Nathan Gonazales compiles six buzz phrases “that almost always guarantee that the candidates uttering them are headed toward defeat.”
Filner Reaches Settlement Over Charges
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D) reached a proposed settlement agreement with his legal adversaries that likely sets the stage for the end of his brief, scandal-plagued tenure as mayor, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.
“The tentative agreement centers around a lawsuit filed against the mayor and the city by a former Filner aide who accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances. Three days of mediation… ended late Wednesday when a group of lawyers and city leaders… emerged from behind closed doors to announce a deal had been reached.”
The City Council will consider the proposal at 1 p.m. Friday in closed session.
The Kennedy Half Century
Enrollment is now open for Larry Sabato’s free online course about President John F. Kennedy’s life, administration and legacy. It will begin on Oct. 21, with two hours of video instruction each week for four weeks.
The course coincides with publication of Sabato’s new book, The Kennedy Half Century.
U.S. Suspects Syria Used Chemical Weapons
The United States “has ‘strong indications’ the Syrian government employed chemical weapons in a series of attacks Wednesday in the suburbs of Damascus, in what would amount to a serious escalation in poison-gas use in the conflict,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Washington Post editorial: “The United States should be using its own resources to determine, as quickly as possible, whether the opposition’s reports of large-scale use of gas against civilians are accurate. If they are, Mr. Obama should order direct U.S. retaliation against the Syrian military forces responsible and adopt a plan to protect civilians in southern Syria with a no-fly zone.”
Louisiana GOP Blame Obama More for Katrina Response
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that Louisiana Republicans aren’t sure whether President Obama or George W. Bush was responsible for the federal government’s “poor” response when levees broke after Hurricane Katrina.
Key finding: 29% of Republican primary voters in Louisiana blamed Obama, who took office in 2009, and 28% blamed Bush, whose term lasted through 2008.
Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005.
The GOP’s Problem Isn’t Just Debates
Bill Schnieder: “Republicans do have a debate problem. Debates often expose their candidates as outside the mainstream on issues like climate change and evolution and contraception and immigration and rape and safety net programs. The reason for that is that many Republican candidates are outside the mainstream on issues like climate change and evolution and contraception and immigration and rape and safety net programs.”
“It looks like Republicans are trying to hide something. But the debates are not the party’s problem. The party is the party’s problem.”
Walker’s Stealth Strategy for 2016
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) “game plan for the next three years is quietly taking shape: Win reelection next year in this purple state without moderating a record that has won many hearts in the conservative base; let the other GOP hopefuls get sullied by the mud pit of Congress and each other; then pounce in 2015,” Politico reports.
“That, in essence, is the outline of the likely presidential contender’s game plan that emerged from interviews with multiple people in his orbit.”
Flashback Quote of the Day
“Each of us is a different religion. But, God damn it Ron, we have got to build peace in the world. And that’s what I’m working on.”
— Richard Nixon, on White House tapes released today, talking to Ronald Reagan on April 30, 1973 after delivering a speech on the Watergate scandal.
Jindal Sinks Like a Stone
Just three years ago, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) was the most popular governor in the country. A new Public Policy Polling survey shows he’s now the most unpopular Republican governor in the country and the second most unpopular governor overall.
Just 28% of voters now approve of Jindal to 59% who disapprove. That’s an 11 point decline in his net approval just since February.
Will There Be a 51st State?
Wonk Wire notes it could be in Northern Colorado.
How to Survive in ‘Boehnerland’
Gawker gets a copy of the “2013 Intern Manual” from Speaker John Boehner’s office.
Included among the manual’s “Rules for Intern Success” are helpful pointers like “Don’t talk to the press” and “You are not here to change the world”:
Is DeMint Targeting Graham?
Former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who resigned earlier this year to lead a conservative Washington-based think tank, occasionally voted against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) “while in the Senate. But they rarely criticized each other in public,” the Columbia State reports.
But the political action committee that DeMint founded in 2008 released a radio ad in South Carolina criticizing Graham for recently saying that voting to defund the Affordable Care Act was “a bridge too far.”
NPR notes DeMint is on record saying that Republican unwilling to vote to defund Obamacare “need to be replaced.”
Why Killing Immigration Reform Won’t Hurt House GOP
Greg Sargent:
“How many GOP-held House districts vulnerable to changing sides have
large enough Latino populations to ensure that high Latino turnout in
2014 could swing the outcome? As it turns out, not too many. A grand
total of eight, and that’s if you include multiple races that Democrats
are all but certainly not going to win. Given that Dems need to flip 17
seats to take back the House — and will be defending a host of Dem-held
seats against GOP challenges at the same time — this is less than
encouraging.”
Young Republicans Warming to Obamacare?
Wonk Wire: New survey finds more young Republicans are using a key Obamacare provision than Democrats.
Trump Slams Romney Team
Donald Trump warned Gov. Chris Christie (R) against working with Stuart Stevens, the top strategist for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “I think he did a terrible job for Mitt Romney, absolutely terrible. That was a campaign that should have been won. I don’t know Stuart Stevens from a hole in the wall. I don’t know what he looks like. But I will say this, whoever ran that campaign, that is not the person I would want running my campaign if I were running.”
Dean Visits Iowa and New Hampshire
Howard Dean is visiting Iowa and New Hampshire this week, CNN reports.
Rick Klein: “There is no perceptible groundswell for Dean to
get the band back together, a decade after his campaign implosion. But
when Dean says — and yes, he’s said this — that he’d think about giving
it another go if other Democratic candidates aren’t speaking to the
progressive base, take him seriously. Whether Dean becomes the vehicle
or not, there’s room to President Obama’s — and Hillary Clinton’s — left
at the moment, on topics both foreign and domestic. Dean may not be the
vehicle to channel that energy, but his reception could in part dictate
what kind of vehicle will be in order.”
Weiner’s Sexting Partner Makes Porn Film
Sydney Leathers, the sexting partner of Anthony Weiner, has made a hardcore porn video, complete with an actor in a shirt and tie playing the New York City mayoral candidate, the New York Daily News reports.
Gawker has a not-safe-for-work preview.
New Details Show Broader NSA Surveillance Reach
“The National Security Agency — which possesses only limited legal authority to spy on U.S. citizens — has built a surveillance network that covers more Americans’ Internet communications than officials have publicly disclosed,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The system has the capacity to reach roughly 75% of all U.S. Internet traffic in the hunt for foreign intelligence, including a wide array of communications by foreigners and Americans. In some cases, it retains the written content of emails sent between citizens within the U.S. and also filters domestic phone calls made with Internet technology.”
Wonk Wire: It’s time for a new secrecy regime.
