WBUR New Hampshire Primary Poll: Trump Leads Nearest Rivals 29-to-12 Percent

See, "WBUR Poll: In N.H., Democratic Race Tightens Slightly, Trump Stays Ahead on GOP Side."

Trump's numbers are consistent across the number of New Hampshire polls I've blogged. It's the "battle for the second" tier that's pretty unsettled. But Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are tied at 12 percent in the WBUR poll, although the CNN/WMUR poll had Rubio at 18 percent, which is a pretty good difference. See, "Trump Ahead by 11-Points in New Hampshire; Rubio Surges in 'Battle for the Second Tier' (VIDEO)."

It's been a crazy week.

The UMass Lowell poll is releasing numbers throughout the weekend, so there's still more data we'll have to look at before Tuesday's election.

So, check back, as always.

A Raging Battle Over the Democrat Party's Future

It's an ideological battle, although I don't think it's as big a deal as all the media people make it out to be.

The Democrats have been lurching leftward since the early Bush administration, especially post-2003 and the Iraq war. The Democrats became the party of defeat, attacking the Iraq war as based on a lie. John Kerry lost in 2004, but Barack Hussein won in 2008, and the party's been moving left ever since. Now with Bernie Sanders, the Democrats are out and out proclaiming their ideological socialism. No doubt some DNC folks aren't pleased with this candor, thinking it might hurt them in 2016, and Hillary's trying to appear progressive, but not too much so. She's hammering on the pragmatic "progressive who gets things done" meme. But it won't matter much. The cat's out of the bag. If a Democrat wins in November it'll be up to the Republicans in Congress to push back against further gains for socialist ideology in this country, and who's optimistic about that? Not too many GOP primary voters, by the looks of things.

In any case, at the Los Angeles Times, "In fight between Clinton and Sanders, a raging battle over Democrats' future":

The Democratic presidential campaign is most obviously a fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. It is also a contest over what kind of party Democrats want to have and what level of purity will be required to be part of it.

The party’s leftward swing this year, made obvious by the surge of support for democratic socialist Sanders and his call for political revolution, marks a direct reversal of the party’s shift to the center in the 1990s. That lurch, engineered by Clinton’s husband Bill and his allies, moderated the party after its loss of 5-of-6 presidential campaigns from 1968 through 1988 and ushered in a period of top-of-the-ticket Democratic dominance and, for a time, control of Congress.

Clinton's response to Sanders' strength has been to put forward her own brand of pragmatic liberalism and to insist that her plans are more achievable given Republican strength on Capitol Hill and a deeply-divided country. That is a less-than-satisfying response for many Democrats who want to seize on this campaign to pick a nominee who reflects the party’s more-liberal present and not its moderate past.

Both Sanders and Clinton are riding the impact of increased partisanship and polarization in the country, the same factors that have forced Republicans through internal bloodbaths.

A Gallup survey released earlier this year showed the growth of more ideological wings in both parties. Among Democrats, 45% identified themselves as liberal, up 6 points since 2011 and 16 points since 2000. The change has been driven in large part by a growing minority vote and the increasing youth of the party.

Republicans’ growing pains were the mirror image, with self-identified conservatives growing to 68% of the party, up 6 points since 2000.

The fight over what defines a Democrat will spark repercussions throughout the presidential race and into the general election, for the different answers suggest vastly different paths to the presidency.

Sanders' view is that by drawing enthusiastic support he can expand turnout nationally and in the states to create a mandate for his ideas.

"Democrats win when there is a large voter turnout, when people are excited, when working people, middle-class people and young people are prepared to engage in the political process," the Vermont senator said Thursday.

Clinton portrayed herself as the natural successor to President Obama and someone whose views would find support among both Democrats, independents and moderates who might be put off by Sanders’ inciting call...

Still more.

CNN Hypes 'White Nationalist' Robocalls for Donald Trump in New Hampshire (VIDEO)

Here's CNN the report, via Memeorandum, "Trump's unwelcome support: White supremacists."

And Red State's Jay Caruso runs with the story, "White Supremacists Form a Super PAC. Take a Wild Guess Who They're Supporting?" (That's a safe link, to Caruso's Twitter feed. Red State and the National Review people completely lost it this last couple of weeks over Donald Trump. It's been pretty ugly, really.)

