Polls Tight
Clinton up 1 in CNN Nevada poll: "Overall, 48% of likely caucus attendees say they support Clinton, 47% Sanders ... with Clinton holding an edge among women, while Sanders tops the former secretary of state among voters under age 55 ... both white and non-white voters about evenly divided between the two candidates."
Clinton up 2 in Quinnipiac national poll. NYT: "...Hillary Clinton leads Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont by 44 percent to 42 percent ... Mrs. Clinton wins on electability and leadership, but Mr. Sanders is seen as more truthful and better at relating to the needs of voters."
Generational Divides Abound
Both campaigns bring top Latino surrogates to Nevada. Roll Call: "...Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez ... and [Sen. Tim] Kaine were on hand as surrogates for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... His fluency in Spanish and past experience as a missionary in Honduras make him an in-demand advocate ... Sanders’ surrogates also resonated with the Latino community. Cesar Vargas, Sanders’ national Latino outreach strategist, is a 'dreamer,' ... He was followed by Federico Chavez, the nephew of Cesar Chavez."
Generational divide in Latino community. LAT: "...millennials — those born in the 1980s and 1990s — make up nearly half of all eligible Latino voters ... Although many young Latinos are flocking to the Sanders campaign, many of their parents are backing Hillary Clinton ... In 2012, just 38% of registered Latino millennials voted, compared with 55% of older Latinos..."
And among South Carolina African-Americans. W. Post: "Sanders is trying to cut into Clinton’s sizable lead by appealing to younger African Americans... 'It’s according to age groups,' said Mattie Thomas, 66, a retired fast-food worker ... She’s a Sanders supporter but concedes that most of her peers love the Clintons from Bill’s two terms in the Oval Office ... Another problem for Sanders: There are roughly 100,000 more African American women than men of voting age, and that demographic, particularly the older set, tends to skew heavily toward Clinton."
Clinton delivers speech on racism in Harlem. Bloomberg: "[Clinton] suggested Sanders’s commitment to minority issues was expedient. 'We can’t start building relationships a few weeks before a vote,' she said ... She also unveiled a $2 billion plan to help school systems with high rates of suspensions and in-school arrests to curb systemic racism and overly punitive disciplinary policies she said have fed a 'school-to-prison pipeline.'"
Sanders stumps at Morehouse. Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "In interviews with more than a dozen students who waited for more than three hours to hear Sanders speak, many were eager to tear down the idea that the South will be Clinton’s so-called firewall ... The event also featured a speech from Sanders’ newest supporter: State Sen. Vincent Fort, who bucked Georgia’s establishment by flipping from Clinton’s camp Tuesday to support Sanders."
Sanders rebuts Bill Clinton swipe. Bloomberg: "[Bill Clinton] said the Tea Party succeeded at the ballot box by deciding to 'just tell people what they want to hear,' before quickly adding that Democrats have also began 'rewarding people who tell us things we know they can't do because it pushes our hot button.' ... Sanders' voice intensified. 'Yeah, I am telling people what they want to hear! People want jobs. They want health care. They want educational opportunities for their kids...'"
Trump Unstoppable?
Trump apostasies only make him stronger. NYT: "'In a lot of senses Republicans have overestimated how much dedication to ideology was motivating their voters,' said Ben Domenech ... At a rally in Louisiana last week, Mr. Trump rejected attacks from Jeb Bush and other candidates that he was not a conservative. He dismissed ideological labels altogether, a sentiment endorsed by the 10,000 people in the arena, who thundered their approval over and over ... Mr. Trump’s populism, a combination of economic nationalism that favors protectionism and a strongman approach to foreign countries that is also noninterventionist, defies almost everything Republicans in Washington have stood for..."
Presidential TV town halls tonight and tomorrow. Politico: "...Dr. Ben Carson and Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio will appear in Greenville, South Carolina during Wednesday's [CNN] prime-time broadcast. Gov. John Kasich, Donald Trump and former Gov. Jeb Bush will take the stage the following evening ... Trump will be on competitor MSNBC in a [Wednesday] town hall ... MSNBC will be hosting the two Democratic candidates [on Thursday.]"
GOPers Budge On Court Pick
"GOP unity cracks in court fight" reports The Hill: "Freshman GOP Sen. Thom Tillis warned Tuesday that his party risks being seen as 'obstructionist' ... 'I would wait until the nominee is made before I would make any decisions. ... In other words, take it a step at a time,' [Sen. Chuck Grassley] told reporters ... One vulnerable Senate Republican incumbent, Mark Kirk of Illinois, has declined to say whether he will vote to filibuster ..."
Obama expects a vote. Time: "'I intend to nominate somebody … I expect them to hold hearings … I expect there to be a vote.' Obama did not say who he would nominate, nor did he say whether he would nominate someone moderate in order to ensure the process runs smoothly ... 'You shouldn’t assume anything about the qualifications of the nominee other than they will be qualified.'"
Breakfast Sides
New Minneapolis Fed president said banks are still too big to fail. NYT: "[Neel] Kashkari’s remarks caused a stir in Washington. Such views have become relatively common at both ends of the political spectrum ... but Mr. Kashkari is a moderate Republican and a former employee of Goldman Sachs ... Other Fed officials are divided over the adequacy of postcrisis reforms ... [Kashkari] said the Minneapolis Fed would begin a research effort to consider 'more transformational measures'..."
Walmart likely to benefit from wage hike. Bloomberg: "...the retail giant is set to hand out $1.5 billion in pay rises this month ... some investors are betting that more spending power at the low end of the economy could be good news for discount retailers, whose shares are outperforming a bearish stock market."
