memeorandum: ALEC Deems Kids Eating Rat Poison An ‘Acceptable Risk’ (Marie Diamond/ThinkProgress)

4:45 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: The Daily Caller, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and The Huffington Post

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: The Caucus, GOP 12, A plain blog about politics, RedState, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Ballot Box, Guardian, Taegan Goddard's … and Donklephant

Rachel Rose Hartman / Yahoo! News:

On private call, Republicans say attacking Obama personally is too dangerous: Yahoo News exclusive — Obama greets a crowd at Wilkes Barre/Scranton International Airport (Carolyn Kaster/AP) — Republicans on a private Republican National Committee conference call with allies warned Tuesday …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, National Review, Outside the Beltway, Gawker and The Daily Caller

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

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Ron Paul goes negative against Newt Gingrich on air in Iowa

Discussion: Indecision Forever

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

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Indecision Forever and ThinkProgress

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

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

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, Hot Air, Business Insider, ThinkProgress, Guardian, National Review, Capital Hill, American Spectator and The Right Scoop

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

Discussion: The Spectacle Blog and The Huffington Post

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Gingrich: Most likely to kiss up to the liberal elite

Discussion: American Spectator

Daniel Strauss / Ballot Box:

Call him crazy but Huntsman shifts on climate change — GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman shifted his position on global warming Tuesday, telling a conservative audience that there is “not enough information right now” on the issue to formulate policies.

Discussion: CNN

Evan McMorris-Santoro / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Jon Huntsman Flip-Flops On Climate Change

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Little Green Footballs, The Atlantic Online and Talking Points Memo

The Politico:
Jon Huntsman tacks to skepticism on climate

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Slate, Los Angeles Times, msnbc.com and Grist

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

Grace Wyler / Business Insider:

Here's The BIG Class Warfare Speech Obama Is Giving In Kansas Right Now — President Barack Obama is in Kansas, channeling Teddy Roosevelt with a huge class warfare speech in the same town where T.R. gave his “New Nationalism” speech aimed at uniting the Republican party.

Discussion: Hot Air and National Review

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Obama says economic ‘inequality’ hurts everyone

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:

Senate Republican filibuster blocks Obama D.C. Circuit nominee Caitlin Halligan — Senate Republicans on Tuesday filibustered the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, blocking a nominee tapped last year by President Obama to serve on one of the country's most powerful courts.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Law Blog, A plain blog about politics, NetRight Daily and RedState

Scott Wong / The Politico:
GOP filibusters judicial nominee

Discussion: Hot Air

James Hibberd / Inside TV:

Republicans vs. Democrats TV survey results: Lefties want comedy, right wingers like work — Republicans don't watch MTV's Jersey Shore. But they dig ABC's Castle. — Democrats don't like Discovery's Deadliest Catch. But they swoon for NBC's Parks and Recreation.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Guardian, Big Hollywood and Mediaite

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:

The Truth About Pundit Crap: Could Jon Meacham Be the Most Insufferable Human in Washington? — I have long proposed that every single major elite political pundit be frog-marched away from the buffet tables inside the Beltway and deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains, there to be confined …

Discussion: FishbowlDC, TIME Ideas, Balloon Juice and The Impolitic

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:

Correction from White House: President didn't say he's ‘mad living here’ — Note to critics of President Obama and any remaining birthers out there: Contrary to what the White House originally claimed, the president didn't actually say he was “mad” living here.

Discussion: CNN

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:

Bob Woodward says sitting next to Al Gore is ‘taxing, unpleasant’ — If you plan on throwing a dinner party full of VIPs, whatever you do, don't seat Bob Woodward next to Al Gore. — In a speech at the Organization for International Investment's annual dinner at D.C.'s Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Thursday …

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

Marie Diamond / ThinkProgress:

ALEC Deems Kids Eating Rat Poison An ‘Acceptable Risk’ — As ThinkProgress has been reporting for some time, the corporate front group American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been colluding with the billionaire Koch brothers to privatize government and eliminate environmental regulations that interfere with profits.

Discussion: Center for Media and Democracy

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, Colorlines, The Atlantic Online, Gawker and Gothamist

Andrew Ross Sorkin / DealBook:

It's Tone, Not Taxes, a Tycoon Tells the President — Leon Cooperman, a 68-year-old Wall Street veteran, says he is for higher taxes on the wealthy. He'd happily give up his Social Security checks. He voted for Al Gore in 2000. He says the special treatment of investment gains …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, The New Republic, Booman Tribune, Lawyers, Guns & Money, No More Mister Nice Blog and Hullabaloo

Thomas Kaplan / New York Times:

Cuomo and Legislative Leaders Agree on Tax Deal — ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders on Tuesday announced that they had reached an agreement to raise taxes on New York state's wealthiest residents as part of a deal to overhaul the state's tax rates.

Discussion: Business Insider, Capital New York, City Room and The Raw Story

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: Don Surber, americanthinker.com and The Enterprise Blog

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