This isn't the first media outlet hyping the so-called "White Nationalist" support for trump. The group's robocalls were also reported in Iowa. The Washington Post covered them, sensationally, apparently. Jared Taylor, who's interviewed at the CNN video, responded to WaPo's report here, "Donald Trump, White Supremacism, and the Insanity of the WASHINGTON POST":

The Washington Post recently interviewed me for a story about robocalls I made to support Donald Trump in Iowa [Hear a white nationalist’s robocall urging Iowa voters to back Trump, January 12, 2016]

The reporter, Peter Holley [email him], was the usual bright young lad, and we had a 45-minute phone conversation that covered a lot of ground.

People who know nothing about racial dissidents call us “white supremacists,” so I explained why that’s wrong.

Me: “No, I’m not a white supremacist. If that’s someone who wants to rule over people of other races, I’ve never even met one. They’re extinct.”

Mr. Holley: “What about someone who thinks white people are superior to other people?”

Me: “I don’t think that. East Asians have higher average IQs, lower crime rates, fewer illegitimate children—they’re superior to whites in lots of ways. Do you want to call me a ‘yellow supremacist’?”

I went on to explain that “white supremacist” is the most morally-loaded expression of contempt for a white person in the English language. I told him it’s the equivalent of calling blacks ni**ers. If you want to say someone is so wicked and primitive that you needn’t pay attention to a word he says, you call him a “white supremacist.”

Well, Mr. Holley managed not to call me the equivalent of a ni**ger—but referred to me as “editor of the white supremacist magazine American Renaissance.”

When I emailed to ask him why AmRen is “white supremacist” he wrote back to say: “I think, given the content of your magazine, that’s not inaccurate.”

I suppose the best we can hope for from Washington Post is that it be “not inaccurate.”

So what did he call me? A “white nationalist.”

As I like to ask, what do you call a black person who prefers black culture and prefers to live and hang out with other black people? A black person. It’s the ones who don’t prefer black culture etc. who are called names like “Oreo.” It’s the same with Hispanics. “Coconut” is not a compliment.

But as soon as a white man says he prefers white people and European culture then you need a swear word for him. If you’ve been talked out of “supremacist” you go with “nationalist”—because it has the bomb-throwing aroma of Basque or Kurdish nationalism.

Years ago, I sometimes let people class me as a “white nationalist.” But I’ve since concluded that the term is hopelessly tainted. White advocate, race realist, identitarian—I accept any of those terms. But I can’t get the WaPo to use them anyway.

The less sophisticated-East Cost-liberal that a paper is, the better. Local community fishwraps have written touchingly straightforward stories about me. Even USA Today recently wrote “Taylor, who describes himself as a ‘white advocate,’. . . .” [White nationalists urge support for Donald Trump in Iowa, by Fredreka Schouten, January 12, 2016]

I tried to warn WaPo’s Mr. Holley about the Southern Poverty Law Center ($PLC to VDARE.com). For the 100th time, I tried to explain how contemptible it is to look for people with whom you disagree, claim to read their minds, and then call them “haters.” It’s like “white supremacist.” “Haters” are so unhinged that what they say is sure to be rubbish, so if the SPLC’s Mark Potok says Jared Taylor is a hater that’s all you need to know about him...

Still more. (Via Memeorandum.)

That's all good.

Remember, though, I draw the line at flying the Confederate Flag. If you're going to insist flying it because is "heritage not hate," you've lost me. I'm sympathetic, but I just don't buy the "heritage" argument, even less so after spending all last summer reading Civil War history.

Megyn Kelly Discusses Her 'Bizarre' Feud with Donald Trump (VIDEO)

She's interviewed by George Stephanopoulos, who I normally try to avoid.

But it's an interesting clip, nevertheless. I have a lot of respect for Megyn Kelly, despite all the attacks Fox News has been getting from various parties, not the least Donald Trump.

Watch, via GMA:

Donald Trump Holds 19-Points Lead in UMass Lowell Tracking Poll with 3 Days of Post-Iowa Caucus Data

Okay, following-up, "Trump Ahead by 11-Points in New Hampshire; Rubio Surges in 'Battle for the Second Tier' (VIDEO)."

Now, here's the latest from UMass Lowell, "FEB. 5: RACE TIGHTENING ON BOTH SIDES":

Today is the first release with three days of post-Iowa Caucus data. It appears that Clinton’s win in Iowa has led to a sizable bump. She now trails Sanders by 15 points, 55%-40%. Trump continues to lead his nearest Republican challenger by 19 points. Cruz and Rubio show moderate gains.

