POLITICO Playbook: 90 DAYS to IOWA -- TRUMP's obsession with RUBIO's sweating -- JEB CAMPAIGN: ‘Comebacks take time’
Good Tuesday morning. Election Day is 53 weeks from today. TRUMP OBSESSED with Rubio's body (perspiration): The Donald has remarked on Rubio's sweating at least 8 times in 7 weeks, by Daniel's count -- most recently yesterday, per Bloomberg's Kendall Breitman: "Discussing the proposed changes to the party's presidential debates ... with Bloomberg Politics' 'With All Due Respect,' Trump ... [said] he hoped the debate venues would be better air conditioned in the future. '[Rubio] is the one that sweats the most ... He's the youngest but I have never seen any human being sweat like that.'" https://bloom.bg/1XLiqBt
YOU'RE INVITED! Playbook Breakfast, a week from today (Tue. Nov. 10), 7:30 a.m. at the W Hotel: Bryan Cranston (Walter White in "Breaking Bad") and Jay Roach (director of "Recount" and "Game Change") discuss their new film "Trumbo," in theaters this month: "In 1947, Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) was Hollywood's top screenwriter until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs." RSVP https://bit.ly/1Q82ib4 Trailer https://bit.ly/1izOk4a
By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; [email protected]) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; [email protected])
SUBSCRIBE to Playbook by email: https://politi.co/1M75UbX
ARTICLE OF THE DAY - Sen. Al "Franken [D-Minn.] gets serious about flipping Senate to Democrats: After romping to reelection, he's using his celebrity to raise big bucks for Democratic candidates," by Burgess Everett: "[T]he comedian turned senator, whose party lost control of the Senate to Republicans last year, is embarking on a yearlong campaign to help Democrats win it back and ensure that Senate races aren't a forgotten undercard to the presidential contest. And after years of keeping a low profile on Capitol Hill, he's actually happy to talk about it.
"If Clinton wins, her early legislative agenda, as well as the fate of her Cabinet choices and potentially a Supreme Court nomination, hinges on which party controls the Senate. Plus, Democrats believe 2016 - with a favorable map and a boost from Clinton's turnout machine - is probably their only shot to take back the Senate until 2020. In 2018, the Senate election landscape will tilt the other way, putting a slate of moderate Democrats on defense. ...
"[H]is aides keep handy a list of all the times a profile of him has carried a headline containing the words: 'No joke.' He's a known policy wonk on issues ranging from nuclear weapon storage to technology regulation. ... Franken continues to bat away spontaneous interviews in the Capitol, which Booker and Warren have also spurned. 'The drive-by interview, I don't like that,' Franken said. 'I just know that if [reporters] ask me, they're new.'" https://politi.co/1iA73fP
TWEET DU JOUR -- Tim Miller, Bush campaign communications director (@Timodc): "FYI political press corps. Jeb's going to have a few weeks of bad polls. Comebacks take time, we recognize and are prepared for that."
JEB RESET - Tampa Bay Times lead story, "Bush hits road to regroup: He kicks off a three-state tour in Tampa with a defiant tone and a new slogan: 'Jeb can fix it,'" by Steve Contorno and Kristen Clark: "In case he wasn't clear enough, Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'' blared from the speakers as he ended a 20-minute speech and shook hands with supporters.
"'I am running this campaign on my own terms,' Bush said. 'And let me tell you something: When the dust clears, and the delegates are counted, we will win this campaign.' The line earned Bush raucous cheers from several hundred people who came to his first Tampa rally." https://bit.ly/1HoexZI
--"Jeb Campaign Resets For Fifth Time," by Weekly Standard's Michael Warren https://tws.io/1NnP5dh
--"The 11 best email exchanges from Jeb Bush's new book," by Nick Gass : "The former Florida governor delved into everything from Columba's Paris shopping spree to the main way he's not like his dad." https://politi.co/1WvN6Eu
--@blakehounshell: "If you rearrange the letters in Jeb Can Fix It, it spells I Can't Fix Jeb." ...@mckaycoppins: "'I hope you enjoy reading about medical liability tort reform,' Jeb writes on page 430 of the 730-page e-book that will SAVE HIS CAMPAIGN." ... @maggieNYT: "Jeb, with fix-it speech against taking an experiment on nominee, is now more than ever running Hillary '08 playbook."
