NEWS AND OPINION:
Campaign fundraising rises to new heights Monday when Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton‘s campaign embarks on an unprecedented and astonishing money-making jag through nine states. Either Mrs. Clinton, former President Bill Clinton or daughter Chelsea Clinton will be present at every one of these events, which command entry tickets ranging in price from $1,000 to $27,000 each. This is a very determined family unit. Here is how the logistics shake out:
Mrs. Clinton will attend three “conversation”-style fundraisers in Florida on Monday, her daughter will be in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio followed by Shavertown, Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton is in New York City for two appearances, including one with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, followed by a third in McLean, Virginia. Wednesday is the busiest of all: The candidate has three events in Chicago, Chelsea Clinton attends one in Omaha and one in Mission Hills, Kansas, while Mr. Clinton has three events in New York City at such chichi eateries as Brooklyn Bowl and the Spotted Pig. Thursday finds Mrs. Clinton in Las Vegas and Chelsea Clinton in Englewood, Colorado.
MR. BUSH & MR. BUSH
Curious about the very first campaign event featuring former President George W. Bush and his brother, would-be President Jeb Bush?
A most unique political moment in the race for the White House, which has had plenty of unique moments so far. C-SPAN covers their rally in South Carolina on Monday featuring both Bushes in Charleston, beginning at 6 p.m.
TRUMP CONSIDERS THE FOLLOW-UP
SEE ALSO: Bernie Sanders goes carbon-neutral as Hillary Clinton breaks pledge
Republican front-runner Donald Trump remains just that, garnering 42 percent of voter support following the GOP debate Saturday night, this according to a poll released Sunday by CBS, the host network. In the meantime, Mr. Trump does not forget his foes and rivals, and took to Twitter in the 24 hours that followed the bout. Three of many:
“Even though every poll, Time, Drudge etc., has me winning the debate by a lot, Fox News only puts negative people on. Biased — a total joke!”
“All polls have me winning debate big — Drudge, TIME, etc. Dopey Charles Krauthammer still nasty. He has zero cred — totally dishonest!”
“Hey Glenn Beck — see how I beat your boy Ted — in your own Blaze poll? Your endorsement means nothing!”
FOR PRESIDENT’S DAY PERUSAL
Let us consider presidential ephemera — the letters, autographs and documents from the nation’s highest office. Up for sale from the Raab Collection, a premier auction house: Lofty presidential whatnot boasting amazing penmanship, some with equally lofty price tags.
SEE ALSO: 15 percent of latest Hillary Clinton emails marked classified
Abraham Lincoln‘s original order for a blockade of the Confederacy weighs in at $900,000, though a simple typewritten letter from Theodore Roosevelt is $2,800. The auction house has also assembled “The Mount Rushmore Collection” featuring documents from all four presidents found at the noble mountaintop. That’s a mere $148,500.
Peeking is free, however. Find it all at RaabCollection.com — along with an intriguing advisory for those who may have something to sell. Find the presidential section here and the Rushmore collection here
BERNIE CONSIDERS FOX NEWS
He is not put off by unfamiliar territory. Last fall, Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared at Liberty University, proving a gracious guest before an enormous audience of evangelical Christian students. Now Mr. Sanders reveals he’d be up for a live debate hosted by Fox News, something that Democratic National Committee is not keen on.
“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace made his pitch to Mr. Sanders during the candidate’s appearance on the Sunday morning talk show. “Would you be willing to participate in a Democratic debate on Fox News?” Mr. Wallace asked.
“If we were to clearly understand what the guidelines were, what the rules were, and to make sure that they were fair and the DNC was in favor of it, I would have no objection,” Mrs. Sanders quickly replied.
“I take that as a definite maybe,” Mr. Wallace noted.
THE DAWN OF KASICH
Many Republicans say they want an emphatic, savvy outsider who can maintain a strong U.S. stance on the global stage. But sooner or later, those voters must ascertain who’s got authentic muscle, and who’s good for the long march to Nov. 8 over eight months away.
Though all the hopefuls qualify to a certain extent, Gov. John Kasich is getting kudos for his civil behavior during the past two GOP debates, warning his peers against the follies of infighting and even shrugging off suggestions that he’d made a viable vice presidential running mate for Donald Trump. And voila: Mr. Kasich garnered second place in the field after the New Hampshire primary; a survey by American Research Group following the Saturday debate also found him in second place.
“John Kasich is running second in South Carolina and his strong commanding presence at the Greenville debate shows why. He knows what he believes, he has successfully brought people together to deliver conservative results, he is a tested executive and he is staying above the fray to lay out a strong, positive way forward for our nation,” says Beth Hansen, his campaign manager.
POLL DU JOUR
• 80 percent of Americans do not follow the Academy Awards very closely; 84 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of independents and 71 percent of Democrats agree.
• 53 percent overall prefer to watch movies at home; 58 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of independents and 50 percent of Democrats agree.
• 40 percent overall say they never or “almost never” go to a movie in a theater; 38 percent of Republicans, 42 percent of independents and 38 percent of Democrats agree.
• 17 percent overall say they follow the Academy Awards “fairly closely”; 14 percent of Republicans, 14 percent of independents and 23 percent of Democrats agree.
• 4 percent overall say they follow the Academy Awards “very closely”; 2 percent of Republicans, 3 percent of independents and 6 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 27-30 and released Friday.
• Murmurs and asides to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.