And see, "UMass Lowell/7News: Daily Tracking Poll of New Hampshire Voters, Release 5 of 8":

Trump Leads by 19; Race is Tightening

Meanwhile, after losing the expectations game in Iowa, businessman and reality television personality Donald Trump continues to lead his nearest Republican challenger by 19 points. Trump is garnering support from 34% of Republican primary voters; he is down two points from Wednesday’s release and four points since our first release before the Iowa Caucus. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who had previously gained in every day of our tracking poll, remains at 15%, unchanged from yesterday. Ted Cruz is at 14% (no change), John Kasich is at 8% (+1), Jeb Bush is at 8% (no change), Chris Christie is at 5% (no change), Ben Carson is at 4% (no change), Carly Fiorina is at 3% (no change), of Republican Primary Likely Voters 8% remain undecided.

Soft Support: 42% of Republicans Still Could Change Their Minds

Republican primary voters, however, are still making up their minds. In addition to the 8% who remain undecided, 42% say that they could change their mind...

Well, the "soft support" likely means that Saturday's GOP debate could have a real impact.

Stay tuned...

Trump Ahead by 11-Points in New Hampshire; Rubio Surges in 'Battle for the Second Tier' (VIDEO)

The story's at Newsmax, "CNN/WMUR Poll: Trump Has 11-Point Lead on Rubio":

Here are the results:

Donald Trump: 29 percent
Marco Rubio: 18 percent
Ted Cruz: 13 percent
John Kasich: 12 percent
Jeb Bush: 10 percent
Chris Christie: 4 percent
Carly Fiorina: 4 percent
Ben Carson: 2 percent
Jim Gilmore: 0 percent

And watch, via CNN.

I like that, the "battle for the second tier," heh:



And from yesterday, "Donald Trump Now Holds 21-Point Lead in New Hampshire Tracking Poll; Marco Rubio Scores Post-Iowa Bounce."

I'm going to take a look and see what's up with the UMass poll and will update. Stay tuned...

Bernie Sanders Supporters Banned from Tinder After Stumping for Candidate on Dating App

OMG this is the most hilarious campaign ever.

Remember the Vanity Fair piece about Tinder last year? Totally salacious and bizarre, frankly. Robert Stacy McCain blogged it, "‘Hit-It-and-Quit-It on Tinder’."

So now some Sanders supporters are banned from the app after campaigning for the geezer Vermont senator and democratic socialist?

You can't make this stuff up!

At Reuters, "Sanders supporters banned from Tinder after campaigning on dating app" (via Memeorandum):

This was me trying to be cool yesterday. #selfie #makeup #makeupaddict #notcool pic.twitter.com/51Bx4rYn60

— Haley Lent (@haleymlent) January 29, 2016

Stumping for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Tinder is getting some women banned from the online dating app after sending campaign messages to prospective matches.

Two women - one from Iowa and the other from New Jersey - confirmed to Reuters on Friday that they received notices from Tinder in the previous 24 hours that their accounts were locked because they had been reported too many times for peppering men on the site with messages promoting Sanders' candidacy.

Robyn Gedrich, 23, said she sent messages to 60 people a day for the past two weeks trying to convince them to support the U.S. senator from Vermont in his race for the Democratic nomination against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"Do you feel the bern?" her message to other Tinder users read, parroting a Sanders campaign slogan. "Please text WORK to 82623 for me. Thanks."

Gedrich, an assistant store manager at retailer Elie Tahari who lives in Brick, New Jersey, said a text would prompt people to start receiving updates from the Sanders campaign, as well as a link where they could sign up and volunteer. She has been unable to sign back into Tinder since logging off on Thursday.

Haley Lent, 22, a photographer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, told Reuters in a Twitter message that she also got locked out of the app on Thursday night after sending messages trying to convince people to vote for Sanders the previous night.

Lent, who is married, said she talked to 50 to 100 people on the app. She had even bought a Tinder premium membership, which allows users to change their location, for a month so that she could reach people in New Hampshire and promote Sanders.

"I would ask them if they were going to vote in their upcoming primaries," she said. "If they said no or were on the fence, I would try to talk to them and persuade them to vote."

