What will Clinton Inc. demand next, Bernie's birth certificate?

Just ask David Brock.

Via Politico (January 16, 2016):

David Brock, a former conservative journalist who is now one of Clinton’s most loyal surrogates, will air campaign ads this weekend through his pro-Clinton super PAC, Correct the Record. The ads will demand Sanders release a clean bill of health before the Iowa caucuses, which will be held next month. Sanders senior adviser Tad Devine said he was not surprised by a planned attack on Sanders' medical records. “These kinds of attacks are going to be employed by a super PAC that directly coordinates with her campaign. Bernie Sanders has a message, that there’s a rigged economy, and that’s what we’re going to talk about." A spokesman for the campaign, Michael Briggs, said he would not comment on Brock’s expected attack on Sanders before it occurred.

Clinton's campaign and Brock's super PAC began to coordinate early last year in a move that many campaign finance experts said tested the limits of campaign laws. Jeff Weaver, Bernie Sanders' campaign manager, said they will release a letter from his doctor before the Iowa caucuses on February 1st to show that he is in "excellent health." The announcement came after the Clinton-aligned super PAC suggested it would air the ad one day before the fourth Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday January 17th.

Update (January 17, 2016) Bernie Sanders is gaining on Hillary Clinton nationally. Just a few hours before the next Democratic debate tonight, the corporate media must be getting nervous. This morning a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll is being touted showing Hillary leading Bernie in a national poll at 59% to 34% --- The headline at the Wall Street Journal reads: Hillary Clinton’s Lead Over Bernie Sanders Widens --- and the headline at NBC News reads: Clinton Holds 25-Point National Lead Over Sanders. But Real Clear Politics is tracking several polls, and they show the gap is much narrower, with Hillary leading Bernie 48.3% to 39.7% — which puts Bernie within 8.6% of Hillary nationally. And they also show Bernie is leading Hillary in New Hampshire by 6.2% — and is within 4% of her in Iowa. And among the top three GOP frontrunners, Bernie leads Hillary by wider margins against all three (making Bernie "the most electable" candidate — because Bernie beats 2 out of top 3 GOP candidates and Hillary loses to 2 out of the top 3 GOP candidates.

The Clinton Machine is worried ...very worried

New York Times (January 16, 2016 — excerpted and edited for length with comments):

Advisers to Hillary Clinton, including former President Bill Clinton, believe that her campaign made serious miscalculations by forgoing early attacks on Senator Bernie Sanders before it grew into a political movement that has now put him within striking distance of beating Hillary in Iowa and New Hampshire. According to Democrats close to the Clintons and involved with her campaign, she and the former president are also unnerved by the possibility that Bernie Sanders will foment a large wave of first-time voters and liberals that will derail her in Iowa. The Clintons are particularly concerned that her “rational message” is not a fit with a restless Democratic primary electorate. Allies and advisers of the Clintons say Bernie is clearly connecting with voters through his emotional, inspiring rallying cry that the American economic and political systems are rigged for the wealthy and powerful. Most Clinton advisers and allies would speak only on the condition of anonymity to candidly assess Hillary's vulnerabilities and the Clintons’ outlook on the race. And Clinton’s problems are broader than just her [lame and false] message: Opinion polls show that some Democrats and other voters continue to question her trustworthiness and whether she cares about their problems. Recent polls show that her once-formidable lead over Bernie in Iowa has all but vanished, while he is holding on to a slight lead over her in New Hampshire. Clinton and her team say they were not prepared when Senator Sanders became so popular with young people and independents — and especially women. Given her many political advantages, like rich donors and widespread support from Democratic Party elites, Hillary Clinton is also surprised that Bernie's fund-raising has rivaled hers. Several Clinton advisers are also regretting that they did not push for more debates [believing fewer would better benefit her.] The Clinton campaign underestimated Bernie from the very start. They argued that Clinton and her advisers should have competed against him more aggressively, both in the debates and on the campaign trail, rather than appear so sharply negative [and petty and dishonest] with their recent attacks. Even Chelsea Clinton attacked Bernie, [and also repeated Hillary's deliberate lie about Bernie's healthcare plan]. The Clintons are mostly depending on a large numbers of blacks, Hispanics and "moderate" [Third Way/Centrist and pro-corporate establishment] Democrats, which would benefit Hillary Clinton more than Bernie Sanders in the South. Some Democratic Party officials said that after nine months of running, Clinton still had not found her voice when it came to inspiring people and making herself broadly likable. Clinton [like all Clintons] struggles to convey sincere passion with issues that matter to the general public, unlike Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. One uncommitted super-delegate even said: "Her voter base does not seem as gung-ho energetic as Sanders’s base. An enthusiastic base can make a big difference in the early stages of a presidential nomination campaign; and if Hillary can’t pull away from Sanders fairly early in the season, I suspect he will gain strength rapidly.”

