John Hudak

[The Obama team] knows what is happening within individual congressional districts, and what voters want, and what voters are thinking about, and what turnout is like.

If [Puerto Rico] became a state, it would gain seats in the House—that could be offset by expanding the size of the House so Republican states got more members. But there's no solution to the two Democratic Senators they'd send, and there's no Congressional remedy to offset that. That, and they'd get additional electoral college votes. Those are the dealbreakers.

If the president could get something from Congress on a compromise, he might take that, but instead, since he’s not getting much of anything from Capitol Hill, he essentially is taking everything he wants, and the unilateral actions let him do that in a pretty substantial way.

It is unlikely [Obama] convinced many swing voters to 'unswing,' but he certainly generated greater voter enthusiasm among Democrats, which—when combined with Biden's performance in his debate—will begin to show up in polls, will change 'Likely Voter' models, and will result in the president picking up a few points.

What fundraising and appearances with celebrities can do is make up for the voter enthusiasm gap that is starting to rear its head...Celebrity endorsements don't change minds; they change hearts and motivate people to turn out who might not have turned out to vote.