“Marco Rubio had long planned an ambitious Iowa advertising assault in the weeks leading up to the caucuses, but his campaign has quietly scaled back its ad buys in the state by more than $860,000,” Politico reports.
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Donald Trump Is Actually Helping Bernie Sanders
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Quote of the Day
“I think he’s just living in an alternative universe.”
— Former Ben Carson campaign manager Barry Bennett, talking to Politico about his old boss.
Before Voting, Clinton Starts Out Ahead of Sanders
David Wasserman notes that Hillary Clinton has a major advantage over Bernie Sanders due to her early dominance of superdelegates.
“He effectively begins the race eight points behind in the delegate count, before any votes are even cast. Unlike on the GOP side, 713 of Democrats’ 4,764 convention delegates (15 percent) are unpledged superdelegates. By the AP’s count last November, Clinton had the support of 359 superdelegates. Since then, according to FiveThirtyEight’s endorsement tracker, Clinton has picked up 21 congressional endorsements, for an estimated total of 380. The most recent count has Sanders at 11.”
The GOP’s Circular Firing Squad
First Read: “You know we’re 10 days out until Iowa, because the political attacks — on both sides — have picked up. But what’s happening in the Republican race is akin to the final scene in Reservoir Dogs or True Romance, where everyone has their weapons pointed at each other and, well, a lot of people are going to die… Now someone will survive — Steve Buscemi’s Mr. Pink or Christian Slater’s Clarence — but it’s going to be a bloody mess.”
Christie Won’t Return Home Despite Blizzard
Gov. Chris Christie has no plans to return to his home state as a massive blizzard bears down on the East Coast, WPVI-TV reports.
Said Christie: “We’ve gone through this rodeo a bunch of times before. We know how to do it.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times says Christie “has nearly vanished from the State Capitol and has scaled back his legislative goals in New Jersey.”
Trump Is the Clear Favorite for Nomination
Chris Cillizza: “The Iowa caucuses are 10 days from Friday. And Donald Trump, the larger-than-life real estate reality star, is — still — the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Not only has Trump not disappeared or imploded — as everyone everywhere predicted he would — he appears to be getting stronger in both early-state and national polling as actual votes draw closer.”
“At this point, Trump’s path to putting the nomination away quickly is far easier than the one Hillary Clinton must travel to capture the Democratic nomination.”
Clinton’s Response to Sanders Has Many Worried
“Hillary Clinton has questioned Bernie Sanders’ electability. She’s criticized his plans for health care, foreign policy and Wall Street. And she’s tagged him with flip-flopping on gun control. None of it appears to be sticking, say some Democrats who have raised concerns that a months-long primary campaign could create lasting damage for their party,” the AP reports.
“While most believe Clinton will still capture the nomination, some say she is failing to respond effectively to Sanders, fueling both his primary rise and strengthening the Republican argument against her. Others say she got too late a start going after Sanders and is still not hitting him enough — eroding her lead in states that should be safe.”
Quote of the Day
“If you nominate Trump and Cruz, I think you get the same outcome. Whether it’s death by being shot or poisoning doesn’t really matter. I don’t think the outcome will be substantially different.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham, quoted by the New York Times.
Trump Slams Cruz on Immigration In New Ad
Donald Trump released a very effective ad suggesting Ted Cruz supports amnesty.
Trump also released a new radio spot featuring Jerry Falwell, Jr.
RNC Disinvites National Review from Debate
When Marco Rubio Was Arrested
Washington Post: “He resolved to go back to Florida and get his life on a path to success. Instead the 18-year-old added to his troubles after returning to Miami for summer break: He was arrested one night in May 1990 for being in a crime-plagued public park after closing time, according to police records and an interview with a friend who was cited with Rubio that night.”
“The previously unreported misdemeanor, which eventually was dismissed, tugged Rubio into the criminal-justice system just one year after the conviction of his brother-in-law in a major drug-trafficking case had exacted a devastating toll on his family. But that summer also marks a turning point for Rubio, the moment when a somewhat aimless young man found a direction and purpose that shaped the highly focused politician who now sits among the leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination.”
GOP Establishment Prefers Trump to Cruz
“The Republican establishment — once seen as the force that would destroy Donald Trump’s outsider candidacy — is now learning to live with it, with some elected and unelected leaders saying they see an upside to Trump as the nominee,” the Washington Post reports.
“In the past few days, Trump has received unlikely public praise from GOP luminaries who said they would prefer him to his main rival, Sen. Ted Cruz.”
Wall Street Journal: “A Republican establishment worried about the rise of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz has two big problems: Support is divided among a number of their favored, centrist candidates for the GOP presidential nomination. And when support for those candidates is combined, it falls short of what’s likely needed to win.”
An Unsilent Majority Speaks Out Against Trump
New York Times: “For months, great quantities of ink, political-science brain power and polling resources have been expended trying to dissect, if not exactly diagnose, the Trump phenomenon — precisely who supports him and why. Far less energy has been devoted to sounding out a much larger segment of the electorate: those who reject him.”
Sanders and Trump Pull Away In New Iowa Poll
A CNN/ORC poll in Iowa shows Donald Trump leading the GOP race with 37%, followed by Ted Cruz at 26%, Marco Rubio at 14% and Ben Carson at 6%.
On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders has opened up an eight-point lead over Hillary Clinton, 51% to 43%.
GOP Senator Would Back Sanders Over Cruz
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) told supporters at a campaign fundraiser for his own re-election that he would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders for president before Sen. Ted Cruz, the AP reports.
“Burr did not appear to be joking, said the person, who demanded anonymity to discuss the private gathering.”
Why the Bernie Sanders Ad Is So Effective
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Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m like a fungus. I grow on people.”
— Gov. Chris Christie, quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
