie Sanders’ card.

I don’t know why the card ended up Biden.”

Some of the issues included technical problems

with an app that was supposed to help caucus precinct leaders

report the results,

failure of a back-up system

that was supposed to step in if the app failed,

inconsistencies in the data that the app did produce,

and sort of a technical understanding gap with some

of the precinct leaders who tend to be on the older side.

After a significant delay, we have some results in Iowa.

“Welcome, Mayor Pete.”

Pete Buttigieg staked essentially

his entire campaign on Iowa.

He poured resources and time into this state.

And his polling numbers gradually

rose here, even as they stayed pretty modest nationally.

So he has needed a win here and a jolt of momentum

early in the process.

“The biggest risk we could take

is to try to recycle the same Washington playbook

and mindset and fights that got us to this point,

and expect a different result.”

He’s arguing that he’s a unifier

of both the progressive and moderate wings of the party.

“Let’s not choose between boldness and unity.”

For Pete Buttigieg, Iowa means that he’s

going to be a real player in this race.

And it means that he’ll stay in

through to Super Tuesday, which had been

a question in his campaign.

Bernie doing well in Iowa means

that he is in a really strong position

going into New Hampshire.

“Today marks the beginning of the end for Donald Trump.”

Bernie’s had the same message for about 50 years.

“Rich are getting richer.”

“The most unfair distribution of wealth —”

“Two percent of the population that owns one-third

of the entire wealth of America —”

The fact that Bernie has had the same positions

and talked about them the same way

is what appeals to a lot, a lot of people.

“And almost all new income and wealth

goes to the top 1 percent.”

Bernie doing well in Iowa may also

catapult him into the other early states.

I’m thinking Nevada and after that, California.

“Let us transform this country.

Thank you all very much.”

[Cheering]

“Hello, Des Moines, Iowa.”

[Cheering]

“Hello, Warren Democrats.”

Elizabeth Warren has not been able to overcome the squeeze

from the Bernie Sanders left

and the Buttigieg moderate wing.

“Are we ready to do New Hampshire?”

Elizabeth Warren finished probably

about where we thought she would.

This is a candidate who over the summer and the fall

looked like she could become the runaway favorite in Iowa.

That did not happen.

“Yes!”

Elizabeth Warren’s argument has been about corruption.

“End lobbying as we know it.”

And, of course, plans and policy.

“And I got a plan for that.”

“Big structural change.”

We’re hearing a lot about unity.

“We have one job.

Right?

Number one job,

and that is beat Donald Trump.

Are you in on that?”

When we go outside of Iowa, her numbers

don’t look as great.

She’s not doing as great in South Carolina.

She’s not doing as great as her rivals in Nevada.

“But maybe that’s old-fashioned.

Hi, how are you?”

“So my grandmother has a huge crush on you.”

Joe Biden doing poorly in Iowa means renewed questions

about whether the candidate who has spent so much time

focused on this question of electability ...

“If I can unify the country — the character of the nation —”

... is, in fact, able to win.

“We need a president who can bring the country together.”

Biden made the argument that before any kind

of progressive change could be made,

first Democrats have to beat Trump,

and that he is the candidate who stands the best chance.

“They’re trying to smear me to try to stop me,

because they know if I’m the nominee,

I will beat Donald Trump.”

Iowa has presented a number of challenges for Joe Biden.

This question of enthusiasm.

That was the message from voters,

that they like Joe Biden,

they respected Joe Biden,

but this was not a candidate who excited them.

For Iowa Democrats, this has been nothing short

of a humiliation.

There is no question that Iowa’s status

as the first-in-the-nation caucus state

is in mortal jeopardy.

If you talk to any senior Democrat in the country

right now, they will tell you, never again.

Never again certainly to a caucus in Iowa.

And maybe never again to Iowa starting

a presidential process, period.

How do I feel?

On to New Hampshire!

[Laughter]