Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score, presented by Washington's NewsChannel 8: Sessions says GOP 'closing the deal' - Clinton raises for DGA - Planned Parenthood vs. Angle, Buck - Sierra Club plays Koch card - Brutal debates in Fla., Ky.
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:55:44 -0400 (EDT)

By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, [email-masked] ) 

POLITICO SNEAK PEEK - MISSION (ALMOST) ACCOMPLISHED: House Republicans are "closing the deal" in their effort to recapture the majority, NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions declares in a memo set for release today. Hailing encouraging early voting numbers and solid fundraising, and touting the 90 districts now targeted by the NRCC, Sessions writes: "The Democrats' 'triage' strategy is cutting off outgoing incumbents at a rapid pace, all but conceding losses in key races. ... As Republicans continue to push the borders of the playing field, the DCCC and its allies are forced to spend money in races they expected would be locked up weeks ago. Even more troubling for Democrats is the fact that many of these races are even competitive in the first place." 

MORE - NRCC'S BELLWETHERS: Sessions names Reps. Charlie Wilson of Ohio, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gene Taylor of Mississippi as late-emerging GOP targets that have made it difficult for Democrats to "stop the bleeding." He points to Reps. John Adler of New Jersey, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, John Salazar of Colorado and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico as new "toss-up races." And the Texas congressman all but taunts the embattled majority for its last-minute criticism of anonymous campaign spending. "Democrats are message-less," Sessions charges. "Instead, they have desperately turned to attacking outside organizations who dare oppose their anti-business views. ... Their message should be taken for what it is: Democrats are laying the groundwork for a massive Election Night loss ... Make no mistake: Nancy Pelosi's days as Speaker of the House are numbered." Read the full memo here: http://politi.co/a7iB0D  

As Bill Burton dodges Frank Caprio, SEIU carries Jerry Brown and Bush 41 gets around to endorsing, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections. 

SCORE EXCLUSIVE - 42'S APPEAL: Former President Bill Clinton has penned a fundraising appeal for the Democratic Governors Association, raising the alarm in a soon-to-be-released message that newly elected Republican governors could redraw the congressional map and "cripple the Obama administration, and reduce our children's chances of a bright future." "I know what can happen when a motivated Republican majority decides to prevent a Democratic president from getting things done. After being governor of Arkansas and chairing the DGA, I also know firsthand the crucial difference they can make in winning governors' races," Clinton writes, ticking off a list of alleged Republican excesses: "In 1994, when Republicans picked up 52 seats in the U.S. House, they relied in part on congressional districts redrawn to their party's advantage by GOP governors..... [I]n 2002, with the help of a Republican governor, Karl Rove and Tom DeLay twisted congressional district boundaries in Texas, giving George W. Bush the reliable Republican votes he needed to ram his agenda through Congress. It's hard to believe, but this time, it could be even worse -- because this Republican Party is more extreme than ever." Emphasis his. 

AND - POPPING TODAY: First lady Michelle Obama has recorded a video for the DNC urging viewers to take advantage of early voting. "You know, there's an important election coming up and I wanted to make sure you're all aware, because you don't have to wait to vote," she says. "Our president needs your help." http://bit.ly/cG4mHC  

GOV RACE PREVIEW - MARTINEZ CLOSES: New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez, already mounting a renewed TV and radio offensive against Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, is airing a positive ad making the closing argument that voters should "do more than just change the party in power." The spot begins with the now-ubiquitous Republican plea to rotate the political tires - "We can't keep electing the same people and expecting different results" - before continuing: "We have to make bold change, the kind that improves people's lives." Martinez, standing outside with a Western vista as her backdrop, pledges: "I've taken on tough challenges my entire career and delivered results. It's always been about making a real difference in someone's life, and that's what I'll do as governor." Martinez has held a single-digit edge over Denish in public polling and her own internals placed her lead at 8, though the Democrat's numbers have consistently shown a closer race. Watch the ad here: http://bit.ly/cjkFEM  (And see Martinez's latest internal numbers here: http://bit.ly/dg1YjY) 

