memeorandum: Pro-Gingrich group up with first ad in Iowa (Cameron Joseph/Ballot Box)

7:25 PM ET, December 27, 2011

Top Items:

‘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: The TrogloPundit, Little Green Footballs, Outside the Beltway, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Swampland, TheGazette, GayPatriot, Nice Deb, The Gateway Pundit, Libertarian Republican and YID With LID

Kevinliptak / CNN:

TRENDING: Gingrich wouldn't vote for Ron Paul — (CNN) - Newt Gingrich said Tuesday he wouldn't vote for Ron Paul if the Texas congressman won the 2012 GOP nomination. — Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Gingrich slammed Paul as out of line with mainstream Republican viewpoints, including his stance on Israel, Iran, and September 11.

Discussion: The Politico

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:

FACT CHECK: Ron Paul Personally Defended Racist Newsletters — Recently, Ron Paul has been subject to intense criticism over controversial newsletters written under his name in the 80s and 90s that frequently included racism, bigotry, and conspiracy theories.

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, Alas, a Blog, Mediaite, The Atlantic Online, Outside the Beltway and Hullabaloo

Norman Horn / Washington Post:

Can a Christian be a libertarian? — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference at his newly opened Iowa campaign office, Tuesday, May 10, 2011, in Ankeny, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall - AP) — Christians in American politics have argued for years that God endorses …

Discussion: USCatholic.org

Mark Blumenthal / The Huffington Post:
Iowa Caucus Polls: Ron Paul And Mitt Romney Lead, But Surprises Likely

Discussion: The Other McCain

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.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org blogs, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The PJ Tatler and The Moderate Voice

BuzzFeed:
In 2008 Video, Gingrich Is Passionate About The Mandate

Discussion: Rick Perry 2012 Campaign …, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Outside the Beltway

Jason Clayworth / Iowa Caucuses:
Gingrich will make half of the number of Iowa stops announced last week

Discussion: CNN, Ballot Box, Outside the Beltway, Michelle Malkin, Scared Monkeys, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Taylor Marsh and The Daily Caller

Wall Street Journal:
Gingrich Applauded Romney's Health Plan

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Post, The Caucus, Ballot Box, San Francisco Chronicle, Betsy's Page, ABCNEWS, GOP 12, The Hill, msnbc.com, Outside the Beltway, New York Times and The Politico

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Pro-Gingrich group up with first ad in Iowa

Discussion: CNN, The Politico and GOP 12

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Newt's incredible shrinking bus tour

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Indecision Forever, CNN and The Caucus

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Santorum says he'll exit presidential race if he does poorly in Iowa caucuses

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, Fox News, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, Hot Air, Boston Globe, Outside the Beltway and GOP 12

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 …

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Ben Nelson to retire

Discussion: The Politico, The Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money

John Hawkins / Townhall.com:

7 Reasons Why Mitt Romney's Electability Is A Myth — Mitt Romney was a moderate governor in Massachusetts with an unimpressive record of governance, who left office with an approval rating in the thirties, and whose signature achievement was a Hurricane Katrina style disaster for the state.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Patterico's Pontifications

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Romney's ‘carried interest’ problem

Discussion: Daily Kos

Matthew Putney / ABCNEWS:
Gingrich Campaign Says Romney Is Looking at ‘European Socialist’ Ideas

Discussion: Hot Air, Pundit Press and Campaign 2012

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: Firedoglake, Washington Post, Slate, Washington Monthly, The Lonely Conservative, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, Hot Air, GayPatriot and Jammie Wearing Fools

David Wessel / Wall Street Journal:
Obama to Name Two Fed Board Nominees

Discussion: The New Republic, Swampland, The Politico, msnbc.com and The Daily Caller

Daniel Kruger / Bloomberg:
Obama Wins Most Demand for Debt of U.S. Presidents Since Before First Bush

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Washington Post, Firedoglake and The Right Sphere

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Romney on Newt: ‘Lucille Ball’ — POLITICO's Jake Sherman reports this gem from the trail in Portsmouth, NH:

Discussion: CNN, Mediaite, Frontloading HQ, Guardian and The Lonely Conservative

Nbc'S Jo / msnbc.com:
Romney, citing 1950s TV series ‘I Love Lucy’, compares Gingrich to Lucy in chocolate factory

Discussion: The Hill

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Again Top Most Admired List — Clinton Most Admired Woman a record 16th time — PRINCETON, NJ — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama continue to be named by Americans as the Most Admired Woman and Most Admired Man living today in any part of the world.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, White House Dossier and Jammie Wearing Fools

Cathy Lynn Grossman / USA Today:
Obama, Clinton top most-admired lists for 2011

Discussion: The Politico and Hot Air

Paul Krugman:

The Defeatism of Depression — A number of people have asked me to weigh in on David Brooks's piece today. Sorry, not gonna do a tit-for-tat. Let me instead just make a more general point. — All around, right now, there are people declaring that our best days are behind us …

Discussion: The New Republic

Tim Mak / Reuters:

SOPA is the end of us, say bloggers — The conservative and liberal blogospheres are unifying behind opposition to Congress's Stop Online Piracy Act, with right-leaning bloggers aruging their very existence could be wiped out if the anti-piracy bill passes.

Discussion: Wonkette, Boing Boing and Red Mass Group, more at Mediagazer »

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: KARE-TV, msnbc.com, Mediaite, Power Line, The Daily What, Scared Monkeys and ABCNEWS

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: Liberal Values and Booman Tribune

Ben Smith / The Politico:

A very unique ad for Newt — Step aside Herman Cain. This one went up on Newt Gingrich's YouTube channel before Christmas. — Apparently an all-volunteer production, though I think I can detect some duress in a face or two. — “Conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la.”

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and BuzzFeed

David Perlmutt / The Charlotte Observer:

Rev. Mark Harris: Pastor hopes for ‘civil’ marriage debate — On the day he was elected to lead the state's Baptist convention, the Rev. Mark Harris fielded a threatening voice mail that gave him a quick glimpse of the approaching battle over same-sex marriage in North Carolina.

Discussion: Firedoglake and Towleroad News #gay