MORNING MESSAGE
Automation
will undoubtedly transform the workforce, the economy, and society as a whole
... But that’s no reason to ignore the problems we’re facing right now ... the
rate of productivity growth has slowed in recent years. That’s the opposite of
what we would expect to see if automation was already transforming the workplace
... [Trade reform] may not solve the problem of future workers displaced by
automation. But a smarter trade policy could bring jobs back to the U.S. in the
interim. More could be protected by rejecting the Trans-Pacific
Partnership.
TPP BATTLE HEATS UP
“Liberals
rally to sink Obama trade deal” as Obama moves toward lame duck vote, reports
The Hill: “…Obama on Friday sent notice to Congress that he intends to
deliver TPP implementing legislation to Capitol Hill later in the year — a
maneuver dictated by the fast-track trade resolution Congress passed in 2015 …
The move means the administration must wait at least 30 days before sending up
the bill … the proposal will likely not arrive before November’s elections …
Liberal advocacy groups are poised for a lame-duck fight…”
Progressive
groups press Clinton to confront Obama over TPP. W. Post: “The question is
whether she’ll continue walking with the progressive wing of her party on the
TPP when it requires a much more direct confrontation with Obama — a guy who
just happens to be one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party right
now.”
OurFuture.org’s
Dave Johnson warns Clinton’s credibility is on the line: “Perhaps she is
engaged in a balancing act between risking credibility on TPP and not wanting to
alienate Obama and his supporters. But after the election, the political game
will be about establishing a coalition that supports her, and that means no
TPP.”
LEFT UNNERVED BY CLINTON STRATEGY
“Liberals
wary” of Clinton’s outreach to GOP. NYT: “She may win by a mandate-level
margin, they say. But what, exactly, would the mandate be for? … ‘Secretary
Clinton’s decision to aggressively court Mitt Romney’s base has her looking more
and more like Mitt Romney every day,’ said Benjamin T. Jealous, a former
N.A.A.C.P. president who initially supported Mr. Sanders. ‘That’s not a good
thing.'”
But
neither candidate is making policy concessions. Bloomberg: “In a speech on
Thursday, Clinton again emphasized her progressive stances on economic issues …
Meanwhile, Trump has reaffirmed his nativist, ‘America-first’ brand of politics
… The policy retrenchment is a change from the ‘pivot’ presidential candidates
traditionally have made toward the political center … The change this cycle is
partly structural, propelled by party polarization and fewer persuadable
voters…”
“Deficits
fade as campaign issue” says The Hill: “One reason for the lack of political
urgency is the improving deficit picture … The deficit was down to $487 billion
over the last 12 months, and it now stands at 2.6 percent of the nation’s
economy … interest rates for the U.S. government remain incredibly low, making
the cost of borrowing less of a concern. The favorable interest rates indicate
that global financial markets are not worried about America’s balance
sheet.”
TRUMP TO DELIVER TERRORISM SPEECH
Trump
to deliver speech on terrorism today in Ohio. USA Today: “A week after
declaring President Obama and Hillary Clinton the virtual ‘founders’ of the
Islamic State, Donald Trump is set to deliver a speech Monday on the extremist
organization. …Trump will claim that de-stabilization in Syria and Libya have
fueled growth of the group also known as ISIS …”
More
from AP: “Donald Trump will declare an end to nation building if elected
president, replacing it with what aides described as ‘foreign policy realism’ …
regardless of other ideological and strategic disagreements[, a]ny country that
wants to work with the U.S. to defeat “radical Islamic terrorism” will be a U.S.
ally … Trump on Monday is also expected to outline a new immigration policy
proposal under which the U.S. would stop issuing visas in any case where it
cannot perform adequate screenings.”
MAP SLIPPING AWAY FROM TRUMP
NBC
map puts Clinton over 270 electoral votes: “We’ve moved Colorado, New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Nebraska’s one electoral
vote (Omaha area) from Tossup to Lean Dem … Georgia moves from Lean GOP to
Tossup …”
Trump
needs Pennsylvania. NYT: “Despite polls showing Hillary Clinton with a
comfortable lead, Mr. Trump’s forces insist the state is winnable. ‘We’re
drawing much bigger crowds,’ said David Urban, a senior adviser to the [Trump]
campaign … That is the case in Monessen and surrounding Westmoreland County.
Drive 300 miles east, however, to Montgomery County, the third largest county in
the state, and once again Pennsylvania looks like a mirage for Mr. Trump. Once a
Republican stronghold, this affluent Philadelphia suburb is palpably
anti-Trump.”
Trump
bypasses African-American communities. NYT: “…the 70-year-old white
self-described billionaire has not just walled himself off from African-American
voters where they live. He has also turned down repeated invitations to address
gatherings of black leaders, ignored African-American conservatives in states he
needs to win and made numerous inflammatory comments about minorities. [It] has
infuriated black Republicans…”
GOP
may be near “breaking point.” AP: “…GOP leaders in Washington and in the
most competitive states have begun openly contemplating turning their backs on
their party’s presidential nominee to prevent what they fear will be wide-scale
Republican losses on Election Day.”
GOP
establishment battles right-wing in congressional primaries. Politico:
“Low-profile House candidates from Kansas to Georgia watched in astonishment
this summer as hundreds of thousands of super PAC dollars poured into their
primaries … The groups hope to show that 2018 primaries could be on the horizon
if conservative rebels stand in the way of congressional Republicans’
legislative strategy.”
BREAKFAST SIDES
Housing
industry gears up to lobby new president. The Hill: “They are pushing the
candidates to shift the focus of housing policy to cutting and clarifying
regulations … [supporting] the promotion of home buying, adding incentives for
building entry-level housing, improving technology to better manage the mortgage
approval process and working to speed up the regulatory process. The industry
also is calling on Congress to overhaul Fannie and Freddie and wants the new
administration to look at improving qualified mortgage rules and streamlining
others to create more liquidity.”
Last
Week Tonight’s John Oliver explores subprime auto lending: “Nearly a quarter
of all car loans are now of the high-risk, subprime variety … ‘a boom in
subprime loans’ [may be] making your eye twitch with flashbacks to the mortgage
crisis…”
Progressive
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