MORNING
MESSAGE
In
almost every state, a worker needs more than $15 an hour to make ends meet. Add
in student debt, and the minimum living wage shoots up to $18.67 an hour
nationally. A family with children needs significantly more. That’s according to
new research from People’s Action Institute, which calculates the national
living wage at $17.28 ... In some states, the living wage is much higher. New
Jersey, Maryland, and New York have a living wage greater than $20 per hour for
a single adult. In Hawaii and Washington, D.C., that figure hits almost $22 per
hour.
GOP CANDIDATES ON THEIR OWN
Republican
candidates ditch Trump. Politico: “It’s an approach that hasn’t gone into
use since 1996, when Republicans, confronting an inevitable loss in the
presidential race, aired blank check ads warning of the perils of handing
then-President Bill Clinton Democratic majorities in Congress.”
Clinton
pushes into red territory. Politico: “…Clinton is set to visit Iowa — the
toughest traditional swing state for her … In Utah … Clinton is adding staffers.
In Arizona … Democrats are now raising money for Latino get-out-the-vote efforts
pegged to former governor Jan Brewer’s declaration to the Boston Globe last week
that Hispanics ‘don’t vote.’ … Finally, in Georgia — where Clinton’s main super
PAC Priorities USA Action is commencing advertising — Rep. John Lewis marched
with millennial voters across the Nelson Street Bridge to line up in front of
their early voting location in Atlanta…”
Dems
even eye Texas. NYT: “Democrats in the state call it a long shot, but some
say they believe she has a chance; Republicans say it will be close but are
confident that Mr. Trump will triumph. Political consultants who have both
Republican and Democratic clients, and people who study Texas politics, say
regardless of Mr. Trump’s narrow lead, he will take the state … Some Texas
Republicans, dissatisfied with both Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, said they would
go to the polls on Election Day but not vote for anyone for president.”
The
Nation profiles Zephyr Teachout’s race for Congress: ” The question on
everyone’s mind since Sanders lost the Democratic nomination has been: Does that
political revolution have legs? Teachout’s campaign, which is fighting to flip a
red district blue in upstate New York, will be seen as a referendum on this
question … right now she’s neck and neck with [Republican John] Faso in the
polls…”
WARREN SET TO CHECK CLINTON
Left
looks to Warren to influence Clinton. NYT: “…liberal Democrats are already
looking past Election Day — and relying on Ms. Warren to become the thorn in
chief in Mrs. Clinton’s side, scrutinizing her appointments and agenda …
Democrats frequently point to Ms. Warren as a model for how to gain the public’s
attention in effectively blocking appointments.”
Progressives
and tech industry set to clash. Politico: “…Clinton would have to fill a
raft of positions at the Justice Department and the FTC, the government’s twin
cops on the competition beat. The tech industry … could easily face new scrutiny
if Clinton bows to the Warren wing and appoints people with a tougher eye for
enforcement … the tech industry, which has generously supported Clinton, is
starting to take notice.”
AMERICA TRAILS IN WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION
US
lagging behind other nations in workforce participation. Bloomberg: “In late
2007, before the recession started, the prime-age employment-to-population ratio
in the U.S. was about the same as in other Group of Seven developed nations …
The U.S., however, experienced a much larger decline during the recession, and
remains much farther from undoing the damage … Fed officials often say that the
U.S. is close to achieving [full employment]. How can that possibly be
true…”
The
Atlantic’s Matt Stoller looks back at how congressional Democrats in 1975 moved
party away from populism: “…the recently elected Democratic congressmen were
known [as] young, idealistic liberals who had been swept into office on a
promise to clean up government [and] end the war in Vietnam … The story of [Rep.
Wright] Patman’s ousting [as banking committee chair] is part of the larger
story of how the Democratic Party helped to create today’s shockingly
disillusioned and sullen public, a large chunk of whom is now marching for
Donald Trump.”
America’s
mayors reject Trump’s negative characterization of inner cities, in Politico
survey: “75 percent feel more optimistic about the economy than six months
ago … More than 70 percent cited downtown rehabilitation efforts for playing a
role … the mayors betrayed an interesting split: Between incentives and
investments for entrepreneurs and small firms, and more progressive-minded
initiatives and wealth transfers, like minimum wage and affordable housing.”
HEALTH CARE COSTS WILL GO UP FOR SOME
Health
care premiums expected to rise. NYT: “Premiums for midlevel health plans
under the Affordable Care Act will increase by an average of 25 percent next
year, while consumers in some states will find significantly fewer insurance
companies offering coverage, the federal government said Monday. But the Obama
administration said three-fourths of consumers would still be able to find plans
for less than $100 a month with the help of federal subsidies.”
Dems
scramble to address health care premium rise. The Hill: “Democrats point out
that 85 percent of ObamaCare enrollees receive financial help under the law and
that it cushions people by increasing along with any premium increases … But it
is the other 15 percent, about 1.6 million people, who do not receive financial
help, where Democrats admit there is a problem. There are also about 7 million
people with individual coverage outside of the law’s marketplaces who are fully
exposed to premium increases … Clinton, for example, wants to provide a new tax
credit of up to $5,000 … Republicans remain firmly opposed to spending more
money on the healthcare law.”
Progressive
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