IOWA–PRESIDENT–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–KBUR-AM and Monmouth College: Walker 18, Bush 12, Paul 10, Huckabee 10, Rubio 9, Cruz 8, Trump 7. Everyone else was at 5% or less.
IOWA–PRESIDENT–DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–KBUR-AM and Monmouth College: Clinton 63, Sanders 20, O’Malley 5, Webb 3, Chafee 1
“Republican Party leaders agonize over the prospect that Donald Trump will mount a third-party candidacy that could undermine their nominee. They fear insulting the white working-class voters who admire him. They are loath to tangle with a threat-flinging firebrand for whom there are no rules of engagement,” the New York Times reports.
“Since the start of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, a vexing question has hovered over his candidacy: Why have so many party leaders — privately appalled by Mr. Trump’s remarks about immigrants from Mexico — not renounced him?”
“It turns out, interviews show, that the mathematical delicacy of a Republican victory in 2016 — and its dependence on aging, anxious white voters — make it exceedingly perilous for the Republican Party to treat Mr. Trump as the pariah many of its leaders now wish he would become.”
“In a sign that the political environment on guns has shifted in the wake of recent mass shootings — and of Hillary Clinton’s determination to stake out liberal ground in her primary race against insurgent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — Clinton is not only initiating a debate about gun control but also vowing to fight the National Rifle Association,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Clinton: “I’m going to speak out against the uncontrollable use of guns in our country because I believe we can do better.”
One of the differences between Hillary and Bernie Sanders where Hillary is the true liberal and Bernie is the craven centrist is gun control. Bernie Sanders actually sponsored and passed pro-NRA legislation. Shockingly, he has an A grade from that group. Some of that is due to the politics of Vermont, where many hunters live. But still…
Rick Klein: “It may be an accident of timing that the week the Clinton campaign chose to focus on national press was also the week the national press woke up to the big crowds and big dollars flowing to Bernie Sanders. (And it’s worth noting that the walking rope pen also preceded the first national TV interview Hillary Clinton granted.) But in either context, the Clinton camp’s response to Sanders’ buzz suggests that they find utility in the attention he’s getting. ‘I always thought this would be a competitive race,’ Clinton told CNN’s Brianna Keilar.”
“She may actually have always thought that, and people around her may actually have said that publicly with some consistency. Don’t mistake that, though, for their actual read of the potential race against Sanders, either before or after the crowds starting coming out for Sanders. When stories emerge about how the Clinton campaign is concerned about Sanders’ rise, that’s the surest sign that Sanders is useful at this point in the race for Camp Clinton.”
Mark Halperin: “Strength might be the defining factor in the 2016 presidential cycle so far…. To the other candidates, therefore, Trump should represents a target of opportunity‑because there’s no better way to show strength than by attacking a potent rival. And with Trump, of course, there’s much to attack…. Anything that he says is instantly national news, which, for his rivals, makes attacking him an extraordinarily risky proposition.”
“The risks are huge for anyone who makes a frontal assault, a full repudiation that goes beyond just challenging Trump on his immigration comments, a truly epic mud war. But a candidate who undertook it might be seen as both a party savior and pillar of strength, definitely prepared to be an Oval Office occupant. Even Bill Clinton might be impressed. Will any of them seize the moment?”
A new Reuters poll finds that 63% of Republicans oppose the Supreme Court’s backing of gay marriage, which gives hope for conservative presidential candidates who have come out strongly against marriage equality.
“When asked in general whether they support allowing same-sex couples to marry, 51% of Americans say they do, while 35 percent oppose it. Forty-eight percent of independent voters back gay marriage, making it difficult for a conservative Republican to win general election votes on the issue.”
Indeed. These two issues.. gay marriage and immigration… will prevent the GOP from winning a presidential election until the party changes their stance on the issue.
