Top Items:
Rasmussen Reports:
Iowa: Romney 23%, Gingrich 20%, Paul 18% — For the fifth straight survey, the GOP field has a new frontrunner in Iowa. — On this first release video, Scott Rasmussen reveals Mitt Romney as the new frontrunner in the Iowa Caucus. — Although this video is available to everyone, most of the content on Rasmussen Reports is not.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Don Surber, The Daily Dish, The Enterprise Blog, Hot Air, Business Insider, No More Mister Nice Blog, LifeNews.com, National Review, americanthinker.com, Weasel Zippers, GOP 12, The PJ Tatler and Campaign 2012
RELATED:
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Gingrich Momentum Slows, Polls Suggest — A lot of bad habits when analyzing general election polls can be good ones when it comes to primaries and caucuses. In particular, making inferences about a trend based on just a couple of polls will often lead you astray in the general election.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Gallup, CNN, Firedoglake, The Politico, Colorlines, Iowa Caucuses, Business Insider, Hot Air, Daily Kos, RedState, Real Clear Politics, Pundit & Pundette and PJ Media
Byron York / Campaign 2012:
Poll: Dramatic drop in Gingrich support in Iowa — DES MOINES — A new survey from pollster Scott Rasmussen shows support for Newt Gingrich in Iowa has fallen sharply in recent days. The poll shows the former House speaker with the support of 20 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers …
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Recuse Yourself, Chris Wallace — Tonight will be the last and probably one the most important debates in the season so far. It will be moderated by Fox News anchors, who are, at this point, the real Republican Establishment. One of them will be Chris Wallace and here's what he just said about the man …
Discussion:
Political Mojo, Mediaite and Outside the Beltway
The Politico:
David Mark — Moderator : — Now that Rep. Ron Paul …
David Mark — Moderator : — Now that Rep. Ron Paul …
Discussion:
CNN, The Caucus, justforeignpolicy.org and News Desk
Jon Bershad / Mediaite:
Fox's Chris Wallace: If Ron Paul Wins In Iowa, It Will Discredit The Iowa Caucuses
Fox's Chris Wallace: If Ron Paul Wins In Iowa, It Will Discredit The Iowa Caucuses
Discussion:
The Raw Story, The Daily Dish, Guardian, Hit & Run, Indecision Forever and Business Insider
Chris Stirewalt / Fox News:
High Stakes, High Drama for Final Debate Before Voting Begins
High Stakes, High Drama for Final Debate Before Voting Begins
Discussion:
Fox News and The Other McCain
Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
On Iraq, the GOP Is Out of Touch with Its Own Voters
On Iraq, the GOP Is Out of Touch with Its Own Voters
Discussion:
2012.talkingpointsmemo.com, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos and The Hill
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Can Ron Paul win?
Can Ron Paul win?
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, iOwnTheWorld.com, CatholicVote.org, Washington Post, FrumForum and The Daily Dish
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Wyden-Ryan Medicare Proposal Has White House ‘Concerned’ … WASHINGTON — The Obama administration expressed concern Thursday over the bipartisan Medicare reform proposal that has been hammered out between Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), saying it believes the plan could weaken the program.
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Wall Street Journal:
A Bipartisan Way Forward on Medicare
A Bipartisan Way Forward on Medicare
Discussion:
The New Republic, National Review, The Incidental Economist, Ricochet Conversations Feed, New York Times, The American Scene, Political Mojo, Patterico's Pontifications, Hit & Run, The Huffington Post, Campaign 2012, American Spectator, PERRspectives, ThinkProgress, WPRI.com Blogs, Budget Committee, The Politico and Firedoglake
Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — The Ron Wyden, Paul Ryan Pile On Begins
TPMDC — The Ron Wyden, Paul Ryan Pile On Begins
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Daily Kos, The Hill, National Review, ThinkProgress, Hit & Run, The Raw Story, The Incidental Economist, The Politico and Washington Post
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
In Congress, a Merry (and Stupid) Christmas Compromise
In Congress, a Merry (and Stupid) Christmas Compromise
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Politico, The Impolitic and The PJ Tatler
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Frustration with Congress Could Hurt Republican Incumbents — GOP Base Critical of Party's Washington Leadership — OVERVIEW — Public discontent with Congress has reached record levels, and the implications for incumbents in next year's elections could be stark.
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Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
A nation of populists and class warriors
A nation of populists and class warriors
Discussion:
Pew Research Center …, Hullabaloo, ThinkProgress and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
Fox News:
EXCLUSIVE: Former Bush Attorneys General Call Gingrich Position on Courts ‘Dangerous’ — Two former attorneys general under President George W. Bush have found a few things to like in Newt Gingrich's position paper on reining in the authority of the federal courts, but other parts, they say, are downright disturbing.
RELATED:
Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Illinois court upholds Democratic redistricting plan
The Politico:
Newt in the loot? — Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has discussed directing $20 million to an outside group backing Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign, multiple sources told POLITICO — but Adelson denies he's made that promise. — After leaving Congress, Gingrich cultivated a network …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Los Angeles Times, GOP 12 and The Other McCain
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Newt Gingrich: Gay People Choose To Be Gay Like Priests Choose Celibacy — Newt Gingrich told the Des Moines Register's editorial board this morning that gay people have a “significant range of choice within a genetic pattern” and can choose to be straight just like someone can “choose to be celibate.”