CHASER: "Bush's 'Jeb Can Fix It' slogan draws snickers as Twitter is flooded with 'Bob The Builder' jokes," by Daily Mail's David Martosko: "Denver native Brendan Loy issued a challenge: 'Whoever does a mashup of the "Bob the Builder" theme song with Jeb saying "[I] Can Fix It" & Obama saying "Yes We Can" will win the Internet.'" https://dailym.ai/1Oks5NO ... #JebCanFixIt on Twitter https://bit.ly/1izMFvl
THE PAPERS: NYT A1, above fold, "Bush Seeking Ways to Reset His Campaign" https://nyti.ms/1LNJScw... USA Today, middle of 1A, "Trump rhetoric could help Clinton mobilize Latinos" https://usat.ly/1KVXhv8 ... WashPost 1-col. lead, "Trump upends debate effort." https://wapo.st/1Q38gLl
** Presented by Chevron: Our nation's heroes deserve the very best when they return home. The USO has created programs to help veterans and their families restore their lives. Chevron is proud to support the USO in this essential mission. Learn more about the USO at: https://tinyurl.com/olann4x **
PIC DU JOUR -- @SusanPage: "Gridiron president @ChiTribPage welcomes @jaketapper, elected as member of oldest association of journalists in DC." https://bit.ly/20pQAgq
JOSH EARNEST, to Playbook, on the World Series victory by his beloved Kansas City Royals: "It is so much fun to see how the world reacts when something so good and so unlikely actually happens!"
--VICTORY PARADE through downtown Kansas City will be streamed live at 1 p.m. ET today on MLB.com. (SPLIT SCREEN: Earnest briefing at 12:30 p.m. Bet he'll be on time.)
--Kansas City Star : "Several hundred people were at Kauffman Stadium on Monday to welcome team home. Manager Ned Yost, carrying the World Series trophy, was first off bus. City and team officials tried to dissuade fans from going to stadium, but they showed up anyway. ... The Kansas City Star published an additional 135,000 newspapers" yesterday. https://bit.ly/1H1POzD
--JON KARL points out: "All because of the K.C. mug at the podium."
YOUNG POWER PLAYERS - Boston Globe, bottom of A1, "For himself and others, a matter of vital attention: Mayoral aide shares struggle with ADHD," by Linda Matchan: Dan Koh -- age 30, Mayor Marty Walsh's chief of staff -- is considered "a City Hall wunderkind for his youth, academic achievements, and innovative approach to improving city services. ...
"[When he was 14, ... [a] battery of tests confirmed he had ADHD. ... [M]edication helped him focus, but he also learned to accept his challenges. 'I am physically behind the eight ball,' he said, 'so I have to work extra hard to work as efficiently as possible.'" https://bit.ly/1Me1hfV
--YOUTUBE of Dan, who once wanted to be Red Sox G.M., at TEDxCambridge on Oct. 8, "What Government Can Learn From Baseball": "approaching governing with the same analytical rigor that baseball does. ... When you report a pothole, you often get a photo of the filled pothole, and the team that filled it." https://bit.ly/1l5I1qQ
DEBATE FRACAS -- "GOP debate talks in disarray ... After several campaigns refused to sign a protest letter to TV networks, the debate revolt appeared to founder," by Alex Isenstadt, Nick Gass and Hadas Gold, with Daniel Strauss: "Just 24 hours after ... campaigns declared they were seizing debate negotiating power from the [RNC] ... advisers said they were beginning to consider handing it back. ... [Trump, Christie, Kasich and Fiorina announced] they would not sign a letter to networks detailing proposed formats ... 'Things are sinking fast,' said one adviser. ...
"[Ben] Ginsberg circulated a draft ... letter , which asks networks to commit to ... not asking candidates to raise their hands, ... not holding a lightning round, not allowing 'candidate-to-candidate questioning' and keeping the temperature in the debate hall below 67 degrees. ... Christie spokesperson Sam Smith[:] 'As the governor stated on TV this morning, "Stop complaining. Do me a favor, set up a stage, put podiums up there and let's just go. OK?"' https://politi.co/1H1Nbho
THE ROAD AHEAD: AP lays out "What's ahead in long grind": "Nov. 10 [a week from today]: The next Republican debate, in Milwaukee ... Nov. 14: The next Democratic debate, a Saturday night in Iowa ... Dec. 15: Republicans ... debate in Nevada ... Dec. 19: Another Saturday debate for the Democrats, in New Hampshire ... Jan. 17: The Democratic debaters, ... with the Congressional Black Caucus as one of the sponsors, in South Carolina. Two more Democratic matchups are expected in February and March. ...
