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:
Los Angeles Times, Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, 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, Colorlines, Iowa Caucuses, The Politico, Hot Air, Business Insider, Daily Kos, RedState, Real Clear Politics, Pundit & Pundette and PJ Media
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
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Air Force Vet Ron Paul Drops Bombs On Newt Gingrich for War Deferments — Air Force veteran and presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul. R-Texas, has opened up a new line of attack against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. — Interviewed by Megyn Kelly on Fox News Channel …
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 The Agonist
Jeffrey Lord / American Spectator:
The Ron Paul Newsletters
The Ron Paul Newsletters
Discussion:
The Right Scoop and Riehl World View
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Can Ron Paul win?
Can Ron Paul win?
Discussion:
iOwnTheWorld.com, CatholicVote.org, The Atlantic Online, Washington Post, The Daily Dish and FrumForum
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:
The Other McCain and Fox News
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
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, Hit & Run, Business Insider and Indecision Forever
The Politico:
Newt Gingrich shows signs of slide in Iowa
Newt Gingrich shows signs of slide in Iowa
Discussion:
Liberal Values, Business Insider, CNN and Guardian
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.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
A Bipartisan Way Forward on Medicare
A Bipartisan Way Forward on Medicare
Discussion:
Washington Post, National Review, The New Republic, The Incidental Economist, Political Mojo, New York Times, The American Scene, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Patterico's Pontifications, The Huffington Post, Hit & Run, American Spectator, Campaign 2012, ThinkProgress, PERRspectives, 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:
Daily Kos, Bloomberg, National Review, Hit & Run, The Hill, ThinkProgress, The Incidental Economist, The Raw Story, 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:
The Politico, The Impolitic, The PJ Tatler and TBogg
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
Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
Supreme Court to mess with Texas
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:
Althouse, The Other McCain, Catholic Bandita, 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
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.
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:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and 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
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
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:
Gawker, The Atlantic Online and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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
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, American Prospect, The Atlantic Online and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »
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:
Power Line and The Atlantic Online
Washington Post:
Congressional leaders reach spending deal to avoid government shutdown — Congressional negotiators signed off Thursday evening on a $1 trillion spending agreement for federal agencies, just 28 hours before a deadline that would have led to a government shutdown.
Discussion:
nation.foxnews.com and Weasel Zippers
Tanya Somanader / ThinkProgress:
Professor Blasts Bill O'Reilly, Says Need For Voter ID Bills Is The Same For Bills To Protect People From Lighnting — Republicans across the country are waging a steady war against the American voter, pushing voter suppression and photo ID bills that will potentially disenfranchise students …
Discussion:
National Review
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 …
Ronald Brownstein / 2012 Decoded:
Where Obama Has Slipped — There's an ominous trend for President Obama in the latest Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll: not only is his overall approval rating lagging, but he's lost as much (or even more) ground among groups that favored him in 2008 as among those who resisted him last time.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and Campaign 2012
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
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
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