POLITICO Playbook: GOP CONVENTION strategery turns urgent -- FIREWALL ON FIRE? – SCHUMER PUNCHES BACK
THE BIG PICTURE -- DOUG SOSNIK, Democratic strategist and former White House adviser to President Clinton, is "famed in Washington circles for his closely held, big-think memos on the state of American politics. Here's his latest," via Politico Magazine -- "What to Watch During the Most Decisive Phase of the Election": "The consistency of the polling during the past decade suggests that the current divisions and downcast mood of the electorate won't budge between now and the election. In fact, it's unlikely that we'll see any significant change in the foreseeable future. In this period of profound alienation, with both parties engaging in harsh ideological primaries, the public is likely to view the entire political process as a race to the bottom. Americans will be inclined to view their choice for president through the prism of which candidate is the least flawed and poses the least threat to their future well-being." With lots of slides https://politi.co/1QiANxJ
THE CONVERSATION - "Campaigns secretly prep for brokered GOP convention: Candidates, outside groups and party officials are quietly maneuvering for a nomination fight that goes all the way to the bitter end," by Ben Schreckinger: "The end-game for the most sophisticated campaigns is an indecisive first ballot leading to a free-for-all power struggle on the floor in Cleveland. ... Should the first ballot fail to produce a nominee, the outcome of the convention will depend on results of the parallel primary now underway for the hearts and minds of delegates." https://politi.co/1KTCzTH
--"Rubio surges back to electrify South Carolina: After stumbling badly in New Hampshire, the Florida senator is dazzling crowds as 'the comeback kid,'" by Eli Stokols in Easley, S.C.: "His bruises from New Hampshire have healed ... The 44-year-old senator was indeed humbled by the humiliation he suffered before heading to South Carolina, but his chances of capturing the Republican nomination haven't completely gone south. Donald Trump sits high atop the polls here, but Rubio is positioned to finish either second or third. A poll Monday night taken entirely after Saturday's debate shows Rubio tied for second with Cruz at 18 percent." https://politi.co/1PYtIjJ
By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; [email protected]) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; [email protected])
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WHAT HIT ME? Jeb Bush to Mark McKinnon on Showtime's "The Circus": "Did you ever think we'd have political discourse where the 'f,' 'p' and 's' words" were heard regularly?
FAMILY RESCUE MISSIONS -- "Bush brothers, Trump push hard in South Carolina," by Eli Stokols in North Charleston, S.C.: "Bush didn't ... say Trump's name. But every word of his 20-minute speech to roughly 3,000 people here Monday night was intended to make voters reconsider supporting Trump." https://politi.co/1U4ZgpS
--43: "Strength is not empty rhetoric. It is not bluster. It is not theatrics. Real strength, strength of purpose, comes from integrity and character. And in my experience, the strongest person usually isn't the loudest one in the room. ... Jeb is a man of humble, deep, and genuine faith, faith that reveals itself through good works. Not loud words. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) I think you should look for someone whose humility helps him understand what he doesn't know and surrounds himself with people who do know what he doesn't know." https://cnn.it/1XuUpyg
--WashPost A4, "Bill Clinton on campaign trail: A help and a headache -- Candidate's husband is a powerful but unpredictable advocate," by WashPost's Abby Phillip in Florence, S.C. (online: "Eight years later, Bill Clinton is causing headaches for his wife again"): "Her campaign aides emphasized that the former president's role was to positively reinforce her message, not to be an attack dog. ... 'Bill Clinton is an incomparable genius when it comes to politics - except when it comes to his wife,' said former Obama strategist David Axelrod. 'It clouds his judgment.'" https://wapo.st/1Qif88I
TOP TWEETS -- @tripgabriel: "I talked to a number of military at @realDonaldTrump rally in Greenville. None particularly upset by his attacks on W" ... @matthewjdowd: "For those folks who think W, who is very popular in SC, will help Jeb, keep in mind Bill was very popular in NH, but it didn't help Hillary."
