2016 Elections: Trump CRUZ-IFIED

Finally, the primaries have started. 

The first caucuses — held in Iowa — have been conducted on the first of February, and what drama do we have here. The Twitter post by the New York Post summarizes it all. 

"Trump left humbled by Ted's victory. Hillary and Bernie in Dem thriller. Cruz-ified."

I would not want to be an American waking up to see that headline on the newsstands Tuesday morning. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to see that the person the Iowan conservatives chose as their nominee was anyone but Trump. That's not to say that I'm a supporter of Ted Cruz. But he is a conservative that the GOP would actually endorse. The same can't be said of Trump. 

But, the problem is not the Republican nominee. It's the tight race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The whole day, my phone has been buzzing with headlines stating that the democratic caucus was too close to count and that they cannot declare a winner. Even the Korean media were going crazy about this. 

I'm sorry to say that Clinton is not at the top of her game. She needed a strong victory in Iowa, but she failed to do just that. Bernie Sander's received a huge amount of votes, primarily from the strong support he has from young voters. Looking at an NBC exit poll, the data shows that about 84% of Democrats between 17-29 voted for Sanders. He also beat Clinton in the next age bracket.

(NBC News)

I don't have anything against Sanders. I just wouldn't be one to parade around using the hashtag #Feeltheburn. But, I understand why the American youth are actively supporting Bernie Sanders, as he is the face of "anti-establishment", an image that differs quite drastically with the overly experienced Clinton.  

And, let's not overlook the strong support that Clinton gained from older voters. As I have learned constantly in political theory courses, it is safe to say that young voters are least likely to actually vote. Right now, it's only February. There is still a lot of time left until the the end of the primaries and the actual voting date. And there has been a whole bunch of hype during this election, which may have been a critical factor in this Iowa caucus.

I'm sure that Clinton's supporters would be more stable, more likely to actually come out to the polls, compared to the young voters supporting Sanders.

Expecting a win for Sanders in the next caucus at New Hampshire, let's see what happens after that. Let the games begin.