For the Record: Ben and Carly look at old poll numbers, sigh heavily

Yesterday was yet another afternoon we were huddled around TV sets at For the Record headquarters, as was much of America, waiting for a glimmer of hope in a moment of tragedy. Several of the 2016 candidates have weighed in as details continue to emerge this morning. Take care out there, everyone.

In today’s edition: Are caucuses terrible, or is it just the name? And what becomes of the broken-hearted, who had voter love that’s now departed? If you’ve got to find some kind of peace of mind, try signing up for the For the Record newsletter, and follow the FTR crew (@RGJBrettMcG, @joannaallhands, @jmestepa) on Twitter.

Clinton to caucus-goers: You guys are all a little nuts

Hillary Clinton makes her way to the stage during the Iowa's Democratic party Jefferson-Jackson dinner. (Charlie Neibergall, AP)

“You’re extreme, and you’re a nutcase, and you’re pretty weird too. Remember to vote for me, guys!” (Charlie Neibergall, AP)

Both Democrats and Republicans are pouncing on Hillary Clinton’s disparaging comments about caucus-goers. In the latest release of Clinton’s government emails, she referred to attendees as “creatures of the parties’ extremes.” She has a point: You have to be a bit of a die-hard to participate in a caucus. Primaries are pretty much just like standard voting – get in, vote, get on with your day. Caucuses, on the other hand, are all-day affairs where you stand around and argue with strangers; and by the way, the word “caucus” is just terrible. Hillary’s comments aren’t likely to sway any of her Iowa supporters, though; when you’re caucusing (ugh, so gross), you and your fellow partisans are the normal ones, and the other candidates’ supporters are clearly insane.

Carson: Here come bad news, talking this and that

Hi. I'm in Delaware. (Andrew Harnik, AP)

Ben Carson should probably warn you, he’ll be just fine. (Andrew Harnik, AP)

Just a few weeks back, Ben Carson was running neck-and-neck with Donald Trump for GOP front-runner status. But the latest Quinnipiac survey has him in a third-place tie with Ted Cruz, looking up at both Trump and Marco Rubio. To add to the misery, Carson also lost Bill Millis – a North Carolina sock-manufacturing heir – from his campaign board and fundraising team. And then on top of that, he probably lost a pretty sweet hookup for free socks. Still, Carson says he’s not concerned about any of it. “You know it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint, so you know, people will go up and people will go down,” Carson said. But you know what comes in handy when you’re running a marathon? Good quality socks.

Fiorina wins the Yahoo search title! Add zero delegates to her total

Between Donald Trump and “The View,” most of these had to be image searches, right? (Associated Press)

Speaking of candidates slipping in the polls … about two months ago, Carly Fiorina was sitting in third place in the GOP polls at 11%; lately she’s been clocking in around 3.5%. But she’s still leading all candidates – Republicans and Democrats – in one category: Yahoo searches. Fiorina was the most-searched 2016 candidate, while Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Ben Carson and Donald Trump rounded out the top five. The overall most-searched topic for the year was the death of Bobbi Kristina Brown, while the most-searched drink was the Old Fashioned, originally known as “that modern-day drink we’ve all been drinking recently.”