There's no doubt that tying, or even coming close to it (as I'm not sure if the delegates will divide evenly), is a victory for Bernie Sanders. Given Hillary's decade of being perceived as “inevitable” and her connections, and people seeing Sanders much like many did one of my favorite people, Dennis Kucinich — far too radical to ever get far — a strong performance in Iowa has created an enormous amount of momentum for the campaign.
But for Hillary, I could see on the stage when she made her speech to supporters specifically mentioning O'Malley's acknowledgement of dropping out without declaring victory and speaking in terms of unity, that she DID breathe a huge sigh of relief — last time people thought she was “inevitable” and she came in LAST.
That type of speech is why, despite everyone who hates her, I still like her. She said that at the end of the day, even if we disagree on how to accomplish our goals, we all know that our real enemy isn't going to be on the debate stage before New Hampshire, unless the Republicans decide to throw another one. Which is the truth.
A long primary campaign created significant, sustained Democratic voter interest throughout the long primary all the way to the Convention in 2008, which in the end I think helped get Democratic voter turnout high in the General. So I don't mind at all that Bernie plans to keep it going until the Convention, and as long as we keep it a conversation instead of an attack against our own, we will be able to craft our Platform and have a great chance for another four years with a Blue White House. (I think Democrats should remember the principle of Ronnie's "11th Commandment" going forward.)
In the end, I'll close with my favorite joke (with a lot of truth) about why I am a proud Democrat:
"Vote Democratic — the Ass You Save May Be Your Own!”