memeorandum: Public workers union endorses Obama as ‘only choice for the 99 percent’ (Kevin Bogardus/Ballot Box)

2:10 PM ET, December 6, 2011

Top Items:

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:

Heartbreak Awaits Republicans Who Love Newt: Ramesh Ponnuru — Before Republicans put Newt Gingrich at the top of their party, they should consider what happened the last time he led it. — In the mid-1990s, Gingrich was the de facto head of the Republican Party.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Huffington Post and MoJo Articles

Pema Levy / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPM2012 — The Libertarian Intelligentsia Is Freaking Out Over Newt — Libertarians in Washington are not happy about how the Republican primary is shaping up. Barring a miracle, there are two candidates with a decent shot at the nomination. Mitt Romney, the godfather of Obamacare, is not libertarians' first choice.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Outside the Beltway, The Volokh Conspiracy, Talking Points Memo, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Daily Caller

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:

GOP kingmakers unhappy with choice between Romney, Gingrich for 2012 — The Republican presidential primary is shaping up as a two-man race, but influential conservatives are clearly expressing their dissatisfaction with choices A and B. — In recent weeks, key GOP lawmakers …

Discussion: CNN, Taylor Marsh, CANNONFIRE and The Politico

The Gallup Organization / Gallup:

Gingrich 37%, Romney 22% Among GOP Voters Nationwide — Gallup's initial Daily tracking finds all other candidates in single digits — PRINCETON, NJ — Newt Gingrich leads Mitt Romney 37% to 22% in Gallup's inaugural Daily tracking of Republican registered voters' preferences …

Discussion: GOP 12, The Hill, Guardian and Taegan Goddard's …

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Ron Paul goes negative against Newt Gingrich on air in Iowa — Ron Paul is becoming the first to go negative against Newt Gingrich on the air in Iowa, with a 60-second version of a blistering, and roughly two-minute, web video he did painting the former House Speaker as the portrait of ‘serial hypocrisy.’

Discussion: Indecision Forever

Alicia Mundy / Washington Wire:
Super PAC Supporting Romney Looks to Run Ads in Iowa

Discussion: Swampland

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Newt Gingrich: 'Kids shouldn't work in coal mines'

Discussion: JustOneMinute, ThinkProgress and Indecision Forever

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Pentagon Encourages Newt Gingrich to Read Panetta Speech Before Criticizing

Discussion: Rubin Reports, Newshoggers.com and Right Wing News

New York Post: Newt's second act

The Politico:
Nervous Mitt fans: Hit Newt harder

Discussion: Swampland, GOP 12 and CNN

Glenn Beck:

Transcript of Newt Gingrich interview — Glenn is back on TV! Watch Glenn's new two-hour show available live and on-demand Monday through Friday on GBTV.com! Start your two week free trial HERE! — Below is a rush transcript of Glenn's interview with Newt Gingrich this morning.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Hill, ThinkProgress, Business Insider, GOP 12, American Spectator, National Review, Capital Hill and The Right Scoop

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
An absurd choice for a health care award

Discussion: The Politico and Paul Krugman

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Beck the latest GOPer to take on Gingrich

Discussion: The Huffington Post and The Moderate Voice

Shushannah Walshe / ABCNEWS:

Rick Santorum Has Tense Exchange on Gay Rights and Health Care in Iowa — SIOUX CENTER, IOWA—Rick Santorum is usually quite amiable on the trail, but Monday evening at campaign event at small Christian college in Sioux City he had some tense back and forth exchanges with one student and another graduate of the college.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The Raw Story

Eric Kleefeld / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Santorum: People Die In America Because They ‘Make Poor Decisions’

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress and Towleroad News #gay

Craig Ruttle / ABCNEWS:

Poll: Iowans Rally to Gingrich — Newt Gingrich has leapt to a sizable lead in preferences for the Iowa Republican caucuses, drawing on a rally from conservatives, positive views of his political experience and a sense he best represents “core Republican values” to push Mitt Romney into a trailing tie with Ron Paul.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Caucus, CBS News, Bloomberg, Business Insider and Public Policy Polling

Washington Post:
Gingrich emerges as clear front-runner in Iowa

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Wire, msnbc.com, O.KayHenderson.com, Daily Kos, The Hill, Swampland, Campaign 2012, CNN, Iowa Caucuses, ABCNEWS, GOP 12 and Shakesville

msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: Invoking Teddy Roosevelt

Discussion: Washington Post, The Politico and Taegan Goddard's …

Jordan Weissmann / The Atlantic Online:

Who Killed the Postal Service? — USPS is slashing first-class delivery, cutting billions of dollars, and looking to cut thousands of workers. How did it get this bad? — Wikipedia — Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night will keep your postman from delivering that Mad Men DVD you've been waiting for.

