SOUTH CAROLINA VOTES TODAY – AT 11:56 A.M. ET:  (Sorry to get started so late.  There was a mass of material to read this morning, much of it very, very good.)  The Democratic primary in South Carolina is held today.  Polls show Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead, due mostly to the large African-American community in the state. 

Super Tuesday is Tuesday.  Clinton also appears to have a substantial lead in the states that will participate.

However, national Democratic polls show Clinton and Bernie Sanders very close.  The fact is that Clinton is not very popular.  And the fact is that the Democratic Party, under Obama, has shifted to the left.  Clinton is seen as center-left.  Even if she wins the nomination, she may be the last candidate of that description to be nominated by the once-great Democratic Party.  This ain't the party of Roosevelt and Truman, and Jack Kennedy couldn't get a seat at the convention.

We've said repeatedly that the 900-pound gorilla in the room is the FBI investigation hanging over Clinton's head.  If it turns south for her, it might force her out of the race, or lower her numbers to the point where her nomination is in jeopardy.  In that case, I don't think the party will turn to the outsider, Bernie Sanders, but to Joe Biden, who would be Obama's pick.

February 27,  2016