Derec
Contributor
Well you should put fucking links in NSFW hide tags anyway.
In any case, the vB system saves your work as you go. You should have seen the "restore auto-saved content" on the bottom of reply box. It does not always work, but has helped me many a time before.
Iowa doesn't award many delegates, so it's more about momentum and perception than delegates themselves. I do not think it matters that much who 'won' especially now that raw votes (first and final) are reported. It's much more about relative performance. Pete over-performed, Biden, Warren and Klobuchar under-performed, Bernie pretty much met expectations.
Your system would make funding even more important. Retail politicking in Iowa and NH makes it possible for candidates to break out and become viable through pressing flesh and elbow grease. Having large media markets dominate would make it necessary to have almost universal name recognition and/or huge war chest from the get-go. It is no coincidence Mayor Mike McMoneybags chose to forego Iowa and NH and focus on Super Tuesday.
That's what "three/four tickets out of Iowa" means. That Iowa winner became the Democratic nominee for almost all caucuses in the last 30 years (1992 being the sole exception, and that caucus was not contested) is not necessary to make it important. The function of Iowa and NH to separate wheat from chaff, without requiring a huge budget, is the real importance of these early contests.
Klobuchar definitely should be on this list. She is favorite daughter adjacent and could not manage better than 5th place. I can't see her doing better in any of the remaining three early contests.
Biden is on the bubble. Failing to finish 2nd in NH will effectively end his campaign. I suspect it will be Bernie and Pete fighting for lead, and Warren and Biden for 3rd place.
