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.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
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