ANNIE KARNI -- "Reid allies to Team Clinton: Don't slam Nevada's caucus: Her campaign's attempt to downgrade expectations backfires in the pivotal caucus state": "The campaign's recent assertion that Nevada is 'still a state that is 80 percent white voters' - in other words, a state that looks a lot like Bernie Sanders' base - is simply wrong, Reid allies claim. ... The state was pushed to the front of the election calendar eight years ago solely because Reid lobbied for better demographic representation than the overwhelmingly white early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire." https://politi.co/1KT9kAf
** A message from the U.S. Postal Service: Direct Mail Is Now a Digital Delivery System: Mail technologies can prepare campaigns for a digital home run. As more constituents are turning to digital channels, digitally enabled direct mail can break through political noise to bolster voter engagement. Know what mail can do. And know it can do more. DeliverTheWin.com **
DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! WSJ A1, at fold, "MILLENNIALS UNSETTLE RACE: Primary results in Iowa and New Hampshire show young voters' impact on both parties," by Janet Hook: "Many like-minded millennials participated in the Iowa caucuses, where 17- to 29-year-olds favored Mr. Sanders over Mrs. Clinton by an overwhelming 84% to 14%. In New Hampshire, young voters favored Mr. Sanders by a nearly identical 83% to 16%. About half of millennials-who like boomers account for 31% of eligible voters-don't identify with either party." https://on.wsj.com/1SQf8xu
--WashPost A1, above fold, "In Nev., Sanders is challenging Clinton's 'firewall': Multiethnic and labor appeals strike at her base," by Dave Weigel and John Wagner in Vegas, with Anne Gearan in D.C.: "Despite Clinton's overwhelming support among union leaders, the Sanders campaign is making a concerted bid among the rank and file. And if his disadvantage among minority voters is fading, the Sanders campaign sees that as part of the pattern; as he becomes better known, supporters say, voters from every demographic warm to him." With reprise of Robby Mook's 2008 role in the Silver State https://wapo.st/1Lr75iJ
BUT, BUT, BUT ... "Sanders Campaign Missteps With Influential Nevada Union And DREAMers Anger Activists," by BuzzFeed's Adrian Carrasquillo: "Behind the scenes, the Sanders campaign has angered people inside the Culinary Union ... The campaign has also unleashed demolition derby tactics on the DREAMers who have endorsed Hillary Clinton. Both have given the battle for Nevada a harder edge, and made activists, members of the union, and supporters of both candidates question the Sanders campaign's tactics." https://bzfd.it/1KT83cA
WORLD WAR SCALIA ... @HillaryClinton went on a tweetstorm urging action on the Court. https://bit.ly/1ojpE35
--CHUCK SCHUMER on Medium, "Republicans' Apples to Oranges Comparison on Supreme Court Nominees": "[S]ome Republicans ... have tried to use a 2007 speech I gave to justify their current obstruction. ... What I said in the speech given in 2007 is simple: Democrats, after a hearing, should entertain voting no if the nominee is out of the mainstream and tries to cover that fact up. There was no hint anywhere in the speech that there shouldn't be hearings or a vote." https://bit.ly/1QFp4n7
--PLAYBOOK IN-BOX -- Ed Pagano, former chief of staff to Senator Pat Leahy, and former Senate liaison for Obama: "More than a dozen Supreme Court justices have been confirmed during a presidential election year, and most recently during Ronald Reagan's last year in office. With the Senate controlled by Democrats, President Reagan nominated Anthony Kennedy and the Senate confirmed him by a vote of 97-0 in 1988. The same should apply today."
--N.Y. TIMES Quotation of the Day -- ED WHELAN, a former law clerk to Justice Scalia and a legal commentator, on the battle between conservatives and liberals over judicial appointments: "This fight has been fought by both sides for decades." A1 article (2-col. lead of the paper), "Battle Over Bench Started Well Before Scalia's Death: Appointments to Courts of Appeal Stall as G.O.P. Senators Resist Obama," by Charlie Savage https://nyti.ms/1SQeBvo
DAILY TRUMP -- "Trump Campaign's [Katrina] Pierson: 9/11 Hijackers Trained In Florida While Jeb Bush Was Governor" - Real Clear Politics: "'Donald Trump didn't say that the Twin Towers coming down was George Bush's fault,' Pierson [told MSNBC's Steve Kornacki]. 'He said George Bush didn't keep [us] safe, and there are thousands of families that would agree with that. ... Pierson said some of the 9/11 [hijackers] did flight training in Florida while Jeb Bush was governor." https://bit.ly/215UL0e
--@MarcACaputo: "Who'd predict Team Trump might tie Jeb+FL+9/11-hijackers? @politicofl Playbook in Oct" https://bit.ly/1PY6la2
--Bloomberg's Kevin Cirilli: "Mike Murdock, a prominent Texas-based televangelist, formally endorse[d] ... Trump for president at a rally in Greenville." https://bloom.bg/1TkDVbh
POWER PLAYER: White House's Brian Mosteller - "Meet the man who can basically read President Obama's mind," by WashPost's Colby Itkowitz : "Mosteller's official title is director of Oval Office operations, although a more apt name might be anticipator in chief. When Obama is in Washington, every move the president makes, every person he meets and every meeting he attends has been carefully orchestrated by Mosteller. He knows where Obama likes his water glass placed on the table at meetings and whom he'd want to sit beside. He knows how he prefers the height of a lectern.
