“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.”
- John Adams
FINAL STRETCH: It’s just one national poll - but Donald Trump is leading Hillary Clinton in a nationwide poll for the first time since the Republican convention. Even after multiple meltdowns in August, he’s come out ahead – but why and how? He’s capitalized on Clinton’s lack of campaigning, as she’s focused many of her resources on fundraising and hanging onto the lead, and was also hit with damaging revelations regarding her email account and State Department relationships. Trump is within striking distance, and Clinton and the Democrats can feel the hair rising on the back of their necks. She’ll need to up her game with 62 days left until Election Day, and now has $143 million more to help her focus heavily on the ground game in battleground states like FL, OH, and PA. He’ll need to broaden his appeal to non-white voters and continue to win over Independents. What once looked like a walk in the park for Clinton, could turn out to be a barn-burner.
IMMIGRATION DISORIENTATION: Trump’s immigration views have been up in the air for some time now, and his latest positioning hasn’t made it any clearer for us. He’s now refused to rule out granting legal status to undocumented immigrants who remain in the U.S., breaking with an immigration proposal he laid out just last week. It’s obvious Trump uses immigration to ignite and appeal to his animated followers, but without something more concrete that people can get behind and support, why continue the shuffling - it’s just confusing.
END OF SUMMER SPRINT: Congress has returned to Washington with just 16 working days left to push through a stopgap for keeping the government open and provide funding for Zika response and research, before lawmakers leave town again to campaign through the election. Republicans are eager to pass a bill to avoid being blamed for a government shutdown like the one in 2013 - and damaging their already delicate chances to remain in control of Congress. However, the disagreement between the parties, and within the Republican party will likely result in political wrangling until the deadline. Zika funding is another bug Congress can’t seem to squash, as the Senate rejected the $1.1 billion funding bill to fight the virus in a 52-46 procedural vote.
A CONTROVERSY OF HIS OWN?: Controversies for both candidates just keep piling up. This time, Trump and his foundation have been linked to allegations that a $25,000 donation to the FL Attorney General was used as compensation to forestall an investigation into Trump University. The Trump camp has dismissed all allegations, and has even paid an IRS levied fine over the donation, but the Clinton camp won’t let it end there. New and recycled controversies continue to keep both candidates unfavorables high and cement the untrustworthiness factor, and with the final push underway we expect at least some of the dust to settle, allowing the candidates to focus on policy...yeah, hurry up and wait.
PENTAGON PLAYS “HARDBALL”: An internal memo written by the DoD comptroller four months ago, was leaked yesterday and now Speaker Paul Ryan and other House leaders are apparently “shocked” at the Pentagon’s “shameless” proposed coordinated strategy to stop the House's plan for FY17 defense spending. The House versions of the annual authorization and appropriations bills only fund the costs of 2017 overseas operations through April, using the “savings” to increase the Pentagon’s baseline budget by $18B above the president’s proposal. The memo reflects the Administration’s view that the House plan is a gimmick to increase defense spending without an equivalent raise in non-defense spending as required by last year’s budget deal since it would force the next president to approve a supplemental budget to support troops already in the field. The seven page memo advocates playing "hardball” and provides unusually clear views into the coordinated tactics DoD has been using over the past few months. The shock is not that the Pentagon has such a strategy, but that it was written down.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF PREVIEW: The Commander-in-Chief Forum, a town hall starring our two favorite candidates, will be held later today, giving us a preview of how the two candidates would perform if they were to take office. The main focus of the forum will be to discuss national security and military affairs issues - topics both candidates have struggled with in the past. We expect Trump to build on his recent endorsements from 88 retired Generals and Admirals, while Clinton boasts her experiences as a U.S. Senator and Secretary of State.
340B DRUG PURCHASING PROGRAM “MEGA-GUIDANCE” GOES TO WHITE HOUSE FOR APPROVAL: Our Healthcare Policy Analyst Emily Evans shared her insight on how the Administration is taking baby steps to rein in the obscure, but important discount drug program at U.S. nonprofit hospitals. You can read her piece here.
FALL REGULATORY CATALYSTS IN TELECOM AND MEDIA: Our Telecommunications-Media Policy Analyst Paul Glenchur shared his insight on the intensifying regulatory focus on a few big agenda priorities. You can read his piece here.
CALL INVITE: TOP THREE DEFENSE POLICY ISSUES FOR NEXT PRESIDENT: Our Senior Defense Policy Advisor LtGen Emo Gardner is holding a call with the Honorable Dr. James Miller, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and leading expert on defense policy. You can find details on the call here.
BOGOTA? BRAVURA!: Our Geopolitical Analyst Dan Christman shared his insight on the landmark peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC, a Marxist-inspired anti-government guerrilla group that has dominated the lucrative drug trade throughout the country. You can read his piece here.