How To Read Iowa, Trump (Kind Of) Finds Religion, and The US Citizens Who Actually Move To Canada Post-Election

By db

February 2, 2016 10:57 a.m.

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February 2, 2016

The Gist: Rubio’s solid third place in Iowa provides the GOP with a plausible establishment candidate to rally around.

Carson: Cruz ‘Dirty Tricks’ Ruined My Chances In Iowa!

The Gist: Ben Carson accused Cruz supporters of telling voters at Iowa precincts that he had dropped out of the race, encouraging them to vote for Cruz instead.

Cliven Bundy Egging Standoff Militiamen To Keep Going In Oregon

The Gist: Cliven Bundy’s call comes after his son, detained militia leader Ammon Bundy, has asked the four occupiers still holed up at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge to return home.

From The Reporter’s Notebook

Donald Trump has been courting evangelicals in Iowa, but in church on Sunday confused the communion plate for the offering, pulling out some cash. However, if Trump backer Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of evangelical Liberty University, is any indication of voters’ thought-processes, Trump’s fumble doesn’t matter much. According to TPM’s Caitlin MacNeal, Falwell said last week that evangelicals should pick the “best leader,” not “the holiest.

Agree or Disagree?

Josh Marshall: Marco Rubio’s strong showing in Iowa proves he’s the only hope for establishment Republicans. A now-damaged Trump and a one-on-one matchup between Ted Cruz and Rubio “creates a path toward a Rubio nomination in my mind. Not certainty or perhaps even a likelihood but a path. A path out of the choice between a Trump or a Cruz nomination is a path out of catastrophe. And that’s a win in itself.”

Say What?!

“Blacks have shown a slavish support for the Democrat Party (sic) for over 50 years. Part of me wonders if the Republican Party should even bother asking for the black vote because black Americans seem to like being political dummies.”

– The editor of the Conservative Black Chicks blog compared African Americans today to slaves on Fox News.

BUZZING: Today in the Hive

From a TPM Prime member: “So, my question is: How do we beat Trump? I don’t really care about preventing him from being the Republican nominee, so let’s assume for a moment he will be. How does one effectively counter a political bully like this? I don’t think it’s safe to assume that the general electorate will make the adult choice and ignore him. I think that Hillary could likely fight back pretty effectively, just because she has for so long. But, if Sanders is the candidate, I don’t see his “substance” being an effective counter to Trump’s bullying–and you know Trump would be bullying Sanders 24/7 and policy plans for the country be damned. He’ll get to that later, “Trust Trump.” I don’t want to have to vote for a Democratic candidate that will do best against Trump, I want the candidate that is best for the country. So, in practical terms, how does one out-bully or just shut Trump up???”

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What We’re Reading

How both parties lost the white middle class. (The New York Times)

The U.S. citizens who threatened they’d move to Canada if elections didn’t go the way they hoped, and then moved to Canada. (The Guardian)

“The FBI interrogated me for reading an article about ISIS.” (The Observer)

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How To Read Iowa, Trump (Kind Of) Finds Religion, and The US Citizens Who Actually Move To Canada Post-Election

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