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1.) Conservatives won’t be Romney-rolled — Mitt Romney hasn’t even won the election yet, but conservatives are already getting ready to fight some of his not-so-conservative appointments. TheDC’s Matt Lewis reports:
“If Mitt Romney wins the election on Tuesday, he can expect another battle to begin almost immediately: The fight to block his moderate allies from key administration positions. Conservatives are quietly making preparations to begin lobbying for these posts to be filled by reliable conservatives. Of course, this may also entail opposing some of Romney’s first choices — a fight whose opening salvo has already begun. Sen. David Vitter is already sending signals he would attempt to block James Connaughton – Romney’s likely choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This will be entertaining to watch should Mitt Romney prevail Tuesday.
2.) For love of country — The Romney campaign is seizing on what you might call a gaffe from President Obama to close its campaign on a hopeful, patriotic note. TheDC’s Neil Munro reports:
“Gov. Mitt Romney is finishing his 2012 race by calling for love, change and hope, while President Barack Obama’s deputies are struggling to explain his call for ‘revenge.’ Romney and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan are spotlighting Obama’s aggressively partisan call on Nov. 2 to his supporters — ‘Vote! Voting is the best revenge’ — to emphasize their optimistic pitch to swing voters who are burdened by four years of a stalled economy. Obama ‘asked his supporters to vote for revenge, for revenge,’ Romney said at a rally late Nov. 2. ‘Instead I ask the American people to vote for love of country,’ he said, prompting a roar of applause from the large crowd.”
Not surprisingly, this has already been made into an ad.
3.) Romney landslide — At least in terms of military endorsements from top former officers. TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein reports:
“Gov. Mitt Romney seemingly has a greater than 50-to-1 advantage in the number of retired admirals and generals who have publicly endorsed his campaign, compared to the number that have endorsed President Barack Obama’s effort. In mid-October, Romney’s campaign released the names of retired admirals and generals that have endorsed the former Massachusetts governor and agreed to be a part of his Military Advisory Council. The total number now stands at 387, according to a list provided by the Romney campaign. In contrast, The Daily Caller could find the names of only seven retired admirals or generals who have gone on the record to endorse President Obama’s re-election campaign, including retired Gens. Colin Powell and Wesley Clark. National Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt did not return any of the four emails TheDC sent him asking if there were more generals and admirals who have endorsed Obama — or, if not, how the Obama campaign explains the wide disparity of support from top retired military officers between the two campaigns.”
PREDICTION: Tuesday’s election will not likely be quite as decisive.
4.) Union outrage — TheDC’s David Martosko reports on union shenanigans during the midst of Hurricane Sandy:
“In a two-page Oct. 29 contract, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) local 1049 demanded union dues, pay hikes and benefit contributions from Florida electric utilities before its workers would be permitted to help reconnect power to Long Island communities. The demand came as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the Northeastern United States, stranding tens of millions without electricity. The ‘Letter of Assent,’ which The Daily Caller obtained from the Florida Municipal Electric Association, demanded 11 separate financial commitments from municipal power companies and electrical cooperatives in the Sunshine State. The agreement, for any utility that decided to sign it, would have been in force from Oct. 29 to Nov. 29. Barry Moline, the association’s executive director, told TheDC that by Nov. 1 the union, based in the central Long Island town of Hauppauge, had relented and stopped insisting that nonunion crews pay dues and other union fees.”
5.) “The Lizard King” quote of the day — From “The Lizard King: The Shocking Inside Account of Obama’s True Intergalactic Ambitions By An Anonymous White House Staffer,” edited and introduced by Daily Caller writers Jamie Weinstein and Will Rahn:
“’Dear General Secretary Brezhnev,’ one letter began. ‘My name is Barry Obama and I am 7 years old. I live in Indonesia. I just want to write and say I love the USSR and your proletarian revolution. I’m rooting for you against the capitalist pigs.’ The letter was signed ‘your friend, Barry’ and included a picture of Obama giving a thumbs-up to a picture of Marx. I had seen dozens of pictures of Obama as a child and this was undoubtedly my boss.”
It is unquestionably the funniest book of the year — and your TheDC Morning facilitator isn’t just saying that because he co-wrote it. BUY … IT … NOW.
6.) Poll of the Day: Pennsylvania is in play — Tribune Review/Susquehanna poll of likely voters in Pennsylvania: President Obama 47%, Mitt Romney 47%. The RealClearPolitics polling average of Pennsylvania has President Obama up 3.9%.