After Iowa, the results of the Democratic primary in New Hampshire no longer matter to Democrats. Bernie (the most likely winner) or Hillary, this race will be decided in the industrial heartland, and the two coasts.
Regardless of the New Hampshire results, neither candidate will drop out. Neither candidate will have trouble raising money. Neither will be "propelled" into South Carolina.
For Democrats, and for the country's future, what happens in the Republican New Hampshire primary is a 1,000-fold more important.
Democrats who realize this can do far more to help the country and the party by voting in the Republican primary -- for Ted Cruz (R/TP-TX), in droves.
Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucuses rather convincingly -- against the trend of the polls, against a very crowded field, against the opposition of the Iowa Governor, and despite his opposition to ethanol subsidies, the only candidate on either side to oppose them.
If he wins New Hampshire as well, the race is going to be pretty much his to lose. He is well-positioned in the southern primaries, and the glow from winning in the northeast would shine brightly.
New Hampshire allows cross-over votes, so that anyone can vote in any party's primary.
If I were a New Hampshire Democrat, concerned about the future of the country, and the world, I would sign-up to vote in the Republican primary, and cast that vote for Ted Cruz.
Why?
A Cruz victory in New Hampshire makes his nomination highly likely, at worst a brokered convention with Cruz holding the upper hand.
Because the Republican field remains fractured, the opportunity for Democrats (and Independents) in New Hampshire to affect the outcome is huge. Moreover, voting for Cruz in droves would provide him a resounding victory in a crowded field that his rivals would have trouble spinning.
Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) strategy of running against the worst Republican in the Senate primary worked because the race for the Republican nomination was also fractured. Had there only been two candidates, it is questionable whether her strategy would have worked. But, with a number of different candidates in the race, her efforts tipped the scale. She chose her opponent.
With Cruz at the top of the Republican ticket, Democrats will not only win the presidency, but they would have a very good chance to regain the Senate and might even win the House. Look at the margin of McCaskill's victory in the general election.
Yes, I know, I know. The Hillary-Bernie race is very exciting, and it would be nice to be able to put one's finger on the scale for one of them. But, neither candidacy is, anymore, going to be determined by New Hampshire.
The Republican side is quite different. Moreover, no matter who wins, if that person becomes president, the country is in for a major dose of Kansas/Michigan type governance: a government that could not give a sh*t about consequences to people, a government that will enact enormous tax cuts for the wealthy, force women to carry their rapists' children to term, abolish access to health care coverage... and, most ominously, take over the Supreme Court for at least a generation.
All the hard-won gains for racial and gender equality, for preserving our precious planet, for providing citizens access to health care or even to the ballot box, will be wiped out. Gone.
Once gone, they will not return in the lifetime of anyone reading this article. When the Right takes power, their primary strategy is to make taking that power back more and more difficult. They deny the vote, rig elections, gerrymander districts, take over local governments.
In case no one has noticed, the Right-wing is not a fan of democracy. They want power. Process and legitimacy mean nothing to them.
So, New Hampshire Democrats, Ted Cruz laid claim to the Republican nomination by winning in Iowa. If you cross-over and vote for him in droves, you can give it to him.
And, the chances of the general election resulting in a realignment, consigning the radical Right to the same place conservative William F Buckley, Jr, wanted them -- marginalized -- are high.
The Right has abused our patience by preventing progress in area after area of life where it matters to people -- from healthcare to voting, from good-paying jobs rebuilding our roads, bridges, etc. to denying a living wage to workers, from interfering with women's constitutional right to an abortion to forcing them to carry their rapists' children -- that Democrats should not let this opportunity of a realignment election pass.
New Hampshire Democrats: Vote Cruz!! The country, the world, will thank you.