O'Malley Event Draws One Voter in Snowy Iowa

   

Snowy weather conditions forced several presidential candidates, including Governor Christie Christie and Senator Marco Rubio, to cancel their campaign appearances in Iowa on Monday afternoon. Martin O'Malley, however, stayed the course.

Photo by Sarah Beckman

Wrapping up a slew of events, the former Maryland Governor's final stop of the day in Tama, Iowa, was a little personal as only a single voter braved the weather conditions to come out and meet him. 

Self-identifying only as "Kenneth," the gentlemen said that he believes O'Malley is the most experienced of the three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, but he stopped short of committing to the fledgling candidate's campaign, even after the one-on-one town hall.

Often overshadowed by the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders at the debates and in polling, O'Malley has struggled to chart a successful course in the primary thus far. Real Clear Politics has O'Malley's support at 5.7% in Iowa.

25 Hours in New Hampshire

After weeks of fundraising and planning, I was recently able to cover a series of campaign events in New Hampshire with a pair of politically inclined friends, during which I learned a lot about myself and about covering politics on the national stage. 

The opposite of Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72," our journalistic entourage had the opportunity to either engage with or listen to Senator Lindsey Graham, Governor Chris Christie, former Governor Jeb Bush, and Doctor Ben Carson at four events in twenty-five hours on the ground last weekend in New Hampshire, the home of the first presidential primary in the nation. 

With a growing sense of urgency, each candidate entered his respective event with a mission: Graham was looking for one final hope as his campaign neared death, Christie was looking to make the most of his new found momentum, Bush was trying to shake the presence of Donald Trump, and Carson was trying to keep himself in the top tier with safe, non-politically threatening platitudes. 

I was simply trying to take it all in. Hailing from a culturally remote county in Upstate New York, where few politicians of prominence dare step foot in, it was a form of culture shock to see how thousands of voters just seemingly interacted with men trying to become the next Commander in Chief, much in the same fashion as my neighbors will go to see a new, flavor of the week country band. 

Originally intending to cover the Democratic debate between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders, and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, but unable to secure a press pass due to my status as a freelance reporter, I found no lack of political events to attend in the Granite State, as mid-afternoon town halls are considered entertainment to the state's electorate. 

New Hampshire voters love politics so much, they feel the need to vandalize bathroom stalls to make their points. 

Perhaps most surprising was the relative ease of access to most of the candidates. No security was present for Graham's town hall, despite him being joined by fellow Senator John McCain, Christie's event was secured by his New Jersey security, but he still freely interacted with the crowd, and Bush had a few local cops present. Carson, who has Secret Service protection, was heavily guarded. 

Furthermore, again colored by my history as a reporter in a small, rural county, I was surprised by the seemingly nonchalant relationship that existed between the local voters and the national press. It was as if both sides knew that they shared an unusual specter of power in the process of electing presidents, and as such, both held a grudging respect for one another. 

The candidates also allowed themselves to open up, as they pushed aside their polished television personas for genuine encounters. (some of the time, anyway) Graham was blunt, yet humorous, while Christie used his decades of public speaking experience to forge personal connections, and Bush worked his inner wonk in with a mix of sarcasm that plays off better in person than on the big screen. 

Carson was the only exception to this rule, and it might be unfair because he was separated from his audience by the Secret Service, but he came off more as a conservative talk show host than a candidate for the White House. Everything he said was in the context of a narrative and there were few human moments by the acclaimed neurosurgeon.

When all was said and done, after more than a full day's worth of news gathering and politicking, my one qualm with the trip is that New Hampshire is an exception to the rule in national politics. Candidates, journalists, and voters engage each other upfront and honestly, but respectfully, after relationships have been formed over months, and even years, but the same connection is almost nonexistent in Washington. 

Maybe that's why we all turn our attention to New Hampshire every four years, because it's the one place where people still care about the decency and the future of the country, and where average, everyday folks still hold a measure of power over their government, while journalists leave their press pass gravitas in the luggage and relearn the value of tried and true shoe leather reporting. 

Overall, considering the cost of my endeavor was approximately $250 (most of which was raised by friends and supporters), I'd say that the lessons I took home from New Hampshire were a real steal, especially since you can't put a price tag on experience, knowledge, and memories. 

Graham Ends Campaign After Final Hurrah

Photo by Timothy Knight

LONDONDERRY, NH - Senator Lindsey Graham has ended his long shot bid for the White House, but not before making one final sweep through New Hampshire this past weekend, where even then he was under no disillusionment about his standing in the polls.

