memeorandum: Gingrich Surges, but Swing Voters Are Wary (Neil King Jr/Wall Street Journal)

10:20 AM ET, December 14, 2011

Top Items:

Jennifer Jacobs / Iowa Caucuses:

Gingrich's Iowa political director leaves campaign after Mormonism ‘cult’ remark — Craig Bergman (Dave Davidson / Prezography.com) — The new political director for Newt Gingrich's Iowa campaign thinks that some evangelicals believe God would reject Mitt Romney because of his Mormonism.

Discussion: The Iowa Republican, Publius Forum and The Politico

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Paul closes in on Gingrich — There has been some major movement in the Republican Presidential race in Iowa over the last week, with what was a 9 point lead for Newt Gingrich now all the way down to a single point. Gingrich is at 22% to 21% for Paul with Mitt Romney at 16% …

Mj Lee / The Politico:

Christine O'Donnell: I like Mitt Romney's flip — Talk about a backhanded compliment. — Christine O'Donnell, who has endorsed Mitt Romney, appeared on CNN Wednesday and inadvertently drew attention to one of the charges against the former Massachusetts governor from his critics - flip-flopping.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN, Fox News and Indecision Forever

Kevin Hall / The Iowa Republican:

TIR Focus Group: Evangelicals Will Revolt Against Romney Nomination — A focus group of Iowa conservative activists gathered recently to discuss the upcoming caucuses. The group, organized by TheIowaRepublican.com in conjunction with McClatchy newspapers, included a retiree, a college student …

Discussion: Business Insider, USA Today, ABCNEWS, American Thinker, Taylor Marsh, The Moderate Voice, CBS News, TBogg and O.KayHenderson.com

Mark Murray / msnbc.com:

NBC/WSJ poll: Romney struggles with primary voters, Gingrich with general electorate — Jim Lo Scalzo / Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA — Why the difference between Mitt Romney, left, and Newt Gingrich, right? Look no further than the two men's favorability ratings. — By Mark Murray, Deputy Political Director, NBC News

Discussion: New York Times, Riehl World View, Daily Kos, Trail Blazers Blog, Hot Air, Washington Wire, The Political Carnival, Washington Post and Ballot Box

Washington Post:

Romney blasts Gingrich as ‘extremely unreliable’ conservative leader — BOSTON—Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney blasted rival Newt Gingrich Tuesday as an “extremely unreliable leader in the conservative world” who has taken positions in this campaign that should give GOP voters pause …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Hill, Ballot Box, Wall Street Journal, The Page, The Politico and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Newt Gingrich commits a capital crime — Newt Gingrich — the friend of his detractors, to whom he offers serial vindications — provided on Monday redundant evidence for the proposition that he is the least conservative candidate seeking the Republican presidential nomination: He faulted Mitt Romney for committing acts of capitalism.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The New Republic and National Review

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Christine O'Donnell endorses Romney

Discussion: CNN, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, ABCNEWS, The Hill and Prairie Weather

Ross Douthat / Campaign Stops:
Ron Paul Rising

Discussion: Ellisblog!, Real Clear Politics, Vox Popoli, Prairie Weather, Campaign 2012 and National Review

ABCNEWS:
Christine O'Donnell Endorses Mitt Romney for President

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Other McCain, Weasel Zippers and Sky Dancing

Jonah Goldberg / Los Angeles Times:
Newtzilla to the rescue — Many feel that a Gingrich victory might …

Discussion: News Desk, Riehl World View, Daily Pundit, Cold Fury, Don Surber, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Daily Dish

Pew Research Center / PewResearch.org:
Gingrich Leads, But Likely GOP Primary Voters Have Not Ruled Out Romney

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Neil King Jr / Wall Street Journal:
Gingrich Surges, but Swing Voters Are Wary

Discussion: Washington Wire, WHTM-TV, Campaign 2012, Washington Post, ABCNEWS, MyFox Philadelphia and Taegan Goddard's …

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Oh my: Ron Paul within one point of Gingrich in Iowa?

