Alarms are going off for Hillary Clinton’s campaign

Former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now at 37 percent and Sanders at 30 percent in the latest Iowa Des Moines Register poll. That's down from scoring in the 60 percent range at the start of the 2015 political season I have written several times that when Clinton falls below 50 percent alarms should go off.

I've been asked if this is similar to the clash between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008.

Obama and Sanders are both the 'outsider' and not the 'establishment” candidates. That's significant. Second, It's still 'them” against Hillary and she has not changed at all. In fact she has a lot more baggage thank in 2007-2008 - e mail problems, trust issues (much more toxic than last time), questions about Huma Abedin her close, too close, adviser.

I was asked by an international reporter, 'What are the differences between Obama and Bernie Sanders that would affect the 2016 Iowa caucuses?”

Obama was black and young and that really cited a lot of liberal Democrats. On the other hand, Sanders is creating enthusiasm just as high as Obama. He is a powerful speaker, young voters are excited about him, I think he has some of the appeal of an 'older and wiser” guy. His policy positions and his anger is connecting amazingly with voters.

You may wonder if Hillary Clinton should worry about Bernie Sanders and his remarkable surge?

Clinton and her team are very worried about Sanders. Her plunging poll numbers are a red alert alarm. Her campaign has been terribly managed and she is making a huge mistake not having Bill Clinton with her on the campaign. It is pure bull that she should run her own campaign and not tap into Bill's incredible charm and dynamic personality. Al Gore made the same mistake and it hurt him deeply. Now Hillary's apparently disconnected campaign managers are duplicating that boo-boo.

By the way, I saw one of her principals Robby MOOC interviewed on TV by Dave Price and he was excited to be in Iowa. It's September and he just now has arrived in Iowa! Clinton has been running for president for at least seven years. She started running after getting beaten by Obama. Now they come to Iowa?

In New Hampshire where she beat Obama in 2008 she is now training Bernie Sanders. Sanders pulled 44 percent to Clinton's 37 percent support among likely Democratic primary voters according to a Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll.

I'm a resident of Iowa and New Hampshire. I know lots of people in the Granite State. I eat at famous political diners, usually breakfast, which is the tradition (even at 3 in the afternoon!) By the way, I recommend the Airport and the Red Arrow diners in Manchester, Southside Diner in Derry, or The Common Man in Concord, which is more than a diner.

At diners you eat and listen to people at other booths or tables talking politics. I must say I have never heard anyone say the support Hillary Clinton. But I've heard lots of concerned people talking about what the FBI will find on the Clinton server.

I've also heard many people in New Hampshire and Iowa say 'where is Bill Clinton?' More people love him than Hillary and she's making the same mistake Al Gore made in 2000 by not having the former president campaign for her. It looks like history repeats itself.

' Steffen Schmidt is professor of political science at Iowa State University and is teaching a free Massive Open Online Course on the Iowa caucuses. More information, iowacaucusesmooc.org Comments: Steffenschmidt2005@gmail.com