Last Tuesday evening he was stuck in the undercard debate with the other also rans, and according to the last three surveys conducted in the Granite State, the South Caroline native and Air Force veteran had no measurable support with the party faithful.

Still, carrying on despite the inevitable demise of his candidacy for the White House, it didn't stop Mr. Graham from meeting with voters across the state on Saturday afternoon, even bringing along his longtime friend and political ally John McCain to campaign with him.

Photo by Timothy Knight

It was with this in mind, that Mr. Graham and Mr. McCain walked into the Londonderry Town Hall, greeted the fifty people that had come out to hear the candidate speak, and began to lay out their reasoning for why he should be the Republican nominee to challenge the (likely) Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton next fall.

Warning voters, "I am concerned more than I ever have been since the Cold War," McCain praised his Senate colleague as having more qualifications on foreign policy than any other candidate in the field. Hitting President Obama for leading from behind, McCain added: "the United States needs a leader."  

Mr. Graham responded to the 2008 GOP presidential nominee's remarks by quipping, "Trump can suck on that," before going through his background as being the son of a liquor store owner, being the first in his family to graduate from college, and being a proud Republican who believes there is a role for the government. 

Photo by Timothy Knight

Both of the Senator's opening statements and subsequent answers to town hall questioners were focused almost exclusively through the prism of foreign policy. Mr. Graham in particular was blunt in his language, refusing to parse his language when he described one audience member's suggestion that we seize Iraqi oil as the, "dumbest idea ever."

Proposing a 100,000 strong ground force comprised of Arab, European, and American soldiers to topple the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, Graham theoretically asked, "How can you afford to sit on the sidelines," before offering his view that, "we can't afford to let evil reign unchecked."

However, with only hours until he would be standing on the presidential sidelines, Senator Graham conceded during a moment of clarity, "I'm in trouble if I can't make the main [debate] stage." After 176 campaign stops in New Hampshire, he ended his bid no closer to the main stage than when he began.

Carson Plays it Safe in Keene

KEENE, NH - Over two hundred and fifty voters filed into the Keene State College student center on Sunday afternoon to listen to Dr. Ben Carson's prescription for America. 

Photo by Timothy Knight

Rambling through a checklist of conservative bullet points, Carson's speech at times mimicked a talk show monologue more than a plea for support. He opened his remarks by calling the United States, "the most exceptional country in the world," and rarely deviated from generalizations or platitudes. 

One of only two Republican candidates in the race with Secret Service protection, there was a limit to the connection the neurosurgeon could make with the average voter, as a five foot barrier stood between the stage and the crowd, with a swarm of agents standing on guard in between. 

Chastising politics as "a lot of people who think success is about how loud you can talk," the soft spoken Carson sought to differentiate himself by stating, "my whole life has been about finding solutions." 

Photo by Timothy Knight

Although the candidate could recount his dreams, successes, and struggles as a child journeying from a poor family into becoming a famous physician, he relied heavily on making broad statements that elicited polite applause instead of making bold policy pronouncements. 

Hovering at 10% support in national polls, Dr. Carson has fallen to seventh place in New Hampshire despite being in second only a few weeks ago. At risk of becoming another flavor of the week candidate to falter, Carson largely played it safe on Sunday afternoon rather than rock the boat.

Bush Can't Shake Trump in Nashua

NASHUA, NH - After months of suffering through belittling attacks from GOP front runner Donald Trump, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was anything but low energy on the campaign trail Saturday night in Nashua. 

Making his case to a small crowd of seventy to eighty voters at Nashua Community College, Mr. Bush closed out a full day of campaigning by arguing for why he is the best choice to represent Republicans in next fall's presidential election.

Photo by Timothy Knight. 

"I hope you want someone who will bring a culture of change to Washington," quipped Mr. Bush in his opening remarks. He quickly added that the federal government needs to be a servant of the people and not their master. 

Coming off a difficult debate Tuesday night in Las Vegas, the former governor seemingly dismissed the party's front runner Mr. Trump as "not serious" during his remarks. 

However, just hours after the real estate mogul described Mr. Bush as "dumb as a rock," the son and brother of the last two elected GOP occupants of the Oval Office struggled to shrug off Mr. Trump's larger than life presence in the race. 

Bush even went so far as refer to his debate adversary in a majority of his answers, which acted as lightly dashed rebukes in the midst of outlining his policies. 

When asked at one point what steps he would take to address sex trafficking on a federal level, he parlayed the need to research the issue further as a sign of strength and humility, as opposed to, of course, Donald Trump.

