SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

BERNIE? – There are some signs that Bernie Sanders is closing, somewhat the gap with Hillary Clinton.  From The Hill:   The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is tightening, with Bernie Sanders closing in on Hillary Clinton in two important contests.  Sanders is leading Clinton in Missouri and has cut into the Democratic front-runner’s lead in Ohio and Illinois, according to a new survey the left-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP).  All three states now look like toss-ups, with the PPP poll showing Sanders trailing Clinton by just 5 points, 46 percent to 41 percent, in Ohio.  The change is particularly notable because several polls in Ohio at the beginning of the month showed Clinton with a 20- to 30-point lead over the Vermont senator.  The race has drawn much closer since Sanders's surprise win in Michigan; he also trailed by double-digits in that state weeks before its primary.  In Illinois, Clinton gets 48 percent in the PPP survey compared to 45 percent for Sanders.  I have the feeling that the vote is turning more away from Clinton than toward Sanders.  Hillary isn't loved.  She has more baggage than American Airlines, and she doesn't lose hers.  I also think that gross irresponsibility by the press is fueling at least part of Sanders's rise.  As with Obama, the media men refuse to tell us what Sanders actually believes, as reflected in his political background.  He's a hard leftist, and cannot be trusted with the defense of this country.

A PRICE IS PAID –  College protests are taking their toll on the very institutions being protested.  The working-class kids will be hurt the most.  From Fox:   Safe spaces may become empty spaces at the University of Missouri, where officials acknowledged that an expected sharp decline in enrollment next fall is due at least in part to protests that rocked the campus last fall.  The school is braced for a 25 percent drop in new students this coming fall, forcing the institution to enact painful budget cuts, as well as hiring and salary freezes.  “We do know that the events of last fall have had an effect on our application numbers; however, it’s difficult to provide a specific number as we do not have any hard data," University of Missouri spokesman Christian Basi said in a statement to Foxnews.com.   Why go to an unstable institution that knuckled under to the protesters when you can go somewhere else?  The market works. 

SHE TOLD THE TRUTH!  From the New York Post:   Here’s a novelty: Hillary Clinton told the truth. Oops!  “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business,” Clinton said Sunday night while boasting about her clean-energy program — and with a big smile on her face.  In fact, this is standard Democratic policy: President Obama’s been throwing coal miners out of work for seven years now, aiming to deliver on his 2008 pledge to “bankrupt” the coal industry.  But most Dems have the sense to pretend they’re just protecting the environment — and bashing business, ’natch.  Hillary said today that no Americans died in Benghazi.  Maybe it depends on what your definition of "died" is.

March 14,  2016