“While few Americans regard the environment as the nation’s foremost challenge, most say it should be a priority, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. And more than half say global warming is caused by human behavior, the highest level ever recorded by the national poll.”
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Kissing Congressman’s New Ad Features His Wife
Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA), the married lawmaker who was caught on camera earlier this year kissing a congressional staffer, is airing a new forgiveness-themed TV ad featuring his wife, NBC News reports.
In the 30-second spot, the McAllisters sit side by side as the congressman’s wife Kelly says that she is “blessed to have a husband who owns up to his mistakes.”
Pence Draws Presidential Attention
The Wall Street Journal looks at Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) as a possible 2016 presidential candidate.
“The Hoosier chief executive isn’t as well known nationally, and some will question whether his record is too far right to be a plausible general-election candidate. But he’s generating a small groundswell, particularly among GOP social-policy activists, some of whom think Mr. Pence hits the sweet spot for 2016.”
“He is reliably conservative on fiscal and social policies, and rose to a position of power in Washington, where he led the conservative Republican Study Group in the House of Representatives and helped found the tea-party caucus. Yet he deployed a more soothing style and wasn’t as polarizing as some House conservatives… Now, as a heartland governor for the last two years, he has a record outside of Washington, in a state that’s surging economically.”
Congress on Track to be Least Productive in 60 Years
“Say this about the 113th Congress: It’s managed to live down to low expectations,” Roll Call reports.
“With only a lame-duck, post-Election Day mop-up session left before a new Congress takes office in January, the 113th is on track to be one of the least productive congresses — in terms of laws passed and signed by the president — in 60 years.”
Creepiest Political Ad of the Year?
The nominee is titled “Dating Profile” and was put out by a Republican-affiliated Americans for Shared Prosperity.
Nia-Malika Henderson: “So yes, this ad is, um, strange. Probably sexist too — but mainly it’s just weird and bad. Very, very bad.”
He For She
Emma Watson, of the Harry Potter movies, gave an impassioned speech on feminism at the U.N. Headquarters in New York over the weekend to launch the “HeForShe” campaign.
It’s definitely worth watching.
Clinton’s Next Stop is New Hampshire
Hillary Clinton “will attend a fund-raiser later this month for a prominent New Hampshire Democrat, the latest indication that the former secretary of state is laying the groundwork for a second presidential run,” CNN reports.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Politics has become too personal.”
— Vice President Joe Biden, quoted by the New York Times, on why Washington doesn’t work well anymore.
Control of Congress Matters to Most
A new Gallup Poll finds that 40% of Americans say the specific party that controls Congress matters a great deal to them, while 29% say it matters a moderate amount and another 30% say it generally doesn’t matter to them.
Outside Spending Sets New Midterm Record
Morning Line: “Back in April, we wrote that outside spending was on a record-breaking pace. Well, on this first day of fall — and with 43 days still to go until Election Day — outside spending has now surpassed the mark for most money ever spent in a midterm election. In fact, the $228 million (and climbing) spent by outside interest groups is not only the most ever spent in a midterm, but it’s also more spent in any election except the 2012 presidential election… The fact is: this is a whole new world. There should be a red line drawn on anyone’s timeline when reporting on election spending to signify Jan. 21, 2010, the date the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling was handed down, opening up unlimited money to flow into elections from unions and corporations.”
An Unstable Senate
Ron Brownstein: “If Democrats lose their majority this year, it will extend a striking pattern: Since 1980, neither party has controlled the Senate for more than eight consecutive years. That persistent volatility marks a distinct change from most of the 20th century. Given the underlying trends in voting behavior, it’s likely the Senate will continue to experience fragile and fleeting majorities. And that points toward both more partisan conflict and mounting pressure to rewrite Senate rules–like the filibuster–in ways that strengthen the majority.”
Predict the Senate
Democratic polling firm Hickman Analystics has a useful Senate prediction tool to test your assumptions about some of the closer races.
Rand Paul Opens Political Office in California
“Signaling that he may be edging closer to a 2016 White House run, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Saturday he plans to open an office in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the nation’s strongest Democratic bastions – and a convenient link to Silicon Valley,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Trippi Says It Would Be a ‘Miracle’ if Democrats Hold Senate
Democratic strategist Joe Trippi told Fox News that it would be a “miracle” in the current political environment for Democrats to hold on to the Senate.
Said Trippi: “I would gauge that Republicans are likely to pick up between five and eight seats.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Don’t lose too much weight now. I like my girls chubby!”
— Former Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), quoted by the New York Times, to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
The Best TV Shows for Political Ads
“Six weeks before Election Day, campaigns are deciding where and when they want to air their political ads all over the country. But not all shows and networks are equal in the eyes of media buyers. They have more choices than ever, and they approach these decisions with deliberation and armed with ratings data,” Roll Call reports.
“In interviews, operatives repeatedly said they look for three kinds of programs for political ads: Live events, and shows that attract women and seniors. Both parties fight fiercely for the female demographic, and seniors serve as one of the most reliable voting blocs in a midterm.”
Quote of the Day
“I’m staying out of that race. I think folks know that I love him.”
— George P. Bush, quoted by the Texas Tribune, when asked if he would endorse his father in the 2016 Republican presidential race.
Kansas Candidate Admits Strip Club Incident
“In the late 1990s the Democratic candidate for governor of Kansas was getting a lap dance at a strip club when cops raided it in search of drugs, a situation Paul Davis (D) on Saturday described as being ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time,'” Politico reports.
“Davis was not charged with any crime, but a police chief involved in the raid wrote afterward that he had been drinking and was found ‘in a somewhat compromising position … in a back room of the club.'”