Alluding to his counterparts in the Democratic Party, who were debating less then thirty minutes away in Manchester, Mr. Bush said, "they believe that life's not fair," while he contrasted it with his own point of view, "I believe life is a gift from God."

Released on Friday night, however, the latest Fox News poll has Donald Trump leading the GOP race with 39% of the vote. Governor Bush? He's stuck in the middle of the pack with only 3% support nationally, perhaps proving life just isn't fair after all. 

Trump's Populist Appeal Mirrors Wallace

Many attempts have been made to explain the sudden, and to many, horrifying rise of Donald Trump and his seemingly hate fueled rhetoric. Republican elites have been stumped while many conservatives have simply aided and abetted his rise to the top of the party's presidential hopefuls. 

However, as The Daily Beast's Joy-Ann Reid explained today, Trump's ascendancy is actually nothing new in American politics, but is simply just a different shade of centuries old, every man populism:

Like Trump, Wallace rose steadily and improbably in the polls, with consistently high ratings for “saying it the way it really is” and “standing by his convictions.” New Republic columnist Richard Strout in 1967 dubbed Wallace “the ablest demagogue of our time, with a voice of venom and a gut knowledge of the prejudices of the low-income class.” Even John Wayne donated to his campaign, which raised most of its money through small donations.

Pictured: Joe McCarthy, Donald Trump, George Wallace.

In many ways, the United States of today is quite similar to the political climate that gave Wallace almost ten million votes in the 1968 election, with large swathes of middle America in disconnect with not only Washington, but in full rebellion against the tides of cultural change. 

Although Wallace had been a lifelong Democrat, he abandoned the party when it embraced civil rights under LBJ and staked out on his own path in defiance. Sound familiar? 

Reid continues:

Which brings us to the Republican Party in 2016. 

If their George Wallace—Donald Trump—wins the nomination, the party’s die is cast with a message that’s doomed among the increasingly multiracial presidential-year electorate. If he loses but his opponents continue to pander, self-protectively, to the most hateful aspects of Trump’s message, that die is cast anyway.

If he loses, particularly through some convention gamesmanship, and his supporters decide he was robbed of the nomination by a party elite who looked down on him, and on them, Trump could launch a third party effort of Wallace-like proportions and tear the GOP in two. And that, in the end, is what Republican elites fear most. 

Christie Surges in New Hampshire

Christie has staked his entire campaign on
winning New Hampshire's centrist voters.

NEW HAMPSHIRE - It has been a very, very good weekend for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in the early primary state of New Hampshire. 

Starting off on the right foot Friday morning, 90.9 WBUR released a new poll that found the two-term incumbent is not only the third most popular Republican running in the state, but that he has surged to second place among the state's GOP voters.

Although Christie's 12% still trails real estate mogul Donald Trump's 27% in support, it shows the lasting power of the tough talking executive, who has more or less staked his entire campaign on winning the state's fiercely independent electorate.

Continuing the momentum on Sunday, CNN announced on its weekly morning program State of the Union that Christie - in addition to the struggling Senator Rand Paul - have qualified for the upcoming main stage debate on Tuesday evening. 

With his polling numbers declining at the time, Christie had been relegated to the second tier debate on Fox Business last month. His placement back with the rest of the pack shows that momentum, however temporary, is on his side. 

WaPo Reports: GOP Looking at Romney?

Washington Post reporters Phillip Rucker and Robert Costa reported tonight that the Republican establishment is concerned about the potential for either Ben Carson or Donald Trump to actually receive the party's nomination. 

While that isn't exactly news, they did succeed in causing many heads to turn with the following passage: 

According to other Republicans, some in the party establishment are so desperate to change the dynamic that they are talking anew about drafting Romney — despite his insistence that he will not run again. Friends have mapped out a strategy for a late entry to pick up delegates and vie for the nomination in a convention fight, according to the Republicans who were briefed on the talks, though Romney has shown no indication of reviving his interest.

Again, this isn't exactly news, because Romney supporters have been anything but quiet in their attempts to entice the former Massachusetts Governor and two-time presidential candidate to take a third stab at a national campaign. However, these aren't normal political times.

The Republican Party is deeply divided between fifteen different candidates, which include a self-financed multi-billionaire, several U.S. Senators, a member of the Bush family, and politically savvy outsiders who have thus far outlasted a sitting and former pair of governors. 

