THE DEM DEBATE – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 11:25 A.M. ET:  Karl Rove nails the reality of Hillary Clinton's famous victory in Tuesday's Democratic debate.  From The Wall Street Journal:

The Democratic debate Tuesday revealed the best thing that Hillary Clinton has going for her: the weakness of her challengers.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders came off as an elderly, dyspeptic Bilbo Baggins attending a British Labour Party meeting. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley sounded like an overly earnest, slightly too intense 1950s ad man making a bad pitch. Former Rhode Island Gov.Lincoln Chafee was as hapless as a puppy stranded in a hurricane. And former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, probably sensing how inconsequential he is, was angry all night. It’s hard to believe this crew will draw many viewers for future debates.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, reminded the crowd that she is a good debater who bested then-Sen. Barack Obama in most of their 2008 matchups. She was knowledgeable, in command and much less mechanical than usual. Team Clinton was right to be elated with her performance.

There is little doubt now that Mrs. Clinton will be her party’s nominee, barring an indictment or similar dramatic event. Still, Mrs. Clinton’s managers shouldn’t kid themselves: Her intraparty competition is pitiful, and her challenges in the general election remain enormous.

It is striking how far left the Democratic Party—including Mrs. Clinton—has moved. Candidates spent the debate trying to outdo one another on gun control, climate change and busting up Wall Street.

One example: When asked to state America’s greatest national-security threat, Mr. Sanders did not say Islamic State, which controls much of Syria, Iraq and Iran. He did not say Russia, entrenched in Ukraine and emerging as a dominant power in the Middle East, or even China, threatening its neighbors in the west Pacific.

He named climate change. One can imagine President Sanders ordering special forces to the headquarters of Exxon, Shell and Chevron to haul off oilmen to re-education camps cooled and heated by renewable energy.

COMMENT:  Very well said.  But Hillary will have one enormous advantage in the general election – press bias, the same force that mightily helped put Barack Obama in the White House.  Countering that must be a major factor in Republican planning, and I think it will be.

October 15, 2015