HILLARY ROMPS – 9:05 A.M. ET:  If the Dem nomination for president were awarded today, Hillary Clinton could have it on a silver platter, according to a new poll.  From WaPo: 

Hillary Rodham Clinton holds a commanding 6 to 1 lead over other Democrats heading into the 2016 presidential campaign, while the Republican field is deeply divided with no clear front-runner, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Clinton trounces her potential primary rivals with 73 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, reinforcing a narrative of inevitability around her nomination if she runs. Vice President Biden is second with 12 percent, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) is third with 8 percent.

Although Clinton’s favorability rating has fallen since she stepped down as secretary of state a year ago, she has broad Democratic support across ideological, gender, ethnic and class lines. Her lead is the largest recorded in an early primary matchup in at least 30 years of Post-ABC polling.

The race for the Republican nomination, in contrast, is wide open, with six prospective candidates registering 10 percent to 20 percent support. No candidate has broad backing from both tea party activists and mainline Republicans, signaling potential fissures when the GOP picks a standard-bearer in 2016.

COMMENT:  Obviously, it's very early.  Hillary might not run.  She might fall ill.  Something may come out about her that's devastating.  But, as of now, she's got the nod. 

We legitimately fear that a divided Republican Party, further hurt by the media thumb on the scale, will send Hillary to the White House, where she will do her usual mediocre job, to rapturous press reviews.  (She works hard, but I can't recall a single major success she's had in any job, including senator from New York and secretary of state.)  There are capable Republican governors out there, and some fine members of Congress, but no electoral stars. 

January 30, 2014