SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:46 P.M. ET: 

DEBATE POLLS – We're starting to get "scientific" poll responses to the Republican debate.  From the NY Post:   WASHINGTON — Carly Fiorina surged to second place behind Donald Trump in a new national poll after her blockbuster debate performance.  Trump’s lead has eroded from 32 percent in early September to 24 percent after the second Republican debate, while Fiorina jumped from 3 percent to 15 percent, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.  In third place is Ben Carson is at 14 percent, while Marco Rubio jumps to fourth at 11 percent followed by Jeb Bush at 9 percent.  Rounding out the top 10 are Ted Cruz (6 percent), Mike Huckabee (6 percent), Rand Paul (4 percent), Chris Christie (3 percent) and John Kasich (2 percent).  The worst news was for Scott Walker. Once the front-runner in Iowa, the Wisconsin governor now registers less than 1 percent after the debate watched by 23 million people.   Another poll says that Trump's lead actually increased, and that Fiorina's improvement was more modest than in the poll we just cited.  It will take several more debates before the numbers shake out.  The Walker collapse is tragic.   The next debate is October 28th.

CULTURAL CHANGE – From AP:   CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Standing in a small, sterile booth high above the turf at Memorial Stadium, David He's voice reaches a near-shout any time the Illinois football team makes a big play against Kent State.  He is a Chinese student at the University of Illinois, and with partner Bruce Lu, part of a new and very experimental online Mandarin Chinese-language broadcast team for Illini football.  They are, best as anyone on campus can tell, the only Chinese-language college football broadcasters in the country. And they're a small piece of the University of Illinois's effort to reach a large segment of their student population and perhaps help crack a problem at colleges around the country: how to get students back into football stadiums on Saturdays.  That's unique.  I'd love to hear a broadcast, although I won't understand it. 

ANOTHER STEP FOR BIDEN – From London's Daily Mail:  Joe Biden has gained another supporter in his potential run for president, and this one might be the most important yet - his wife, Jill.  While rumors had it that Jill Biden was against her 72-year-old hubby running for the position of most powerful man in the world - NBC News reports that Jill is '100 percent on-board' with a Biden bid for POTUS.  Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Biden was edging closer to joining the already-crowded race, saying that it was a matter of 'when not if.'  I wonder how the Bernie Sanders run is being seen by the Biden people.  They may think Bernie will just fold, but I don't think he will.  He's tasted rising poll numbers, and his movement has taken on a religious fervor. 

September 20, 2015