memeorandum: The evidence doesn't back Democrats' panic that Bernie can't win

7:05 PM ET, February 24, 2020

Top Items:

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

Mike Bloomberg prepares media onslaught against Democratic front-runner Bernie Sanders — Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign plans to unleash its cash-flush media operation against Bernie Sanders in the wake of the Vermont senator's resounding victory in the Nevada caucuses.

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Post, Raw Story, Bloomberg, IJR, National Review, The Last Refuge, Politico and The Daily Spin

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

Bernie Sanders' disastrous answer on ‘60 Minutes’ — (CNN)Bernie Sanders, the clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, was asked over the weekend how much his various plans would cost if implemented. He didn't know. … Here's the exchange between Sanders and Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes”:

Discussion: Townhall, Issues & Insights, The Hill, CBS News and Florida Politics

Max Boot / Washington Post:
Vote for Bernie, elect Trump

Discussion: Raw Story, Rolling Stone, Florida Politics and NBC News

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times: Sanders's Comments on Fidel Castro Provoke Anger in Florida

Chris Cillizza / CNN: The 1 thing that might slow down Bernie Sanders is a very, very long shot

David Leonhardt / New York Times: Bernie Sanders Is Making a Big Mistake

Paul Waldman / Washington Post:
Democrats, stop freaking out about Bernie Sanders

Discussion: The Hill, Vanity Fair and Sabato's Crystal Ball

Public Policy Polling:

South Carolina Looks Like A Two Person Race — PPP's newest poll of Democratic primary voters in South Carolina finds it looking like a two person race, with only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders reaching double digits in their support. Biden gets 36% to 21% for Sanders, with Elizabeth Warren at 8% …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Sanders Rises as Primary Voters Grow More Confident About His Chances Against Trump — 32% say Sanders is their first choice to take on Trump in November — Getty Images / Morning Consult illustration by Samantha Elbouez — Democratic primary voters increasingly believe Sanders …

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Tangle, IJR, Vox and Bloomberg

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Biden ad: Sanders undermined Obama's reelection — Joe Biden's campaign is airing a new digital ad in South Carolina accusing Bernie Sanders of trying to undermine Barack Obama's 2012 reelection by threatening to primary him. — “When it comes to building on Barack Obama's legacy …

Discussion: The Hill, The Week and Washington Post

Mark Murray / NBC News:
NBC News poll: Biden holds narrow lead over Sanders in South Carolina

Discussion: The Hill

Melissa Quinn / CBS News:
Tim Scott says Sanders is the Democrat who poses biggest threat to Trump

Discussion: Florida Politics, IJR and TheBlaze

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Klobuchar's uncompelling argument to stay in the race

Discussion: The Bulwark, The Federalist and The Hill

Washington Post:

Richard Grenell's paid consulting included work for U.S. nonprofit funded mostly by Hungary — Two years before President Trump nominated him to become ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell wrote an op-ed about Nigeria's highly charged 2015 presidential race, a move that drew notice from Nigerian media.

Discussion: Raw Story

Eli Clifton / Responsible Statecraft:

Trump's new acting Director of National Intelligence conducted undisclosed work for Hungary's far-right government — An investigation by Responsible Statecraft has found that President Trump's newly installed acting Director of National Intelligence, Richard Grenell, knowingly provided …

Discussion: Raw Story

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Susan Collins breaks with Trump over Grenell

Discussion: The Hill

New York Times:

Harvey Weinstein Is Found Guilty on Two Counts: Live Updates — Mr. Weinstein is guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. — RIGHT NOW Harvey Weinstein is guilty of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. — Here's what you need to know:

Discussion: The Federalist, BuzzFeed News, Vanity Fair, The Mary Sue, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, Vox, TalkLeft, The Week, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Variety, Daily Kos, Althouse and Deadline, more at Mediagazer »

Business Insider:
Harvey Weinstein will be in Rikers Island jail until his sentencing next month after a jury found …

Discussion: Reason and INSIDER

Pilar Melendez / The Daily Beast:
Harvey Weinstein Hauled Off to Jail in Cuffs After Guilty Verdict

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, NBC News and Big League Politics

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

If Democrats Aren't Terrified of Bernie, They're Not Paying Attention — Watching the Brexit debacle from afar, it seemed impossible to understand how the Labour Party could know full well it needed to win a national election in order to prevent an irreversible setback, yet harness itself to Jeremy Corbyn …

Discussion: The Mahablog and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Dave Jamieson / HuffPost:

The Young Turks' Progressive Founder Urged His Staff Not To Unionize — In a tense meeting with employees, Cenk Uygur argued that a union doesn't belong at a small news network struggling to make profits. — Top leadership at the progressive news network The Young Turks held an all-staff meeting …

Discussion: National Review, TheBlaze, Payday Report and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Ronald J. Hansen / Arizona Republic:

Arizona congressional candidate suspends campaign after heroin overdose — (Photo: via Chris Taylor Republican For Arizona CD1 website) — Chris Taylor, a Safford city councilman who is running for Congress, overdosed on heroin last week and since has suspended his campaign.

