Politics Today: Obama Announces New Energy Investment
Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:
** More campaigning on Obama's agenda...
** Does Reid have the votes to pass a public option?...
** Waiting for a decision on Afghanistan...
The St. Petersburg Times' Adam C. Smith and Alex Leary point out the political climate that's greeting the president in Florida is much harsher than it was during his last visit.
"Last time President Barack Obama visited America's biggest battleground state, our unemployment rate was nearly two points lower and his approval rating in Florida nearly 20 points higher. It was February, and he was in Fort Myers touting the $787 billion stimulus package. Today as he visits a new solar energy plant southeast of Tampa, the political climate is a lot chillier.
"Unemployment has risen, anxious seniors have spent months fretting about the health care debate and independent voters have increasingly soured on the president. It could all add up to problems for Democrats in the midterm elections…
"With almost every statewide office open in 2010, many Democrats say they are in the strongest position they've been in modern history. The state party is better organized than it's been in decades, Obama's political machine already has a dozen staffers organizing throughout Florida, and the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Alex Sink, is significantly outraising the leading Republican, Bill McCollum.
"Still, there are plenty of reasons to worry. In 2010 Democrats won't have George W. Bush to blame for problems facing the country. Many observers doubt infrequent or first-time voters will turn out in droves in an off-year election, as they did when Obama turned Florida blue for the first time since 1996. What's more, the party controlling the White House historically faces mid-term electoral losses, at least in the U.S. House."
New York Times' Jeff Zeleny, "Obama's Fund-Raising, In His Best Interest": "Yes, Mr. Obama is embroiled in a health care debate. He is also moving closer to saying whether he intends to send more troops to Afghanistan. But despite those tasks, other challenges weigh on the White House: protecting Democrats in Congress and fighting the curse of history, where the party in power traditionally loses seats in the midterm elections."
The Washington Post's Jon Cohen and Rosalind S. Helderman report, "Republican Robert F. McDonnell carries a double-digit lead over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds in the final week of the campaign for Virginia governor, according to a new Washington Post poll.
"The Republican, briefly buffeted in the polls by voters' initial reaction to the publication of his 1989 graduate school thesis, has rebounded to big advantages on the top issues, particularly taxes, and is now seen as the more effective leader, more honest and more empathetic.
"McDonnell is also buoyed by support outside Northern Virginia, where he is outperforming all other top-of-the-ticket Republican candidates this decade. Statewide, McDonnell leads Deeds among likely voters by a 55 to 44 percent margin. McDonnell, who narrowly defeated Deeds in the race for attorney general four years ago, has been above 50 percent among likely voters in all four Post polls in the campaign.
"Seven in 10 Virginia voters say their views of President Obama, who is scheduled to campaign Tuesday with Deeds in Norfolk, will not be a factor in their choice for governor."
Meantime, the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Olympia Meola and Jeff E. Schapiro report, "The latest fundraising reports, covering Oct. 1 through Oct. 21, show McDonnell with $1.832 million on hand, compared with Deeds' $937,772, according to a compilation from the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in Virginia politics.
"Deeds raised nearly $3.1 million in the almost three-week reporting period, while McDonnell brought in slightly more than $4 million.
"The Democratic National Committee pumped $1.7 million into Deeds' campaign coffers, while McDonnell took in more than $2 million in-kind, including $972,877 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than $1 million from the Republican Party of Virginia. In-kind contributions are donations of services or goods, rather than money, as when a donor pays for a television ad."
Washington Times' Stephen Dinan, "Elections to test Obama's public image": "Having campaigned with the Democrats running for governor in Virginia and New Jersey and for the Democrat running in a special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District, Mr. Obama has put his prestige and momentum on the line.
"Republicans say Mr. Obama has the most riding on Virginia, where they can break the Democrats' winning streak and throw a kink in the red-to-blue realignment Mr. Obama said he ushered in. Democrats say the president has little to lose but could pull off a coup if he can boost turnout enough to help in the tight New Jersey race."
"The move amounted to a major gamble by the Nevada Democrat, who is betting that he can sway the last few moderates onto his plan for a public option that would allow states to opt out by 2014.
"But at the same time, Democratic Senate aides expressed worries that Reid was going too far, too fast with a strategy that allows no room for error.
"[T]he task ahead for Reid is steep, and at this point, even expert Senate vote-counters say there's no way to know if Reid can pull it off. It all comes down to moderates — and Reid's skill at convincing them the opt-out plan is not the budget-busting Big Government health takeover many worry about."
"The opt-out provision falls short of liberals' hope for unconditional approval of a public plan, but it comes closer than the co-op or trigger mechanisms," adds the Los Angeles Times' Noam N. Levey. "For one thing, it would be national in scope and could be activated immediately. Also, by requiring states to take legislative action to exit the plan, it increases the burden for opponents.
"Monday's announcement was cheered both by conservative Democrats and liberal grass-roots groups such as MoveOn.org's political action committee. 'There's now real momentum toward meaningful healthcare reform,' said MoveOn's executive director, Justin Ruben.
"Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), a centrist whose healthcare bill did not include a public option, said in a statement that he would support 'any provision, including a public option, that will ensure choice and competition and get the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate.'"
"A Democrat on Capitol Hill who supports the public option said 'there is a lot of concern' that Mr. Reid had made his decision without having nailed down the votes to get the bill approved on the Senate floor," add the New York Times' Robert Pear and David M. Herszenhorn.
