Jay Carney: “The truth is we would do it more, but the networks, especially the broadcast networks, are not always willing to say yes. The threshold question is, you know, is it of national significance on a major issue something that the president feels the American people need to hear about? Matters of military force are the most obvious circumstances that merit a prime time address. There are also issues around significant domestic legislation, or national issues. He did a national speech launching health care reform that was primetime. It’s not a well you can go back to that often, though, because it requires the networks to give the time.”
Democrats Push Bill to Let Military Train Enemies of ISIS
Senate Democratic leaders “prepared legislation to expressly authorize the United States military to train Syrian rebels to help battle the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and House Republicans appeared ready to follow their lead,” the New York Times reports.
“The flurry of activity means that Congress is likely to weigh in on the looming military action before the midterm elections in eight weeks. House Republicans have called an emergency meeting for Thursday morning to discuss their options, and leaders are leaning toward a vote to express some support for a broader campaign against ISIS.”
Bill Clinton is America’s Favorite Politician
“When Bill Clinton left the White House in January 2001, Americans had experienced quite enough of the boisterous Big Dog and his unending dramas, both personal and political,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
“All of which makes it rather remarkable that today Clinton, as reviled a figure as ever served in the White House, stands as arguably the most popular political figure in America.”
“It’s not just his desirability to campaign for Democrats who, apart from distant fundraising assistance, want absolutely nothing to do with the current occupant of the White House. A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed that, alone among today’s major political figures, Clinton is seen in an overwhelmingly positive light, with 56% approving of the former president compared to 21% who disapprove.”
South Carolina Speaker Indicted
South Carolina Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell (R) has been indicted “on charges of using campaign funds for personal expenses, filing false campaign disclosure reports and misconduct in office,” The State reports.
“It was the first time in memory, and maybe in history, that a sitting House Speaker has been indicted.”
Candidates Will Draw Straws Unless Voter Brings ID
Jackson Clarion Ledger: “Unless a lone affidavit voter shows up with a valid photo ID before next Tuesday, Glenn Bolin and Stephanie Bounds will draw straws to see who becomes Poplarville alderman.”
“In a special election runoff Tuesday, Bolin and Bounds each received 177 votes. But one voter showed up at the polls without a photo ID, as now required by law in Mississippi, and voted affidavit. That voter has five business days to bring in a valid ID, and could determine the election.”
Cheney Attacks Obama Ahead of Speech
Dick Cheney “delivered a prebuttal of sorts” ahead of his nationally-televised statement tonight on combating the Islamic State, according to Business Insider.
Said Cheney: “In a few hours we’ll hear what he has in mind for the terrorist onslaught currently in Iraq. We can hope for — and we should look for — signs of a forceful, bold, and immediate strategy to defeat ISIS. We can say already, however, that such a plan would mark an abrupt and dramatic departure from his rhetoric thus far.”
He added that Obama was pursuing “utterly failed” policies that were “willfully blind” of what is needed to maintain U.S. security.
Conversation with Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark
Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark, authors of Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs and Washington Handshakes, joined us on the Political Wire podcast for a fascinating discussion of political jargon and what it really means.
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Carney Joins CNN After Leaving White House
Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney will join CNN as a political commentator, Politico reports.
He will start tonight as President Obama makes a prime-time statement about combating the Islamic State.
The Midterm Tipping Point?
First Read: “The other major headline from our new NBC/WSJ poll is how Republicans have the clear advantage heading into November’s midterms. Two-thirds of voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction — a higher percentage than at this point in the 2006 and 2010 midterm elections. Obama’s overall approval rating stands at 40%, tied for his all-time low in the poll. And Republicans hold a two-point advantage, 45%-43%, on which party should control Congress. That margin expands to 10 points – 50%-40% – in the states holding this year’s most-competitive Senate contests.”
Obama’s Prime Time Challenge
President Obama will address the nation in a prime-time speech at 9 p.m. ET on the threat posed by the Islamic State.
Morning Line: “The president’s challenge tonight — the day before the 13th anniversary of 9/11 — is to sell military action to a war-weary country skeptical of military intervention and of his ability to lead. By the way, don’t expect it to be a long speech, which may indicate an address meant to make the moral case but short on detail.”
First Read: “It’s also worth pointing out that Obama’s speech tonight is unusual for a president outlining a strategy for military action. Why unusual? Because the country is already there; in some ways, it’s the public trying to rally the Commander-in-Chief.”
Scott Brown’s Lady Problems
Stephen Colbert absolutely skewered Scott Brown on his show last night. It’s hilarious.
Quote of the Day
“Someone came up and said, ‘Hey, you know, I’d love to meet Scott.’ … He said, ‘I always thought Scott was kind of a phony from Massachusetts.’ And I said, you gotta sit down with him, because — he sat down, they had their little conversation, he walked away. You know what he said? He goes, ‘That guy was — he’s not a — he’s a phony from New Hampshire that just happened to live in Massachusetts for a little while. He’s more New Hampshire than most people we have in New Hampshire.'”
— New Hampshire GOP official Chris Sununu, quoted by the Washington Post, introducing New Hampshire U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown (R).
Snyder Clings to Narrow Lead in Michigan
A new Detroit News-WDIV poll in Mihchigan shows Gov. Rick Snyder (R) leading challenger Mark Schauer (D), 44% to 42%.
Said pollster Richard Czuba: “The dynamics are not the same as they were four years ago. This is a true toss-up.”
Nunn Closes the Gap with Perdue
A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia finds David Perdue’s (R) lead over Michelle Nunn (D) went from 9 points to 3 in he last three weeks ago, 57% to 44%.
In the race for governor, Jason Carter (D) edges Gov. Nathan Deal (R), 45% to 44%.
Obama Rebuffed at Top Golf Courses
President Obama “was turned down at several top golf courses in Westchester while he was visiting the area over Labor Day weekend,” sources tell NBC New York.
“The Trump National Golf Club, the Winged Foot and Willow Ridge were among some of the elite courses that rebuffed the president’s request to tee off there… Club managers apparently did not want to inconvenience their high-powered and high-paying members over Labor Day weekend by shutting down their courses to accommodate the president.”
People Really Don’t Like the Republican Party
The Fix: “The reclamation project that is the Republican Party has long been stunted by one pesky fact: People freaking hate the Republican Party.”
“Poll after poll shows President Obama is unpopular and the Democratic Party is a little more unpopular. Neither, though, can touch the GOP, whose congressional contingent has a whopping 72 percent disapproval rating in the most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll. Nearly half of Americans — 47 percent — say they ‘strongly’ disapprove of the GOP.”
Clinton Allies Portray Her as More ‘Decisive’ than Obama
“Allies to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are casting a stark distinction between a decisive, assertive Clinton and a pragmatic, deliberative President Obama on foreign policy,” The Hill reports.
“As Obama seeks to make the case for military action against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in a prime-time address on Wednesday, Clinton supporters are saying that she would have approached the battle with ISIS in a completely different way if she were commander in chief.”
Obama Ready to Authorize Air Strikes in Syria
“President Obama is prepared to authorize airstrikes in Syria, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, taking the military campaign against the Sunni militant group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, into new and unpredictable terrain,” the New York Times reports.
“But Mr. Obama is still wrestling with a series of challenges, including how to train and equip a viable ground force to fight ISIS inside Syria, how to intervene without aiding President Bashar al-Assad, and how to enlist potentially reluctant partners like Turkey and Saudi Arabia.”
Washington Post: “The president does not believe he needs Congress’s approval for expanded airstrikes against the Islamic State on either side of the Iraq-Syria border, according to foreign-policy experts.”
