It’s prime time for Bubba

In this Monday, Sept. 22, 2014 photo, former President Bill Clinton speaks at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. (AP)

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Buzz Cut:
• It’s prime time for Bubba
• Power Play: Showdown in the House
• Brown sticks with national security in pre-debate ad
• Orman surge a rare bright spot for Dems
• Dr. Frank N. Stein, DVM

IT’S PRIME TIME FOR BUBBA
It’s the best of times for William Jefferson Clinton. Aside from a growing personal fortune and a new granddaughter, there is much for the 42nd president to be happy about in his professional life too. His wife and their allies have done a very effective (if not-very-subtle) job of beating up the current president on foreign policy. This matters not just because it allows Clinton to feel more secure in his own legacy (a subject about which he is always very sensitive), but also because it accelerates the process by which Hillary Clinton can excuse herself from the unpopular and struggling policies of President Obama, for whom she served as chief diplomat. Her message for 2016 grows clearer by the day: ‘We told you so.’ But there is another reason that it’s a good day for the Big Dog. Today, Clinton begins a two-day swing through Arkansas, hoping to bolster his onetime driver, trailing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross, embattled Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Clinton’s former emergency management Director, James Lee Witt, who is running for the House seat currently held by Pryor’s challenger, Tom Cotton.

[Cotton not picking any fights - “I just think that [former President Bill Clinton's] record of governing, from a policy standpoint, and the effect that it had on the lives of Arkansans, is clearly superior to what Barack Obama has done. And if Mark Pryor had stood up more to the Obama agenda, then Mark Pryor wouldn't be about to lose re-election.” – Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in an interview with Byron York. ]

Him, but not her - WSJ: “Hillary Clinton is due to embark on a campaign tour to boost Democrats, but a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Annenberg survey finds it’s her husband who can give candidates the biggest boost. Former President Bill Clinton scored the best among eight prominent figures when registered voters were asked if a campaign endorsement would help or hurt a candidate. An endorsement from Mr. Clinton would make 38% of people look at the candidate more favorably, compared to 24% who would take a less favorable view. No other politician in the survey had a net positive more than one percentage point, the mark earned by Mrs. Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama. President Barack Obama, 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, New Jersey [Republican] Gov. Chris Christie and GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky all would leave a more negative view of their endorsee among registered voters.”

Soft opening - “I don’t think it’s for me to talk about Hillary Clinton. I enjoyed working with her when I was in the Senate. For me, I don’t know what she’s going to do or if she runs what she would run on.” – Former Sen. James Webb, D-Va., talking to NBC News about his potential rival for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

Panetta contrasts Clintons with Obama. Guess who he likes better? - “One thing about the Clintons is, they want to get it done. When it comes to being president of the United States, it’s one thing to talk a good game. It’s another thing to deliver, to make things happen.” – Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who also served as Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, assesses the Clintons in an interview with USA Today as opposed to President Obama, who Panetta said “avoids the battle, complains, and misses opportunities.”

[Watch Fox: former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta discusses his new memoir on “The O’Reilly Factor” tonight at 8 pm ET.]

Steyer & co. look for leverage on Hillary - The deep-pocketed liberals who have come to dominate Democratic politics in the age of Obama are none too pleased with the 2016 Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s position on a host of issues and are holding onto their wallets, Politico reports. Facing a backlash as she seeks to lock in the nomination, “Clinton is seen by some liberals as too hawkish, too close to Wall Street and insufficiently aggressive on fighting climate change, income inequality and the role of money in politics. Those are animating causes for many rich Democrats, and some are eager for a candidate or candidates to challenge Clinton on those issues, if only to force her to the left.”

BAIER TRACKS: SOUND BITES…
“The Obama administration just has to hope former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta stops talking soon. Panetta’s latest interview with USA Today about his new book ends up slamming President Obama yet again. Listen to this: ‘One of the keys is that you learn lessons. So, you don’t try to repeat those mistakes, but you also don’t get so nervous about doing anything that you fail to make the decisions that sometimes have to be made by a President if we’re going to protect the country.’ Add Panetta’s repeated slams to the president’s own words last week when the chief executive told an audience to ‘make no mistake’ that ‘every single one’ of his policies is on the ballot this fall as the members of his party try to defend a Senate majority. Put those two together and you have a poisonous mix for Democrats trying to hold seats in states Mitt Romney won in 2012.  It’s a safe bet that Panetta’s comments AND the president’s ‘every-single-one’ statement will make it into quite a number of Republican ads in the next 3 weeks.” – Bret Baier

[Only one in five respondents to a new AP/GfK survey  say they are extremely or very confident the government can keep them safe from another terrorist attack]

Time’s up: Cruz says Obama’s authority on Syria war has expired - Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas in an op-ed at National Review today: “It was two months ago that President Obama declared that ISIS expansion from Syria into Iraq triggered the authority given to him by the War Powers Resolution to take unilateral action, absent congressional approval, against ISIS. Today the 60-day period designated by the War Powers Resolution that has so far allowed President Obama to take military action against an imminent threat to the United States runs out.”

WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE...
Despite the explosion of digital audio players, many Americans are opting for nostalgia when it comes to their listening habits. According to the Recording Industry Association of America’s mid-year report, sales of compact discs and digital downloads are down.  What surged a whopping 43 percent? Vinyl. The vinyl version of Jack White’s “Lazaretto,” saw 62,000 albums sold this summer. Now, recording labels are hoping to see a resurgence of the cassette tape, noting the romantic nostalgia of creating mixtapes during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Got a TIP from the RIGHT or LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM

POLL CHECK
Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 42.9 percent//Disapprove – 53.1 percent
Direction of Country: Right Direction – 28.6 percent//Wrong Track – 64.6 percent
Generic Congressional Ballot:  Democrats – 43.1 percent// Republicans – 45.4 percent

-- 29 days until Nov. 4 --

POWER PLAY: SHOWDOWN IN THE HOUSE
Can Republicans really gain 11 seats in the House for a historic majority of 245 members? Can Democrats win back enough seats to make life more difficult for Speaker John Bohner? NRCC spokesman Daniel Scarpinato and DCCC spokeswoman Emily Bitner came on “Power Play with Chris Stirewalt” to duke it out. Aside from the overall national landscape, the two drilled down on key races that could make the difference in the House. Watch

BROWN STICKS WITH NATIONAL SECURITY IN PRE-DEBATE AD
Ahead of their first debate this afternoon, New Hampshire Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown is out with two ads tying Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., to President Obama’s unpopular policies. The first ad touts Brown’s military background while hitting Shaheen for supporting Obama’s “failed foreign policy,” and missing key hearings that warned of the threat from ISIS. In the second ad, Shaheen is slammed for “standing with Obama, not New Hampshire.”

[Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. has released a Web ad blasting Brown for failing to attend all hearings on border security while he was a Massachusetts Senator.]

UDALL, GARDNER READY TO RUMBLE
Colorado’s Senate and gubernatorial candidates square off in today in a debate sponsored by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Republican challenger Rep. Cory Gardner will field questions on issues important to Colorado businesses, with a national interest. Incumbent Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper goes toe-to-toe with GOP candidate Bob Beauprez on the Rocky Mountain State’s state business climate.

Udall on defense over terror - In his latest ad Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., is defending his record on national security. As images of ISIS fighters appear a narrator states Udall is, “determined to defeat ISIS with full support of airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. No wonder military leaders have called him a champion of an effective common sense approach to fighting terrorism.”

ORMAN SURGE A BRIGHT SPOT FOR DEMS
Kansas Senate contender Greg Orman holds a 10-point advantage in the latest NBC/Marist poll, besting Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., 48 percent to 38 percent, with 9 percent of respondents undecided. The RCP average for the race gives Orman a 5.2 point advantage. Orman is running as an independent but is backed by state Democrats. Orman has said, however, that if Democrats fail to retain control of the Senate, he would vote for a Republican Senate majority leader in order to increase his clout.

A candidate as unusual as a shrimp farm in the desert - Politico: “Greg Orman wanted to turn the capital of shrimp cocktails into a shrimp-producing powerhouse. A few years ago, the businessman-turned-independent Kansas Senate candidate had become a director of Ganix Biotechnologies. With the help of $2.5 million in federal loan guarantees and $128,000 in state tax breaks, he and fellow investors pledged to build a $5 million-$6 million organic shrimp farm smack dab in the Nevada desert. ‘We consume more shrimp per capita in Las Vegas than anywhere else in the world — 22 million pounds of it annually,’ Orman told Las Vegas’ KLAS-TV in 2011. The venture collapsed within a year. Ganix defaulted on a $725,000 bank loan, and a Kansas bank foreclosed on the shrimp farm property, according to public documents.”

Cruz on rescue mission - Sen. Pat Roberts’ campaign announced today that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, would campaign with the Kansas incumbent on Thursday as Roberts kicks off a bus tour. Joining along the way will be Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.

HAWKEYE REPUBLICANS RIP BRALEY OVER ISIS VOTE
The Republican Party of Iowa is blasting Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, for voting against providing funding to combat the terror group ISIS in Iraq after stating he voted to authorize airstrikes in Syria during a recent debate. Braley joined with 142 Democrats in June to support an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would have barred any spending on combat operations in Iraq. “Congressman Braley lied about voting to authorize military strikes in Syria, because he deliberately wanted to mislead voters from his actual vote to bar ANY funding to fight terrorists in Iraq,” said Republican Party of Iowa spokesman Jahan Wilcox in a statement.

