Progressive Breakfast: South Carolina and Nevada: Populism Still Rising

MORNING MESSAGE

...the Sanders surge fell just short of Clinton, but only after she donned much of Sanders’ garb from getting “unaccountable money out of politics”; to making certain “Wall Street does not threaten Main Street again”; while promising to do even more to address “systemic racism,” sexism, and immigration. The establishment candidate eked out a victory by becoming more populist with each passing day.

SANDERS PUSHES ON AFTER NEVADA

Sanders faces daunting delegate math. NYT: “She is likely to win a delegate jackpot from the overwhelmingly black and Hispanic areas in the Southern-dominated Super Tuesday primaries on March 1, when 11 states will vote and about 880 delegates will be awarded … ‘She could effectively end the race in less than two weeks’ time on Super Tuesday,’ said David Wasserman, a top analyst for The Cook Political Report…”
But Sanders expects to stay in to the end. W. Post: “Sanders has the ability to remain in the race for the distance, thanks to his fundraising abilities — and to the Democrats’ system of allocating delegates proportionally rather than in a winner-take-all fashion … ‘We are in this race to the convention,’ Sanders said Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.'”
Congressional Democrats seek to emulate Bernie’s fundraising and messaging success. Politico: “…Democrats, particularly in the House, are actively strategizing about how they can reach the young, white voters who propelled Sanders to victory in New Hampshire and a near win in Iowa. And if Sanders can rocket out of obscurity to challenge a political heavyweight like Clinton, they admit it would be wise for Democrats to try and incorporate his most successful messages.”
Clinton touts union backing. NYT: “In an effort to dispute what they say is a false narrative that union voters are closely split between Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Hillary Clinton, a group of more than 20 unions representing more than 10 million workers is releasing a statement on Monday reaffirming support for Mrs. Clinton…”

RUBIO SEEKS TO CONSOLIDATE ANTI-TRUMP VOTE

Rubio scoops up endorsements. WSJ: “[Norm] Coleman and [Bobbie] Kilberg are among the first wave of major donors, elected officials and party leaders who are gravitating to Mr. Rubio after Mr. Bush’s exit … Nevada Sen. Dean Heller and Rep.Mark Amodei switched teams Sunday …”
Sen. Thom Tillis backs Rubio as well. The Hill: “Tillis was a key pickup for Republicans in the Senate following his election in 2014, and North Carolina, which holds its voting in the GOP primary March 15, is a big swing state.”
“Rubio is peddling crank economics” says NYT’s Paul Krugman: “…he proposes completely eliminating taxes on investment income — which would mean, for example, that Mitt Romney would end up owing precisely zero in federal taxes … Rubio’s tax cuts would be almost twice as big as George W. Bush’s as a percentage of gross domestic product…”
Conservative leader Erick Erickson rejects Trump: “… Donald Trump’s pro-life conversion is a conversion of convenience … Therefore I will not be voting for Donald Trump at all. Ever.”
Trump likely to expand delegate lead. W. Post: “… his top two rivals — Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio — are not even pretending they can best the billionaire mogul on March 1, or Super Tuesday, when 11 states hold primaries or caucuses … The Super Tuesday contests award delegates proportionally … Florida, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio [hold] winner-take-all primaries on March 15 … ‘Trump will win everything until it’s a two-person race — and he’s going to win it by a lot,’ said Russ Schriefer, a veteran of past Republican presidential campaigns…”
Some in GOP Establishment reach out to Trump. W. Post: “Trump confirmed that [Rudy] Giuliani has become part of his inner circle … Trump’s effort to create a private sounding board of associates and allies is the latest example of how he is broadening his outreach … it underscores how the Republican establishment, which once firmly opposed his candidacy, is beginning to have warmer relations with the candidate…”

BREAKFAST SIDES

Parts of America already in recession. Bloomberg: “Four states — Alaska, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming — are in a recession, and three others are at risk of prolonged declines…”
Alabama may overturn Birmingham minimum wage increase. NYT: “[The] city had become the first in the South to approve a local minimum wage … [But the] Alabama Senate is expected as soon as this week to consider a proposal, which the House approved overwhelmingly last week, that supporters believe would effectively end Birmingham’s ambitions for its own minimum wage of $10.10 an hour.”

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