Top Items:
Charlie Riedel / ABCNEWS:
Gingrich '06 Memo: “Agree Entirely With Gov. Romney” on Health Care — To conservatives, the biggest strike against Mitt Romney is the health care plan he put in place in Massachusetts, but Newt Gingrich lavished praise on Romney's plan after it was passed in 2006.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Gingrich Applauded Romney's Health Plan — Newt Gingrich voiced enthusiasm for Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health-care law when it was passed five years ago, the same plan he has been denouncing over the past few months as he campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination.
Discussion:
Ballot Box, Washington Post, The Hill, The Caucus, ABCNEWS, GOP 12, msnbc.com, Outside the Beltway and New York Times
BuzzFeed:
In 2008 Video, Gingrich Is Passionate About The Mandate — Newt Gingrich has had a hard time attacking Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health care plan — which, like “Obamacare” — required all citizens to have health care. What's more — as The Wall Street Journal reports today — Gingrich actively praised Romney's plan.
Discussion:
Rick Perry 2012 Campaign …, Taegan Goddard's …, Mediaite and Outside the Beltway
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Gingrich in 2006: RomneyCare has “tremendous potential”; Update: Newsletter article added
Gingrich in 2006: RomneyCare has “tremendous potential”; Update: Newsletter article added
Discussion:
Betsy's Page, Jezebel, The Caucus, Washington Monthly, Moe Lane and The Raw Story
Mark Blumenthal / The Huffington Post:
Iowa Caucus Polls: Ron Paul And Mitt Romney Lead, But Surprises Likely … 2012 Election , Mitt Romney , Newt Gingrich 2012 , Elections 2012 , Newt Gingrich , Ron Paul , Video , Iowa Caucuses , Iowa Polls , Ron Paul 2012 , Iowa Caucus 2012 , Iowa Caucuses 2012 , Mitt Romney 2012 , Pollster Analysis , Politics News
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
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Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Santorum says he'll exit presidential race if he does poorly in Iowa caucuses
Santorum says he'll exit presidential race if he does poorly in Iowa caucuses
Discussion:
GOP 12, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post and Guardian
Lucy Madison / CBS News:
Ron Paul camp fires back at ex-aide over column on Israel, gays
Ron Paul camp fires back at ex-aide over column on Israel, gays
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Atlantic Online, Towleroad News #gay, Mediaite, The Moderate Voice and Washington Post
Braden Goyette / NY Daily News:
Former Ron Paul staffer contends GOP candidate is ‘uncomfortable’ with gay people
Former Ron Paul staffer contends GOP candidate is ‘uncomfortable’ with gay people
Discussion:
Ballot Box, The Reaction, YID With LID, First Draft and Libertarian Republican
Jason Clayworth / Iowa Caucuses:
Gingrich will make half of the number of Iowa stops announced last week
Gingrich will make half of the number of Iowa stops announced last week
Discussion:
Ballot Box, CNN and Outside the Beltway
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Newt's incredible shrinking bus tour
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
How Can Romney Lose? — The conventional wisdom on the Republican nomination race has once again shifted. In the span of just two weeks, Mitt Romney has gone from seeming quite vulnerable to the near-inevitable Republican nominee. The odds attributed to Mr. Romney winning the nomination …
Discussion:
GOP 12, ABCNEWS, Booman Tribune, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller, Political Mojo, Prairie Weather, Althouse and The Politico
RELATED:
Washington Examiner:
‘Mischief’ voters push Paul to front of GOP race — Ron Paul is surging in the Republican presidential race. Just not among Republicans. — The Texas congressman is leading some polls in Iowa and is in a tie for second in New Hampshire. A candidacy once dismissed as sideshow …
Discussion:
GayPatriot, Nice Deb, The Gateway Pundit and Libertarian Republican
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Romney's ‘carried interest’ problem — We talked last week about Mitt Romney's decision to keep his tax returns hidden, despite the fact that every major-party nominee in the post-Watergate era has released their tax records. Romney's position has already generated some pushback …
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
A first: Newt camp goes on attack (and with oppo)
A first: Newt camp goes on attack (and with oppo)
Discussion:
The New Republic, msnbc.com, Rick Perry 2012 Campaign …, Mediaite, Daily Kos, The Page and Hot Air
Peter Whoriskey / Washington Post:
Growing wealth widens distance between lawmakers and constituents — BUTLER, Pa. — One day after his shift at the steel mill, Gary Myers drove home in his 10-year-old Pontiac and told his wife he was going to run for Congress. — The odds were long. At 34, Myers was the shift foreman at the “hot mill” of the Armco plant here.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Open Congress, Political Mojo, The Mahablog, Balloon Juice and Wonkette
RELATED:
Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Economic Downturn Took a Detour at Capitol Hill
Economic Downturn Took a Detour at Capitol Hill
Discussion:
Firedoglake, ABCNEWS, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Outside the Beltway, Prairie Weather and Balloon Juice
Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Moving melee causes chaos at packed Mall of America — Some stores shut down Monday night as panicked shoppers fled. At least 10 youths were arrested. — A noisy, racing crowd of more than 200 young people created a chaotic scene at the packed Mall of America Monday evening …
Discussion:
Power Line, msnbc.com, Mediaite, The Daily What and ABCNEWS
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
Ben Nelson retiring from Senate — Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska will announce today that he is retiring after two terms, a serious blow to Democratic efforts to hold onto their majority in the chamber next November. — Nelson is scheduled to hold a press conference back home …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Outside the Beltway and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Mike McCormick / WYFF-TV:
Caught On Tape: Clerk Punches, Knocks Out Armed Robber — Clerk Then Makes Suspect Clean Up His Own Blood — HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — A clerk at a business in Western North Carolina punched a would-be robber and knocked him out cold just minutes after the man barged in with a gun and demanded money.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, The Raw Story and BuzzFeed
Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
Republicans With Shotguns — You know you're in Iowa when the big story of the day is how many pheasants the candidate killed: … Read the whole thing at the American Spectator. — While King didn't give Santorum his endorsement, yesterday's hunting trip and press conference garnered the candidate a huge haul of publicity.
Discussion:
The Politico, Iowa Caucuses, ABCNEWS and Daily Pundit
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Margaret Chadbourn / Reuters:
Obama to ask for debt limit hike: Treasury official — (Reuters) - The White House plans to ask Congress by the end of the week for an increase in the government's debt ceiling to allow the United States to pay its bills on time, according to a senior Treasury Department official on Tuesday.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and Jammie Wearing Fools
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Predictions gone wrong — Dave Weigel had a good item yesterday on his “2011 Pundit Audit.” It's a worthwhile idea, so I thought I'd join the fun. … Weigel points to four flubs: the assumption that Rick Perry would be a competent candidate; the belief that Perry's book and agenda …
Discussion:
Slate and The Reality-Based Community
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
What Obama didn't say on ‘60 Minutes’ — President Obama appeared on “60 Minutes” a couple of weeks ago, and as is always the case with longer interviews, some of the exchanges between him and Steve Kroft ended up on the editing-room floor. CBS went ahead and posted everything online …
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
Wall Street Journal:
Taxing Kim Kardashian — Progressives don't care about her sex tape. They do care that she makes so much money. — Poor Kim Kardashian. Well, poor may not be the right word. By all accounts—especially those she televises for her reality shows—Ms. Kardashian manages quite comfortably on her income.
Discussion:
EconLog and TaxProf Blog