memeorandum @ 3:35 PM ET, December 26, 2011

3:35 PM ET, December 26, 2011

Top Items:

Statement from fmr. Ron Paul staffer on Newsletters, Anti-Semitism — Fmr. Senior Aide, US Cong. Ron Paul, 1997 - 2003 — Campaign Coordinator, Ron Paul for Congress, 1995/96 — National Organizer, Draft Ron Paul for President, 1991/92 — Travel Aide/Personal Asst. Ron Paul, Libertarian for President

Discussion: YID With LID, The Daily Caller, Indecision Forever, Atlas Shrugs, Verum Serum, The Raw Story, Althouse, Balloon Juice, Betsy's Page, The PJ Tatler and Transterrestrial Musings

New York Times:

Paul Disowns Extremists' Views but Doesn't Disavow the Support — The American Free Press, which markets books like “The Invention of the Jewish People” and “March of the Titans: A History of the White Race,” is urging its subscribers to help it send hundreds of copies of Ron Paul's collected speeches to voters in New Hampshire.

Discussion: National Review, Don Surber, Slate, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Catholic Bandita, Hit & Run, ABCNEWS, The Hill, Brad DeLong, The Daily Caller and Bob Owens

David Neiwert / Crooks and Liars:
The Freedom To Oppress: Why Ron Paul's Old Racist Newsletters Matter

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

BuzzFeed:
In 1995 Video, Ron Paul Takes Credit For The Ron Paul Survival Report

Discussion: Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, neo-neocon, Campaign 2012, Washington Monthly and Mediaite

Chris Cassidy / Boston Herald:
GOP hopefuls poised to go ‘back to war’

Discussion: Don Surber

Josh Margolin / New York Post:

Schumer bro-in-law judge nod stuns NJ — Sen. Charles Schumer's brother-in-law was quietly nominated this month to a federal judgeship in New Jersey — a move that has some in the Garden State crying political foul, The Post has learned. — Kevin McNulty, who is married to Schumer's sister …

Discussion: The Hill, Michelle Malkin, iOwnTheWorld.com, Scared Monkeys, The PJ Tatler and Althouse

Tim Mak / The Politico:
Schumer in-law offered judgeship

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Rich Lowry / National Review:

“We Don't Have Our ‘A Team’ on the Field” — Speaking of discontent with the Republican field, I talked the other day to a pretty prominent conservative officeholder who's constantly been discussing with people around the country the possibility of a new entrant or a push to draft someone. But who?

Discussion: Whiskey Fire, neo-neocon, Outside the Beltway, Firedoglake, American Spectator, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
Fear and Loathing at BWI

Discussion: Daily Pundit

Washington Post:
Mitt Romney's secret money

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Richard Winger / Ballot Access News:

Virginia 2011 Independent Candidate for Legislature has Big Impact on 2012 Presidential Primary — There are currently many news stories and blog discussions about the Virginia presidential primary ballot access law. Some large blogs, such as Red State, have over 300 comments about the story.

Discussion: Moe Lane, Enik Rising, National Review, American Spectator, The Gateway Pundit, Outside the Beltway, Pundit & Pundette, The PJ Tatler, Bearing Drift and NewsBusters.org

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Gingrich camp likens Virginia ballot setback to Pearl Harbor

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, Hot Air, Ed Driscoll, Wonkette, Daily Kos and Mediaite

Adam C. Smith / St. Petersburg Times:
While focus is now Iowa, GOP can't sleep on Florida

Discussion: 2012 Decoded, Hot Air and The Politico

Oren Yaniv / NY Daily News:

Georgia woman who threatened 2 New York lawmakers is shot to death by cop — Jameela Barnette targeted Rep. Pete King & state Sen. Greg Ball — Cobb County, Ga., police investigate shooting of Jameela Barnette. — A Muslim woman who had been charged with sending fake weapons and a pig's foot …

Discussion: The Politico and Jihad Watch

Alan Duke / CNN:

Newly recovered court files cast doubt on Gingrich version of first divorce — Editor's note: Alan Duke grew up in Carrollton, Georgia, and began his career covering politics there. He began covering Newt Gingrich during Gingrich's first campaigns for public office.

Discussion: The Politico and Verum Serum

Tyler Durden / zerohedge.com/fullrss2.xml:

China Insolvency Wave Begins As Nation's Biggest Provincial Borrowers “Defer” Loan Payments — Remember, back in the day, when a bankruptcy was simply called a bankruptcy? Naturally, this was well before ISDA came on the scene and footnoted the living feces out of everything by claiming …

Discussion: Vox Popoli and Daily Pundit

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Daniel Craig: Pols are ‘sh**heads’ — Actor Daniel Craig put on a display of straight-talk that might have endeared him to voters had he been on the campaign trail, telling Men's Journal that politicians are “sh**heads” who “stab you in the f**king back.” — “Politicians are sh*theads,” …

E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:

Obama: The conservative in 2012 — At a moment when the nation wonders whether politicians can agree on anything, here is something that unites the Republican presidential candidates — and all of them with President Obama: Everyone agrees that the 2012 election will be a turning point involving …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, The Caucus, Taylor Marsh, Balloon Juice, The Other McCain and Connecting.the.Dots

Washington Post:

Solyndra: Politics infused Obama energy programs — Tony Avelar/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST - Linda Sterio, along with 1,100 full-time and temporary employees, were laid off Aug. 31 from Solyndra. The company shut down without paying severance; today Sterio remains out of work and in danger of losing her home.

Discussion: Power Line, The Heritage Foundation, Hot Air, Big Government and YID With LID

Paul Roderick Gregory / EconWorld:

Sen. Harry Reid's Unicorns: Fact Checking A Whopper — Tax policy should be serious business carried out by serious politicians using real facts and figures. This is why we have the Library of Congress and the Congressional Budget Office, among other expert institutions.

HeraldSun:

Russian Meridian satellite crashes into street named after cosmonauts — From correspondents in Moscow - — A FRAGMENT of a Russian satellite that fell back to Earth after a failed launch crashed into a village in Siberia, hitting a house on a street named after cosmonauts, officials say.

Chris Wallace / Fox News:

Mike Huckabee Handicaps Iowa Race; Cardinal Donald Wuerl on Meaning of Christmas — Special Guests: Mike Huckabee, Cardinal Donald Wuerl … CHRIS WALLACE, HOST: I'm Chris Wallace. It is Christmas day. A day of family and faith — and this year, for politics. — There is no clear front runner in Iowa.

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Weasel Zippers, Campaign 2012, American Spectator and The Politico