There were few surprises. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump won, but not as big as they had hoped. Bernie Sanders showed the fight is not over. Republicans called for unity to stop Trump, but not one candidate dropped out. The beat goes on.

Hillary Clinton won a landslide victory in South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary. Bernie Sanders was unable to cut into her solid African-American support. Yet even as she cruised to victory, warning signs were still flashing.

Donald Trump keeps winning primaries. On Tuesday, he won big in Nevada caucuses. He leads in the vast number of upcoming March primaries. He's on his way to the nomination. But he will not be elected president of the United States.

The populist revolt in both parties continues to roil both parties. On the Republican side, the establishment favorite -- Jeb! -- is gone. On the Democratic side, the Sanders surge continues to grow.

The Democratic debate in Wisconsin Thursday night probably ended in a draw. Both candidates reassured supporters. Neither was embarrassed. Clinton wielded the stiletto; Sanders pounded the hammer. The race heats up.

New Hampshire voters turned out in large numbers and sent a message to both parties: it is time for change. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won; the establishment candidates lost. The message could not have been clearer.

The Iowa caucuses traditionally winnow the field. They give a hint about who is real and who isn't, and usually add their own nutty spice to the dish. Here's a brief rundown of last night's results.

The results of the Iowa caucuses won't be known until late Monday, but we already know the big winner: Senator Bernie Sanders. The "fringe" candidate has shown he is for real. He leaves Iowa with momentum.

On Thursday morning, the Washington Post editors took a swipe at Bernie Sanders, painting him as "like a lot of other politicians." Would that it were so. The editors indict the crusader because they don't like the crusade.

Sunday's Democratic debate put the differences between the two leading candidates in high relief: Hillary Clinton as the candidate of continuity, Bernie Sanders as the candidate of change. The choice is ours.

The posturing and meaningless polls are behind us. Finally, the presidential race heads towards the first primaries. Real people cast real votes. For progressives, 2016 may well be an interesting time.

Live from New Hampshire, it's the Saturday Night Democratic Presidential Debate, perversely designed to draw as small an audience as possible. Yet voters would be interested in the real differences in politics and strategy.

The Democratic debate revealed dramatically different views between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on this central question: How the devil do we get the changes we need in the face of Republican obstruction?

The pundits are already dreading that the first Democratic presidential debate might feature an exchange of ideas rather than insults. The moderators will try to "fix that." Here are some program notes.