[Vice President Joe Biden headlines a fundraiser for Bruce Braley in Los Angeles today at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel]

Ernst edges Braley ­- Republican Joni Ernst holds a two-point advantage over Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa. The latest NBC/Marist poll has Ernst besting Braley 46 percent to 44 percent, similar to the RCP average for the race.

CAPITO THRASHES TENNANT OVER MISLEADING ATTACK AD
West Virginia Republican Senate candidate Shelley Moore Capito is hitting back at Democratic opponent Natalie Tennant in a new ad over her claims Capito used information from private congressional meeting for her own gain. From the ad: “Federal documents reveal Capito was never at the meeting and the source Tennant used for the basis of her ad confirmed he never reported Capito was there or that she ever used inside information…Tennant knew this and still ran her ad and that’s unforgiveable.:”

RING AROUND THE COLLAR COUNTIES: OBAMA SLUMPING IN CLOSE SUBURBS
WSJ: “[President Obama] won 58% of the vote from the 107 Urban Suburb counties in 2008, and his support fell by only one point, to 57%, in 2012. But some recent data suggest the mood in those places, which hold some 67 million people mostly clustered around the country’s biggest cities, has changed. Mr. Obama’s approval numbers are down everywhere, including in those Urban Suburbs, where his approval rating sits under 50%, according to September’s Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll…”

[A recent Gallup survey indicates 32 percent of those polled plan to use the midterm elections as a chance to voice their opposition to President Obama, the highest number in that measure since Gallup started asking voters the question in 1998.]

ObamaCare delay may save Senate seats - The Obama administration delayed the start of this year’s ObamaCare enrollment period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15. The WaPo reports on the problems, including an increasing reliance on using penalties under the law for those who fail to enroll, already cropping up.

REID’S SINKING APPROVAL A SIGN FOR EMBATTLED DEMS?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s approval ratings have been in a nosedive since 2008 and in a Gallup survey released this morning, he has reached his lowest-ever approval rating. Reid’s approval rating now stands at 21 percent, down from 27 percent in April.  House Speaker John Boehner’s approval rating is only down slightly, 28 percent compared to April’s 31 percent.

[The Hill: Democrats are starting to play the blame game as they face the possibility of losing the Senate in November.]

PICK SIX: BARONIAL BOW
Republicans need to flip an additional six Senate seats from blue to red to gain control of the upper chamber. Fox News First readers think the most likely states to switch are: Arkansas (13.7%), Montana (13.1%), West Virginia (12.3%), Louisiana (11.7%), South Dakota (11.9%) and Alaska (8.7%), just slightly edging out North Carolina at (8.3%).  But can Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., hold on?  Reader John Crabtree of Elizabeth City, N.C., agrees with the Michael Barone’s new rule. “If [Barone] thinks an incumbent cannot win if their RCP average of polls doesn't reach 45%, who am I to disagree?”

Share your top six picks. Email them – just your top six, please – to FOXNEWSFIRST@FOXNEWS.COM or tweet @cstirewalt.

MEET THE MAN WHO ONCE SAID OF HIS KLANSMAN RIVAL ‘THE ONLY THING WE HAVE IN COMMON IS WE’RE BOTH WIZARDS UNDER THE SHEETS.’
Fox News looks at the improbable, colorful congressional bid by 87 year-old former Democratic Gov. Edwin Edwards: “‘80 is the new 60,’ he quips… [Edwards]was first elected to Congress 50 years ago and spent four terms as governor, spanning three decades. His career came crashing down in 1998 when he was  indicted by the federal government and later found guilty on 17 of 26 counts for money laundering, mail fraud, extortion, wire fraud and racketeering. Edwards says he doesn’t think voters will hold his criminal past against him.”

DR. FRANK N. STEIN, DVM
Key West resident Ernie Saunders was concerned about his cat, Buttercup. The animal was lethargic and seemed unwell, so Saunders took Buttercup to the local vet where a quick check revealed that the cat’s red blood cell count was at just 20 percent of normal levels. The Florida Keys Keynoter reports that since it could have taken days or even weeks for the cat blood to be shipped to the hospital for a transfusion, the vet opted for a more unconventional approach: use dog’s blood they already had on site in a process known as xenotransfusion. It worked and Buttercup seems to have rebounded. One other wrinkle: Saunders learned that Buttercup is a boy cat, not a girl cat. The Floridian told the paper that he now refers to the animal only as “Kitty.” Woof.

Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News.  Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.