With such a growing sentiment of despair among the party elite, it's no wonder Romney has been thrown around as some kind of saving grace, especially since a divided convention is well within the realm of possibility in Cleveland next July, and who better to save them.... 

....oh, according to Nate Silver:

The Millennial Dilemma: What Now?

Needless to say, but unemployment lines
have never inspired the masses. 

Let's be candid for a couple minutes: the United States is a shell of it's former self. We are currently $18.4 trillion in debt. Over ninety-four million Americans over the age of sixteen are out of the labor force. We have ceded our regional influence to Russia in the Middle East, while China asserts itself in South East Asia. College graduates and students collectively have a student loan debt totaling just over $1.3 trillion with a median income hovering around $29,000 annually. 

Millennials, the much despised technologically savvy generation that stands to inherit this grade-a clusterfark, is left staring into the abyss as we contemplate our standing and positioning in a world that seemingly makes no sense whatsoever.

Then we have the matter of the upcoming presidential election, where on one side of the aisle the front-runner is a self entitled multi-billionaire who has held every position under the sun at one point or another because it was politically convenient, while the other side has laid the red carpet down for a scandal plagued former attorney who has never accomplished anything besides once being the First Lady and basing her entire reason to be elected on her gender. 

How much lower can it go?

On top of that, we have a political system that is designed to force the electorate into choosing the better of the two evils, because truly good men either don't run for public office or don't last long once elected to public office. It's an intrinsically flawed system that resulted in approximately 42.5% of U.S. citizens deciding against supporting either President Barack Obama or his opponent Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential election by not participating whatsoever in the electoral process. 

Here's the depressing reality of all of this: none of it is improving. It didn't improve under President George W. Bush nor has it improved under President Obama. In fact, the situation has actually gotten worse over the past fifteen years, as if the inertia that is America can only move towards degradation. 

I realize that none of this is exactly optimistic by any means, and that there are many great things that occur in this country every day, but by and large, we are steadily heading deeper into despair and many of us are left asking, "what now?" As U.S. Senator Marco Rubio likes to point out, we are heading into a situation where past generations will actually be leaving a worse off United States to their children. 

I wish I knew.

As a member of this generation that is facing these mind-boggling obstacles, I'm not really sure what is next. I'm not really sure if other generations have felt this way as well, although I suspect those that endured the Great Depression and the Cold War frenzy can relate to the confusion, but we're not facing a stagnant economy or a nuclear powered Soviet Union... we're facing the end of American dominance in the world... and that's never happened before.

There's a reason why Millennials are supporting U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in droves. It's not because they are more globally inclined or socialistic in nature, but because it's something different, it's a new direction. Think about it: we have grown up in an era dominated by fiscal ruin and war. Thousands of our brethren have died in brush fire conflicts while millions of our families have been strangled by the economy. 

The American people are a fair but just people. We have been taught this from birth by our parents, but when have we seen a semblance of fairness or justice in the past fifteen years? That's why so many young voters are supporting Sanders; not because they want handouts, but because the current system is seemingly broken and incapable of fixing itself, whether the ruling party be one, the other, or both in shared power. 

Then again, when we're living in a world where more people watch reality television and singing competitions more than the nightly news, which most Americans don't even trust anymore, can we really be surprised by the apathetic aimlessness of society as a whole?  

Does anyone else hear a fiddle?

I don't have the answer to that question or a solution to address many of the horrifying statistics I listed at the beginning of this column. This piece is simply to address the frustration and the future that awaits us, the next generation, the Millennials, because given the information we have, it doesn't look all that pretty. In fact, to be honest, I think we as a generation might have more in common with our counterparts toward the end of the Roman Empire. 

Aware that something bad is coming down the pipe, but unable to identify it given the vastness of the situation. 

Biden Meets with Warren - Biden 2016 Odds Reach 60%

WASHINTON, DC - In the biggest move yet indicating that Vice-President Joe Biden is considering a run for the presidency, he met with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren earlier today in his residence at the Naval Observatory. 

CNN has the story:

The meeting between Biden and Warren, confirmed by two people familiar with the session, is the biggest indication yet that Biden is feeling out influential Democrats before announcing his intentions.

Beloved by liberal Democrats, Warren decided to sit out a campaign of her own, but she has yet to formally endorse a candidate. In an interview on Friday, she told WBZ in Boston: "I don't think anyone has been anointed."

The vice president arrived in Washington shortly before lunchtime, even though his official schedule said he was planning to spend the weekend at his home in Delaware.