What if all the polls mattered?

Via Salon (January 16, 2016) Why this country is much more progressive than you think:

• Poll after poll shows that the people of this country strongly support far-left progressive, liberal and democratic socialist ideas [Just as Senator Elizabeth Warren declared: "The American people are progressives" — and even Trump's supporters might not realize this.]
• On wealth inequality, polls find that a strong majority of U.S. citizens believe the current situation is an urgent problem (including one-half of Republicans and two-thirds of independents), and think the current income and wealth distribution is unfair.
• Americans favor taxing the wealthy to expand aid to the poor, and wants Congress to rectify this inequality by levying heavy taxes on the rich and increasing rates on people making over $1 million a year.
• Americans also support steep progressive reform on Wall Street, with 50% to 58% of likely voters in favor of breaking up the big financial institutions.
• Americans want campaign finance reform with near unanimity, and half would personally vote for a law establishing the government funding of federal campaigns. Other polls show three in four Americans think there is too much money in politics and disagree with the concept of unregulated campaign finance. On the power of money and big business in general, 75% of Americans think large corporations have too much influence in the country.
• Americans also support a substantial raise for low-wage workers, with 63% in favor of a $15 minimum wage by 2020, and 75% in favor of $12.50 by the same year. Other polls show that a majority of swing-state Republican voters also support an increase, and 69% of working people favor an increase to $15. Concerning workers’ rights, a majority also want to improve scheduling for chain-store and fast-food restaurant employees.
• With top CEOs making 373 times what their workers do, Americans think the government should take action to narrow the gap: one-third of Republicans want to cap the income of corporate executives, and 59% of Americans support government restriction of CEO pay.
• There is also very strong support for universal health care. Just over 50% of Americans support a single-payer system, and 65% of voters think every American should have access to quality healthcare. Most Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes so everyone could have care, and put more faith in the government’s ability to hold down health-care costs than the private sector’s. 58% of Americans support a Medicare-for-all system, and a majority of Americans think the government should ensure coverage. Even a majority of voters in Republican states support Medicaid expansion as well — as do 56% of Virginians, including 55% of Republicans. A majority of Americans also support Social Security, with 65% of Americans in favor of its expansion.

Enter Senator Bernie Sanders, the reluctant candidate and man of the people. The unenlightened can read about his stand on all the issues here and here. That's why Bernie Sanders isn't just "leading" in all the online polls, he's whipping butt. Bernie Sanders has been getting the popular vote (as all online polls show below), while Hillary is getting her support from the likes of super-rich pop stars and political insiders (super-delegates), and why endorsements from members of Congress shouldn't really matter that much — especially when members of Congress currently have an historically low approval rating. BTW, of those in Congress, Bernie has the highest favorability rating.

