THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL

Since 2011
Gabe Fleisher, Editor-in-Chief
wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com

wakeuptopolitics.com @WakeUp2Politics

Election Central
The Landscape Ahead Going in to the race for the Senate 2014, we always
knew it would be the Republican Partys to lose. Democrats had to defend
21 Senate seats, seven of them in states won by Mitt Romney in the 2012
presidential election, while Republicans had just 15 seats to defend, with
only one of them won by Barack Obama in 2012.
Now, as the 2016 cycle begins (right after the 2014 cycle ends, in my book),
the tables are turned, and its looking like the Senate majority Republicans
just won may last for just two years.
The roles of the two parties are flipped except for Republicans may have it
worse in 2016 than Democrats had in 2014. Republicans have 24 seats up,
including seven won by Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and two held by
Obama in 2008, while Democrats have just 10 seats to defend, none of
which went for Mitt Romney.
The first Democratic targets will be Republicans Mark Kirk (IL), Pat
Toomey (PA), Ron Johnson (WI), Rob Portman (OH), Kelly Ayotte (NH),
and Marco Rubio (FL). These are six of the seven Obama 08/12
Republicans, and this group were all elected in 2010 and their wins were
more reflective of the GOP wave that year than their states environments.
Other states Democrats are eyeing are Indiana and North Carolina, where
Dan Coats and Richard Burr respectively, will be up for re-election, both in
states won by Obama in 2008. Primary challenges for a number of moderate

Republicans (such as Arizonas John McCain and Alaskas Lisa Murkowski)

could also wound the partys chances of keeping the seats.
Meanwhile, Republicans dont see very many pick-up opportunities,
although there is still the Democratic incumbents who nearly lost in 2010:
Harry Reid of Nevada, whose status as Senate Majority (soon to be
Minority) Leader would make him a satisfying win, and Michael Bennet of
Colorado.
DWS Takes Priebus 12 Lead, Orders Post-Election Party Review Rep.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), chair of the Democratic National
Committee, took to YouTube Saturday to announce a top-to-bottom
assessment of the Democratic Party, in light of poor performances in the
2010 and 2014 midterm elections.
The review will come from key party stakeholders and experts Wasserman
Schultz said she would tap to make up the committee, which will report at
the DNCs Winter Meeting in February.
Its apparent that there are increasingly two separate electorates: a midterm
electorate and a presidential electorate. We win one and we don't seem to be
able to win the other, Wasserman Schultz said in announcing the review.
That is a fundamental dynamic that we have to change.
This seems very similar to Republican National Committee chair Reince
Priebus order following the 2012 presidential election for an autopsy of
his party, which resulted in a 98-page report listing ways the GOP could
change their image, in hopes of looking more favorable to voters and
winning more elections.
The first step in solving a problem is recognizing you have one (or many):
and it appears looking for all your partys problems after a devastating cycle
may well become a tradition around Washington.

White House Watch

The Presidents Schedule President Obama will round out his visit to
China today, and then begin his next stop on the Asia trip: Burma (I use the
word today liberally as China time is 13 hours behind Eastern Time,
which is what Im using here):

 Tuesday (EST)
President Obama will participate in a State Arrival Welcome Ceremony, to
begin the official start of his State Visit to China with President Xi, even
though he has been in the country for two days.
At 8:15 PM, the President will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping,
before delivering statements with President Xi at 10:40 PM.
Wednesday (EST)
At 11:30 AM, Obama will attend a State Banquet hosted by Xi.
At 3:05 AM, the President leaves Beijing for Naypyitaw, Burma, where he
arrives at 8:25 AM.
At 8:50 AM, he will attend an East Asia Summit Gala Dinner, and then will
remain overnight in Burma (since it is the night at this point in Burma, and
Obama will go to sleep.)
Obama, Xi Cut Climate Deal U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese
President Xi Jinping both pledged Wednesday to slash or limit carbon
emissions over the next two decades in a bid by the worlds two biggest
greenhouse gas polluters to kick-start global talks to combat climate
change, according to Politico.
This agreement comes after several round of talks between the two nations,
with the pollution targets set by both Presidents, ambitious goals, not
expected to be released yet.
Obama promised that America would accelerate the pace of reduction in
carbon dioxide emissions already slated through 2020, by cutting emissions
by 26-28% below 2005 levels by the year 2025. Meanwhile, Xi pledged
China would set a target of having carbon dioxide emissions stop rising by
around 2030, and possibly earlier. China would also work to get around a
fifth of its energy supply from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, Politico
reported.
This pledge by Obama with China comes as Obama has promised to make
executive orders on climate change by the end of the year, a promise he
reportedly still plans to keep with a rollout of climate change actions in
December.

Capitol Hill News

Senate Status Update The U.S. Senate returns from a two-month-long
recess and begins the lame-duck session that will last until the 114th
Congress is sworn in on January 3.
At 5:30 PM, the Senate will move from 10-minute speeches to morning
business (which is the business of the Senate but not necessarily in the
morning). Today, the morning business will be cloture votes on two District
Judge nominations: Randolph Moss of the District of Columbia and Leigh
Martin May of the Northern District of Georgia.
House Status Update The U.S. House also returns today at 2 PM. Any
votes will not occur until 6:30 PM.

Question of the Day

Todays Question Today is a holiday for President Rutherford B.
Hayesbut in what country?
HINT: It is not the U.S., but a Spanish-speaking country: the holidays office
name is Presidente Hayes Day.