The news of Biden's meeting with Senator Warren has led to political investors giving the Vice-President a 60% chance of running at Predictit, the highest odds the former U.S. Senator from Delware has seen in weeks, if not months. 

Sanders Savages "Billionaire Class"

SOUTH CAROLINA - More so than any other candidate this election cycle, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has fashioned himself into a one man opponent to the billionaire class, a message that has resonated with millions nationwide.

Coupling his sudden popularity and national appeal with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's email scandal, Sanders has found himself rising in the polls steadily as he turns out record number crowds across the political landscape. 

USA Today had this to report from his latest stop:

Nearly 3,000 people answered Bernie Sanders' call for “political revolution” in Greenville on Friday, greeting the Democratic presidential candidate with repeated loud cheers and sign waving as he railed against “the billionaire class” at the TD Convention Center.

The senator from Vermont drew crowds ten times as big during appearances in major West Coast markets.

Still, his first stop in Greenville was one of the best attended presidential campaign events in the state this election cycle, Democrat or Republican.

The silver-haired populist pointed in the air and waved his hands as he belted out the message of class struggle that has made him the closest rival so far to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Although emerging as the heartthrob of millennials and progressives, many in the Democrat Party (which Sanders, an Independent, is not apart of) are looking for Vice-President Biden to enter the fray to offer a main stream alternative to the former Secretary of State.

Cruz Rallies Iowa Conservatives

IOWA - U.S. Senator Ted Cruz is anything but a conventional politician. He openly attacks the establishment, he has defended Republican front-runner Donald Trump from attacks, and he has banked his campaign strongly on the ideals of social conservatism. 

All of which, in addition to his favorable position with the conservative talk show circuit, has led Cruz's presidential campaign to emerge near the top of the top tier of GOP contenders.

From the New York Times, he is remaining on point:

Senator Ted Cruz on Friday night drew one of the largest crowds in Iowa of any candidate this year: some 2,300 Christian conservatives, who turned out for an unusual program featuring people Mr. Cruz called "victims of government persecution."

The eight people included bakers, a florist, wedding planners and others from several states. All of them said they have been sued, fined or fired for refusing service to same-sex couples or for expressing opposition to homosexuality. Several of them were well known to audiences of right-leaning news media.

Cruz is not the only Republican that is speaking out about social issues, but he has, thus far, been the most successful of the pack in receiving a positive response from the base.

Christie's Fading Hopes

NEW JERSEY - Governor Chris Christie had a lot going for him when he entered the Republican field: he is a brash, plain spoken former U.S. Attorney who won the governorship in a very liberal state with a fairly right of center platform. 

However, in a political climate that is demanding ideological rigidity and is hostile to the appearance of moderation, Christie has floundered in the middle of the pack, and may continue to fall even further down the list. 

As reported by Politico:

Chris Christie, the voluble New Jersey governor, is once again facing the possibility that he might be relegated to the junior varsity debate — and rival Republican campaigns and outside observers say his window to re-enter the top tier of presidential candidates is closing fast.

Wednesday night’s scene in New Hampshire showed the daunting challenge ahead of Christie. As CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC covered Trump’s first town hall live — breaking only to run clips of Jeb Bush attacking the real estate tycoon — Christie was gasping for air on C-SPAN. Because the governor’s dimly lit event — a town hall at a restaurant outside of Manchester — was outdoors, the few viewers watching saw the candidate gradually disappear into darkness. The next day’s headlines duly focused on the Jeb-Donald contretemps, ignoring Christie’s play for a state he has made central to his fading White House hopes.

Jumping up from Fox News' junior varsity debate is one thing, but dropping down at CNN's is a different story altogether, and unless Christie can turn it around, his campaign might be on death's door. 

Webb: Super PACs are not Ethical

VIRGINIA - Former U.S. Senator James Webb believes that the influence of money in politics is corrupting the process and preventing his campaign from gaining traction in his bid for the Democratic nod.

Webb, a Vietnam War veteran and former Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration, has staked out a fairly centrist platform in his campaign for his party's nomination, but has failed to impact the race significantly thus far. 

The former U.S. Senator told The Daily Progress:

"The challenge that we have right now in the current political environment, money dominates the process like it never has before," said Webb, who served as a U.S. senator from Virginia from 2007 until 2013, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Webb said he was concerned with the buying power of Super PACs that are funneling most of the $388 million spent on the election this year into the race. Unlike the candidates, PACs are allowed to accept unlimited contributions in support of candidates from almost any source.