A spokeswoman for Tinder, which is part of Match Group Inc, owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp IAC.O, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

More.

And ICYMI, "The 'Sexist Double Standard' Behind Millennials' Support for Bernie Sanders."

The 'Sexist Double Standard' Behind Millennials' Support for Bernie Sanders

In 2008, Hillary Clinton ran on a relatively genderless platform of competence and pragmatism. She was going to be the one ready to step into the chief executive role and pick up the "red phone."

This year I'm not sure what she's trying to do. Bernie Sanders is accurately hammering her on her flip flops between being a moderate and progressive. You can't be both, although Clinton would like to have that way.

In any case, she's playing the gender card to the hilt this year, including in last night's debate.

Full-on feminist-identity collectivists of course are down with Clinton simply because she's a woman, no matter how desperately the try to say otherwise (see, "An All-Caps Explosion of Stupid Gender Identity Politics").

But 87 percent of young people were going for Sanders in Iowa, so obviously that leaves a lot of other young women going for the Vermont senator.

Why?

Well, according to Catherine Rampell, at the Washington Post, it's because of Sanders' socialism, which is "a feature, not a bug" of his campaign. It's also because Sanders is totally authentic. He's like a social media star who tweets "#IWokeUpLikeThis." With his loose fitting suits, mussed up gray hair, and odd Brooklyn accent, it's like he "woke up just like this," and that endears him to young hipsters.

Yeah, he's pretty cool, I gotta admit, but mostly because it's amazing to watch him take on not just the Clinton machine, but the entire Democrat Party mainstream establishment. It's pretty fascinating.

In any case, more at Memeorandum.

(Oh, the double-standard is that professional women like Clinton can't get away with the all mussed up look. They've gotta be tight and pretty and all-together all the time. That a old guy like Sanders doesn't is totally sexist, man.)

Hillary Clinton 44 Percent, Bernie Sanders 42 Percent, in New National Quinnipiac Poll

It's within the margin of error. Basically, Bernie's got that dead heat thing going nationally with "Secretary" Clinton.

At Quinnipiac, "February 5, 2016 - U.S. Republicans Want Trump, But Rubio Is Best In November, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Dem Race Is Tied, But Sanders Runs Better Against GOP":

Donald Trump still leads the GOP presidential pack among Republican voters nationwide, with 31 percent, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas with 22 percent and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida with 19 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University National poll released today. Dr. Ben Carson has 6 percent, with 9 percent undecided and no other candidate above 3 percent.

In the Democratic race nationwide, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has 44 percent, with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at 42 percent, and 11 percent undecided. This compares to a 61 - 30 percent Clinton lead in a December 22 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll.

Sanders and Rubio are the strongest candidates in general election matchups. If former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg runs, he hurts Sanders more than he hurts any of the top Republican contenders.

Among Republicans, 30 percent say they "would definitely not support" Trump, while 15 percent say no to Cruz and 7 percent say no to Rubio.

Sanders has the highest favorability rating among top candidates, while Trump has the lowest.

"Democrats nationwide are feeling the Bern as Sen. Bernie Sanders closes a 31-point gap to tie Secretary Hillary Clinton," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

"And despite the Iowa setback, Donald Trump is way ahead of his GOP opponents."

"But that's not the whole story nine months before Election Day. In mano a mano, or mano a womano, face-offs with all contenders, Sanders and Rubio would be the candidates left standing," Malloy added.

"Although he is characterized as the New York counterpunch to Trump, Mayor Mike Bloomberg is more the nemesis of Bernie than he is of Donald." 

Still more.

In a national match-up, "Sanders thumps Trump 49 - 39 percent."

Hillary Clinton Can't Shake Troubling Questions About Ties to Wall Street (VIDEO)

Following-up from earlier, "Hillary Clinton Accuses Bernie Sanders of an 'Artful Smear' During New Hampshire Debate (VIDEO)."

What's going to be weird is if Hillary succeeds to forcing Sanders off his Wall Street attacks because of her allegations of "smears." What really are those smears? Is she claiming he's attacking her ties to the Israel Lobby? Now that's innuendo.

At the New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Is Again Put on the Defensive Over Perceived Ties to Wall Street":

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Hillary Clinton appeared frustrated.

Dozens of prominent economists and academic experts have endorsed her plans to regulate the financial sector. Her policies would “try to prevent the problems of the future,” she explained in Thursday’s debate, in addition to reining in “the excesses of Wall Street.”

