1)  Biden His Time.  I have written much about Joe Biden entering the Democratic race because I think it is a news story ginned up by the media.  Oh, I’m sure he has considered it, but I took him at his word that he was wiped out by his son’s death and that he might not have the emotional energy for a campaign.  And Hillary, I’m sure he knew, was not going to disappear in a sea of scandal.  So I don’t think he wants to get in the race; I don’t think he’s politically any difference from Hillary.  He also doesn’t have the organization in place.  He’ll make it interesting for a while, and then he’ll lose.  Anyway, the media is thinking he might announce today.  In fact, the Washington Post accidentally put the “Joe’s Running!” story online:

The Washington Post accidentally published the article it had prepared in the event Vice President Joe Biden announces his presidential campaign on Monday night, due to a “technical glitch” when someone was attempting to embed a video. The story included background and analysis, if Biden were to become a candidate.

The article was quickly replaced with an editor’s note: “This file was inadvertently published.”

2)  Jim Webb is out of the race.  He might run as an independent, which means he gets all the debate time for the Independent nomination to himself.

Jim, we hardly knew ye.  No, seriously.  Nobody knew who you were, which is why you never hit 1%.

3)  Trump not fading.  Despite predictions from me and other, Trump doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, if the polls are accurate.  NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey, released last night, says:

1. Donald Trump: 25% (up four points from September)
2. Ben Carson: 22% (up two points)
3. Marco Rubio: 13% (up two points)
4. Ted Cruz: 9% (up four points)
5. Jeb Bush: 8% (up one point)
6. Carly Fiorina: 7% (down four points)

The remaining candidates are at 3% or lower, including Chris Christie, who has seen his support steadily drop in recent months, falling to just 1% in this poll. Trump’s 25% showing, meanwhile, represents the strongest support any GOP candidate has in any NBC/WSJ poll this year.

A new CNN poll offers similar results:

1. Donald Trump: 27% (up three points from September)
2. Ben Carson: 22% (up eight points)
3. Jeb Bush: 8% (down one point)
3. Marco Rubio: 8% (down three points)

The remaining candidates are at 5% or lower. Fiorina, in particular, has seen her standing collapse, dropping from 15% to 4% in the CNN poll just over the course of one month.

It began as whispers in hushed corners: Could it ever happen? And now, just three months from the Iowa caucuses, members of the Republican establishment are starting to give voice to an increasingly common belief that Donald Trump, once dismissed as joke, a carnival barker, and a circus freak, might very well win the nomination.

“Trump is a serious player for the nomination at this time,” says Ed Rollins, who served as the national campaign director for Reagan’s 1984 reelection and as campaign chairman for Mike Huckabee in 2008.

Yes, Trump will take Iowa.  And probably New Hampshire too.  But I still say Trump will fade, as will Carson, and every will settle for Rubio. The blue collar GOP riff-raff have consolidated on Trump.  That is why he leads.  The white collar GOP is still fragmented.  When the field thins out, Trump will see a decline.  Wait for it.

4)  My campaign advice to Jeb!  Jeb Bush, in one of the GOP debates, got the loudest applause line when he defended his brother saying, “He kept us safe.”  Now, the Jeb campaign seems to be doubling down by continuing to embrace Bush 43.  I think that is a terrible mistake.  For one thing, I don’t think the audience was applauding Jeb’s brother during that debate, but the fact that Jeb retorted at all.  It was an unscripted moment from Jeb that pleased the audience.  It wasn’t an endorsement of Bush 43, who — I think the record is clear — did NOT keep us safe.  I think this explains why Jeb! is going down in the polls — his running as a Bush.  Big mistake.

5)  Liberals take Canada.  The centrist Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, started the campaign in third place but in a stunning turnaround now command a majority.  Mr Trudeau, the 43-year-old son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, said Canadians had voted for real change. Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen Harper – in power since 2006 – has congratulated his rival.  Justin Trudeau is son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, considered the father of modern Canada.

Maybe that’s why Scott Walker proposed building a wall on our northern border.

For what its worth, this was the longest-lasting federal election campaign in Canada since 1872 – 78 days (By contrast, the US campaign began when Ted Cruz declared himself a candidate on Mar 23, 2015. Elections will be held on November 8, 2016. – 596 days or 1 year, 7 months and 16 days)

Preliminary results show voter turnout in Canada to be in excess of 68% of eligible voters (In 2012 election, 53.6% of US eligible voters cast a ballot)