memeorandum: Herman Cain wins GOP Florida straw poll; Rick Perry in second place (Seth McLaughlin/Washington Times)

4:00 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, Moe_Lane's blog, The Other McCain, Michelle Malkin, American Power, PoliPundit.com 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: The Political Carnival, Don Surber, The Mahablog, Taylor Marsh, 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, The Moderate Voice and JammieWearingFool

James Hohmann / The Politico:

Delegates slam Perry on immigration — ORLANDO, Fla.—Rick Perry hit a roadblock on immigration at Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll on Saturday. — An issue that may have less impact in other early-state Republican primaries, immigration is a hot-button issue in Florida …

Discussion: The Other McCain

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, The Reaction, Riehl World View, The Page, Taylor Marsh, Connecting.the.Dots, No More Mister Nice Blog, Burnt Orange Report, Washington Post, National Review, The Caucus and AmSpecBlog

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, Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard and FiveThirtyEight

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

Seth McLaughlin / Washington Times:

Herman Cain wins GOP Florida straw poll; Rick Perry in second place — ORLANDO — Former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain won the Presidency 5 straw poll here Saturday, delivering a blow to Texas Gov. Rick Perry's frontrunner status and a victory for a candidate who has struggled to transform …

Discussion: BizzyBlog and Weasel Zippers

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

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

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

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Examiner, AmSpecBlog, Hot Air and The Politico

The Huffington Post:
Herman Cain Wins Florida Straw Poll Ahead Of 2012

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Daily Kos

Ryan J. Reilly / tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com:
DOJ: Rick Perry's Texas Redistricting Plan Purposefully Discriminated Against Minorities

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Off the Kuff, The BRAD BLOG and Daily Kos

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

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

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

Colin Moynihan / City Room:

80 Arrested as Financial District Protest Moves North — Police officers arrested protesters who had marched from Zuccotti Park to Union Square. — The police made scores of arrests on Saturday as hundreds of people, many of whom had been encamped in the financial district as part of a lengthy protest, marched north to Union Square.

Discussion: Gawker, PhotoBlog, msnbc.com, ABCNEWS, The Democratic Daily and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

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