"Feb. 1: ... Iowa caucuses ... Feb. 9: ... New Hampshire primary ... Feb. 20: The Republican South Carolina primary ... and the Nevada Democratic caucuses. ... Feb. 23: Nevada Republican caucuses. ... Feb. 26: A planned Republican primary debate in Texas ... Feb. 27: Democratic South Carolina primary.
"March 1: ... Super Tuesday [SEC Primary] ... contests ... in 13 states ... March 15: ... primaries in Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri and Florida. ... July 18-21: Republican National Convention, Cleveland ...July 25-28: ... Democrats, in Philadelphia ... Sept. 26: The first of three [nominee debates], in Ohio ... Oct. 4:The running mates debate, [at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., 3 hours from D.C.] ... Oct. 9: The second presidential debate, St. Louis. ... Oct. 19: The last presidential debate, Las Vegas. ... Nov. 8: Election Day." https://bit.ly/1MuyorA
BUSH 43 ALUMNI - "Bush taps new chief operating officer after shakeup," by Alex Isenstadt: "Janan Grissom ... has replaced Christine Ciccone, who recently departed the Bush campaign as part of a broad reorganization announced last month. ... Grissom has long ties to the Bush family, having served as director of administration in George W. Bush's reelection campaign. She also served as White House liaison for the U.S. Department of Treasury." https://politi.co/1NOdabF
OBAMA ALUMNI -- "Democratic stars set to shine at state senator's fundraiser," by Boston Globe's Joshua Miller: "Jim Messina ... is a co-host. So is David Axelrod ... Pete Rouse too ... pollster Geoff Garin and strategist Stephanie Cutter. ... The Democratic stars are set to come together this month for a Washington, D.C. fundraiser for freshman Massachusetts state Senator Eric P. Lesser ... Lesser, a 30-year-old Longmeadow Democrat, is not ... a former Obama campaign and administration staffer, who served as Axelrod's special assistant and, later, worked for the president's Council of Economic Advisers." https://bit.ly/1MdYJhP
TRAIL MIX -- "Cory Gardner endorses Marco Rubio for president," by Daniel Strauss: "his first endorsement from a fellow senator. ... Gardner said on Fox News[:] 'Our country needs a new generation of leadership and I believe Marco Rubio presents this nation with the greatest possibilities and opportunities to meet the challenges of this generation.'" https://politi.co/1PiGxEL
--"Group asks for probe of Adelson contributions," by Isaac Arnsdorf: The Campaign for Accountability today will ask "federal officials to investigate whether money from Chinese mobsters could be finding its way into U.S. elections, via Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson." https://politi.co/1koLlfS
HAPPENING at 12:15 p.m. D.C. tech incubator 1776 hosts "Uber and the American Worker," with Vox's Ezra Klein and Uber's David Plouffe. Plouffe will focus on the significant economic activity generated on the Uber platform, including some new data on the scope and impact in the U.S., and will look at what that means to our overall economy-and, most importantly, the middle class. Livestream https://bit.ly/1izLzzN
PLAYBOOKERS' FRED THOMPSON MEMORIES -- Adam Levine of Mercury : "My favorite Fred Thompson memory is from the 2000 campaign when I was senior producer of Hardball with Chris Matthews. ... Right before one segment where Fred was joining us by remote [as a John McCain surrogate], Chris was on the set writing some last minute questions. He didn't know the mic to Fred was open when he asked: 'What was the movie where he played the a-hole chief of staff?'
"Before I could answer, Fred (who we could see on the monitor smiling) got into character and said: 'In the Line of Fire' in that familiar drawl. Chris turned red and thanked him. Fred laughed and said: 'I loved that scene where I kicked Clint off the President's Secret Service detail. That was a fun movie!'" Trailer https://bit.ly/1LNG62N
--Jonathan Grella of the U.S. Travel Association: "9/11/01-Capitol Police HQ, where congressional leaders were assembling in a classroom-like setting for a briefing. Sen. Thompson had on his trademark cinematic 'game face.' Because I'd seen it before, it provided momentary comfort on that scary day."