Discussion: The Iowa Republican, Real Clear Politics, Mediaite, Business Insider and The Daily Caller

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
Gingrich Iowa staffer resigns after calling Mormonism a ‘cult’

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

New York Times:

House Passes Extension of Cut to Payroll Taxes — WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Tuesday passed a bill extending a cut in Social Security payroll taxes for 160 million Americans for another year. But the Democratic majority in the Senate vowed to reject …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, THEROOT.COM, The Lonely Conservative, The Other McCain, The Caucus, Daily Kos, Washington Post, Connecting.the.Dots, Bloomberg and Bark Bark Woof Woof

Washington Post:
Congress debates payroll tax cut, government funding omnibus

Discussion: Right Wing News

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Bluff called: House defies Obama veto threat, passes payroll cut extension with Keystone pipeline provision

Discussion: CNNMoney.com, CNN and Daily Kos

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House passes payroll tax cut extension bill despite veto threat

Discussion: Booman Tribune and The Politico

Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — Dems To GOP: Deal Fairly On Payroll Tax Or Shut Down The Government

Discussion: Firedoglake and Daily Kos

Phyllis Furman / NY Daily News:

Milk Street Cafe, FiDi eatery that lost business due to Occupy Wall Street barricades, to close for good — Thursday is last day for popular Financial District restaurant that opened in June — Milk Street Cafe owner Marc Epstein, on steps of City Hall in November, complained about Occupy Wall Street barricades hurting business.

Discussion: Datechguy's Blog, americanthinker.com, The Lonely Conservative, Hot Air and Jammie Wearing Fools

Matthew Lynn / MarketWatch:

This slump won't end until 2031 — Commentary: Our predicament parallels the Long Depression of 1870s — LONDON (MarketWatch) — In retrospect, it wasn't hard to see that the markets were becoming dangerously unstable. Germany had just adopted a new monetary system, and Europe was being flooded with cheap German money.

Discussion: The Agonist

The United States Department of Justice:

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum — Thank you, Mark [ Updegrove] . It is a pleasure to be with you - and to join so many friends, colleagues, and critical partners in welcoming some of our nation's most dedicated and effective civil rights champions …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Law Blog, Power Line, Nice Deb, Truthdig, Doug Ross and The Lonely Conservative

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Holder Signals Tough Review of New State Laws on Voting

Discussion: Big Government, Flopping Aces, USA Today, Booman Tribune, Bark Bark Woof Woof, ACS Blog, American Power, Vox Verax, Power Line and LBJ Library & Museum

Kurt Andersen / Time:

The Protester — Once upon a time, when major news events were chronicled strictly by professionals and printed on paper or transmitted through the air by the few for the masses, protesters were prime makers of history. Back then, when citizen multitudes took to the streets without weapons …

Discussion: Washington Post, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, News Desk and Boing Boing

Lisa Depaulo / GQ:

The (Real) Governator — Nope, not Ah-nold. On January 1, 2011, Andrew Cuomo rolled into the perpetually dysfunctional city of Albany, New York, and did something truly shocking: He delivered on his campaign promises. Here, in his first major interview since taking office …

CNBC:

Realtors: We Overcounted Home Sales for Five Years — Data on sales of previously owned U.S. homes from 2007 through October this year will be revised down next week because of double counting, indicating a much weaker housing market than previously thought.

Discussion: americanthinker.com and KVOA-TV

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

A First Iowa Forecast: Race Is Still Wide Open — We're a few days away from releasing the official version of our polling-based forecasts for the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. But the statistical work behind the model is done, so I can give you a preview of what the forecasts will look like.

Discussion: GOP 12, A plain blog about politics, Patterico's Pontifications and The New Republic

The Jewish Week:

My Tim Tebow Problem — I've got a Tim Tebow problem. — I want to root for the guy, but I'm afraid of what will happen if the hulky Denver Bronco quarterback continues to pull off what is fast becoming the Greatest Gridiron Story Ever Told. Since taking over as starting quarterback earlier this season …

Discussion: Jammie Wearing Fools, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Liberal Values, Ed Driscoll and The Other McCain

Associated Press:

Stephanopoulos back to replace Amanpour at ABC's ‘This Week,’ will remain host of ‘GMA’ — NEW YORK — Christiane Amanpour is being replaced as ABC's Sunday morning political talk show host by the man she took over from — George Stephanopoulos. — ABC News said Tuesday that Amanpour is out as host of “This Week.”

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Mediaite, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Taylor Marsh, Big Journalism and The PJ Tatler

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
Amanpour to Leave ABC's ‘This Week’ and Rejoin CNN

Discussion: FishbowlDC, Gawker, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, The Atlantic Wire, The Huffington Post, Poynter, Business Insider, Inside Cable News, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway, more at Mediagazer »

Malcolm Moore / Telegraph:

Inside Wukan: the Chinese village that fought back — Something extraordinary has happened in the Chinese village of Wukan. — Thousands of Wukan's residents gathered for a second day in front of a triple-roofed pagoda that serves as the village hall — For the first time on record …

Discussion: msnbc.com