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Wake Up To Politics - November 11, 2015

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015
363 Days until Election Day 2016
82 Days until the Iowa Caucuses It's Wednesday, November 11, 2015, I'm Gabe Fleisher for Wake Up To Politics, and reporting from WUTP world HQ in my bedroom - Good morning: THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL!!!
To send me questions, comments, tips, new subscribers, and more: email me at wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com. To learn more about WUTP and subscribe, visit the site: wakeuptopolitics.com, or like me on Twitter and Facebook. More ways to engage with WUTP at the bottom.    #WUTPDebate

  • I will get to last night’s Republican debate in a moment, but first an exciting announcement: Wake Up To Politics has acquired press credentials to attend the second Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa this Saturday, November 14.
  • I will be watching the debate on the Drake University campus, where it is being held, with members of the national media, and will be in the Spin Room afterwards, an opportunity to ask candidates and their surrogates some questions.
  • And I want to know what YOU want me to ask! Send your questions for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley (or their representatives), and I may ask some of them in the Spin Room.
  • You can send your questions to wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com or tweet them with #WUTPDebate!

2016 Central

  • Fourth Republican Debate: Analysis Eight Republican candidates for President met Tuesday for the fourth primetime debate of the 2016 cycle. The debate, held in Milwaukee and aired on Fox Business News, was much more policy-driven than past debates, with candidates spending much more time talking about their foreign and domestic plans than engaging in personal attacks.
  • This was likely due to softball questions from the Fox Business/Wall Street Journal moderators, which allowed candidates to mostly recite their stump speeches for 90 seconds. As a result, there was no breakout star of the debate, but there were certainly strong performances.
  • Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz both did well Tuesday night, as they have in most of the debates. Especially when left to giving rehearsed answers, Cruz and Rubio shine above some of their rivals prone to mistakes, but both also gave spontaneous and witty responses.
  • Donald Trump, after staying mostly quiet in the Oct. 28 debate, showed up in Milwaukee with a much more bombastic personality. After John Kasich called his immigration plan “silly,” Trump dismissed him. “I have built a company worth billions,” Trump said. “I don’t need to listen to this man.”
  • Trump’s attacks also backfired, though: when he asked of Fiorina, “Why does she keep interrupting everyone?” loud boos were heard from the audience.
  • The two candidates on the receiving ends of Trump’s attacks, Fiorina and Kasich, emerged differently. Kasich spent much of the debate being shut down by his rivals, making it even harder to imagine his path to the nomination. Fiorina, meanwhile, thrived, once again showcasing her strong debate skills.
  • Ben Carson, meanwhile, kept his trademark cool Tuesday night – the conventional playbook would grade his quiet, twisting answers as a poor performance, but it seems to be exactly what his supporters want from him. Carson did, however, get in some good shots at the media, answering his first question with: “First of all, thank you not asking me what I said in the 10th grade. I appreciate that.”
  • Finally, this was probably the best debate for both Jeb Bush and Rand Paul, who have struggled at past debates, but got some good lines in last night. Neither did great, just better than usual: with their campaigns struggling, it is unlikely this will change anything.
  • Carson, Trump Gain Secret Service Protection Republican presidential frontrunners Ben Carson and Donald Trump will begin receiving Secret Service protection at 8am on Wednesday morning, lending credibility to their outsider campaigns.
  • In addition to protecting the President and Vice President of the United States (and their families), as well as visiting heads of state, and other important figures, the Secret Service is authorized to protect “major presidential and vice presidential candidates”.
  • Who qualifies as a “major” candidate? That is left to the Secretary of Homeland Security, who decides the candidates that get Secret Service protection in consultation with a Congressional Advisory Committee made up of the leaders of both chambers of Congress, representing both parties.
  • According to the Secret Service, “criteria have been established to assist the DHS Secretary and the advisory committee in their decision making,” including a public announcement, a “degree of prominence” in polling, active campaigning, and receiving contributions totaling $10 million.
  • So far, Carson and Trump are the only Republican candidates to get Secret Service protection. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is already a protectee, as a former First Lady.
  • All protectees of the Secret Service are given a letter of the alphabet from which they can choose a codename, which is how their agents will refer to them. According to a Fox News report, Trump has chosen “Mogul,” a reference to his business background, while Carson will be “Eli,” perhaps a biblical reference.
  • Notably, all the Republican presidential candidates were asked what their Secret Service codenames would be if elected at the Sept. 16 CNN debate. Trump answered “Humble,” while Carson went with “One Nation”. Neither of them ended up with this codenames.

White House Watch

  • The President’s Schedule President Obama marks Veterans Day today, with a 9am breakfast with military families and an 11am wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Question of the Day

  • Today’s Question Which 2012 presidential candidates received Secret Service protection?
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For more on Wake Up To Politics, listen to Gabe on NPR's "Talk of the Nation, the Political Junkie podcast, and St. Louis Public Radio; watch Gabe on MSNBC's "Up with Steve Kornacki, and read about Gabe in Politico, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Globe, and the St. Louis Jewish Light