--James Brown of STEM Education Coalition: "Saw him eating lunch in the Dirksen cafeteria with Harrison Ford."
--Tom Baer, now chairman at Euroarts: "I represented legendary Democratic prankster Dick Tuck when he was subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee and appeared for a transcribed interview with chief minority counsel Fred Thompson. Prepared to be boring on my advice to avoid being called to testify (a tough act for him), answering questions about his hilarious but legal pranks, Dick used monosyllables and grunts and sat with the light behind him. Until the end of the interview. Fred asked Dick when he last saw McGovern during the campaign.
"'Night before election,' Dick droned, 'campaign plane,' he added. Hoping for some pay dirt on what became a historic loss, Fred asked what certain loser Sen. McGovern said to him. Breaking his pose, Dick answered Fred, "George said, 'say something funny, Dick!!"' Dick talked himself out of testifying and Fred never saw the truly funny man that is Dick Tuck."
DATA DU JOUR -- "Study: death rates rising in middle-aged whites," by AP's Mike Stobbe: "Suicides and deaths from drug overdose and alcohol abuse are being blamed. ... [D]eath rates for whites ages 45 to 54 have risen by half a percent per year since 1998 ... The increase started in the late 1990s and probably is related to the increased availability around that time of certain prescription painkillers." https://apne.ws/1MdXBL8
FUTURECAST - "Google aims to begin drone package deliveries in 2017," by Reuters' David Morgan: "David Vos, the leader for Google's Project Wing, said his company is in talks with the [FAA] and other stakeholders about setting up an air traffic control system for drones that would use cellular and Internet technology to coordinate unmanned aerial vehicle flights at altitudes of under 500 feet (152 meters). 'Our goal is to have commercial business up and running in 2017.'" https://reut.rs/1Ho7kce
MEDIAWATCH -- "New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger announces succession plan," by Jeremy Barr: "At a staff meeting Monday morning, New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. announced that the company has initiated a succession process, and that a deputy publisher will be named within two years." With his full remarks on succession https://politi.co/1P7bo8C
--"NYT's Nocera joining sports desk" - Talking Biz News' Chris Roush: "New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet and sports editor Jason Stallman sent the following note to staff on Monday ... 'The biggest story in sports these days is the money that is sloshing through college sports, quasi-legal gambling, and professional soccer and football. ... [T]o bring further power to that coverage, Joe Nocera, one of the country's best business writers and one of the people who has helped us command that coverage, will be rejoining the newsroom to write a column for Sports about the business of sports.'" With the memo https://bit.ly/1NnPFb2
TRANSITIONS -- JOHANNA MASKA: The former White House director of press advance has joined Karmic Labs, a San Francisco-based financial technology company as SVP of comms. and marketing. "She was previously a VP for marketing and communications at the Los Angeles Times. Karmic Labs offers corporate cards to organizations of all sizes with software that tracks and approves expenses in real time. The Karmic Labs team includes the first engineer of Pinterest, co-founder of Venmo and a founding team member of SOFI, among others. She'll stay in L.A.
IZZY KLEIN joins new firm: "Israel 'Izzy' Klein, a former top aide to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and a senior principal at the Podesta Group, has joined a bipartisan, boutique lobbying firm ... Roberti Global [which] is also rebranding its government and public relations practice to Roberti Global: Irizarry-Klein-Roberti. ... For Senator Schumer, Izzy handled communications for a broad portfolio of issues relating to New York, the Senate Finance, Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee." https://bit.ly/1RMDVy1
CORCORAN BUILDING on 17th St. REOPENS for first time in 13 months - AP: "The museum's atrium will be open three days a week for an exhibition called, 'Push Factors: Perspectives on Guatemalan Migration,' featuring photographs of life in Guatemala after the country's 36-year civil war. The exhibition will be open Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will be on display until Jan 23." https://bit.ly/1koiJnb
SPORTS BLINK - CBS Sports, "Nats close to hiring Dusty Baker after talks with Bud Black break off," by Baseball Insider Jon Heyman: "Baker and the Nats are said to be close to a deal for the veteran manager to replace the fired Matt Williams after it seemed last week that former Padres skipper Bud Black would be getting the job. ... Word is that the Nats tried a real lowball offer on Black initially ...
