President Obama can't dial an iPhone, a problem he should fix, since a commander-in-chief with a Jitterbug would undoubtedly cause a second recession. A Romney campaign official thinks voters are experiencing a sugar high after the Democratic convention, which must mix terribly with the hangover Mitt Romney insists they're suffering. And Harry Reid reopened the Senate today by lampooning Paul Ryan's made-up marathon results, further solidifying the upper chamber's status as a cable news studio with nicer chairs. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Monday, September 10th, 2012:
CONGRESS NEARING FUNDING DEAL - Politico: "House and Senate negotiators were close to a deal Monday on a six month stop-gap bill that will raise most appropriations accounts by about 0.6 percent to meet the $1.047 trillion spending target set for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The framework, worked out over the weekend, is still subject to final scoring from the Congressional Budget Office, and that could alter some details. But both Democrats and Republicans were optimistic that the continuing resolution, or CR, can now be filed in time for House action this week. Select programs, such as aid for refugee children or new cyber security software to protect government computers, are expected to get individual increases. But the across-the-board increase appears to cover the bulk of the estimated $8 billion added for non-emergency appropriations." [Politico]
It's gonna be a great couple of weeks: "Majority Leader Harry Reid opened the Senate session Monday by mocking Ryan, who had to correct his initial claim last month of running a marathon in 'two hour and fifty-something.' In fact, Ryan's time was just over four hours." [AP]
BUMP'D: OBAMA UP BY SIX IN CNN POLL - Boy, the inclusion of the Jerusalem thing and "God" really paid off, huh? CNN: "According to a CNN/ORC International Poll released Monday, 52% of likely voters nationwide back the president, compared to 46% for Romney. Just before the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Obama was tied with Romney 48%-48%...The convention energized -- at least temporarily -- the Democratic base, as more Democrats (59%) than Republicans (57%) seemed to be enthusiastic about voting. This marks a turnaround from last week, when the number of Republicans who said they were extremely or very enthusiastic about voting was six points higher than for Democrats." [CNN]
NOW, TO A RACE WE CARE ABOUT: Warren Gets Convention Bounce - Elizabeth Warren's star turn at the Democratic convention, coupled with surging liberal enthusiasm, has erased Scott Brown's 6-point lead in a GOP poll. Kimball Political Consulting had Brown up 49-43 before the conventions; they now have him up 46-45 among likely voters. Obama also saw a five point swing in the same survey. [PR Newswire]
HOUSE GOP ENTERING INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH ALEC - Tomorrow in Roll Call from Janie Lorber: "The Republican Study Committee is laying the groundwork for a new partnership with the American Legislative Exchange Council even as dozens of major corporations cut ties with the conservative nonprofit for its support of controversial voting and gun laws. The RSC is working in quiet partnership with ALEC to host a gathering next Friday at the Heritage Foundation in hopes of establishing an ongoing, formal relationship with the group that would allow federal lawmakers to exchange ideas with state legislators."
The more you know: "Wayne Knight, Seinfeld's 'Newman,' Says He Sympathizes With Postal Workers Facing Cuts"
Don't be bashful: Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill
ROMNEY BACKTRACKS ON PRE-EXISTING CONDITION COVERAGE - During his "Meet the Press" appearance yesterday, the Republican presidential candidate listed several parts of the Affordable Care Act that he supports. "I'm not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I'm going to put in place," he said. "One is to make sure that those with preexisting conditions can get coverage." The Romney campaign backtracked on that statement today, saying the candidate actually supports a more modest proposal that doesn't guarantee protections for all Americans with pre-existing conditions, which came after a backtracking that began Sunday night. In this situation, Romney is Lucy with the football and Charlie Brown is a bunch of Americans, suffering arthritis, high blood pressure and being dead. Our guess is that this isn't an error: They're happy to tell one thing to the broader public and something different to the National Review. Very impressive, if striking a guy out with scuffball is the kind of thing that impresses you. [TPM]
@AriBerman: Shocking stat: nearly as many new voting restrictions passed from 2011-2012 as from 1865--1967 tnat.in/dwLnu
President Obama told Bob Woodward that he was unaware that Paul Ryan would attend a speech last year where he sharply criticized the congressman's budget proposals. He also called the Republican vice presidential candidate "Jack Ryan," which Ryan can only take as a compliment, seeing as how the commander-in-chief subconsciously associates him with the badass protagonist of Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. "I'll go ahead and say it -- I think that I was not aware when I gave that speech that Jack Ryan was going to be sitting right there," he said. [ABC News]
ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: AMERICA CONSUMED A BUNCH OF PIXIE STICKS LAST WEEK - In response to recent polling that the Obama/Biden ticket received a substantive bump after last week's convention in Charlotte, Mitt Romney's chief pollster Neil Newhouse circulated a memo today claiming that voters are experiencing a "sugar high." He did not specify whether voters will be sleepy and in need of a nap in a few days. "Don't get too worked up about the latest polling. While some voters will feel a bit of a sugar-high from the conventions, the basic structure of the race has not changed significantly," he wrote. "The reality of the Obama economy will reassert itself as the ultimate downfall of the Obama Presidency, and Mitt Romney will win this race."
