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The Fix: Republicans hold small but steady edge in battle for Senate majority

All three major election models give Republicans a six-in-ten (or better) chance of picking up the six seats the party needs to reclaim the Senate majority, with just 29 days left before voters head to the polls on Nov. 4.

The Washington Post's Election Lab is the most bullish on Republicans' chances, pegging it as a 78 percent probability they win control of the chamber. LEO, the New York Times' Upshot model, has the chances at 60 percent -- roughly the same as Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight at 59.4 percent. The overall predictions of Election Lab and FiveThirtyEight are virtually unchanged from a week ago (click here to see how things looked then) while the LEO model is less optimistic about a Republican-controlled Senate this week than it was last week (67 percent probability on Sept. 29.)

Of the 11 marginally competitive contests -- we do not include Republican open seat takeover opportunities (more like virtual certainties) in Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia in that category -- all three models agree on nine of the races including four seats that would be additional GOP pickups, bringing their total to seven pickups. Those seats are:

* Alaska: All three forecasts show former state Attorney General Dan Sullivan (R) with between a 68 percent and 77 percent chance of beating Sen. Mark Begich (D).

* Arkansas: The models suggest that Rep. Tom Cotton (R) is increasingly likely to beat Sen. Mark Pryor (D). Both LEO and Election Lab put Cotton's chances over 80 percent.

* Iowa: The models all show state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) as a slight favorite to claim Sen. Tom Harkin's (D) open seat. Both FiveThirtyEight (59 percent Ernst win) and LEO (55 percent) are somewhat guarded in their optimism for the Republican's chance; Election Lab is far more bullish, pegging Ernst with a 76 percent probability of victory.

* Louisiana: Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D) odds of winning reelection continue to get worse. No model has the probability of a Republican takeover lower than 74 percent.

The three models disagree in two states: Kansas and Colorado.

In Kansas, where an NBC/Marist poll released Sunday showed independent candidate Greg Orman with a 10-point edge over Sen. Pat Roberts (R), LEO (64 percent independent) and FiveThirtyEight (65 percent independent) lean toward an Orman victory. Election Lab still gives Roberts a 76 percent chance of winning. (Worth noting: Orman has not said which party he would caucus with if he does win. But he is quite clearly Democrats' best chance of a pickup; none of the models paint an optimistic picture for Democratic hopes in Kentucky or Georgia.)

In Colorado, Election Lab (70 percent Republican) and, more narrowly, FiveThirtyEight (53 percent) see Rep. Cory Gardner (R) as the favorite. LEO basically rates the race a pure toss-up, but gives the slightest of edges -- 51 percent chance of victory -- to Sen. Mark Udall (D).

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The Fix: Republicans hold small but steady edge in battle for Senate majority

Why Are Progressives Great at Morality, Terrible at Messaging? – Video


Why Are Progressives Great at Morality, Terrible at Messaging?
George Lakoff, professor of cognitive science at the University of California Berkeley and author of Don #39;t Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate, joins David to...

By: David Pakman Show

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Why Are Progressives Great at Morality, Terrible at Messaging? - Video

Lauren Zuniga – To The Progressives Plotting Mass Exodus – Video


Lauren Zuniga - To The Progressives Plotting Mass Exodus
Lauren Zuniga performs to the Payne County Democrats Brayfest Stillwater, OK 10/3/2014.

By: Jenny Thompson

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Lauren Zuniga - To The Progressives Plotting Mass Exodus - Video

Presidential primariesll not disintegrate APC Saraki

A chief of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Bukola Saraki, hassaid that APC will not disintegrate because of its presidentialprimaries.

He stated that the contestants had given assurance that they wouldabide by the outcome of the primaries and would work for the overallinterest of the party.

In an interview with journalists in Ilorin on Monday, he also said itwas a mere propaganda that APC would disintegrate after itsprimaries. He said such propaganda would not materialise.

According to him, the presidential primaries would rather unify andstrengthen the party.

Saraki said, This is the propaganda from the opposition. I want toassure Nigerians that the fact we are going to have the primariesshould not in any way disintegrate the party. I believe that even suchprimaries will help to unify the party. We saw it during the era ofSocial Democratic Party; after the primaries, the party did notdisintegrate, rather it made the party stronger.

Even in the early days of the Peoples Democratic Party, ChiefOlusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Alex Ekwueme had primaries and the party didnot disintegrate. I can open up and tell you that I have had theopportunity to sit with General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji AbubakarAtiku and Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso. There are assurances from them that whichever way the primary goes, they will support whoever emerges asthe candidate.

When we started to merge with the legacy parties, the opposition saidthe party will disintegrate with the merger. After that they said thatby the time we go for national convention the party woulddisintegrate, yet none happened.

The party will not disintegrate because we are all making sacrificesevery day. It is not easy to come together to take on a governmentwith this level of impunity. We are all doing this because we trulybelieve that this is the best way for Nigeria. I have utmostconfidence that whoever emerges as the presidential flag bearer forAPC, we will rally round the person.

Saraki who is Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment,said he would soon inform Nigerians whether he would contest for the2015 presidential election or not.

He urged all Nigerians to rise above selfish ambitions and makenecessary sacrifices that would uplift the country.

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Presidential primariesll not disintegrate APC Saraki

Atiku Abubakar calls for devolution of power

A former Vice-President and All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, has called for devolution of powers to give more resources to states in the country.

According to him, most of responsibilities being carried out by the Federal Government are supposed to be handled by the State Government.

He said the 2015 general elections was another opportunity for Nigerians to chase out the Peoples Democratic Party by voting for the APC.

Abubakar stated this on Monday in Ado Ekiti at the inauguration of the ultra-modern Oba Adejugbe General Hospital built by Governor Kayode Fayemi to mark the end of his four-year tenure in office.

Fayemi assured that the state had made efforts to ensure that itwas free of the Ebola.

Abubakar, who commended Fayemi for the feats explained that the Federal Government had no reason venturing into agriculture, health, employment and others, which were the fundamental statutory duties of the state government.

He said,The Federal Government is too powerful in Nigeria and has taken in more responsibilities than it is supposed to be. There is need to devolve powers to the state and if we move powers to the state government, we should also move resources alongside.

The Federal Government has no business handling projects in health, agriculture, employment and other sectors. I have always been saying this each time I have the opportunity.

The Federal Government ought to be left with foreign policy, defence and monetary policy, so that the Presidency can be made less attractive to reduce the tension in the polity.

Abubakar described the APC as a strong and better organised party to tackle poverty and rescue Nigerians from the sufferings brought by the PDP in the last 15 years.

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Atiku Abubakar calls for devolution of power