So why do so many voters not believe it?

“I have a broader view,” Mrs. Clinton said, contrasting her plan to that of Mr. Sanders, whose anti-Wall Street message has turned him from a long-shot candidate to a serious contender for the Democratic nomination.

“If all we are going to talk about is one part of our economy, and indeed one street in our economy, we’re missing the big oil companies, we’re missing the other big energy companies,” Mrs. Clinton said. “We’re missing the big picture.”

The response provided a perfect opening for her populist opponent. “Madam Secretary, it is not one street,” Mr. Sanders said. “Wall Street is an entity of unbelievable economic and political power.”

In an election year fueled by the anger over the growing gap between rich and poor, Mrs. Clinton, who is widely viewed as too close to the financial sector, seems an imperfect messenger for change. She has developed sophisticated policy proposals that many economists agree would aggressively regulate the financial sector, but they have collided with the image that Sanders supporters and other political rivals have painted of her: Wall Street’s friend and defender...

More.

Hillary Clinton Accuses Bernie Sanders of an 'Artful Smear' During New Hampshire Debate (VIDEO)

Hmm, is she trying to accuse Sanders of something nefarious, like she's in bed with a Jewish cabal, or something?

I've never heard of anything like that, especially since I think Sanders' attack on her Wall Street ties is completely legitimate. Let's see how this plays out today in all the talking-head commentary.

The background is here, "Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton Hold 'Explosive' Debate in New Hampshire."

At watch, via CNN:



And at Politco, "Clinton and Sanders get ugly":

DURHAM, N.H. — Escalating the brawl that's defined the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders viciously attacked each other’s progressive credentials at Thursday night’s debate, with Clinton accusing Sanders of smearing her record and treating her differently because she’s a woman.

An uncomfortable Sanders was taken aback, responding, “Whoa, whoa, whoa...wow.”

"If you've got something to say, say it, directly," said Clinton of Sanders' repeated insinuations that she is beholden to her big money donors. "It's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out."

Those explosive exchanges — which continued throughout the MSNBC debate — typified the fight between the two candidates who each regularly bristle when confronted with the other's definition of progressivism, or even their Democratic bona fides. The nasty tone showed that Democrats have a heated race on their hands, and that any idea of a Clinton coronation has vaporized.

"A progressive is someone who makes progress," a clearly unhappy Clinton said of Sanders' attempts to paint her as a moderate. "That's what I intend to do." She continued, "I'm a progressive who gets things done. Cherry-picking a quote here or there doesn't change my record."

When Sanders freshly accused Clinton of being part of the “establishment” that he’s railing against, Clinton had a ready response, one that invoked her gender.

“Honestly, Senator Sanders is the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment,” she said. “It’s really quite amusing to me. People support me because they know me, they know my life’s work. They have worked with me, and many have also worked with Senator Sanders and at the end of the day they endorse me because they know I can get things done.”

Clinton’s accusation came after her campaign has been floating the idea that Sanders and his allies have been engaging in implicitly sexist attacks. With just four days before the New Hampshire primary, Clinton has been ramping up her gender-based appeal and calling out a “Bernie Bro” phenomenon raging online...

More.

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton Hold 'Explosive' Debate in New Hampshire

I was enjoying it, heh.

From Hadas Gold, at Politico, "Clinton and Sanders just had the election's most explosive exchange to date" (via Memeorandum):

Absolutely great debate.

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 5, 2016

After a string of debates where Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders discussed (and occasionally disagreed about) the fine points of progressive policy, the two finally had a full-fledged throwdown Thursday night.

Clinton accused Sanders of going negative on the campaign trail, telling the Vermont Senator at the Democratic debate that his campaign was smearing her name.

"I think it's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out in recent week," Clinton said after Sanders talked about getting money out of politics...

David Brock's going to have a field day. The "artful smear," heh.

#DemDebate: Will the Real Progressive Please Stand Up? (VIDEO)

Following-up from earlier, "Will the Real Progressive Please Stand Up?"

And just now, from the MSNBC debate.

It's amazing that the modern Democrat Party has jettisoned the old-fashioned "liberal" label worn so proudly by folks like Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy. It's no longer your father's Democrat Party.

Watch:

'Once again the world is laughing at Iowa...'

