TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet The 2012 GOPers — Newt Gingrich  —  Pelosi knows more about Gingrich than perhaps any other major national political figure.  She was a senior Democrat when Gingrich was House Speaker, served on the ethics committee that investigated Gingrich for tax cheating …

Republicans See Gingrich, Romney as “Acceptable” Nominees  —  All other candidates seen as unacceptable by half or more of Republicans  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Newt Gingrich (62%) and Mitt Romney (54%) are the only two candidates Republicans say would be acceptable presidential nominees from their party …

Ginger White on Herman Cain's Exit, His Arrogance—and Her Sex Claims  —  Ginger White, who dealt the death blow to Herman Cain's campaign by alleging a 13-year relationship, talks to Leslie Bennetts about:  —  A few hours after Herman Cain announced the end of his presidential campaign …

Fox News Business: The Muppets Are ‘Brainwashing’ Young People To Hate The Oil Industry  —  Life's a happy song, but not when Fox Business is singing along.  The network is upset that the new Muppets movie, The Muppets, features an oil tycoon as a villain, with various contributors complaining …

Parties roll out dueling payroll tax proposals  —  House Republicans and Senate Democrats are on a collision course over extending a payroll tax break as the two sides intensify their legislative gamesmanship ahead of a crucial year-end deadline.  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans …

George Orwell on the Evil Iranian Menace  —  “Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them”  —  The U.S. has long had Iran virtually encircled as a result of the American occupation of Afghanistan on Iran's Eastern border …

Send in the Clueless  —  There are two crucial things you need to understand about the current state of American politics.  First, given the still dire economic situation, 2012 should be a year of Republican triumph.  Second, the G.O.P. may nonetheless snatch defeat from the jaws of victory — because Herman Cain was not an accident.

Occupier gets an occupation  —  She's gone from Occupy Wall Street to occupying a job on Wall Street.  —  Down-on-her-luck protester Tracy Postert spent 15 days washing sidewalks and making sandwiches at Zuccotti Park — then landed a dream job at a Financial District investment firm thanks …

CHART OF THE DAY: Something Has Really Shifted In Europe This Time  —  It's tempting and easy to just say that whatever European leaders are cooking up right now is bound to fail, like every other past attempt at ending the crisis.  —  But here's a noteworthy market fact: Italian yields are collapsing today.

The Morning Plum  —  * Top Romney operative admits ad attacking Obama was “propaganda”: This one should be seen as a defining moment for Campaign 2012.  Check out the new defense of that dishonest ad attacking Obama that a top anomymous Romney campaign operative has now given to the New York Times' Tom Edsall:

Exclusive: ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Producer Scott Rudin Replies To David Denby's Upcoming New Yorker Review Embargo Break  —  “They reviewed what?”  —  If you follow movie insider baseball news you may have heard the embargo on Sony's “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is about to break tomorrow …

NASA finding feeds talk of a new Earth  —  Artist's conception illustrates Kepler-22b (NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech)  —  NASA has found a new planet outside Earth's solar system that is eerily similar to Earth in important aspects.  —  Scientists say the temperature on the surface of the planet is about a comfy 72 degrees (22 Celsius).

Society: Governments must tackle record gap between rich and poor, says OECD  —  The gap between rich and poor in OECD countries has reached its highest level for over over 30 years, and governments must act quickly to tackle inequality, according to a new OECD report.

Gowalla is Going to Facebook  —  Three years ago Gowalla's journey began when I took a photograph of Lake Tahoe on my iPhone.  I had just finished a phone call with my dad, and I wanted nothing more than to share that photo and place with him.  Not just in a text message or status update sort of way …

SWAT Raids, Stun Guns, And Pepper Spray: Why The Government Is Ramping Up The Use Of Force  —  In February of last year, video surfaced of a marijuana raid in Columbia, Mo. During the raid on Jonathan Whitworth and his family, police took down the door with a battering ram …

OWS Are Just Sleeping in Tents, College Football Fans Are Rioting  —  Check out the scene in Stillwater at the end of Oklahoma State's college football victory against rival Oklahoma Saturday night.  Some reports called it as terrifying as a natural disaster.  Thousands of crazed fans rushed onto the field.