"Baker is said to have sold Nats people on his interest in finally winning the World Series after coming very close in 2002 with the Giants and also making the playoffs with the Cubs and Reds. Baker is perceived as having excellent rapports with stars after doing a nice job handling Barry Bonds, then Sammy Sosa, and the Nats have a great young player in Bryce Harper. Baker, 66, has a history of being beloved by players." https://cbsprt.co/1Ww19dc
WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Mike Beland, former House Homeland and Obama alum at DHS, and his wife, Cate Hodgetts, welcomed a healthy Claire Vivien on November 2. Big sister Madeleine Grace could not be more proud. Beland is now at Deloitte and an adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland School of Law. Hodgetts is an attorney and child advocate. Pic https://bit.ly/1M8XQDL
ENGAGED -- Christie Stephenson, deputy comms. director at the DCCC and a birthday girl today, got engaged over the weekend to Matt Aks , Director for International Economics at the NSC. Christie ran the NYC marathon on Sunday and Matt was waiting for her after the race with a ginger ale (her request) and a ring (a surprise). The couple, who met at Brown, celebrated with their families on Sunday night in New York. Pic https://bit.ly/1M76S46
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Steve Hayes ... Sheyla Asensios, deputy political director for the Florida Democratic Party (h/t Kiara Pesante) ... Bush alum William Haldeman ... Politico's Monique Jenkins
BIRTHDAYS: Stu Rosenberg ... Charlie Hurt ... Katie Packer Gage ... Michael Dukakis is 82 ... Anna Wintour ... Dennis Miller is 62 ... O. Kay Henderson, the voice of Iowa ... DCCC Deputy Comms Director Christie Stephenson, an American Bridge alum who ran the NY Marathon on Sunday (h/t Ryan Sims) ... Evelyn Nieves ... Matthew Kirincic ... Katie Cook Romano ... Bob Van Heuvelen of Van Heuvelen Strategies ... Jefferies' Rowan Morris, a Goldman Sachs alum, is 3-0 (h/t cousin Daniel Lippman) ... Gabby Adler, a DCCC alum, now of Gumbinner and Davies ... Amie Kershner of Priorities USA Action's Amie Kershner and Quentin Fulks (h/ts Adam Weiss) ... Politico's Christopher Falls and Ryan Hendrixson ... Christian Haines, Ed Policy Counsel for Ed & Workforce Committee Dems (h/t Kiara Pesante) ... Pearce Godwin is 3-0 ... Anthony Adragna of Bloomberg BNA ...
... Texas-based GOP ad maker Vinny Minchillo is 54 ... Clay Wertheimer, an Obama WH Social Office alum now an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School ... Paul Brathwaite, principal at the Podesta Group ... Phyllis Cuttino, director of the Clean Energy Initiative at Pew Charitable Trusts (h/ts Jon Haber) ... PBS Newshour's Elizabeth Summers ... Jonathan Stahler, Sen. Chris Coons' legislative director and an Evan Bayh alum ...
... Matthew Coudert Jr. ... Kathy Griffin ... Kamran Mumtaz, VP of corporate comms. at Citigroup and a Michael Bloomberg alum (h/t Doug McPherson) ... Roseanne Barr ... Jack McLaughlin ... Carly Burns ... Amy Rosenbaum ... Scout Tufankjian, one of the earliest Obama photojournalists ... Jeff Hutcheson ... Barb Bichelmeyer ... Christie Findlay ... Kevin McVicker ... Richard Hudson ... Mark Helmke ... Robina Suwol ... John Damian Butts is 45 ... Rocco A. Mazza ... actress Peggy McCay is 88 ... Roseanne Barr is 63 ... Kate Capshaw is 62 ... Dennis Miller is 62 ... Adam Ant is 61 ... Dolph Lundgren is 58 ... Julie Berman ("General Hospital") is 32 (h/ts AP)
** Presented by Chevron: Our nation's heroes deserve the very best when they return home. The USO has created programs to help veterans and their families restore their lives. Chevron is proud to support the USO in this essential mission. Learn more about the USO at: https://tinyurl.com/q4wb4uu **
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