Chuck Todd just mentioned the Des Moines Register's editorial this morning, "Something smells in the Democratic Party":

Once again the world is laughing at Iowa. Late-night comedians and social media mavens are having a field day with jokes about missing caucusgoers and coin flips.

That’s fine. We can take ribbing over our quirky process. But what we can’t stomach is even the whiff of impropriety or error.

What happened Monday night at the Democratic caucuses was a debacle, period. Democracy, particularly at the local party level, can be slow, messy and obscure. But the refusal to undergo scrutiny or allow for an appeal reeks of autocracy.

The Iowa Democratic Party must act quickly to assure the accuracy of the caucus results, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

First of all, the results were too close not to do a complete audit of results. Two-tenths of 1 percent separated Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. A caucus should not be confused with an election, but it’s worth noting that much larger margins trigger automatic recounts in other states.

Second, too many questions have been raised. Too many accounts have arisen of inconsistent counts, untrained and overwhelmed volunteers, confused voters, cramped precinct locations, a lack of voter registration forms and other problems. Too many of us, including members of the Register editorial board who were observing caucuses, saw opportunities for error amid Monday night’s chaos.

The Sanders campaign is rechecking results on its own, going precinct by precinct, and is already finding inconsistencies, said Rania Batrice, a Sanders spokeswoman. The campaign seeks the math sheets or other paperwork that precinct chairs filled out and were supposed to return to the state party. They want to compare those documents to the results entered into a Microsoft app and sent to the party.

“Let’s compare notes. Let’s see if they match,” Batrice said Wednesday.

Dr. Andy McGuire, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, dug in her heels and said no. She said the three campaigns had representatives in a room in the hours after the caucuses and went over the discrepancies.

McGuire knows what’s at stake. Her actions only confirm the suspicions, wild as they might be, of Sanders supporters. Their candidate, after all, is opposed by the party establishment — and wasn’t even a Democrat a few months ago.

So her path forward is clear: Work with all the campaigns to audit results...

More.

Bernie Sanders: 'The economy is rigged...' #DemDebate (VIDEO)

They're going at it like gremlins tonight!

Via MSNBC:

Bernie Sanders Maintains Big Lead in New Hampshire

Here's the results from the latest WSJ/NBC News/Marist poll out of New Hampshire, at NBC News, "Poll: Sanders leads Clinton by 20 points in New Hampshire":

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire – Bernie Sanders maintains a significant double-digit lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, according to an NBC News/Wall Street/Marist poll conducted after Clinton’s narrow apparent win in Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

Sanders gets the support of 58 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, while Clinton gets 38 percent – essentially unchanged from a last week’s NBC/WSJ/Marist poll, which showed Sanders ahead by a 57 percent-to-38 percent margin in the Granite State...

Keep reading.

Donald Trump Now Holds 21-Point Lead in New Hampshire Tracking Poll; Marco Rubio Scores Post-Iowa Bounce

Following-up from Tuesday, "Latest New Hampshire Republican Poll Shows Donald Trump with 24-Point Lead Over Ted Cruz."

Trump still holds a commanding lead, Ted Cruz is flat, and Marco Rubio's enjoying a post-Iowa bump.

On Twitter:

Rubio gains in @UML_CPO @7News #NHPrimary tracking poll b/c of gains w/ women, age 65+ and registered Republicans https://t.co/8rcR1o7YS8

— UML Public Opinion (@UML_CPO) February 4, 2016

Rubio w/ post-#IACaucus bounce, but trails Trump by 21; Trump stable @ 38, 38, 38 & 36 (today) in 4 days of tracking https://t.co/8rcR1o7YS8

— UML Public Opinion (@UML_CPO) February 4, 2016

Re: Umass NH poll, see page 6 at link. Note trend post Iowa. Trump slightly down, Cruz flat, Rubio daily uptick.https://t.co/NA6JStJjYM

— Brit Hume (@brithume) February 4, 2016

Young Democrats Reject Hillary Clinton's 'Slick Willy' Reprise, Flock to Bernie Sanders

Hillary's slick, just like her husband, "Slick Willy" --- and the Democrat youth demographic's not going for it.

At NYT, "Young Democrats Flock to Bernie Sanders, Spurning Hillary Clinton’s Polish and Poise":

Is youth in rebellion against Hillary Clinton? @Yamiche and I report: https://t.co/7VR5Bdywor

— Amy Chozick (@amychozick) February 4, 2016

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bernie Sanders is 74. He grew up playing stickball in the streets of Brooklyn and watching a black-and-white television.

