| | | | Democrats on 2018: 😄 Republicans on 2018: 😒 | | The 2018 midterm election is in 258 days.
Democrats are very, very ready for it. Republicans? Not so much.
That's according to a new CNN/SSRS national poll, which suggests that Democratic voters are far more enthusiastic about the coming midterms than their GOP counterparts.
A majority of registered Democrats -- 52% -- say they are either "extremely" (30%) or "very" (22%) enthusiastic about "voting for Congress this year."
For Republicans, 17% say they are "extremely" enthusiastic about voting this fall while another 23% say they are "very" enthusiastic.
Here's the big takeaway: Almost twice as many Democrats as Republicans are "extremely" into voting this November. And history tells us that, especially in midterm elections, the most enthusiastic and passionate voters usually vote. Everybody else, well, doesn't.
Look back at 2010 -- a midterm election in which Republicans wracked up massive gains. In the final CNN poll before that election, 54% of registered Republicans called themselves "extremely" or "very" enthusiastic about voting. That was 20 points higher than the percentage of Democrats excited about voting in that same election.
Circumstances can -- and sometimes do -- change. It's possible that as the midterms get closer, Republican enthusiasm bumps up amid the stakes-setting from President Trump. (He said last week at CPAC that if Democrats took the congressional majority, they would repeal the Second Amendment.)
But history is stacked against Republicans. In the 20 midterm elections between 1934 and 2014, the party who controlled the presidency lost House seats in all but three (1934 during the Great Depression, 1998 during a backlash against GOP impeachment efforts, 2002 in the runup to the war in Iraq.)
The Point: Republicans have a base enthusiasm problem. This is not a new phenomenon. But it is one that suggests Democrats are in line for major gains in Congress this fall.
-- Chris | | "I suggest we need a little less tweeting here and a little more listening."
-Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to President Trump | | | MELANIA TALKS PARKLAND SHOOTING | | First lady Melania Trump spoke about the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, while addressing the spouses of the nation's governors in the Blue Room of the White House on Monday
"In my year as first lady, I have also learned that it is often times after a tragedy that you see the strength and resilience of the human spirit," she said. "I have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change. They are our future and they deserve a voice." Read more in CNN reporter Betsy Klein's dispatch here.
President Donald Trump also talked about the Parkland shooting on Monday, though he had a different take: He criticized the sheriff deputies' response to the shooting.
"The way they performed was frankly disgusting. ... I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon," he said.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump will meet with lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss legislative solutions in response to the Parkland shooting. | | | "Hundred Acres" by S. Carey, the drummer for Bon Iver. | | SUPREME COURT STAYS OUT OF DACA DISPUTE | | CNN's Ariane de Vogue and Tal Kopan reported Monday:
"The Supreme Court said it will stay out of the dispute concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for now, meaning the Trump administration may not be able to end the program March 5 as planned.
"The move will also lessen pressure on Congress to act on a permanent solution for DACA and its roughly 700,000 participants -- undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.
"Lawmakers had often cited the March 5 deadline as their own deadline for action. But the Senate failed to advance any bill during a debate earlier this month, and no bipartisan measure has emerged since. Originally, the Trump administration had terminated DACA but allowed a six-month grace period for anyone with status expiring in that window to renew. After that date, March 5, any DACA recipient whose status expired would no longer be able to receive protections."
Read more here. | | MISSISSIPPI RACE HEATS UP | | From CNN's Eric Bradner:
"Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel is preparing to challenge Sen. Roger Wicker in this year's Republican primary, two GOP sources confirm. "McDaniel is the conservative who nearly ousted Sen. Thad Cochran in a 2014 primary. He is holding a Facebook Live event Monday night that is intended to drive people to a rally in his hometown of Ellisville, Mississippi, on Wednesday. " 'I have some important information to share about our political future,' McDaniel says in the Facebook Live event invitation, adding that this week 'should be interesting.' " Read more in Eric's story here. | | THE 'INAPPROPRIATE' QUESTION | | In an interview with NBC that ran Monday morning, Ivanka Trump was asked a simple question: "Do you believe your father's accusers?" Her response: "I think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he's affirmatively stated there's no truth to it."
As Chris wrote: "That's a totally fine answer for a daughter to give! Makes perfect sense! Except ... Ivanka Trump isn't just a daughter. She's also a White House senior adviser. She has an office in the building. She is seen as one of a very small group of voices the President listens to. "Any other adviser at such a senior level and with such perceived influence over the President would be expected to face just these sorts of questions."
Read more from Chris' take here. | | MONICA LEWINSKY ON #METOO | | In a new essay for Vanity Fair, Monica Lewinsky said the #MeToo movement has forced her to confront the power dynamics of her 1990s affair with then-President Bill Clinton.
"I now see how problematic it was that the two of us even got to a place where there was a question of consent. Instead, the road that led there was littered with inappropriate abuse of authority, station and privilege. (Full stop.)" she wrote. (Read more in CNN's story by Maegan Vazquez).
Chris' thoughts? Monica Lewinsky has a reckoning with her relationship with Bill Clinton. We should, too. | | | Click on CNN Politics' Instagram story every Monday through Friday afternoon for more #content, courtesy of Chris and CNN's Brenna Williams. | | | Monday's almost over. Thanks for reading. Please remind other people you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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