Inside the Beltway: Midterm fever: Conservatives stoked for election

NEWS AND OPINION:

The American Conservative Union has released a no-nonsense get-out-the-vote message now running in 28 key congressional districts, including the territories of Reps. Mia Love of Utah, Dave Brat of Virginia, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Pete Sessions of Texas and, Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida — to name just a few.

The new outreach does not spare the viewer. In 30 seconds, the video spot offers a disquieting montage of Supreme Court protesters, police confronting a mob, Hillary Clinton advising against “civility” toward Republicans and actor Robert DeNiro shaking his fist and publicly shouting an F-bomb at President Trump during a Hollywood awards show.

“Is this the America you want to live in? You can make a difference. Vote Nov. 6,” the new video advises viewers.

“As a result of the far left’s efforts to derail Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, conservatives who usually only vote in presidential contest years have learned exactly what’s at stake in these important midterms. We are committed to not just making sure they show up on Nov. 6th, but making sure they knock on doors, drive the vans and bring plenty of their friends, too,” Ian Walters, American Conservative Union Communications Director, tells Inside the Beltway.

“This six-figure, data-driven digital ad buy is designed to strategically shift over to tightening races as Election Day approaches. Energized conservative turnout is critical,” Mr. Walters adds.

Conservatives may just be raring to go. A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds that 75 percent of U.S. voters overall say that conservatives are indeed motivated to turn out and vote when the time comes. A noteworthy 88 percent of conservatives themselves agree with that assessment — along with 78 percent of liberals, 72 percent of moderates, 78 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of men and 73 percent of women.

#MAGABOMBER: REACTING TO THE BOMB THREAT

Multiple explosive devices sent to prominent Democrats and CNN in the last 48 hours have prompted a wide range of public reactions, including #MAGAbomber, which emerged on Twitter on Wednesday to lead the national trends on the social media site for many hours and spark considerable controversy.

Then there is the press coverage. A few headlines to help gauge the scope of it all:

“Day of terror: Dems, CNN targeted” (Huffington Post); “Pro-Trump media insists bomb threats against Clinton, Obama, CNN are ’pure BS,’ a ’false flag’” (The Daily Beast); “White House condemns suspected bombing attempts at Obama, Clinton homes and CNN” (Breitbart News); “GOP leaders: ’Acts of pure terror’ have no place in politics” (The Hill); “Why the Obama-Clinton-CNN bomber will likely be caught quickly” (Washington Examiner); “The White House has to do more than condemn the crazies” (Washington Post); “Are you suspicious of suspicious packages?” (MichaelSavage.com); “Hillary Clinton addresses bomb threats at Florida event: ’It Is a troubling time, isn’t it?’” (People); “Trump says political violence has no place in the U.S.” (CNN).

OVERLOOKING THE SECURITY GAINS

News organizations have ignored economic gains and other viable accomplishments made by President Trump and his administration according to multiple studies conducted by the Media Research Center, a conservative press watchdog. A new study from the organization reveals that the press is also overlooking Mr. Trump’s triumphs in the war on terrorism and national security.

“One of the Trump administration’s major accomplishments since taking office has been the virtual destruction of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, including the capture of the terror group’s capital city of Raqqa in Syria. Under Trump, U.S.-backed coalition forces have regained nearly all of the territory that the self-ordained caliphate occupied in 2015,” writes Bill D’Agostino, an analyst for the watchdog group.

Since Mr. Trump was inaugurated, evening news broadcasts on ABC, NBC and CBS have spent more than 10,000 minutes on the Trump presidency. Only 33 minutes — less than 1 percent — covered the administration’s handling of the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the study found.

“More broadly, the war itself has largely been forgotten. During the past 21 months, analysts found the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts spent a paltry 157 minutes on all developments in the war against ISIS, whether or not they involved the Trump administration. In contrast, those same newscasts devoted more than 33 hours of airtime to the ongoing Russia investigation,” Mr. D’Agostino said.

IF YOU WON THAT $1,600,000,000

An interesting analyst from Chris Fuhrmeister, pop culture editor for Eater.com, an energetic food blog. In theory, What sort of fancy foodie stuff could the recent winner of the $1.6 billion lottery jackpot buy with the winnings — which would likely amount to $569.5 million, after taxes. His suggestions:

10,772 bottles of 1996 Dom Perignon rose gold Methuselah champagne, the priciest bubbles available at $52,859.43 per bottle.

16,507 kilos of Almas black-gold caviar, the most expensive in the world with a typical price of $34,500 per kilo.

123,261 whole legs of Manchado de Jabugo jamon Iberico — that’s ham — which checks in at $4,620.28 per leg

Plan some trips to Disneyland, skip the rides, and enjoy 37,967 meals at the theme park’s high-end 21 Royal restaurant, where dinner for 12 friends goes for $15,000.

POLL DU JOUR

• 76 percent of U.S. voters are aware that Sen. Elizabeth Warren took a DNA test which showed evidence of a Native American ancestry; 74 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of independents and 75 percent of Democrats agree.

• 49 percent overall said this news made “no difference either way” to them; 40 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 57 percent of Democrats agree.

• 45 percent overall said it was “inappropriate” for Ms. Warren to once claim this heritage on a law school-related application; 61 percent of Republicans, 50 percent of independents and 25 percent of Democrats agree.

• 24 percent overall said the news about her heritage made them think less favorably of her; 39 percent of Republicans, 26 percent of independents and 9 percent of Democrats agree.

• 16 percent overall said the news made them think more favorably of her; 9 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of independents and 26 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Politico/Morning Consult poll of 1,968 registered U.S. voters conducted Oct. 18-19.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin