“If I didn`t care so much about our country, I would hope he will get the Republican nomination for president, because that would be the end of the Republican Party.”
— Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), quoted by The Hill, on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Anger Over Shutdown Inspiring Democrats to Run
New York Times: “Here and nationally, the Democratic Party is enjoying something of a boomlet in newly declared candidacies for the House. Since Oct. 1, five candidates have lined up to contest Republican-held seats, with at least four more in the wings, Democratic officials say. Almost all say they are driven to run — ostensibly, at least — by disgust over the shutdown, first espoused by Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and embraced by Tea Party Republicans in the House and, eventually, most others as well.”
GOP Not Dead Yet
Glen Bolger: “Two polls we conducted this weekend already shows some signs of life for the Republican party. This is not to minimize the challenges facing the GOP. Those challenges are significant. But perhaps those who wish to bury Republicans now in anticipation of a poor performance in the November 2014 elections are suffering from premature miscalculation.”
“Both surveys underscore the current political hit that the President is taking… The national discussion is shifting away from the combined shutdown/debt default deadline debacle to the White House Triple Crown of the failing Affordable Care Act, the unseemly listening in on our allies, and the President’s blissful unawareness of anything going on in his Administration because he’s too busy golfing.”
“These rapidly shifting data suggest Republicans would do well to stay out of the Administration’s way and let it continue to implode. It’s time for the GOP to stop shooting itself in the foot with the American voter and enjoy the view as Democrats take over that role.”
Obama’s Approval Hits New Low
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds the popular discontent that engulfed Republicans amid the government shutdown has now washed over President Obama, whose job approval rating has sunk to an all-time low.
“Obama saw his job approval fall to 42%, with 51% of respondents disapproving of his performance as president. That marked a drop in his approval rating from 47% in early October and 53% at the end of 2012.”
“At the same time, more Americans now view Mr. Obama negatively than positively, for the first time since he emerged as a national political candidate.”
Majority of Americans Don’t Belong to Either Party
The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds a majority of Americans said they belonged to neither party while 30% said they would prefer an independent or third-party candidate for Congress, more than wanted to vote for a Republican candidate.
Other remarkable findings:
The public’s view of the Republican Party has reached another all-time low in the survey, with just 22% seeing the GOP in a positive light and 53% viewing it negatively.
63% of voters want to replace their own member of Congress, which is the highest percentage ever recorded on this question that dates back to 1992,
Weiner Blames Reporter for Not Being Tough
Anthony Weiner told GQ that the New York Times Magazine writer who did a profile of him before launching his political comeback bid wasn’t “tough enough” on him.
Said Weiner: “The problem was that the story was completely different from what we thought would be written. I thought there’d be thousands of questions about the sexting. But there wasn’t a lot of conversation about that. We had a guy who wasn’t tough enough. We needed someone to just tear away at me. And not someone who would do something sympathetic.”
Political Wire Podcast
By popular request, the discussion series we launched yesterday is now a podcast.
De Blasio Still Way Ahead
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York City finds Bill de Blasio (D) continuing to crush Joseph Lhota (R) in the mayoral race, 65% to 26%.
GOP Pollster Urges Party to Stop Pandering to Racism
GOP pollster Fred Steeper told the New York Times that his party has to stop appealing to racial anxieties that exist among white voters and “throw in the towel on the immigration issue.”
Said Steeper: “Racism may be a part of it. The Republican Party needs to stop pandering to that.”
Senate Women Urge Clinton to Run in Secret Letter
“All of the female Democratic senators signed a secret letter to Hillary Rodham Clinton early this year encouraging her to run for president in 2016 – a letter that includes the signature of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and other senators who are mentioned as potential candidates,” ABC News reports.
McAuliffe’s Lead Shrinks in Virginia
A new Rasmussen survey in Virginia finds Terry McAuliffe (D) leading Ken Cuccinelli (R) by seven points in the race for governor, 43% to 36%, with Libertarian Robert Sarvis at 12%.
A Rasmussen survey last week had McAuliffe ahead by 17 points.
Seniors Could Be the Swing Vote in 2014
Democracy Corps: “Seniors broke heavily for Republicans in 2010, and they are a disproportionate voice in off-year elections. In the Republican battleground, the vote is tied among seniors and the Democratic candidate has gained 5 points among this group since June. In the Democratic battleground, Democratic incumbents lead by 14 points (51% to 37%) among seniors. This trend has also emerged in the last three national Democracy Corps surveys – which is a sea change.”
Passing the Buck
Joe Klein: “I expected more from Obama… And I certainly expected more from the Affordable Care Act, since it is the most significant piece of social welfare legislation since the 1960s, and an absolutely crucial piece of a social safety net going forward. It is early days for the ACA and we should reserve judgment about whether this legislation was just too big and complicated a mess to implement. But, surely, SOMEONE — maybe many people — should be fired for these opening pratfalls.”
“Otherwise, there is a danger that the Obama Administration will be remembered as not even good enough for government work.”
Texas Candidates Will Need Affadavit to Vote
Both Wendy Davis (D) and Greg Abbot (R) will have to attest to their identities in order to vote in next year’s gubernatorial race, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
That’s because both candidates have a different name on their drivers license than that on the voter rolls. Although Davis opposed the law, an amendment she sponsored is what actually allows both to vote since their recorded names only differ slightly.
Said a Davis spokesman: “If it weren’t for Wendy Davis’ leadership, Greg Abbott might have nearly disenfranchised himself.”
PAC Spends $332K Against McConnell
A conservative super PAC started by former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) has already spent $332,000 on independent expenditure against Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in his 2014 re-election race, Political Moneyline reports.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“In politics, nobody does something for nothing.”
— Connecticut Democratic Party Chairwoman Nany DiNardo, quoted by the Connecticut Post.
A Tactic Rarely Used
The Week: Why don’t more politicians apologize?
More Donors to be Ambassadors
President Obama “is nominating two supporters who raised hefty sums for his re-election campaign to be U.S. ambassadors,” the AP reports.
“The White House said Tuesday that Robert Barber is Obama’s pick for Iceland. Obama has also tapped Mark Gilbert, a former Chicago White Sox player, to be his envoy to New Zealand. Both were members of the Obama for America national finance team, and both raised more than $500,000 for Obama’s campaign.”