"He researches a head of state's favorite drink so that the president can offer it. He readies Obama's remarks and sets them, open to the first page, wherever the president will be speaking. He tells Obama when a sock is bunched at his ankle or his shirt is wrinkled, before an interview." https://wapo.st/1QifpbN
RISING STARS: "18 Members of America's Next Political Generation" - Campaigner on Medium:"How 18 remarkable individuals under the age of 18 are changing the face of American politics". https://bit.ly/1QF1wia
PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION -- "Lincoln Memorial, nearing 100, to get multimillion-dollar overhaul [paid largely by David Rubenstein]," by WashPost's Michael E. Ruane: "The project is probably the biggest overhaul of the building since the structure was dedicated in 1922 ... The memorial, which attracts 7 million visitors a year, will remain open during the work, although parts of it may be closed off from time to time. ... [V]isitors will be able to see the massive pilings and foundation that support the memorial." https://wapo.st/1Qj2Maa
PICS DU JOUR -- @robyoon: "George W. Bush holding his brother Jeb! in the spring of 1954. Source: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum" https://bit.ly/1QF1pDq
@BraddJaffy: "!!! This photo of Bernie Sanders at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas yesterday. (Getty)" https://bit.ly/246HN51
SPOTTED: Hillary's Iowa State Director Matt Paul in Brooklyn, near Clinton HQ.
JONATHAN CHAIT on NYMag.com, "Why Michael Bloomberg Could Run for President and Win": "It is clearly possible for an independent to win a three-way race against two established party candidates in a state. And if it is possible to do it in a state, it is also possible to do so in enough states to add up to 270 electoral votes." https://nym.ag/1SQ85op
AIR WARS -- "Cruz ad paints Trump as unprincipled," by CNN's Sunlen Serfaty and Theodore Schleifer: "In a new television spot that will begin airing in South Carolina [today] Cruz ... [highlights] Trump's brag that he is 'very capable of changing to anything I want to change to,' a comment that Cruz's campaign believes is a sign of his disregard for conservative principles." https://cnn.it/1Odmzqb
OOPS -- "Opening Shot In Rubio's 'Morning Again In America' Ad Appears To Be Canada," by BuzzFeed's Megan Apper: "'It's morning again in America,' a calm narrator says as an idyllic scene of a boat crossing a harbor plays in Marco Rubio's latest ad - a darker riff on the classic Ronald Reagan ad.Based on a quick internet search, though, the boat scene ... appears to be Vancouver ... Vancouver's Harbour Centre Lookout Tower is visible in the footage ... And the flag on the boat appears to be Canadian." https://bzfd.it/1TkEXUR
MOOD MUSIC -- "Global Economy-The Big Uh-Oh: Danger signs flashing for global economy, years after crisis," by AP Business Writers Paul Wiseman and David McHugh, in D.C.: "Sinking stock prices, flat inflation, and the bizarre phenomenon of negative interest rates have coupled with a downturn in emerging markets to raise worries that the economy is being stalked by threats that central banks - the saviors during the crisis - may struggle to cope with. ... Some of the recent tumult may be an overreaction by jittery investors." https://apne.ws/1KTq6PG
TRAILER OF THE DAY - "New Game of Thrones Teaser Hints at Dark Futures for Many Characters" https://bit.ly/1PYgYtC
