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, Campaign 2012, Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Don Surber, Washington Monthly, The Daily Dish, Rush Limbaugh, Hot Air, The Enterprise Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers, National Review, LifeNews.com, GOP 12, americanthinker.com, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Daily Pundit, The PJ Tatler and Althouse
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, Iowa Caucuses, Colorlines, Hot Air, CNN, Firedoglake, Business Insider, RedState, Real Clear Politics, The Atlantic Online, Pundit & Pundette, Gallup and PJ Media
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
SIOUX CITY IOWA DEBATE TONIGHT — 22:42 p.m. ET (Smitty): Chris Wallace: Mitt, do you like those Cafe Press flip flops? — Romney: My position on gay rights is missionary, and mercenary. I have been firmly pro-life all along. — Wallace: Are you sure that those flip-flops are a good fit?
Discussion:
Althouse
Devin Dwyer / Yahoo! News:
Obama faults Republican ‘lurch into extremes’ for DC gridlock
Obama faults Republican ‘lurch into extremes’ for DC gridlock
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
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
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
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Gingrich Running Strong With Traditionally Reliable Voters
Gingrich Running Strong With Traditionally Reliable Voters
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Weasel Zippers, The Politico, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air and Business Insider
O. Kay Henderson / Radio Iowa:
Gingrich says it's his “real history” versus the attack ads
Gingrich says it's his “real history” versus the attack ads
Discussion:
The Hill and National Review
Jeffrey Lord / American Spectator:
The Ron Paul Newsletters — Yesterday, during a discussion on Ron Paul with Sean Hannity on the latter's radio show, Hannity brought up with me the impossible-to-get around subject of the infamous Ron Paul Newsletters. — As Hannity quite correctly pointed out, with the other GOP candidates having received …
Discussion:
American Power, Riehl World View and The Right Scoop
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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 …
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 2012 Decoded
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Can Ron Paul win?
Can Ron Paul win?
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, The Politico, Liberal Values, iOwnTheWorld.com, The Atlantic Online, CatholicVote.org and Washington Post
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, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers and The Heritage Foundation
RELATED:
Josiah Ryan / The Hill:
Congress sends defense authorization bill to the White House
Congress sends defense authorization bill to the White House
Discussion:
The Politico and CNN
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
Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — The Ron Wyden, Paul Ryan Pile On Begins — We'll have much more later today on the big news that Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) have teamed up on a plan to partially privatize Medicare. — But to give you a sense for just how poisonous Wyden's colleagues …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, National Review, Bloomberg, Daily Kos, The Hill, The Incidental Economist, ThinkProgress, The Raw Story, The Politico and Washington Post
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, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Patterico's Pontifications, New York Times, The Huffington Post, The American Scene, American Spectator, Campaign 2012, Hit & Run, ThinkProgress, WPRI.com Blogs, PERRspectives, Liberal Values, Budget Committee, The Politico and Firedoglake
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
In Congress, a Merry (and Stupid) Christmas Compromise
In Congress, a Merry (and Stupid) Christmas Compromise
Discussion:
The Impolitic, The PJ Tatler, TBogg and American Spectator
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:
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.
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
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
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, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Atlantic Online
Rebecca Evans / Daily Mail:
Saviour of 2,000 Afghans who saved a baby's life executed by the Taliban — Dr Karen Woo was with nine others in the Kuran Wa Munja district of Badakhshan when they were killed — A British doctor shot dead by the Taliban was part of a humanitarian mission that had helped 2,000 Afghans, an inquest heard yesterday.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report and Weasel Zippers
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.
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, Los Angeles Times, Taylor Marsh, GOP 12 and The Other McCain
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
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
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