For the Record: Feb. 9

You’ve probably seen that scene in “The Wizard of Oz” a gazillion times where the great and powerful wizard is exposed as nothing more than a stammering salesman behind the curtain.

Well, the 2016 race is sort of like that. In more ways than one.

As we await tonight’s voting results in New Hampshire, Team FTR got the bird-brained idea to highlight three kinds of people pulling the levers behind the presidential election curtain. Because, you know, nothing says go out and vote, America, like the invisible forces shaping our choices.

WIZARD 1: REALLY RICH GUYS

This shouldn’t surprise you: A handful of people with more money than sense are pouring millions of dollars into federal Super PACs, which can collect unlimited donations to campaign for or against people or causes (independently, of course). The good folks at Paste BN pored through the latest campaign-finance reports to find that most of the top donors are Republicans, and many of them have ties to Wall Street or the energy industry. What might surprise you is that this election is on track to top the billion-dollar mark. (And yes, you have to read “billion dollars” in the Dr. Evil voice, because that’s only proper.) Do you know what a billion dollars would buy? That’s more than enough to replicate all of the technology to become Batman. Or if you’re looking for a charity case, that’s enough to buy the Chicago Cubs.

WIZARD 2: TECH GEEKS

Silicon Valley is quietly but forcefully wading into politics this year, using its clout and cash to weigh in on the presidential election. Wired recently unveiled the 20 most influential tech insiders shaping the direction of campaigns, and the list is full of interesting nuggets about the industry’s aspirations. Did you know, for example, that Google dropped $13 million on lobbying last year, making it the country’s 11th-largest lobbyist? Neither did we. But that totally boosts our theory that Google is Skynet.

Oh, and if you don’t think tech matters to campaigns, consider the Skynet-ish story of Dstillery, a company that used anonymous location data from the cellphones of Iowa caucus-goers to determine that Marco Rubio was a hit with sports fans and that Donald Trump supporters tend to be avid grillers and do-it-yourselfers. If only Rubio had known as much before the Super Bowl, right? But hey, there’s still time for Trumpketeers to lobby for votes at a Home Depot near you.

WIZARD 3: WAIT … IT’S US?

Shut. The. Front. Door. A new Pew Research Center survey found that 83 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds learned something about the presidential election in the previous week – a figure far higher than previous elections had at this point. That means even us regular folk have high interest in campaigns. Who was most helpful in providing that information to millennials? Social media, followed by news websites. (Add a not-so-sneaky pitch here to join Team FTR and get snarky campaign info in your inbox six days a week.) Least helpful, according to the survey? Printed newspapers and the campaigns themselves.

MORE FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

• If you’re reading this at 5 a.m., you’re already 5 hours late to vote first in today’s primary (Paste BN) 
• Win, place or get out of the way: What must happen for each candidate in New Hampshire (Paste BN On Politics) 
• As if we didn’t already have enough candidates to track, former NYC Mayor/Benevolent Dictator Michael Bloomberg confirms he is considering a presidential bid (Paste BN On Politics) 
• Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright say women have to support Hillary Clinton. Millennials: If this feminism, count us out (Arizona Republic)

USE A THESAURUS, ALREADY

The name-calling war between Jeb(!) Bush and Donald Trump reignited on Twitter, and seriously, guys, you’ve got to get some new insults to call each other. Weak? Loser? Pathetic? Those words are lame. There are at least 100 movie insults (careful, the clip is NSFW) that you could use to shame each other much more effectively.