Discussion:
Catholic Bandita, The Other McCain, Towleroad News #gay and Good As You
RELATED:
Justin Sink / Ballot Box:
Gingrich signs anti-gay marriage pledge, says homosexuality a choice
Gingrich signs anti-gay marriage pledge, says homosexuality a choice
Discussion:
CNN
Devin Dwyer / Yahoo! News:
Obama faults Republican ‘lurch into extremes’ for DC gridlock — As political gridlock again threatens Washington with government shutdown, President Obama faulted Republicans' election year “lurch into extremes” for keeping compromise out of reach. — “You know, you never want to say …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and USA Today
RELATED:
Byron Tau / The Politico:
POTUS on the GOP: 'Anything that Obama's for, we're against'
POTUS on the GOP: 'Anything that Obama's for, we're against'
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Paul Bedard / US News:
Harvard Poll: Young Voters Say Obama Will Lose — More bad news for President Obama — More bad news for President Obama, this time from his alma mater, Harvard University. In a new poll, more younger voters, many of whom voted for him in 2008, think he will lose next year.
Discussion:
Belmont Club, Weasel Zippers and The Hinterland Gazette
RELATED:
Alex Pappademas / GQ:
We ♥ Huntsman — ...Or at least his daughters. Mary Anne, Liddy, and Abby may not be able to save Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign, but their Funny or Die-style videos, planking photos, and @Jon2012girls Twitter (what's a Mormon girl have to do to land a date with Tagg Romney …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller and Business Insider
Christina Ng / Nation:
Exclusive: ‘White Only’ Pool Sign Owner Explains — A female landlord, Jamie Hein, had a sign that read, “Public Swimming Pool, White Only” hanging on a gate at her house and her private pool. (Photo credit: Ohio Civil Rights Commission) — An Ohio landlord accused of discriminating …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Gawker and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
New York Times:
Pentagon Declares End to an Iraq War of Mixed Results — BAGHDAD — Almost nine years after the first American tanks began massing on the Iraqi border, the Pentagon declared an official end to its mission here, closing a troubled conflict that helped reshape American politics and left …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Post, World Now, American Spectator, A plain blog about politics, American Power, City Room, Wall Street Journal, Firedoglake, Towleroad News #gay, The Impolitic, UN Dispatch, Connecting.the.Dots, emptywheel, Outside the Beltway, The Reaction, RedState, Blue Mass Group, News Desk, The Mahablog, The Hinterland Gazette, ThinkProgress and Guardian
Brian Stelter / The Caucus:
Romney Ku Klux Klan Report Backfires on Media — Don't just repeat it. Report it. — That's the lesson this week for MSNBC and for The Washington Post, both of which apologized for repeating a liberal blog's claim that Mitt Romney had uttered a phrase on the campaign stump that was used in the past by the Ku Klux Klan.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Atlantic Online, American Prospect and US Politics, more at Mediagazer »
Pete Souza / People.com:
Obama Family Portrait Revealed — From left: Michelle, Malia, Barack and Sasha Obama — President Obama may be gearing up his campaign for reelection soon, but at home with his wife and daughters, he couldn't be happier. — The White House is releasing this new family portrait of the Obamas …
Discussion:
Washington Wire, MyFox Philadelphia and ThinkProgress
Chris McGreal / Guardian:
Americans face Guantánamo detention after Obama climbdown — Defence funding bill allows American citizens to be arrested as terrorists on home soil and held indefinitely without trial — Barack Obama has abandoned a commitment to veto a new security law that allows the military …
Mj Lee / The Politico:
Herman Cain's Cabinet dream: DOD — Herman Cain says that if he could be a Cabinet secretary, he wants to be head of the Department of Defense. — In an interview with Barbara Walters, who chose Cain as one of the “10 Most Fascinating People” of the year, the former presidential hopeful was asked what Cabinet position he would like.
iowahawk:
Is This Hell? No, It's Iowa — [ed note: Found! In a dumpster behind Hamburg Inn, the first draft of University of Iowa professor Stephen G. Bloom's anthropology dissertation for Atlantic magazine explaining the bizarre cultural mores of the primative Aborigines who pay his salary.]
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online
Tehran Times:
Foreign spy drones in Iran's possession to be put on display — TEHRAN - Iran plans to put foreign spy drones it has in its possession on display in the near future, according to an informed source close to the Tehran Times. — National reporters and foreign ambassadors based in Tehran will be allowed to visit the exhibition.
Discussion:
The Lede, Guardian and Israel Matzav
Josh Lederman / The Hill:
Tea Party leader arrested with gun at NY airport — A major leader in the Tea Party movement was arrested at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday after he tried to check in for a flight while carrying a gun. — Prosecutors charged Mark Meckler, the co-founder of Tea Party Patriots …
Discussion:
CNN
Reuters:
Jobless claims drop to 3.5 year low — (Reuters) - New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits dropped to a 3-1/2 year low last week, a government report showed on Thursday, suggesting the labor market — recovery was gaining speed. — Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 19,000 …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Fleet Owner and ThinkProgress