America collectively bear hugged Barack Obama last month, donating $114 million to his campaign and the DNC. It's the first time that the Democrats have outraised Mitt Romney and the RNC, who raised $111.6 million during the same period, since Romney and the RNC combined fundraising. "Fueled by contributions from more than 1.1 million Americans donating an average of $58 -- more than 317,000 who had never contributed to the campaign before -- we raised a total of more than $114 million. That is a critical downpayment on the organization we are building across the country -- the largest grassroots campaign in history," Jim Messina said in a statement. [HuffPost's Paul Blumenthal]
EMANUEL STEPPING DOWN FROM SUPER PAC FUNDRAISING - As much as Chicago's mayor and erstwhile White House Chief-of-Staff loves the prospect of hobnobbing with America's monied liberals, the prospect of putting the boot to a bunch of striking city employees has proved too irresistible. Emanuel is stepping down from his position as a fundraising representative for Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA Action to handle the teachers strike in his hometown. "Everything is on hold at this moment," top Emanuel aide Tom Bowen told Politico. [Politico]
Mitt Romney condemned the strike today: "I am disappointed by the decision of the Chicago Teachers Union to turn its back on not only a city negotiating in good faith but also the hundreds of thousands of children relying on the city's public schools to provide them a safe place to receive a strong education," he said in a statement. "Teachers unions have too often made plain that their interests conflict with those of our children, and today we are seeing one of the clearest examples yet." [HuffPost's Dave Jamieson]
Emanuel responds: "While I appreciate his lip service, what really counts is what we are doing here, and I don't give two hoots about national comments scoring political points or trying to embarrass or whatever the president." [HuffPost's Dave Jamieson]
CHUCK SCHUMER'S STOMACH WILL KEEP YOUR WHITES THEIR WHITEST - In his latest attempt at consumer advocacy / bid for easy publicity, Chuck Schumer is calling on laundry and dish detergent manufacturers to make their easy-use pods less colorful so they are not tempting to young children... or Chuck Schumer. "The incidents are skyrocketing," Schumer said at a press conference yesterday. "These pods were supposed to make household chores easier, not tempt our children to swallow harmful chemicals. I saw one on my staffer's desk and I wanted to eat it.... I don't know why they make them look so delicious." Also is it just us or do you always seem to lose your socks in Chuck Schumer's stomach? Nyuck nyuck nyuck. [Daily News]
Yikes: "Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., had a scare Sunday evening when a woman approached him in a South Carolina church parking lot and pointed a gun at him. Gowdy was sitting in his car waiting to pick up his daughter, when the woman approached and accused him of following her. The woman, identified as Gloria Brackett of Atlanta, pulled a .32 caliber semi-automatic gun out of her purse and aimed it at him. Gowdy was able to put his car in reverse and drive off, though Brackett pursued him on foot. He drove to the police station. Brackett was arrested shortly after." [Examiner]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Go for the gold: Synchronized cats.
President Obama had difficulty operating an iPhone during a campaign swing in Florida yesterday. The president was trying to phone several volunteers to thank them for their efforts but was unable to access numerical pad on his official iPhone. "Oh, I got to dial it in. Hold on, hold on. I can do this," he said as he fumbled with the device. "See, I still have a BlackBerry." We suppose the president is exhibiting the primary symptom of presidentitis, which is a total inability to properly operate anything that was popularized during the patient's campaign and administration. He and Michelle are going to have such a hard time renting a Zipcar when they move out of the White House. Don't anybody tell them their Flexcar membership is worthless. [Washington Times]
COMFORT FOOD
- "The Wire" as a Super Nintendo game is our favorite. [http://t.co/7gTTOfC9]
- Cat on a leash cannot support the new policy of cat leashing. [http://bit.ly/NVRobc]
- There are a lot of timelapse videos of the night sky bouncing around the internet. This particular timelapse -- featuring vistas in the Pacific Northwest -- is the "Mona Lisa" of timelapses. [http://bit.ly/Pis11C]
- "Shit Apple Fanatics Say" [http://bit.ly/OAFuil]
- The first print advertisements for some of the 20th century's most famous books. [http://bit.ly/QBzPrw]
- Bro... I mean, bro: football trick shots. [http://bit.ly/O8xlAk]
- Shattered Kindle screens as art. [http://bit.ly/TC8FHk]
TWITTERAMA
@AdrienneLaF: How much would you love to see the messages Joe Biden wrote in classmates yearbooks?
@dcbigjohn: just had to explain to a new Capitol police why "please widen your stance" is not the best line when wanding visitors in the senate
@pourmecoffee: Romney can't seem to cover his pre-existing positions.
ON TAP
TONIGHT
5:00 pm: You probably won't find two Republicans with a higher average approval rating than Laura Bush and Ann Romney. The two first ladies attend a fundraiser for Romney/Ryan. [Oklahoma City, OK]
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm: Sean Duffy answers (for the 43,511st time) just how small the confessional room is at his health care industry soiree. [The Chesapeake Room, 501 8th Street, SE]
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm: If there's one thing that springs to mind when you think of your standard wind-swept, hardscrabble, no-nonsense New Mexican, it's five-star luxury accommodations and champagne. Martin Heinrich's Senate campaign is the beneficiary of a champagne reception at the Plaza Hotel. [New York, NY]
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Mike Kirkpatrick is the guest of honor at a "Cigar and Bourbon" reception that is the type of party you'd hold if you were hosting a politician theme party. Robert Hurt will also attend. [W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist, 699 15th Street]
7:00 pm: That dollar sign bat signal your saw last night? Probably signalling that a Ways and Means Committee member is having fundraiser. Tom Reed will gladly take your money at a campaign function. [Art and Soul, 415 New Jersey Ave NW]
Got something to add? Send tips/quotes/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to Eliot Nelson (eliot@huffingtonpost.com), Ryan Grim (ryan@huffingtonpost.com) or Arthur Delaney (arthur@huffingtonpost.com). Follow us on Twitter @HuffPostHill (twitter.com/HuffPostHill). Sign up here: http://huff.to/an2k2e