Yet this child of the 1940s, who says Franklin D. Roosevelt is his favorite president, has inspired a potent political movement among young people today. College students wear shaggy white “Bernie” wigs on campus, carry iPhones with his image as their screen saver, and flock to his events by the thousands.

And armies of young voters are turning what seemed like a long-shot presidential candidacy into a surprisingly competitive campaign.

“He may seem like some old geezer who doesn’t care about stuff,” said Caroline Buddin, 24, a sales associate in Charleston, S.C. “But if you actually give him the time of day, and listen to what he has to say, he has a lot of good ideas.”

In interviews, young supporters of the Vermont senator’s presidential bid almost all offer some version of the same response when asked why they like him: He seems sincere.

For the generation that researchers say has been the most bombarded with marketing slogans and advertising pitches, Mr. Sanders, the former mayor of Burlington, Vt., has a certain unpolished appeal.

The first group of students working to elect Bernie Sanders president sprang up at Middlebury College in Vermont. There are now similar chapters at over 220 campuses across the country, with the biggest one at the University of California at Berkeley.

The movement, at least initially, was not so much the result of an organized effort by the Sanders campaign, but more of a visceral response to the candidate.

“It seems like he is at the point in his life when he is really saying what he is thinking,” said Olivia Sauer, 18, a college freshman who returned to her hometown, Ames, Iowa, to caucus for Mr. Sanders.

Young voters’ support for Mr. Sanders has created a quandary in Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, where millennial staff members have tried to persuade their peers to back the former first lady, using social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. On Monday in Iowa, Mr. Sanders defeated Mrs. Clinton among voters ages 17 to 29 by 70 percentage points, greater than the 43-percentage-point margin Barack Obama won in the same age group in Iowa in 2008.

That is true among both men and women, and even Mrs. Clinton called the gap “amazing” during an appearance on CNN on Wednesday...

Look, eight years with a stealth socialist candidate who's been stymied in realizing the revolution, youth voters want to complete it with a candidate who loudly proclaims his collective agenda, and tries to sugar coat it by calling it " democratic socialism."

Heh, Bernie honeymooned in Soviet Russia. We're in for one snooker of ride.

Keep reading.

An All-Caps Explosion of Stupid Gender Identity Politics

Seriously, I'm getting old, but hilariously, not nearly as old as Hillary Clinton, but for this woman, Courtney Enlow, Grandma's the be-all-end-all of her FUCKING EXISTENCE ON THIS GREAT GREEN FUCKING EARTH!

At Pajiba, "An All-Caps Explosion of Feelings Regarding the Liberal Backlash Against Hillary Clinton."

Donald Trump Accuses Ted Cruz of Stealing the Iowa Caucuses (VIDEO)

Today was vintage Trump.

At Politico, "Trump accuses Cruz of 'fraud,' calls for new Iowa election":

Donald Trump’s moment of humility didn’t last long. The billionaire businessman, still licking his wounds after a decisive loss in Iowa on Monday, is now crying foul, accusing Ted Cruz of stealing the election and calling for a do-over.

After congratulating Cruz during his concession speech on Monday night, Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to make the case for why his loss was a crock.

"Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he illegally stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong any [sic] why he got more votes than anticipated. Bad!" Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. The tweet disappeared within minutes of posting and was replaced by another that no longer included the word “illegally.”

He followed up with an ultimatum: “Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified,” he tweeted. Trump said later Wednesday that he'll likely sue. "I probably will; what he did is unthinkable," he said during an interview with Boston Herald Radio.

Trump, the master of reinvention, is trying to flip the script from loser to wronged winner, after the outcome of Iowa pierced the bubble of invincibility around the real estate mogul. Trump had sailed through the first eight months of his presidential run, defying critics who predicted that his incendiary statements would surely sink him. He went into Iowa with a roughly 5-point lead but failed to close the deal, losing to Cruz, 24 percent to 28 percent.

Temporarily bowed, a somber Trump accepted the defeat Monday night and vowed to win New Hampshire. "We finished second, and I want to tell you something, I'm just honored. I'm really honored. And I want to congratulate Ted, and I want to congratulate all of the incredible candidates,” Trump said during his concession speech, flanked by his wife, Melania...

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