Joan Walsh, “Why I’m Supporting Hillary Clinton, With Joy and Without Apologies”:

I’ve come to feel passion for Clinton herself, and for what I see as a movement that supports her, even though only Sanders is judged a “movement” candidate. I believe she’s evolved back to be the progressive Democrat she used to be, more progressive than her liberal husband. Some of my feelings remain defensive, but in a warmer sense: I really don’t want to see her abused again. I’m tired of seeing her confronted by entitled men weighing in on her personal honesty and likability, treating the most admired woman in the world like a woman who’s applying to be his secretary. I’m stunned anew by the misogyny behind the attacks on her, and her female supporters, including my daughter.

In just one week, as reported in The New York Times, governor Paul LePage went from saying “Mr. Trump’s nomination would deeply wound the Republican Party” to “Mr. Trump could be ‘one of the greatest presidents.’”

The Onion:

“Ever since I was a child, I have had a weaselly, piece-of-shit face that you can’t help but want to hit, and that’s never changed—how many other candidates on this stage can say that?” said Cruz, adding that oftentimes when he looks in the mirror, even he wants to drive a screwdriver through his eyes so he never has to see his stupid, boxy head and waggling, doughy chin ever again.

I concur with Amy Davidson:

[N]o one else onstage seemed all that Presidential. Rubio acted a little too pleased with his hits, like a guy doing an extended dance after hitting a single in the company softball game. It didn’t help that his lines seemed memorized. Cruz, in one of his cross-talking squabbles, was effectively shut down when Trump called him a “basket case.” Carson, discussing judicial nominees, said he’d look at the “fruit salad of their life.” Kasich said that he’d have resolved the Apple-F.B.I. fight by secretly locking all the parties in a room. More important, the debate was empty of a counterbalancing vision.

The Republican party is fucked.

Witty opening line from Jordan Frasier:

Jeb Bush replaced the exclamation mark of his campaign logo with a period Saturday night as he officially suspended his presidential campaign following a disappointing finish in South Carolina.

The Editorial Board:

In the end, though, Mr. Sanders does not have the breadth of experience or policy ideas that Mrs. Clinton offers. His boldest proposals — to break up the banks and to start all over on health care reform with a Medicare-for-all system — have earned him support among alienated middle-class voters and young people. But his plans for achieving them aren’t realistic, while Mrs. Clinton has very good, and achievable, proposals in both areas.

The Tampa Bay Times

To be sure, the former secretary of state is an imperfect candidate with political baggage that would sink most other politicians… But Clinton’s record as a pragmatic progressive should be beyond question, and so should her resilience.

In the recent Democratic debate, Bernie Sanders called Hillary Clinton’s attack on his criticism of President Obama a “low blow.” Sanders was right. That was a low blow from Clinton. She should not have gone down that path. She should stick to the issues and not play dirty politic. She did so well in the debate. Whereas Sanders was vague in his policies, she provided details, particularly on foreign policies. Sanders’s messages were inspiring, but Clinton’s were realistic; therefore, I am still rooting for her. It was disappointment to see her go down that path. Please focus on the issues and not the negative attacks. Obama did that in his campaign and he won twice. It worked.

Ted Cruz is being criticized for using dirty tricks to steal the Iowa caucuses. It is not his fault that the GOP’s voters were misinformed. The Republican candidates use these tactics all the time. How does Trump get this far with all the crazy things he had said? Don’t blame the players. Blame the game.

As I was dropping my kid off at the Jewish Community Center daycare, I overheard some old folks talked about politics. One man said, “Trump is a businessman. If it’s a yes, he’ll make a deal. If it’s a no, he’ll walk away. Obama doesn’t understand business.” Another man added, “Obama doesn’t know anything.” I guess Trump is still appealing to many conservatives.