HOT VIDEO - "Watch the Cast of Hamilton Perform the Electrifying Opening Number-and Win a Grammy" - 4-min. video https://slate.me/1TnplkK ... Daniel's pic of the list of cocktails at Hamilton on Sat. night (with names like Founder's Fizz, Hamiltini, and Dueling Sangrias) https://bit.ly/1Qj2Err ... List of Grammy winnershttps://bit.ly/1QioIso
FOR YOUR RADAR ... USA Today banner, "CALLS TO VA SUICIDE LINE GOT VOICEMAIL:Lack of training, overload at backup crisis centers cited," by Gregg Zoroya: "An HBO documentary highlighting the life-and-death drama of the VA suicide hotline efforts ['Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1'] won an Oscar last year. ... The Inspector General ... said the number of calls going to backup crisis centers increased ... from 36,261 in 2013 to 76,887 in 2014. About every sixth call goes to a backup center," where some got voicemail. https://usat.ly/1ojSgsK
--"Pat Conroy diagnosed with pancreatic cancer," by Charleston Post and Courier's Adam Parker:"Conroy has been coping with health problems for years, including neuropathy, which affects his mobility. The cancer diagnosis comes after two years of intensive physical therapy, exercise and dieting that improved Conroy's health noticeably. ... The author of 11 books, including three runaway best-sellers that were made into Hollywood movies, Conroy has been working on a new novel in recent months." https://bit.ly/1olysWJ
THE TALK OF NEW YORK -- "Spitzer accuser a young, jobless ex-hooker who lives a life of luxury," by N.Y. Post's Shawn Cohen, Jamie Schram, Larry Celona and Bruce Golding: "The Russian vixen who accused Eliot Spitzer of choking her at The Plaza hotel is a divorced, globe-trotting beauty who once bared all the [in a Medium] article titled 'Sex is Sex, but Money is Money' ... Spitzer and Travis' relationship began at least two years ago, while she was working as a high-priced call girl - and he was her 'sugar daddy' ...
"Spitzer phoned her repeatedly after she was taken to the hospital, and he showed up there looking ... to try to sneak in, a source said. 'He was all covered up, with a dark hat pulled down and a black jacket pulled up, trying to cover himself as much as possible so he wouldn't be recognized'" With 5 pics https://nyp.st/1Qj2zEb Her Medium post https://bit.ly/1Tnp7Ks
MEDIAWATCH -- "Janice Min, Hollywood's star editor: 'The news cycle here is fantastic,'" by The Guardian's Edward Helmore in LA: "[T]he Hollywood Reporter, for years the weakling of the film industry trades, has come to reflect - and in some instances influence - the global cultural reach and shifting contours of creative and institutional power in the entertainment industry. ... With a weekly circulation of 72,000, it has established the viability of a large-format, glossy, industry-focused print publication." https://bit.ly/215UB97
--LIST OF WINNERS of the White House News Photographers Association's "2016 Eyes of History: Still Contest" -- With links to 18 photo galleries https://bit.ly/1SQ7Iu4
WASHINGTON, INC. - "Chris Gober - Cruz for President attorney and former NRSC General Counsel - has launched The Gober Group, a national law firm focusing on political law, constitutional litigation, government enforcement, and public strategy. Karen Blackistone Oaks (formerly of HoltzmanVogel) is the partner in charge of the D.C. office, and they will be joined by Stephen Hoersting (former NRSC General Counsel), Ross Fischer (former Texas Ethics Commission Chairman), and Shannon O'Leary (formerly of DDC Advocacy). Clients include Cruz for President, six Republican U.S. Senators, 7-Eleven, DraftKings, FanDuel, Wal-Mart, The Coalition for Public Safety, and philanthropists Laura and John Arnold."
