INSANE – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:   How many Democrats actually know what Bernie Sanders stands for?  How many know what the real meaning of "progressive" is.  (Hint:  It's a codeword for the fringe left.)  I don't know the answers to those questions, but I do know that a man who honeymooned in the Soviet Union is catching up to Hillary Clinton in nationwide polling.  From The Hill:  

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has dramatically cut into the nationwide lead of primary rival Hillary Clinton, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

The poll released Friday finds Clinton leading the race with 44 percent support, compared to 42 percent support for Sanders, within the survey's margin of error.

The last iteration of the poll in December had Clinton leading Sanders nationwide by a 61-30 point margin.

“Democrats nationwide are feeling the Bern as Sen. Bernie Sanders closes a 31-point gap to tie Secretary Hillary Clinton,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

The poll also finds that Sanders matches up better with top Republican primary candidates than Clinton.

In head-to-head matchups the Vermont senator leads GOP front-runner Donald Trump by 10 points, edges Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) by 4 points and ties Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

While Clinton still tops Trump by 5 points, she ties Cruz and trails Rubio by 7 points.

The poll also finds that Clinton has a 17-point unfavorable rating, only besting Trump in that category, who has a 25-point unfavorable rating.

Sanders has a 9-point favorable rating nationwide, only trailing Rubio, who is seen favorably by a 14-point margin.

COMMENT:  It's only one poll, but there'll be no celebratory dinner at the Clinton residence tonight.

Look, Sanders hasn't been examined critically by the electorate, and no Republican political guns have thus far been trained on him.  When people understand what he actually believes, I'm guessing the enthusiasm will cool considerably. 

And, by the way, he isn't even a member of the Democratic Party.  Bernie's a socialist.  I can just see the Republican commercials if he should get the nomination:  American men slogging through the battlefields, and Bernie Sanders cozing up to the old Soviets.  Not pretty.

February 5, 2016