** A message from Washington's NewsChannel 8: Comcast has hired a vast army of lobbyists to rush through the largest media merger in American history. The Comcast/NBC monopoly would present serious problems for local news in communities across our country. Washington's decision makers must resist the pressure from Comcast and take the necessary time to carefully review this controversial merger to protect the public interest. **LIKE A LASER: The abortion-rights group Planned Parenthood is aiming to reach independent women voters before Election Day with an extensive mail campaign across 19 states. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, along with local Planned Parenthood groups, will communicate with over 1.4 million households with a message focused on women's health. Some of the mailers are arresting, like one from Nevada that warns: "A young girl is raped by her father and becomes pregnant. Sharron Angle would tell her to make a 'lemon situation into lemonade." Another, hitting Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck's "extreme positions on women's health, announces: "Colorado women can't trust Ken Buck." The organization is also mailing into the Missouri Senate race ("Roy Blunt is a vote against women") and, with the EMILY's List Women Vote! program, the Washington Senate campaign ("Patty Murray stands up against the powerful insurance companies and special interests.") Late-game mail blitzes are a standard get-out-the-vote tactic, but this one is yet another reminder of how heavily Democrats are counting on undecided women to break their way, thanks to persistent doubts about the GOP. See the Nevada mailer here: http://politi.co/cTbJZ1;  the Colorado mailer here: http://politi.co/dyGzwW;  the Missouri mailer here: http://politi.co/a61cGg;  and the Washington mailer here: http://politi.co/c5GPM8  

ELSEWHERE IN GOTV - ALWAYS BE CLOSING: The SEIU plans to mount a massive door-to-door campaign effort in the last four days of the California governor's race, sending 2,114 people out to reach voters on behalf of Democratic state Attorney General Jerry Brown. That caps off the labor union's long investment in the race: The California SEIU has spent over $10 million on Latino outreach, moving a key voting bloc toward Brown by pushing the message that Republican Meg Whitman has "two faces." An SEIU-led labor coalition also gave Brown critical support on television starting last June, which helped the Democrat conserve his funds without letting Whitman's ads go totally unanswered. 

HOUSE RACE SNAPSHOT - THE BLOODY 5TH: The Sierra Club is going up with a new ad in Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello's district, attacking Republican challenger Robert Hurt as "a favorite of oil billionaires" for the donations he's received from Koch Industries. "He'll keep us dependent on foreign oil and give tax breaks to companies who outsource our jobs," the ad charges, before pivoting: "Not Tom Perriello. He's leading the charge to make Virginia a clean energy leader." Perriello's Charlottesville-area district has become the scene of an increasingly intense air war as pro-Democratic groups like the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters (not to mention the DCCC) engage for the more-viable-than-expected incumbent. Watch the ad here: http://bit.ly/aJ6J03  

DEBATE WRAP - UGLY IN FLORIDA: The Times/Herald reports: "Rick Scott and Alex Sink displayed contempt for each other in their final TV debate Monday, giving a nationwide TV audience a glimpse of the mounting tension in the close race for Florida governor. Seated next to each other in a college theater, both candidates showed flashes of anger as they attacked each other over their business records, campaign promises and TV ads. Three times Scott criticized Sink for smiling or laughing as he criticized her. 'What are you smiling about? You don't care about seniors? Is that the deal?' Scott said, accusing Sink's former bank of ripping off customers. ... 'You're reinventing history,' Sink said. 'You've spent a lifetime reinventing the truth, Rick.'" ... CNN adds: "Sink's campaign violated rules Monday evening at the CNN/St. Petersburg Times Florida gubernatorial debate when her make-up artist delivered a message during a television break. Sink, the Democratic nominee, was shown a two-sentence message on a cell phone that offered her advice during the debate." http://bit.ly/cnxkWO  and http://bit.ly/cklnjL  

