Bernie Sanders has surged in national polls in six months

The Huff Post has combined a number of national polls starting in January of 2015 through this January, showing the phenomenal growth of Bernie Sanders' campaign. As an unknown, he polled a low 4% on January 12, 2015, Hillary Clinton 60.8% and Martin O'malley .09%. Today, Sanders is 37.5%, Clinton 51.6% and O'Malley 2.7%.

Since Clinton has lost 9.2 points, O'Malley has gained only 2.6, that would indicate to me most of the 33.5 additional points Bernie Sanders has added are from formerly undecided voters. The interactive Huff Post also shows just under a twenty-percent increase for Bernie in just one month; Dec. 2015 31.4%, Jan. 2016 37.5%. In that same period Hillary lost 4.1 points. If you believe in polls, and keep in mind this is a collection of several, this is significant.

The Iowa Caucus is February 1, New Hampshire Primary following on the 9th. And then there are the Nevada Caucus and South Carolina Primary on February 20. It has been said that, even if Bernie Sanders wins Iowa and New Hampshire, and he is ahead in both, he will fade in Nevada and South Carolina and beyond. I say that is no longer true, based on the fact that his national recognition has grown by at least 20% since starting his campaign, and the last month continued to confirm that this will continue and play heavily in all future primaries.

South Carolina is already showing promise for Bernie Sanders but Nevada is uncertain at this point. More on this tomorrow.

Bernie Sanders too old?...Nah

Guess how old Ronald Reagan was when he was elected to office: he was 69. Bernie Sanders is just 74, five years older, and in good health, but it is reported that the Clinton campaign plans to attack Bernie on his age, perhaps even in the debate tonight. If this happens, it will be one of the low blows of the campaign, and hopefully Bernie will respond with his usual emphasis on the issues, showing Hillary's desperation in losing ground.

And then there are all the skeletons in Clinton's closet like Benghazi and the Emails that the Bern has elected not to pursue. Bernie Sanders has stayed on issue during this campaign just as he has in the 34 years he has been in political office. Hillary Clinton has flip-flopped on same sex marriage, gun control, the Iraq War and drivers licenses for illegal immigrants.

Okay, it's four to one; Bernie just flip flopped on his support for a bill that gave legal immunity to gun manufactures, now promising to back one that strips them of this immunity. But any way you cut it, there is more consistency in Bernie Sanders than Hillary Clinton. And you can depend on this consistency in his Presidency because he has no obligations to big donors, big business and those represented by Clinton's PACs.

By the way, Hillary Clinton is 68 years old.

Wanna know what Bernie Sanders is all about?

Here's what to expect with a Republican controlled Congress

Paul Ryan's budget

Bernie Sanders Sayings

By slashing special breaks for corporations, we could help working families immensely--and ordinary Americans would not have to pay a cent more in taxes.

Bernie Sanders considered significantly more honest than Hillary Clinton

Why enforcing current gun laws hasn't worked

Members of Congress, including some Democrats, answer new gun control legislation with, 'Just enforce the current gun laws.' During Barack Obama's town hall on guns broadcast on CNN last Thursday, he at least partially answered the question. These same members of Congress "...then cut (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) budgets to make it impossible to enforce the law," he said.

An example is my post yesterday connecting new Speaker, Paul Ryan, to "voodoo economics" in his 2014 budget, designed to cut taxes to the bone, eliminating needed programs like those above. Another vivid illustration is the GOP action, initiated and backed by the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) some years ago that refuses to allow the CDC to release figures on gun violence. These valuable statistics would allow the government to prioritize gun laws.

And then while Obama was actually speaking at the CNN town hall on guns, the NRA boneheads, who didn't attend the town hall, tweeted to the President, "If the goal is to save lives, then prosecute criminals." Wayne LaPierre, NRA head, just keeps putting out the same old shit.