Discussion: NBC News, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, The Hill and Political Wire

Marc Caputo / Politico:

Florida Dems in uproar after Sanders' Cuba comments — MIAMI — Bernie Sanders says he's the Democrat best-equipped to defeat Donald Trump in November. — But Florida Democrats insist he's the worst-equipped after Sanders's refusal Sunday night to thoroughly condemn the Cuban Revolution.

Discussion: Vox, ABC News, The Hill, HuffPost, Florida Politics, NBC News, Washington Free Beacon and The Week

Alan Gomez / USA Today:
Sanders praises some of Castro's policies, angering Republicans and Democrats in Florida

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, NOQ Report and CNN

Philip Bump / Washington Post: Who would win a Trump-Sanders election?

Jim VandeHei / Axios:

The evidence doesn't back Democrats' panic that Bernie can't win - Axios — Virtually every national and swing state poll shows Sanders tied with or beating Trump.

Discussion: Bern Notice and National Review

Ben Conarck / Miami Herald:

A Miami man who flew to China worried he might have coronavirus. He may owe thousands — After returning to Miami last month from a work trip in China, Osmel Martinez Azcue found himself in a frightening position: he was developing flu-like symptoms, just as coronavirus was ravaging the country he had visited.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Beast and Raw Story

Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:

Unthinkability Bias Comes for the Democrats — Voting in the Democratic Primary contest is getting ready to heat up, but the contest itself will be more-or-less over shortly after it begins. By the end of March, fully two-thirds of the delegates to the national convention will be awarded.

Amy for America:
From: Justin Buoen, Campaign Manager

Discussion: The Hill

Josh Lederman / NBC News:
Vandalism hits Bloomberg campaign offices across the U.S.

Discussion: The Hill and The Daily Caller

Heidi Przybyla / NBC News:

Cardiology director says there's one heart measure Sanders could disclose but isn't — Exclusive: By releasing one simple indicator of his heart health, Sanders could address lingering questions, the president of the American College of Cardiology says. — WASHINGTON — Democratic …

Discussion: Political Wire

Tyler Olson / Fox News:

In Supreme Court dissent, Thomas cites Thomas in arguing to overturn decision authored by Thomas — Even by Supreme Court standards, this development takes a minute to wrap your head around. — In a dissent to the high court's decision Monday not to hear a tax case, Supreme Court Justice …

Discussion: Associated Press and One America News Network

Nihar Kabinittal / Associated Press: Thomas criticizes a previous high court opinion - his own

CNN:

Bloomberg called Warren ‘scary’ and vowed to ‘defend the banks’ in closed-door 2016 event — Warren drags Bloomberg: He's an arrogant billionaire — (CNN)Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said at a private event in 2016 that his presidential campaign platform would have been to …

Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:

“Phil Is Doing His Best to Give Bernie His Due”: After a Sanders Surge and a Matthews Gaffe, MSNBC Prepares to Pivot — With Bernie rally coverage, Bernie-friendly guests, and a mandate to “seek out more smart, pro-Sanders voices,” the cable net confronts a new reality: “He's winning,” says a source.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Mary Sue, No More Mister Nice Blog, Columbia Journalism Review, The Hill and Raw Story

CNBC:

DOW PLUNGES 1,000 POINTS — Matrix's Katz: You want to buy into the dips and the coronavirus uncertainty — Stocks fell sharply on Monday, with Dow Jones Industrial Average losses reaching 1,000 points at midday. The number of coronavirus cases outside China surged …

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, Politico, Vanity Fair, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, CCN.com, Vox, The Daily Caller, National Review, The American Independent and JustOneMinute

Annie Karni / New York Times:

Trump's Doctor Thought He Had a Ticket to Congress. It Hasn't Been So Easy. — Ronny Jackson is one of 15 candidates in a crowded Republican primary. And the White House hasn't gone out of its way to help. — WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Dressed in cowboy boots and jeans …

Chris Sommerfeldt / New York Daily News:

In 2019 speech, Bloomberg mocked Brooklyn father and son who died from heroin as ‘not a good family’ — Mike Bloomberg poked fun last year at a father and son who died from heroin overdoses at the same Brooklyn party, calling them “not a good family” to laughs from a crowd of business executives, the Daily News has learned.

Discussion: Big League Politics, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill

George Prayias / The Rush Limbaugh Show:

Overhyped Coronavirus Weaponized Against Trump — RUSH: Folks, this coronavirus thing, I want to try to put this in perspective for you. It looks like the coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump. Now, I want to tell you the truth about the coronavirus.

Paul Wood / Spectator USA:

Andy Khawaja: ‘The whistleblower’ — This article is in The Spectator's March 2020 US edition. Subscribe here. — It's after 2 a.m. in Club 38, a nightspot in an old railway shed in Beirut. The DJ is in the cab of a rusty train. Lights sweep across a dense crowd below.

Discussion: Raw Story