memeorandum: Cain wins an upset victory in Florida presidential straw poll (Josh Lederman/Ballot Box)

12:20 AM ET, September 25, 2011

Top Items:

Herman Cain wins Presidency 5 straw poll — ORLANDO — In a stunning upset Saturday, Herman Cain won Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll, a vote of 2,657 Republican activists that in past years has predicted the party nominee. — Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza who charmed the three …

Discussion: National Review, The Other McCain, Moe_Lane's blog, American Power, PoliPundit.com, Michelle Malkin and Indecision Forever

Susan Page / USA Today:

Cain upsets Perry at Florida straw poll — Businessman Herman Cain scored a major upset Saturday, winning the Florida straw poll and creating a new set of problems for Texas Gov. Rick Perry. — The final tally: Cain carried 37% of the vote, Perry 15% and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney 14%.

Discussion: Don Surber, The Political Carnival, The Mahablog, The Other McCain and Outside the Beltway

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:

Cain wins an upset victory in Florida presidential straw poll — Herman Cain pulled off a shocking upset victory in Florida's Presidency 5 Straw Poll on Saturday. The Georgia businessman won more votes than the Republican primaries frontrunners — Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — combined.

Discussion: The Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Moderate Voice, The Other McCain and JammieWearingFool

The Politico:

Chris Christie back in spotlight as Perry sags — With the party's frontrunner sagging, Chris Christie is reconsidering pleas from Republican elites and donors to run for president in 2012, two Republican sources told POLITICO. — The New Jersey governor has indicated he is listening …

Discussion: CNN, Riehl World View, Addicting Info, The Page, Taylor Marsh, Connecting.the.Dots, No More Mister Nice Blog, Burnt Orange Report, The Caucus, National Review, The Moderate Voice and AmSpecBlog

Byron York / Campaign 2012:

In FL straw poll, a late surge for Herman Cain — ORLANDO — There's no scientific polling, but talks with dozens of delegates who will vote in today's Florida straw poll suggest that many are making last-minute decisions to vote for Herman Cain. — What seems to be happening is this …

Discussion: The Other McCain, Sunshine State Sarah, Fox News, Don Surber, The Impolitic, Booman Tribune and Gretawire

Kevinliptak / CNN:

TRENDING: Cain upsets Perry as winner of Florida straw poll — Orlando, Florida (CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign was dealt a worrying blow Saturday when he finished in a distant second place to businessman Herman Cain in a closely watched straw poll in Florida.

Discussion: The Politico, Race 4 2012 and Weekly Standard

The Huffington Post:

Herman Cain Wins Florida Straw Poll Ahead Of 2012 … Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain came out on top in the Florida straw poll on Saturday. — The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza won the test of conservative strength with roughly 37 percent of the vote.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Daily Kos

Arlette Saenz / Politics:
Rick Perry Takes His Chances on Florida Straw Poll

Discussion: Washington Examiner, AmSpecBlog and Hot Air

Josh Margolin / New York Post:
‘2nd thoughts’ for Christie on running

Discussion: Politics, Hot Air, Flower & Thistle, Outside the Beltway, Scared Monkeys, Ballot Box, The Politico, Washington Post and The Right Scoop

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
The Case for Buying Low on Perry

Discussion: Hot Air, Polls And Votes, The Caucus, Conservatives4Palin, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway and The Mahablog

Joe Nocera / New York Times:

The Phony Solyndra Scandal — If Brian Harrison and W. G. Stover, the two Solyndra executives who took the Fifth Amendment at a Congressional hearing on Friday, ever spend a day in jail, I'll stand on my head in Times Square. — It's not going to happen, for one simple reason: neither they …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Salon, The TrogloPundit, Prairie Weather, Hit & Run, UrbanGrounds, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, JammieWearingFool and Associated Press

Steven F. Hayward / Weekly Standard:
President Solyndra — And his mean green wealth-wasting machine.

Discussion: Power Line and The Strata-Sphere

WSB-TV:

Father upset over homework promoting polygamy, Islam — COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A father's complaint that his daughter's homework promotes the Muslim faith could lead to a lesson change in Cobb County. — Channel 2's Tom Regan talked to the father who showed him where his daughter's homework …

Discussion: Right Wing News and Jihad Watch

Anand Giridharadas / New York Times:

The Fraying of a Nation's Decency — CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — Amazon.com, the books-to-diapers-to-machetes Internet superstore, is a perfect snapshot of the American Dream, circa 2011. — It grows by the hour, fueled by a relentless optimism that has made America America. First it sold books.

Discussion: Whiskey Fire and The Mahablog

Marisa Schultz / Detroit News:

McCotter: ‘Democratic Party not progressive’ — Mackinac Island— Two days after the onetime White House hopeful dropped his presidential run, U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter told a breakfast crowd House Republicans will not back away from reforming entitlement programs, like Medicare and Social Security.

Discussion: The Political Carnival

Philip Aldrick / Telegraph:

Multi-trillion grand plan to save the eurozone is being prepared — European officials are working on a grand plan to restore confidence in the single currency area that would involve a massive bank recapitalisation, giving the bail-out fund several trillion euros of firepower, and a possible Greek default.

Discussion: Firedoglake and AMERICAN FUTURE

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Obama plays a round of golf with Clinton — President Obama headed to Andrews Air Force Base on Saturday for a round of golf with one of the few people who might have some idea of the difficulties the president has been facing: Former President Bill Clinton.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and CNN