UGLIER IN KENTUCKY - The Courier-Journal reports on the final duel in Kentucky: "Jack Conway and Rand Paul continued their attacks on each other during their fifth and final debate on Monday night on Kentucky Educational Television. Conway, a Democrat and Kentucky's attorney general, and Paul, the Republican candidate, started off sticking to issues ... Conway said Paul, an eye surgeon, lied about supporting a $2,000 Medicare deductible ... 'That's a lie,' Paul said. 'You are dishonest. ... You oversimplify things.' Conway replied: 'Are you talking down to me?'" ... And the Herald-Leader reports on an on-camera scuffle: "A MoveOn.org activist apparently trying to get close to U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul on Monday either fell or was tripped, and witnesses said she was either kicked in the head or had her head stepped on, according to Lexington police." Think that'll get picked up on the cables? http://bit.ly/9VQKU5  and http://bit.ly/ctfWSK  

TODAY - From the White House guidance: "In the morning, the Vice President will travel to New York City. At 12:45 PM, the Vice President will attend an event for Representative Tim Bishop. Later, at 5:45 PM, the Vice President will attend an event for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand." 

PLUS - AWKWARD IN RHODE ISLAND - Here's how White House spokesman Bill Burton responded yesterday to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio's statement that POTUS could "take his endorsement and shove it": "As it relates to the local politics, out of respect for his friend, Lincoln Chafee, the President decided not to get involved in this race. I know that it's -- we're entering the final week of the election season, and emotions are running pretty high. So I don't think anybody is surprised to see people feeling particularly strongly about these races." 

POLLS OF THE DAY - MULTIPLE CHOICE EDITION: Which one of the following surprising statements is most likely to be true? (a) The Colorado Senate race is closer than the West Virginia Senate race; (b) Ken Buck has worse favorability numbers than Tom Tancredo; (c) Tancredo could actually become governor of Colorado. According to Public Policy Polling, all three of those assertions are true. PPP put Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin up 6 points in the West Virginia race, while it had the Colorado race tied. Buck has a net favorability rating of negative 5 percent, compared with a slight positive tilt - 45 percent favorable, 44 percent unfavorable - for Tancredo. And the former GOP congressman and American Constitution Party candidate for governor is down just 44 percent to 47 percent against Democratic Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Get yer data here: http://bit.ly/dsYMuR;  here: http://bit.ly/cpwr3p   and here: http://bit.ly/cZMbWZ  

THE GRIZZLY ROARS: Sarah Palin came to Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller's defense Monday after Sen. Lisa Murkowski questioned Miller's fitness to serve in a Sunday night debate. "I have never seen a candidate stoop as low as was seen last night in Alaska's senatorial debate.," Palin wrote. "I find it astonishing that a sitting U.S. Senator from Alaska would challenge the honor of a decorated combat veteran. Is it any wonder the audience later booed her when she again challenged Joe Miller's honor?" Palin urged readers to donate to Miller's campaign and "fight back against the influx of special interest money" - an acknowledgment that the Republican nominee hasn't managed to unify the big-money GOP backers behind his campaign. http://on.fb.me/blfXDy  

FROM THE BETTER-LATE-THAN-NEVER DEPT. - Former President George H.W. Bush endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry for reelection, saying his "leadership and proven track record is an essential component in keeping Texas a national leader in job creation." Bush endorsed Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's primary challenge to Perry earlier this year, and the Dallas Morning News recalls he dubbed her "a conservative leader who can and will deliver positive action on so many issues facing Texas." http://bit.ly/a2KDs6  

CODA - CONTRAST OF THE DAY: "Opposes: Minimum Wage, Public Education, Social Security; Supports: Lasers." - The Manchin campaign's synopsis of John Raese's issue profile http://bit.ly/bXIFbY  

** A message from Washington's NewsChannel 8: If the Comcast and NBC merger is rushed through the process, our country risks losing a powerful part of our democracy - locally-owned, independent voices in markets where Comcast/NBC will control both access to the home and multiple channels of news. Dropping the independent news voice won't serve the consumer. It will only serve the interests of Comcast which would also own the other news channels. Please make sure that any merger approval serves the public interest and protects the local news consumers you represent. Don't let Comcast ram this monopoly merger through the review process. **

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