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It’s snowing like that cold day in Hell here in Portland, Oregon. I’m even writing this on Saturday because I can’t guarantee I’ll have power Sunday, which is your today. Of course, the weather is pretty much awful everywhere, and you can’t say, “I love the winter weather,” because you’ve already put away all your Christmas decorations. It’s time to move on.
As of Saturday, 70 million people were under winter weather alerts and an estimated 400,000 people are without power. The midwestern US is getting hammered with “life-threatening winter weather,” which is hard to love. If Rep. Lauren Boebert is reading this, I should probably clarify that the midwest includes Iowa, where the first Republican presidential caucus is held on Monday. I know we’re all looking forward to watching Ron DeSantis weep as the results are reported.
Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto pointed out Friday that Iowans are accustomed to snow, but he did ask pollster Frank Luntz what impact the snowpocalypse might have on turnout to what is already a tedious event.
“There are two groups that are impacted when it’s gonna be this cold,” Luntz replied. “Young voters — 18 to 29-year-olds — are less likely to vote in inclement weather. Their turnout is always suspect. And in a Republican event, the average age of a caucus voter, frankly, is deceased. Now, the other group that is affected by it are those over age 70 — people who would vote if it was more conducive to getting outside.”
Luntz said you could make excuses for poor turnout (especially if you’re an underperforming candidate) but ultimately, he still expects strong turnout Monday. Let’s manage expectations here, though. In 2016, about 187,000 Republicans came out to caucus compared to the 800,000 Iowans who’d later vote for Donald Trump in the general election. Whereas, the turnout for the 2016 New Hampshire Republican primary was not so far off from the eventual Republican turnout for the general election. Caucuses are absurdly anti-democratic. Anyway, in 2016 the recorded high was a balmy 36 degrees, but Monday’s forecast has the “high” at a downright nippy minus one degrees.
MAGA cultist and crackpot bigot Laura Loomer claims that the major winter event hitting Iowa is all the doing of Nikki Haley, who apparently has access to a Cobra-designed Weather Dominator.
“Is the Deep State activating HAARP to disrupt the Iowa Caucus?
We all know @NikkiHaley has a lot of friends in the defense industry and Military industrial complex. She’s losing in Iowa, and now Iowa is set to get hit with a ONCE IN A DECADE blizzard as Donald Trump is set to dominate the Iowa Caucus.
Is the Deep State using HAARP to rig the Iowa Caucus?
Looks like weather manipulation to me.
Take a look at this weather radar below and how the incoming snow storm accelerated out of nowhere. 👇🏻”
On the upside, Loomer seems to believe humans can cause climate change — just in a very dumb, sci-fi B-movie way.
Back in reality, this horrible weather is likely to only further benefit Trump, who already has what seems like an insurmountable lead. That might discourage Haley and DeSantis supporters from risking hypothermia to caucus if they consider the outcome a foregone conclusion. However, the MAGA cult would probably willingly freeze solid in tribute to their mad king.
The frigid temperatures are already keeping folks away from DeSantis events — not that the frigid candidate himself is any more inviting.
Haley cancelled an event on Friday because of the blizzard, but she begged supporters at her telephone town call to show up for her on Monday.
“I know it’s asking a lot of you to go out and caucus, but I also know we have a country to save and I will be out there in the cold.” She’s from South Carolina, so this is quite the personal sacrifice. We don’t go outside once it drops to 40. “Please wear layers of clothes, just in case there are lines so that you are staying safe.”
She couldn’t even follow her own damn advice in this video she shared Saturday on social media. The woman’s not wearing a hat, gloves, or thick-ass “Doctor Who” scarf and just has her “this jacket completes my indoor outfit” on instead of a real coat. Every grandmother in South Carolina is shaking their heads right now.
Despite our opposing political views, I actually don’t want to spend Tuesday morning writing about Iowa caucusgoers who went out like Jack Torrance. Stay warm.
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