--"Kasich Hooks Up with Conservative Powerhouse PR Firm," by PJ Media's Bridget Johnson: "Craig Shirley and Diana Banister of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs have come on board Kasich's national outreach effort ... The firm's history dates back to President Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign, and clients have included the National Rifle Association, Citizens United, Tea Party Patriots and the Susan B. Anthony List." https://bit.ly/1oFCsRQ
FIRST LOOK -- "iHeartMedia Names Brendon Deltoro VP for political strategy": "DelToro will manage iHeartMedia's high-level relationships with conservative candidates, parties, Independent Expenditures, Super PACs and other political organizations. ... DelToro joins iHeartMedia with extensive experience in electoral politics and on Capitol Hill, most recently as Campaign Manager for Marlin Stutzman's campaign for U.S. Senate in Indiana." https://bit.ly/1PY6Qkw
--"SKDKnickerbocker Hires Alex Braun to Head Corporate and Public Policy Research Practice" : "He has conducted hundreds of studies that have dealt with message testing, competitive positioning, brand architecture and audience segmentation. Prior to joining SKDK, Braun spent more than a decade at Penn Schoen Berland, most recently as its senior vice president." https://bit.ly/1TndG5f
OUT AND ABOUT -- Obama White House alum Jake Levine was feted by friends and colleagues this weekend at his apartment and Sichuan Pavilion, before he heads home to California to serve his State Senator, Fran Pavley. Levine officially joined the State Senate office at the beginning of the month after serving as chief of staff to the president of Virginia-based startup, Opower. SPOTTED: Herbie Ziskend, Eric Lesser, Alex Laskey, Eliza Sweren-Becker, Josh and Leah Lipsky, Ali Merali, Frank Chi, Jason Green, Ryan Harper and Mary Van Houten, Ginny Hunt, Addar Weintraub, Will Levi, Ben Klein, Ogi Kavazovic and Richard Caperton.
BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Jason Thielman, chief of staff for Sen. Steve Daines
BIRTHDAYS: Robert Allbritton ... NYT's Jennifer Steinhauer ... Dr. Jay Carson ... Ty Trippet of Bloomberg News, the pride of Beaver, Oklahoma (population: 1,469) (h/t Amy Chozick) ... Jenn Crider, director of comms. and public affairs at Microsoft and a Pelosi and DCCC alum ... Politico's Kevin Robillard and Anastasia Jakabcin ... Ed O'Keefe, VP of CNNMoney and CNN Politics and the pride of Grand Forks, N.D. ... Michelle Tuffin, general counsel for the US Travel Association ... Rachel Rubenstein ... Jeff Eller (h/t Dick Keil) ... Adam Sharp, Twitter's head of news, gov't and elections, the pride of Stamford, CT and a Hotchkiss grad ... Susan Levine, WashPost's deputy national health, science and environment editor and a Politico alum ... Meredith Fineman, CEO of Finepoint and daughter of Howard and Amy ... Ben Kobren, former HRC staffer ... Alicia Downs ... Anna Tuman ... Jim Conzelman, president and CEO of The Ripon Society ... Sarah Bianchi, managing director at BlackRock and an Obama WH alum ... David Copley ... Janet Vestal Kelly ... Susan Smocer Platt ... photojournalist Mark Walz ...
... Ali Shariat, legal and compliance associate for The Carlyle Group ... Georgetown Media Group's Sonya Bernhardt ... Amy Morris, morning drive news anchor on Bloomberg 99.1 and 105.7 HD2 ... Cameron Joseph, senior politics reporter at Mashable and an alum of The Hill ... Jim Conzelman, president and CEO of The Ripon Society, who was a senior research analyst for the Select Committee on Assassinations in the late 1970s ... Allie Zickar ... Faithful Playbook reader and former TVTokyo correspondent-turned U.S. Diplomat Strader Payton, celebrating in Rio di Janeiro (h/t Monica Sendor, filing from U.S. Embassy Kyiv) ...
... Meagan Murphy, account researcher at Brunswick Group, formerly at Albright Stonebridge, and the pride of the GW sailing team (h/t Ben Chang) ... Paul Blake, US writer and multimedia producer for BBC News ... Andrew Kirk, global comms. director at Global Poverty Project ... Astrit Buzi ... Greg Nichols ... John Liepa (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Ice-T is 58 ... International Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe is 57 ... Taylor Hawkins (Foofighters) is 44 (h/t Dick Keil) ... Olympic gold medal runner Cathy Freeman is 43 ... Ryan Follese (Hot Chelle Rae) is 29 ... actor Mike Weinberg is 23 (h/ts AP)
DESSERT -- "'Star Wars: Episode VIII' starts filming [in London], adds [Benicio] del Toro" - AP/NYC:"Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the 'Star Wars' sequel [is] set for release in December 2017." https://yhoo.it/246IUS2
** A message from the U.S. Postal Service: Direct Mail is Now a Digital Delivery System: Mail technologies can prepare campaigns for a digital home run. As more constituents are turning to digital channels, digitally enabled direct mail can break through political noise to bolster voter engagement. Know what mail can do. And know it can do more.
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