• A comprehensive survey in all 50 states conducted over several months shows Sanders has the highest approval rating of any U.S. Senator.
• Polls also show Bernie Sanders is the most "electable" candidate — in either party.
• All three polls at www.Democrats.Com showed Bernie beating Hillary by wide margins.
• All online polls showed Bernie winning the first three Democratic debates by huge landslides (first, second and third), while not one poll showed Hillary winning.
• Bernie overwhelming won the TIME poll for Person of the Year (but was snubbed by Time).
• Bernie also won the TIME poll face-off against Hillary, leading her by a whopping 84% to 15%.
• Members of the progressive group MoveOn endorsed Bernie Sanders by a whopping 78.6% to Hillary's 14.6%.
• Members at the progressive website Daily Kos poll shows Bernie beating Hillary a whopping 73% to 26%.
• Two Fox News polls shows Bernie Sanders beating Hillary and all the GOP candidates by huge margins.
• The Working Families Party endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders with a whopping 87.4% of their members.
• Members of the liberal group Democracy for American endorsed Bernie by a whopping 87.9% to Hillary's 10.3%.
• Editor's note: Even my humble poll on the right side of this page shows Bernie at a whopping 71% to Hillary's 13%.

And it doesn't end there. When African-Americans get to know Bernie Sanders better — such as at the Presidential Justice Forum — they like him too. After the forum their straw poll showed that Bernie beat Hillary by a whopping 42 points — 65% to 23%.

Hillary Clinton was a "no show" at the recent "Putting Families First Presidential Forum" in Iowa — and it didn't go unnoticed. But Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley were all at the 2016 "Brown & Black Democratic Presidential Forum". Read more here.)

"There's nothing to see here folks, so just move along." — Why political polls don't matter, when you're losing in the polls.
"Because it's my turn and I'm a woman ... oh, and because I care about the middle-class and poor." — Best reasons to run for President.
"It doesn't matter if I'm a victim or an enabler; we should put a serial philanderer back in the White House." — Any reason at all to be "the first woman President".

Last Friday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Hillary Clinton explained why Bernie Sanders's rise in the polls were only "artificial" and why she wants the job of President.

The Clintons attempt to use GOP scare tactics to beat Bernie Sanders

Excerpted and edited from The Guardian for length with comments (January 16, 2016):

A surge in opinion polls has Bernie Sanders neck-and-neck in Iowa, leading in New Hampshire and a validation from the most unlikely of quarters — Hillary Clinton’s own campaign. The surprise early state polling has provoked a flurry of activity from Clinton’s campaign headquarters. Bernie Sanders policies, which before were largely ignored (such as his plans to introduce government-run health insurance for all), have prompted lengthy press briefings by Clinton staffers, who are suddenly demanding more details [not to mention telling a slew of outright lies, telling voters that with Bernie's plan, everyone will lose their healthcare]. A state director for Sanders (Robert Becker) said, "The Clinton people are acting like they were caught by surprise this week. The kitchen sink is being thrown at us. It screams desperation” — and says the “onslaught of attacks are mind boggling”. Even Republican voters are seen as potential Bernie converts, not least because many regard Clinton as a more divisive figure. The Sanders camp points to polls that show its candidate – not the "presumed establishment frontrunner" – is now faring better in hypothetical contests against Republican candidates. In private, Clinton strategists [using scare tactics] suggest this is only because the Republicans have not yet begun to attack Sanders’ socialist record.

Last week, when asked about Clinton’s recent attacks, Bernie Sanders told Jorge Ramos, a TV host on Univision and Fusion: “It could be that the inevitable candidate for the Democratic nomination may not be so inevitable today.”

Updated Bernie News (See more links here)

• Washington Post (January 16, 2016) Bernie Sanders calls on Michigan’s governor to resign over water contamination in Flint
• New York Daily News (January 15, 2016): Shaun King, the civil rights activist, says Bernie Sanders is the best candidate running for the White House.
• CNN (January 15, 2016) Friends of the Earth Action, an environmental advocacy organization, will start to air an ads supporting Bernie Sanders.
• The Nation: America’s oldest weekly magazine just endorsed Bernie Sanders.
• Wall Street on Parade (January 14, 2016) Hollywood and Bernie Sanders take over Reforming Wall Street.
• Naked Capitalism (January 13, 2016) Why Larry Summers [and Hillary Clinton, wife to Bill Clinton, who repealed Glass-Steagall] is Wrong, and Bernie Sanders is Right on Glass Steagall.