February 12, 2016

South Carolina Malign-a

February 12, 2016 Buck Banks

I’m not saying all South Carolinians are mean-minded hicks,
But you have to admit the state’s notorious for dirty tricks.
You have to get muddy
And slimy and cruddy
If you play to win in S.C. presidential primary politics.

Most GOP Insiders Don’t Expect Trump to Win the Nomination

February 12, 2016 Buck Banks

85%

Of Republican insiders say Donald Trump “isn’t on a glide path to become the party’s nominee, despite a 22-point win in the New Hampshire primary this week,” Politico reports. “Their rationale is partly about math – Trump has a solid plurality of the vote in many states, but polls suggest he is too polarizing to win over a majority of Republicans – and partly grounded in the belief that the brash, sometimes-profane real-estate mogul will wilt once the other candidates turn their fire on him.”

Trump Builds ‘Yuge’ National Lead

February 12, 2016 Buck Banks

44%

Donald Trump’s huge national lead over his GOP rivals, followed by Ted Cruz at 17%, Ben Carson at 10%, Marco Rubio at 10%, Jeb Bush at 8% and John Kasich at 4%, according to a new Morning Consult poll. In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders, 46% to 39%.

Clinton Has Little Traction with Youth Vote

February 12, 2016 Buck Banks

It is fair to wonder about Clinton’s ability to put the party back together if she does become the nominee. Getting youth turnout is always tricky for Democrats, and Clinton is getting absolutely annihilated with young voters: She lost the youngest group of voters (17-29 in Iowa and 18-29 in New Hampshire) 84%-14% and 83%-16%, respectively. Now, we know that Barack Obama put the party back together fairly easily in 2008, and that if Clinton is the nominee she will be able to use her Republican opponent as a motivational tool. But these are staggeringly lousy numbers for Clinton nonetheless.

— Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball

2016 College Freshmen the Most Liberal in 40 Years

February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 Buck Banks

34%

Percentage of college freshmen finds that 34% of first-year students view themselves as “liberal” or “far left” — the highest since 1973, when 36% responded that way, according to a new Higher Education Research Institute survey. In contrast, just 22% identify as “conservative” or “far right.”

Trump Finally Repulses Conservatives – His Vulgar Language Shocks S.C. Focus Group

February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 Jon Ponder

Trump dropping the F-bomb in New Hampshire

Donald Trump’s rise during the 2016 presidential campaign has confounded experts from the start. No one could have predicted that a buffoonish billionaire from the Outer Boroughs would have broad appeal to conservative voters nationwide.

But now, for the first time, something the GOP frontrunner said appears to have shocked Republican voters.

He said the word “fuck.”

[…]

Day: February 12, 2016

South Carolina Malign-a

Most GOP Insiders Don’t Expect Trump to Win the Nomination

85%

Trump Builds ‘Yuge’ National Lead

44%

Donald Trump’s huge national lead over his GOP rivals, followed by Ted Cruz at 17%, Ben Carson at 10%, Marco Rubio at 10%, Jeb Bush at 8% and John Kasich at 4%, according to a new Morning Consult poll. In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders, 46% to 39%.

Clinton Has Little Traction with Youth Vote

— Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball

2016 College Freshmen the Most Liberal in 40 Years

34%

Trump Finally Repulses Conservatives – His Vulgar Language Shocks S.C. Focus Group

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“They’ve invested heavily in AI labs. They’ve invested heavily in data centers. So, the first family has a financial stake in this industry, and as a result, the president of the United States is compromised.”

— “Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Monday said President Trump will likely not heed calls from technology leaders to implement guardrails on the development of artificial intelligence because of his family’s investments in the industry,” NewsNation reports.

— Jane Haman

“We’re working through some political issues in Israel. I think we agree with them on the end state. They just have a crazy election, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards.”

— Jared Kushner, quoted by CBS News, on the lack of progress in Gaza.

Numerati

470

Reuters has documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership – from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.

$184 million

50%

38%

31%