“A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.”
- Richard Nixon
MILLENNIAL MAYHEM: Democrats are having nightmare flashbacks to the 2000 election as third-party candidates continue to siphon support from Hillary Clinton, causing them to ramp up attacks against Gary Johnson and Jill Stein - they’re cautioning that a third-party vote is a vote for Donald Trump. The Libertarian ticket is running strong among young voters forcing Clinton to scramble and trot out millennial magnets Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders to energize and warn young voters about throwing their vote away and focusing on issues that are important to them, like climate change. Johnson has decided to do a little party bashing of his own by publishing an op-ed in an effort to play to voter dissatisfaction of both major-party candidates.
DOLLARS FOR DONALD: Trump's campaign has pulled in $18 million in online donations in the 24 hours following the debate, but he’s still trailing Clinton’s mammoth campaign by a hefty margin - in August it was around $42 million. And though Trump's primary strategy was to tout himself as a candidate who, unlike his rivals, would not be beholden to donors, he continues to shatter Republican records for fundraising from small donors in the general election. Trump aides are also discussing the possibility of having him write his biggest check yet to fund an ad blitz, and he’s open to it. With just over a month to go, he’ll need every dime available to match the Clinton/Obama/Sanders machine.
TRUMP’S TAX TACK: Trump grabbed undecided voters’ attention for all the wrong reasons when he accepted - and praised - Clinton’s accusation that he hasn’t paid a cent of federal taxes and for most, it could be a serious misstep with a Clinton-affiliated super-PAC already on the air with ads. But it’s moments like these that Trump must avoid in this future - his wishful thinking on the housing crisis and comments on women already garner enough headlines. Though it’s still unclear whether the much-ballyhooed debate has altered the course of the race, Clinton has enjoyed a nice little bump in national polls, and endorsements from a former Republican Senator and the AZ Republic, the state’s largest newspaper - and it's the first time they’ve ever endorsed a Democrat.
HOPPING ON THE MINIBUS: Let the race to the airport begin. With no chance to pass an omnibus spending package this year, Congress has passed a short-term, minibus bill to fund the government and avoid a shutdown just hours ahead of the deal - with more minibuses planned into 2017. House and Senate leaders spent the week rushing to finish a deal to avert a government shutdown so they can return home to focus on Election Day. The Senate cleared the first hurdle, passing the bill, 72-26, and the House followed suit soon thereafter. The final deal concluded without Flint aid, but the House was able to attach the relief funding to a water resources bill that later moved through the House later in the night. Who says Congress always waits till the last minute to get things done.
OPEC PUNTS ELUSIVE PRODUCTION AGREEMENT TO NOVEMBER: Our Senior Energy Policy Advisor Joe McMonigle discussed OPEC, and how the goal is a production ceiling but the “how” remains a difficult challenge, and why it’s the reason a freeze deal was not achieved this week. You can read his piece here.
TOMORROW → CALL INVITE: TOP THREE CHALLENGES FOR U.S. DEFENSE INDUSTRY IN NEXT ADMINISTRATION: Our Senior Defense Policy Advisor LtGen Emo Gardner is hosting a call tomorrow, September 30th at 11:00 AM EDT with Aerospace Industrial Association CEO, Dave Melcher, to hear what industry is telling and hearing from the candidates. You can find call details here.
