Democrats Bank On Early Voting To Bridge Enthusiasm Gap
The Washington Post reports: “Democrats across the country know they face a daunting enthusiasm gap that veteran politicians such as Reid can’t possibly overcome. What they can do is try to outperform their Republican opponents by taking advantage of the longer window to get folks to the polls. Election analysts expect more people to cast early ballots this year than in any previous midterm election. A decade ago, early voting was an obscure practice allowed in just a handful of states. This year, the District and 32 states, including Maryland, allow some form of early voting.”
Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will receive the presidential daily briefing at 9:30 a.m. ET. he will meet at 10:30 a.m. ET with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and at 11:10 a.m. ET with his national security team for his monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He will depart from the White House at 3:10 p.m. ET, and depart 3:25 p.m. ET from Andrews Air Force Base, arriving at 8:30 p.m. ET in Portland, Oregon. He will deliver remarks at a rally at 9:45 p.m. ET, depart from Portland at 11:45 p.m. ET, and arriving at 12:30 a.m. ET in Seattle, Washington.
Biden’s Day Ahead
Vice President Biden will join President Obama’s 11:10 a.m. ET monthly national security meeting team meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan, via videoconference. At 1:30 p.m. ET, he will deliver remarks at a rally for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Reno, Nevada. He will return to Washington in the evening.
TARP Delivers 8.2% Profit, Beating Treasury Bonds
Bloomberg reports: “The U.S. government’s bailout of financial firms through the Troubled Asset Relief Program provided taxpayers with higher returns than they could have made buying 30-year Treasury bonds — enough money to fund the Securities and Exchange Commission for the next two decades. The government has earned $25.2 billion on its investment of $309 billion in banks and insurance companies, an 8.2 percent return over two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.”
As GOP Seeks Spending Cuts, Details Are Scarce
The New York Times reports: “If there is a single message unifying Republican candidates this year, it is a call to grab hold of the federal checkbook, slam it closed and begin to slash spending…But while polls show that the Republicans’ message is succeeding politically, Republican candidates and party leaders are offering few specifics about how they would tackle the nation’s $13.7 trillion debt, and budget analysts said the party was glossing over the difficulty of carrying out its ideas, especially when sharp spending cuts could impede an already weak economic recovery.”
Speaker Pelosi’s ‘Majority Makers’ Are Facing Possible Electoral Doom
The Hill reports: “Two-term Democrats, whose victories helped secure the Speaker’s job for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), are facing the possibility of a near-wipeout in the Nov. 2 election. Of 10 reelection races involving sophomore Democrats, Republican challengers are ahead in six and tied in two more, according to The Hill 2010 Midterm Election Poll.”
