GOP Paying Price For Shutdown
"Shutdown Hurting Republicans in Battleground Districts" reports National Journal: "The new PPP polls were conducted on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of last week, with sample sizes of between 600-700 registered voters in each of the 24 districts they surveyed ... In 17 of the districts, PPP found the Republican incumbent trailing a generic Democrat in a head-to-head contest among registered voters. Most of the incumbents' approval ratings were underwater, meaning more respondents disapproved than approved."
Maybe it's the Tea Party congresspeople who will get primaried. W. Post: "... within Grand Rapids’ powerful business establishment, patience is running low with [Rep. Justin] Amash’s ideological agenda and tactics. Some business leaders are recruiting aRepublican primary challenger who they hope will serve the old-fashioned way — by working the inside game and playing nice to gain influence and solve problems for the district ... Similar efforts are underway in at least three other districts — one in the moneyed Detroit suburbs and the others in North Carolina and Tennessee — where business leaders are backing primary campaigns against Republican congressmen who have alienated party leaders."
Former GOP Sen. Judd Gregg says his party is "adrift" in The Hill: "People who have no interest in governing cannot be allowed to be the dominant voices in a major party. Any such party must by definition be inclusive, within the basic bounds of its ideology. If it is to succeed, the majority of the American people must see it as serious and constructive. The Republican Party is not in that place today."
Speaker clams he doesn't have the votes to end shutdown, avert default. NYT: "'There are not the votes in the House to pass a clean C.R.,' [said Speaker Boehner]. [That] was contradicted by members of both parties. 'I’m positive that a clean C.R. would pass,' said Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York. 'If it went on the floor tomorrow, I could see anywhere from 50 to 75 Republicans voting for it,' he added. 'And if it were a secret ballot, 150.' Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, a Democratic leader, was just as blunt in a telephone interview. 'Nobody believes that,' he said of the speaker’s comment. Mr. Schumer challenged Mr. Boehner to put a clean budget bill on the floor and prove that he is right..."
Actual default might not occur until end of the month. W. Post: "[Treasury Sec Lew] said that he cannot predict when he will run short of cash to make required payments and warned that lawmakers are 'playing with fire' if they do not act fast to grant him additional authority to borrow. Independent analysts have offered a more specific timetable, saying default is likely no later than Nov. 1, when the Treasury Department is scheduled to make nearly $60 billion in payments to Social Security recipients, Medicare providers, civil-service retirees and active-duty military service members ... Some Republicans argue that missing such routine payments would not amount to a governmental default. They say that would occur only if the Treasury Department fails to make interest payments to investors. But that could happen as soon as Oct. 31, when the department is due to pay out $6 billion in interest..."
Immigration Rallies Nationwide
Thousands hit streets to keep up pressure on Congress. NYT: "Thousands of supporters of an immigration overhaul held rallies on Saturday at more than 150 sites in 40 states, trying to pressure Congress, despite the partisan turmoil in Washington, to focus on passing a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants here illegally ... Many events were focused on House Republican lawmakers whom advocates hope to persuade to vote for the overhaul."
CA Gov. Jerry Brown signs into law reforms to help undocumented workers. LAT: "Brown signed eight bills Saturday, including one prohibiting local law enforcement officials from detaining immigrants longer than necessary for minor crimes so that federal immigration authorities can take custody of them ... On Thursday, he approved a measure allowing immigrants in the country illegally to receive California driver's licenses ... Other bills signed Saturday will allow people in the country illegally to be licensed as lawyers, impose restrictions on those who charge a fee to help immigrants gain legal status, and make it a crime for employers to 'induce fear' by threatening to report someone's immigration status."
Midwest embracing immigration. NYT: "...struggling cities are trying to restart growth by luring enterprising immigrants, both highly skilled workers and low-wage laborers. In the Midwest, similar initiatives have begun in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Lansing, Mich., as well as Detroit, as it strives to rise out of bankruptcy ... The new welcome for immigrants reflects a broader shift in public opinion, polls show, as the country leaves behind the worst of the recession. More Americans agree that immigrants, even some in the country illegally, can help the economy, giving impetus to Congressional efforts to overhaul an immigration system that many say is broken."