"The White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said President Obama was pleased with Mr. Reid's decision. 'He supports the public option because it has the potential to play an essential role in holding insurance companies accountable through choice and competition,' Mr. Gibbs said of the president.
"Republicans and insurance companies assailed the decision. 'No matter what you call it or how you dress it up, the Democrats' proposal is government-run insurance,' said Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Republican."
"Reid himself also faces what could be a difficult re-election in 2010, which could be one of the factors driving him in favor of giving the public option a shot on the Senate floor. "This is all about his home-state politics," said one senior Democratic Senate aide. "This gets the left off his back." If he can't manage to get the public option past a filibuster, Reid could at least tell the liberals in his party that he gave it his best effort."
Las Vegas Sun's Lisa Mascaro, "How Harry Reid reached the public option compromise": "For the majority leader who has been under great scrutiny for the past two weeks as he forged a bill to bring to the Senate floor, the proposal is a potentially skilled compromise as Reid tries to keep the unruly 60-member Democratic caucus moving forward in the face of seemingly immovable Republican opposition.
"The opt-out provision would shift the burden of decision-making onto the states — potentially making state legislators and governors ultimately responsible for choosing whether their residents who are now without insurance will be able to buy a policy from the government-run insurance plan.
"This allows Reid's conservative Democratic senators, who have openly announced their reluctance, if not downright opposition, to the public plan, political cover: No one is forcing the public option on anyone. Even more, by putting the public plan in the bill, Reid wins a reprieve from the political left, which counts the public option as its highest priority in health reform."
5377715AFGHANISTAN: "On a day when 14 U.S. servicemen and drug agents were killed in helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, the largest such toll in more than four years, momentum continued to build to send more troops to the war zone," write the Los Angeles Times' Laura King, Julian E. Barnes and Paul Richter.
"Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a Washington address that he would support a decision by President Obama to 'send some additional troops' provided improvements are made in Afghan troop training and government, and civilian aid efforts are increased.
"Obama, speaking to service members in Jacksonville, Fla., promised his full support for all troops he sends into battle, as he continues to review his Afghanistan strategy. 'I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm's way. I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary,' Obama said. 'And if it is necessary, we will back you up to the hilt.'"
"Former vice president Richard B. Cheney accused Obama last week of 'dithering' as he weighs whether to add up to 40,000 new U.S. troops to the fight in Afghanistan. Cheney said Obama 'seems afraid' to make a decision, adding that as the president makes up his mind, 'America's armed forces are in danger,'" writes the Washington Post's Michael A. Fletcher.
"The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, has said he needs additional troops or the United States will risk failure of its counterinsurgency strategy. Obama met Monday morning with his top national security advisers in the White House Situation Room before traveling to Jacksonville.
"Aboard Air Force One, press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters the president's decision 'could come at any moment,' although he said most likely it will be announced within weeks."
"Senator Kerry, who traveled recently to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said his conversations with General McChrystal covered the importance of a 'smart counterinsurgency' approach. 'But I believe his current plan reaches too far, too fast,' Mr. Kerry said at a gathering here of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent research organization.
"While Mr. Kerry did not mention numbers for the troop strength he would like to see in Afghanistan, he seemed to differ, at least implicitly, with General McChrystal, who is believed to be seeking up to 40,000 additional American troops. There are about 68,000 United States troops there now."
Washington Post's Karen DeYoung, "U.S. official resigns over Afghan war": "When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.
"A former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq, Hoh had also served in uniform at the Pentagon, and as a civilian in Iraq and at the State Department. By July, he was the senior U.S. civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban hotbed.
"But last month, in a move that has sent ripples all the way to the White House, Hoh, 36, became the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency.
"'I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan,' he wrote Sept. 10 in a four-page letter to the department's head of personnel. 'I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end.'"
"They have committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the effort and plan to run 800 radio spots, print 80,000 leaflets and recruit some 200 volunteers to work the polls on Election Day next Tuesday.
"Many of the workers acknowledge that their efforts could deliver the election to the Democratic candidate, but they say it is more important to send a message than to win this race.
"'This is the shot that needs to be fired to Republican leaders to wake them up,' said former Representative Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, who was one of the most outspoken conservatives in Congress until her defeat last year."
"The conservative rebellion in northern New York is showing that the anger among disaffected voters, which became prominent this summer during the 'tea party' anti-spending rally in Washington and at town hall meetings on healthcare, has become a baffling political force that even Republicans are having a hard time harnessing," adds the Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook.
"The fight on the right has also made this district the epicenter of a national debate about the future of the Republican Party -- leaving party leaders to ask whether they are better off emphasizing the GOP's small-government and socially conservative values, or trying to broaden their appeal to reach independent and moderate voters.
"That dilemma is coming clearly into view as the party lines up candidates for important 2010 races, including Senate contests in competitive states such as Florida, Illinois and New Hampshire."
Politico's Alex Isenstadt, "N.Y. 23 race an early 2012 test"
ALSO:Associated Press' F. Josef Hebert and Dina Cappiello, "Senate hearing kicks off climate bill"
Politics Daily's Jill Lawrence, "Senate Energy Bill: Obama, Biden and Cabinet Go All-In On Another Top Priority"
Politico's Josh Gerstein, "Republicans ask: Where's the outrage?"
Boston Globe's Matt Viser and Frank Phillips, "Rivals sound a Kennedy theme"
NY Daily News' Michael Saul, "Levi Johnston, baby daddy of Sarah Palin grandson, vows to keep his Playgirl photo spread 'classy'"