"I don’t believe that Super PACs are ethically supportable concepts," Webb said. "That money ... is affecting our ability to get out and talk."

Webb also cited reports that less than 400 families nationwide are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign — an unprecedented concentration of political donors. 

Seen as more of a conservative than the rest of his party's contenders, Webb is the only candidate on his side of the aisle to have declared his opposition to the controversial Iran nuclear agreement that President Barack Obama has championed. 

Pataki Struggles in Race for Relevancy

NEW YORK - Despite being one of the first candidates to announce for the 2016 Presidential election, former New York Governor George Pataki has found himself fighting for relevance. 

A rare breed of moderate Mid-Atlantic Republicans that took power in the 1994 elections, Pataki has struggled to make noise in the hotly contested race thus far, where he has campaigned heavily in New Hampshire in hopes of appealing to the state's more centrist primary electorate. 

The New York Times recently reported on Pataki's predicament:

As former Gov. George E. Pataki of New York strolled through the luncheon for seniors, bending his 6-foot-5 frame downward to make small talk over a soundtrack of square-dance music, he earned a rare smile of recognition. A retired high school teacher, Raymond Harmacinski, began to praise Mr. Pataki's record when a note of uncertainty crept into his voice.

"I followed you when - you weren't governor when they hit the towers?"

Mr. Pataki quickly assured the man that he had, in fact, been in office on Sept. 11, 2001. "I was," he said. "I was governor then."

Mr. Pataki spends a lot of time these days reminding voters that he used to run the State of New York. The former three-term governor faces vast obstacles in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, but none may be more daunting than the electorate's fleeting memory.

In a field dominated by the media's infatuation with Donald Trump, a fellow New Yorker, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, it is easy to understand why Mr. Pataki has faced difficulty in obtaining the American people's attention. 

Draft Biden 2016 Movement Grows

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's polling numbers continuing to plummet, many Democrats are turning to Vice-President Joe Biden to salvage the party's panic that Clinton's email scandal may further sink her campaign. 

According to recent polls, Mrs. Clinton is struggling in several battleground states against several of her potential Republican challengers. This news, coupled with Vice-President Biden's recent moves signifying his interest in mounting a third bid for the White House, has sparked some to dust off the former longtime U.S. Senator's campaign gear. 

According to Fox News:

The Biden 2016 buzz keeps building -- and the vice president is doing little to tamp down the speculation -- as the leading group trying to coax the veep into the presidential race touts new poll numbers they say put him in prime position to run.

The Vice President Biden chatter kicked up again this week on two fronts, as Hillary Clinton continued to see her numbers suffer in the face of mounting revelations in her personal email controversy.

First, the pro-Biden group Draft Biden 2016 signed up longtime Democratic strategist Steve Schale, who helped President Obama win Florida in 2008 and 2012.

In addition to Mrs. Clinton, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders; former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley; former Rhode Island Govenor Lincoln Chaffee; and, former U.S. Senator James Webb, are currently seeking the Democratic nomination. 

Trump Makes Play for South in Alabama

ALABAMA - Republican front-runner Donald Trump kicked off his southern strategy Friday night in Mobile, Alabama, with a massive campaign event that drew anywhere from twenty to thirty thousand supporters, depending on crowd estimates. 

Photo by Dave Weigel of the Washington Post.

Welcomed by U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, who assisted Trump in crafting his immigration policies in a paper released early this week, the billionaire entertainer turned political mastermind enjoyed fairly enthusiastic support as he delivered conservative and populist platitudes to the adoring crowd.

As the Washington Post reported following the event:

It was the most audacious Donald Trump spectacle yet in a summer full of them, as the Republican presidential front-runner, in his Boeing 757, thundered over a football stadium here Friday night and gave a raucous speech to one of the largest crowds of the 2016 campaign.  

But Trump’s flashy performance was about more than showmanship. His visit to Alabama was coolly strategic, touching down in the heart of red America and an increasingly important early battleground in the Republican nominating contest.

The Manhattan developer, who strode on stage to “Sweet Home Alabama,” is trying to show that his candidacy has broad and lasting appeal across every region of the country — especially here in the South, where Alabama and seven other states are holding a clustered voting blitz March 1.

The scene Friday night put an exclamation point on an extraordinary run in which the flamboyant mogul has thoroughly disrupted the presidential campaign and kindled a national discussion about not just politics but American culture itself.

Trump, however, is far from being the only candidate to target the South. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker have all made trips recently to the heavily Republican region in hopes of wooing its voters in next spring's primaries.