“A group of 30 former GOP lawmakers signed a blistering open letter to Republicans on Thursday, warning that Donald Trump lacks the ‘intelligence’ and temperament to be president and urging the party to reject the GOP nominee at the polls on Nov. 8,” The Hill reports.
Mike Pence Can’t Save the Republican Party
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Headline of the Day
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Who the fuck do you think you are calling me a fat fuck? I’m the fucking governor of this state.”
— Gov. Chris Christie, quoted by the Asbury Park Press, to a New Jersey official who recounted the phone call in the Bridgegate trial.
Pence Advises Trump to Keep Same Debate Strategy
Gov. Mike Pence said he is not pushing Donald Trump to follow his lead in this weekend’s debate but instead wants the Manhattan billionaire to “be himself,” Politico reports.
Said Pence: “I’d encourage Donald Trump to do what he did in his first debate and that is be himself. Speak from his mind and speak from his heart and I know he’s going to do that.”
Top Pentagon Aide Used Credit Card at Sex Clubs
“A Pentagon investigation has concluded that Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s former senior military aide used his government credit card at strip clubs or gentlemen’s clubs in Rome and Seoul, drank in excess and had ‘improper interactions’ with women,” the Associated Press reports.
“The report by the Defense Department’s inspector general says Maj. Gen. Ron Lewis improperly used his credit card, lied to a bank to get charges removed and, more broadly, said he was guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer, according to people familiar with the report.”
Quote of the Day
“They live in an alternative reality, and I don’t think they get what it means to be an American.”
— Trump spokesman Jason Miller, quoted by the Washington Post, on Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Campaigns Brace for Hurricane Matthew
“Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are at risk of being elbowed out of the news cycle by a powerful hurricane churning toward the Southeast coast and threatening to barrel into two of their most important battlegrounds: Florida and North Carolina,” Politico reports.
“But the Clinton camp is refusing to be completely shut out of the conversation: Her team is buying airtime on the Weather Channel in a slew of major Florida media markets.”
Christie Helping Trump Prepare for Next Debate
Sources tell NBC News that Gov. Chris Christie is taking on an expanded role in the debate prep.
“That makes sense, given his unique strengths in the town hall format; Christie racked up dozens of them when he decamped to New Hampshire during his primary run.”
First Read: “RNC chair Reince Priebus is also helping to honcho these prep sessions, which are ‘significantly smaller’ than they used to be. Who’s missing? Gen. Mike Flynn, for one, along with Gen. Keith Kellogg, who have been sidelined to try and keep Trump focused.”
Johnson Declines to Name North Korea’s Leader
From the New York Times:
In the Times interview on Wednesday, Mr. Johnson conspicuously sought to avoid another misstep. Asked if he knew the name of North Korea’s leader, Mr. Johnson replied, “I do.”
“You want me to name” the person, he said, then paused, before adding dryly, “Really.” But he declined to supply the name.
Clinton Opens Up Six Point National Lead
The latest PRRI/Atlantic poll shows Hillary Clinton with a six point lead over Donald Trump nationally, 47% to 41%.
A week ago, before the first presidential debate, Clinton and Trump were tied among likely voters at 43%.
Trump Says Insults to Women Were Entertainment
Donald Trump told KSNV-TV that his derogatory statements towards women were just for “entertainment” and did not reflect his true feelings.
Said Trump: “A lot of that was done for the purpose of entertainment, there’s nobody that has more respect for women than I do.”
Obama Approval Hits New High
A new CNN/ORC poll finds President Obama’s approval rating at 55%, “the highest mark of his second term, and matching his best at any time since his first year in office.”
Clinton Debate Strategy Extends Beyond the Debate
“Sen. Tim Kaine may have awakened Wednesday to poor reviews after the first and only vice-presidential debate, but his acerbic performance in Farmville, Va., revealed that the Clinton campaign’s strategy for these debates extends far beyond the stage,” the Washington Post reports.
“Armed with pre-planned Web videos, television ads and tweets, the campaign has used key debate moments this week and last as a cudgel against the Republican ticket, showing a level of discipline and organization largely absent from Donald Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s campaign.”
Trump’s Slip In Polls Has GOP Worried Again
“Donald Trump’s support has plunged across the swing-state map over the last 10 days, wiping out his political recovery from September and threatening to undo weeks of Republican gains in the battle for control of Congress,” the New York Times reports.
“For his party, Mr. Trump’s reversal in fortune comes at the worst possible moment: Having muted their criticism of Mr. Trump in hopes that he could at least run competitively through Election Day, Republicans must decide in the next few days, rather than weeks, whether to seek distance from his wobbly campaign.”
Hogan Approval Hits New High
A new Washington Post-University of Maryland poll finds Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) with a 71% approval rating in the overwhelmingly Democratic state, driven by his outspoken disavowal of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Ryan Plans to Steamroll Democrats
“If Donald Trump is elected president and Republicans hold onto Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan is bluntly promising to ram a partisan agenda through Capitol Hill next year, with Obamacare repeal and trillion-dollar tax cuts likely at the top of the list. And Democrats would be utterly defenseless to stop them,” Politico reports.
“Typically, party leaders offer at least the pretense of seeking bipartisanship when discussing their policy plans. But Ryan is saying frankly that Republicans would use budget reconciliation — a powerful procedural tool — to bypass Democrats entirely. It’s the same tool Republicans slammed Democrats for using to pass the 2010 health care law over their objections.”
