Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
ROCK THE VOTE: Election fatigue has settled in across the land with most Americans ready to move past the mud-filled mayhem and with both campaigns now worrying about voter complacency. Clinton and her team of surrogates are canvassing the battleground states, appealing to Obama’s ‘08/’12 winning coalition and highlighting the dangers of a Trump presidency. Trump and Pence are barnstorming the battlegrounds looking to energize their base, shore up wavering Republicans with an emphasis on Clinton’s investigations - and with the Republican nominee telling his followers to pretend as though they are slightly behind in the polls. Now we’re down to the ever-so-decisive ground game and GOTV efforts…
DOES ANYONE HAVE OLIVIA POPE’S NUMBER?: We’ve been accused of focusing too much on what would happen in the turbulent first months of a Clinton Administration given the FBI’s newfound probe into emails surrounding Clinton’s time as Secretary of State or the questions surrounding the Clinton Foundation and its ties to foreign leaders. So - we thought we’d take a peek at the early trials and tribulations of a Trump presidency. As president, Trump will continue to face scrutiny and racketeering charges over Trump University, with a jury trial set to begin November 28th. There are currently 75 open lawsuits where Trump or his companies are involved - not to mention potential legal action over the sexual assault accusations that have come out during the campaign - that is, if he follows through with his threats. No matter who becomes president, our money is on law firms...
FREAKY FRIDAY: Today is the last Friday in this seemingly never ending election. We’d have our heads in the sand if we weren’t bracing ourselves for another bombshell as Friday afternoons have turned out the most impactful moments of the campaign. First there was the Access Hollywood tape which stunted any semblance of momentum that Donald Trump was experiencing at that juncture; then of course the country was settling into happy hour one week ago when James Comey’s letter to Congress was revealed and halted any talk of a landslide victory by Hillary Clinton and resuscitating Trump’s campaign. The polls have tightened significantly and - one final surprise about either candidate the weekend before Election Day could essentially tip the delicate Electoral College balance one way or another. Like most of the rest of the nation, we’ll be glancing up at our tv’s/monitors watching for the omnipresent BREAKING NEWS flash running across the screen…
ALL ABOARD THE BANDWAGON: A few weeks ago very few establishment Republicans wanted their names associated with Donald Trump. While Majority Leader Mitch McConnell endorsed Trump months ago, he remained on the sidelines throughout the campaign with nary a mention of the 2016 Republican standard-bearer. Now with polls showing greater potential for Trump winning the election, McConnell tells his fellow Kentuckians that he wants Trump to be the most powerful Republican in the country. Even omnipresent conservative radio personality Hugh Hewitt, who early last month called for Trump to withdraw from the race, has now said he will vote for the Republican nominee. Now add archrival Ted Cruz to the mix as he stumps in IA and MI for the man he once called a “sniveling coward.”
WHO IS RIGGING THE ELECTION?: One big challenge of Trump’s rigged election comments is the far right wing taking his words seriously. White Nationalist groups are taking Trump’s message to heart by organizing election monitors in inner cities around the country. In certain cases they have gone as far as placing hidden cameras in voting locations. PA Senator Bob Casey has called for the DoJ to intervene saying it reflects voter monitoring akin to the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s. With Trump’s level of disapproval among the African-American community, his camp hopes these voters remain ambivalent about Clinton - especially given lagging early voting stats from October - and the thought of “election monitors” will keep more people at home.
WITH RELEASE OF MACRA AND OPPS, FEDS MOVE ON TO NEW SCALED DOWN & RELAXED HCIT POLICY NEG: CERN MDRX: Our Senior Healthcare Analyst Emily Evans writes about how Federal HCIT policy has scaled back and that is more bad news for CERn, #EPIC and others for whom meaningful use has been a tailwind since 2009. You can read the full piece here.
ELECTION 2016: WHY A TRUMP WIN COULD ROIL OIL MARKETS: Our Senior Energy Analyst Joe McMonigle writes that Trump’s vows to tear up the Iran deal and renegotiate it could wipe 1 million b/d from oil markets. You can read the full analysis here.
