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Congress Returns to Gridlock
Roll Call reports: “Congressional Democrats return to Washington this week with just three or four weeks to try to change the narrative that’s driving this election season, but they acknowledge that the gridlock they left behind in August is all but certain to re-emerge. Both Democrats and Republicans concede a surging GOP has no incentive to cooperate with the majority, particularly in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to pass almost everything. Given time constraints and election-year pressures, ‘Our ability to do anything major is going to be limited,’ Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said last week.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. He will deliver remarks at 10:30 a.m. ET, at the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Reception. He will meet at 11 a.m. ET with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will meet at 1:45 p.m. ET with a family at their home in Fairfax, Virginia, and hold a discussion on the economy at 2 p.m. ET. He will meet at the White House with seniors at 3:30 p.m. ET, and he will meet at 4:30 p.m. ET with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He will deliver remarks to NCAA Champion Student Athletes at 5:45 p.m. ET.

Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will spend the morning in Wilmington, Delaware. At 11 a.m. ET, he will participate via videoconference with President Obama’s monthly national security team meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will travel later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will attend a 6:30 p.m. ET event for Democratic Senate nominee Joe Sestak.

Axelrod, Plouffe Downplay GOP Edge In Recent Polls
The Associated Press reports: “Two top Democratic strategists said Sunday that President Barack Obama has the nation moving in the right direction, downplaying polls that suggest Republicans have an edge heading into November’s midterm election. White House adviser David Axelrod and David Plouffe, Obama’s 2008 campaign manager, headlined Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin’s 33rd annual steak fry, one of the most prominent Democratic events each year. It drew hundreds of party activists to a county fairgrounds. ‘For the last 20 months the Republican Party has made a choice to sit on the sidelines and give us the entire responsibility and root for failure, because they though that was a prescription for a successful election,’ Axelrod said Sunday. ‘I think they’ll be disabused of that.'”

McConnell Fears Overconfidence
CQ reports: “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday cautioned Republicans against appearing to take for granted that they will make significant electoral gains in November, saying Democrats still have cards to play and voters rarely reward overconfidence. In an interview Friday, the Kentucky Republican warned that the ‘American people have not finally spoken yet. And I don’t think they like any measuring of the drapes.’ ‘I think the time to spike the ball in the end zone is when you’ve scored’ and not before, McConnell said, although he readily acknowledged Republicans are well-positioned this year.”

Republican White House Hopefuls Slow To Start
Politico says that the 2012 presidential primary campaign is starting later than its predecessor did in 2006: “In the fall of 2006, Mitt Romney and John McCain were openly battling over endorsements from Republican operatives, donors and even county sheriffs in the early primary states. The two beat a well-worn path to New Hampshire, South Carolina and especially Iowa, where they had to watch their step to avoid tripping over Democratic hopefuls like John Edwards and Evan Bayh. But at the same point four years later, as the 2010 election enters the home stretch, top-tier Republican presidential contenders are hesitant to set foot in the states that kick off the presidential campaign process, let alone issue press releases touting their latest gets there.”

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