Obama to Jersey Shore, McCain in Syria, DSCC saying Nunn's in

National Journal

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WHAT'S NEWS

  • Pres. Obama and NJ Gov. Chris Christie "will reunite in a tour of the coastline today, seven months after a similar meeting resulted in the shunning of Christie by conservatives across the nation. (Asbury Park Press)

  • Over the past year, Obama, "the Nobel Peace Prize winner with a 'kill list,'" spent more time on writing a new policy on drones than on any other issue, according to senior WH aides (New York Times)

  • Sen. John McCain crossed the Turkish border with Syria on Monday, becoming the "highest-ranking U.S. official to enter" the country since its civil war began 2 years ago (Daily Beast)

  • NE SEN: Gov. Dave Heineman said he won't run for retiring Sen. Mike Johanns' seat, likely opening the door to a crowded GOP field (On Call)

  • MO 08: Dem Steve Hodges is up with his first ad, attacking GOPer Jason Smith on Social Security (YouTube). Smith is attacking Hodges as "another loyal vote for Obama's agenda" (YouTube).

  • NYC Mayor: John Catsimatidis (R) released the first ad of the 2013 mayor's race, touting his record as a philanthropist and businessman (release).

  • GA SEN: The DSCC is calling GA Dems to tell them businesswoman Michelle Nunn will definitely run, and she's "actively preparing" a campaign. (The Hill)

  • NC SEN: Supporters of House Speaker Thom Tillis (R) have filed papers with the FEC to form a super PAC, "the first step toward" a possible bid against Sen. Kay Hagan (D). (Raleigh News Observer)

  • CO GOV: Three days after jumping in the race, ex-RI GOV candidate Steve Laffey dropped out (Denver Post)

  • Sen. Rand Paul sent an 11-page letter, using 10 stamps, to ex-Rep. Charlie Bass's PAC, but addressed it to the Concord Monitor (Concord Monitor).

NUMBER BRUNCHING

  • 54% of Americans, including 76% of GOPers, believe the federal government has too much power, while 36% say the government has about the right amount of power and 8% say it has too little, according to a new Gallup survey.

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day


• Obama's tour of the Jersey Shore gives Christie a boost, not that the popular incumbent with a massive lead needed one. But it also gives Christie's WH'16 rivals a chance to mine photos of the pair, which we'd bet will show up on mailers in IA and NH.

• Buono isn't disappointed that Obama is spending time with Christie today on the Jersey Shore, but some South Jersey Dems appear to be disappointed with the likely Democratic nominee's outreach (or lack thereof) to that part of the Garden State. Buono's campaign often gets criticized for its fundraising struggles, but her inability to unify the state party behind her has emerged as a major weakness.

• Heineman's decision not to run would be a blow to the GOP's recruiting efforts, if Dems were even pretending to make a play for Johanns' seat.

• Michelle Nunn has already done something John Barrow would never do: Appear alongside Pres. Obama at a DSCC fundraiser. Georgia Democrats are hoping that a progressive candidate like Nunn (whose scant record includes an endorsement of the Occupy movement) can rally the base, while a divisive Republican primary keeps some GOP voters at home. But Barrow has held onto his seat by running away from the party and national Democratic issues. Can Democrats pick up a seat in a state their top-of-the-ticket standard bearer lost by 8 points last year, by doing the opposite?

• There's always the chance Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) could face a primary challenge, given his voting record, and the last time he had one it forced him to make statements that the GOP could use against him in a general. But until then, a stern statement on his voting record from the AFL-CIO is basically an in-kind contribution to Matheson and his unique brand.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

  • Sen. Ted Cruz has been invited to address Cornerstone Action, a conservative NH group, at its fall fundraising dinner (CNN)

  • "In about a week's time, federal prison inmate 94405-198" -- ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) -- "will complete a 100-month sentence for taking bribes and will no longer be in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons" (San Diego Union-Tribune)

  • Ex-Reps. Connie Mack (R-FL) and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) are divorcing. "We are saddened to announce that we have reached the difficult decision to end our marriage," they wrote in a statement. (Tampa Bay Times)

  • In a new book, WH candidate Danielle Powers, loosely based on Rep. Michele Bachmann, "must confront her deepest self and choose between civilization and a wild, primitive ecstasy" (Politico)

  • "Cops: Man steals 195 sticks of deodorant" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

  • "Police in the Black Hills tourist destination of Rapid City are on the lookout for a 12-foot shark," which disappeared from a mini-golf course (Rapid City Journal)

  • WH counsel Kathryn Ruemmler "wears Manolo Blahniks and Christian Louboutins into the Oval Office." WH comms dir. Jennifer Palmieri: "Her shoe buying can move markets" (Washington Post)

  • "Getting told why we are bad for jersey [sic]. Amazing" -- Snooki, tweeting a photo of herself talking to Christie (New York Daily News).

  • "Is it racist to be proud of your own heritage? ... Is it racist to want to keep your own heritage pure?" -- Roan Garcia-Quintana, who was asked to resign from SC Gov. Nikki Haley's Grassroots Advisory Cmte after his connections to a white supremacist group came to light (The State).

  • Cunningham is getting out in the nick of time. Congress, after all, is just too popular these days.

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

  • Princeton and Rutgers, which played the first college football game on Nov. 6, 1869, were also the first two colleges to compete in Ultimate Frisbee, in 1972.

  • The winner is Bill Pascoe, again, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "In honor of the upcoming U.S. Open at Merion, who was the first golfer to shoot a 64 in a U.S. Open, where did he do it, and what score did he post in his next round at a U.S. Open?" The 2nd correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"He just doesn't like us" -- Snooki, on meeting Christie at the Jersey Shore (AP).

...CHASER

"You can hate on me all you want to, but what can you possibly say to someone who looks like Rambo pretty much with his shirt off?" -- "The Situation" ("Jersey Shore").

Reid Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

Steven Shepard, Executive Editor