1/ @CNN could’ve noted THIS !
But I didn’t hear a single host even admit Pete’s No 1 in this Iowa poll. Instead they said he’s “joining the top tier” [where’s he’s been for weeks] & “It’s just a snapshot in time in a fluid race” & he’s “basically tied with Biden.”
The chyrons! https://twitter.com/allanbrocka/status/1194328633789145089

2/ When CNN hosts reported this Iowa poll, they talked more about Biden than Pete, praising Biden’s Monday town hall & never mentioning Pete’s phenomenal speech at #LJ19, which brought him lots of new support.
Lemon: “Important to note that there’s no clear winner in this poll.”

3/ Monmouth was the first Iowa poll entirely conducted after the Iowa Liberty & Justice Celebration, where @PeteButtigieg drew the largest crowd & delivered a rousing speech, eliciting the loudest applause (verified!)—but his numbers there have been “top tier” for several weeks.

4/ @CNN never mentioned this trend or Pete’s @RealClearNews Iowa average of 19.7%, an actual tie with Warren’s 20%. Biden is 3 points behind there, too, at 17%. Instead I heard “what we’ve seen throughout this process is everyone takes a turn at the top & then gets knocked off.”

5/ After seeing this poll covered several times on CNN yesterday & noticing each time that no one ever said out loud that Pete had hit number 1 or was leading or winning, I realized that if I hadn’t been looking at the screen, I wouldn’t know. Their words seemed carefully chosen.

6/ I watched all day. Don’t judge me! I could’ve missed a segment, but I think the only time anyone said out loud that Pete is winning in Iowa was near 1 AM. Joe Lockhart to Don Lemon: “We’ll see how he does with his newfound...uh, you know, uh, uh, you know... lead in Iowa.”

7/ I mean, that’s weird, right? The pattern all day, the chyrons, and then that uncharacteristic (for Lockhart) loss for words? I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The “news” is about stories, and the story CNN wanted to tell yesterday is “Biden is still going strong!!”

8/ There were some other statements made specifically to undercut the significance of Pete’s lead in Iowa but I won’t repeat them. I sensed a dual purpose: downplay Pete & build up Biden. This was especially obvious on shows that spent the most time on the poll, like @CNNTonight.

9/ Ryan Nobles told Don Lemon that Biden “doesn’t necessarily even have to win Iowa or NH because he has the ability to stay in this race for some time. Joe Biden is still a formidable force in this race. His name recognition is as good as any other Democrat in the field...”

10/ Then Lemon said “Biden remains resilient & steady” and asked Lockhart why Dem donors are worried about it. Lockhart: “Donors are genetically programmed to be worried. We go through this all the time. I think it’s just a lot of rich people with too much time on their hands.”

11/ Perhaps the overarching purpose of all this was to dissuade Michael Bloomberg & Deval Patrick from running by convincing them & their influential donors that Biden is still viable. If so, that begs the question: would they not back Pete? Of course, Biden is far more centrist.

12/ But Biden isn’t JUST more centrist than Pete. Biden routinely promises a return to the old normal, argues that we shouldn’t try to “change the system,” and he reassures his rich donors that “nothing will fundamentally change” if he gets elected. https://www.salon.com/2019/06/19/joe-biden-to-rich-donors-nothing-would-fundamentally-change-if-hes-elected/

13/ [Quick break so I can meet my daily DuoLingo goal before midnight!]

14/ Mission accomplished!
I @duolingo! But now I’m too sleepy to fully address what I wanted to say. Basically, Pete is far more progressive than Biden. He wants structural change & I wish ppl would stop saying he’s painting himself as a younger Biden. It’s absurdly inaccurate!

15/ Next I was going to say something brilliant to tie the whole thread together, probably in rhyme. Y’all have to just fill that in yourselves, cuz I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Mmmkay?
But srsly, I want @CNN to know that their spin doesn’t go unnoticed & PETE’S GONNA WIN!!

16/ I forgot I was going to call out @CNN (esp @DanaBashCNN) for never having retracted their false claims about #barnstormersforpete! And my tie-in to the OP was gonna be about this bc ignoring the historic moment of Pete’s new Iowa lead is connected! https://twitter.com/holyspacemonkey/status/1194806088236855297?s=21

17/ Okay, goodnight!