Discussion: The Agonist and americanthinker.com

Spike Dolomite Ward / Los Angeles Times:

‘Obamacare’ to the rescue — A woman who felt President Obama had let the middle class down has changed her mind. — In this August 20, 2009 photo, President Obama spoke during a town hall meeting on healthcare at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. (Alex Wong/Bloomberg)

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice, The Political Carnival and Daily Kos

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:

Nomination Race Hurting GOP, But Not Helping Obama — As the fight for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination unfolds, more Americans say their impression of the GOP field is worsening than improving. Those views, however, have not resulted in a better view of President Barack Obama at this point.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Planet Washington

William Glaberson / New York Times:

N.Y.C. Police Maligned Paradegoers on Facebook — They called people “animals” and “savages.” One comment said, “Drop a bomb and wipe them all out.” — Hearing New York police officers speak publicly but candidly about one another and the people they police is rare indeed, especially with their names attached.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Atlantic Online, Gawker and Gothamist

Tim Craig / Washington Post:

Park Police must provide Occupy D.C. notice before eviction, judge says — View Photo Gallery — Two groups of demonstrators have entrenched themselves in Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square downtown. Another group of Occupy protesters from New York walked to the District to join them.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, DCist and The Daily Caller

Kevin Bogardus / Ballot Box:

Public workers union endorses Obama as ‘only choice for the 99 percent’ — The largest public employee union in the country endorsed President Obama for a second term on Tuesday. — With 1.6 million members, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) …

Discussion: Jammie Wearing Fools

Meaghan Murphy / Fox News:

Recent Charges of Sexual Abuse of Children in Hollywood Just Tip of Iceberg, Experts Say — Allison Arngrim (left) starred on 'Little House on the Prairie. " She said stories about Corey Feldman and Corey Haim (right) being abused as child stars were common in the 1980s and 90s.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Scared Monkeys, Pundit & Pundette, Rod Dreher and americanthinker.com

Felix Salmon:

The euro zone's terrible mistake — The FT is reporting today that the new fiscal rules for the EU “include a commitment not to force private sector bondholders to take losses on any future eurozone bail-outs”. If this principle really does get enshrined into some new treaty …

Discussion: FT Alphaville, americanthinker.com, EconLog, Washington Post, Financial Times and Business Insider

Ed Pilkington / Guardian:

NAACP warns black and Hispanic Americans could lose right to vote — Civil rights group petitions UN over ‘massive voter suppression’ after apparent effort to disenfranchise black and Hispanic people — The largest civil rights group in America, the National Association for the Advancement …

Discussion: YID With LID, Weasel Zippers, Questions and Observations and Hot Air

Con Coughlin / Telegraph:

Iran's Revolutionary Guards prepare for war — Iran's Revolutionary Guards have been put on a war footing amid increasing signs that the West is taking direct action to cripple Iran's nuclear programme. — An order from Gen Mohammed Ali Jaafari, the commander of the guards …

Discussion: Fox News, EA WorldView, americanthinker.com, Hot Air, The Daily Dish, Weasel Zippers and Atlas Shrugs

Justin Fenton / Baltimore Sun:

Woman stabbed at Occupy Baltimore encampment, police say — Police say dispute was over cat — Baltimore Police say a 24-year-old woman was stabbed during a dispute around midnight Saturday at the Occupy Baltimore encampment at the Inner Harbor. — According to a police report …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Verum Serum

Huw Evans / autoguide.com:

Chevrolet Volt Battery Issues Growing, Safety Findings May Have Been Suppressed — Following on from the announcement that GM is looking at redesigning the Chevrolet Volt's lithium-ion battery system in the wake of several highly publicized fires resulting from test crashes …

Discussion: americanthinker.com