Top Items:
NBC's Mark Murray / msnbc.com:
NBC poll: Mitt Romney, Ron Paul neck-and-neck in Iowa; Newt Gingrich in 5th — In the past two weeks, support has fallen sharply in Iowa for Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich. NBC's Chuck Todd reports. — By NBC's Mark Murray — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney …
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CNN:
TRENDING: In early book, Rep. Ron Paul criticized AIDS patients, minority rights and sexual harassment victims — Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Texas Rep. Ron Paul has distanced himself from a series of controversial newsletters from the 1980s and 1990s that bore his name and included inflammatory and racially charged language.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Daily Kos, RedState and The Raw Story
Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Michele Bachmann's hard fall — Four months ago, Michele Bachmann seemed poised for a banner December. — She'd just won the Ames Straw Poll — vanquishing her Minnesota rival, Tim Pawlenty, in the process — and was getting accustomed to life in the top tier of 2012 candidates.
Discussion:
Ricochet Conversations Feed, ABCNEWS, Swampland, Taylor Marsh, GOP 12, Outside the Beltway, Wall Street Journal, National Review and The Week
Kevin Winter / ABCNEWS:
Coming Up on ‘This Week’: Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann
Coming Up on ‘This Week’: Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann
Discussion:
CNN and The Politico
Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:
Mitt Romney: President Obama Out Of Touch Like Marie Antoinette
Mitt Romney: President Obama Out Of Touch Like Marie Antoinette
Discussion:
The Hill, ABCNEWS, PERRspectives, Real Clear Politics, Iowa Caucus 2012, msnbc.com, THEROOT.COM, Washington Post, Hot Air, Rumproast and The Moderate Voice
Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:
NBC-Marist poll confirms Santorum surge
NBC-Marist poll confirms Santorum surge
Discussion:
The Week, Weekly Standard, Nice Deb, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Wonkette, Hot Air, The Other McCain, Los Angeles Times, Ballot Box and The Politico
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Ron Paul Claimed An AIDS Patient Is ‘A Victim Of His Own Lifestyle’ In 1987 Book
Ron Paul Claimed An AIDS Patient Is ‘A Victim Of His Own Lifestyle’ In 1987 Book
Discussion:
Iowa Caucuses and RedState
Judy Woodruff / Online NewsHour:
Iowa Dispatch: After ‘Christmas With Ron Paul,’ a Texas Respite
Iowa Dispatch: After ‘Christmas With Ron Paul,’ a Texas Respite
Discussion:
The Hill and Washington Post
Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Michele Bachmann's campaign flameout
Michele Bachmann's campaign flameout
Discussion:
Iowa Caucuses, Online NewsHour, CNN, The Politico, American Power, The Week, Crooks and Liars and Harry's Place
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Nearly half of Iowa ads attack Gingrich
Nearly half of Iowa ads attack Gingrich
Discussion:
GOP 12, ABCNEWS, Iowa Caucuses, USA Today, Washington Post, Guardian, 2012 Decoded, The Raw Story, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Ballot Box
Peter Schorsch / Saint Petersblog:
Latest Florida poll: Mitt Romney 27%, Newt Gingrich 26%; no one else in double digits — As Florida voters begin to focus on the state's pivotal GOP presidential primary at the end of January, the leading contenders are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich …
Discussion:
The Hill
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Keynes Was Right — “The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity at the Treasury.” So declared John Maynard Keynes in 1937, even as F.D.R. was about to prove him right by trying to balance the budget too soon, sending the United States economy — which had been steadily recovering …
Discussion:
Cafe Hayek, Weasel Zippers, Campaign 2012, Daily Kos and Vox Popoli
New York Times:
An Uproar on the Web Over $2 Fee by Verizon — The Web lit up with howls of protest on Thursday as word of a planned new Verizon Wireless fee spread wildly — and somewhat inaccurately. — The $2 monthly fee, which takes effect Jan. 15, will apply to people who make one-time credit or debit card payments on the phone or online.
Discussion:
The New Republic and Bits, more at Techmeme »
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Jed Babbin / American Spectator:
2011: The Year the Wheels Fell Off — The coming year will not give us a break from the steady stream of political knavery, green graft and governmental stupidity that 2011 delivered, though it will surely provide a flood of politically-induced comedy. — JANUARY: An enterprising BBC reporter …
Justin Sink / Ballot Box:
Gingrich tears up while discussing mother at Iowa town hall — Newt Gingrich choked up while discussing his mother's struggle with mental illness during a town-hall meeting in Des Moines. — Gingrich was asked to speak about a time his mother affected him at the event sponsored by CafeMom, a social networking website for mothers.
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN and Gawker
Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:
Gingrich Floats Choosing Sarah Palin as Vice President, Energy Secretary — Last night during a tele-town hall hosted by Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom Coalition, a caller asked Newt Gingrich if he would consider choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate if he wins the Republican nomination.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed and The Raw Story
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
WordPress Takes Down “Bare Naked Islam” Blog After Threats From CAIR — WordPress took down Bare Naked Islam Blog today after threats from CAIR.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
The Murdoch Primary, Let's Call It — A number of times over recent months I've noted the importance of the ‘Murdoch Primary’, the battle for the support of the far-flung News Corp/Murdoch media-political empire. The most visible face of it today is Fox News, the dominating national conservative cable news outlet.
Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
An Election Year Dawns Without Keith Olbermann — Keith Olbermann, who came to Current TV this year to remake the channel and compete against his old home, MSNBC, is sitting out the biggest political nights of the season. — Despite being the biggest star on the fledging channel …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Big Journalism, FishbowlDC, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler and PJ Lifestyle, more at Mediagazer »
Emily Schultheis / The Politico:
Romney son makes Obama birth certificate joke — After getting a question about whether Mitt Romney will release his income tax returns in Concord, N.H., Romney's son Matt made a crack about President Obama's college grades and birth certificate:
Discussion:
Gawker, ABCNEWS, ThinkProgress, Ballot Box and Daily Kos
Wall Street Journal:
Gingrich Is Making Romney Better — The most memorable campaign line so far isn't ‘9-9-9’ or ‘Oops.’ — So the first third of the Republican presidential race is ending. The first third is the introduction: “This is who I am, this is what I want to do, this is why you want to choose me.”
David Kocieniewski / New York Times:
Tax Benefits From Options as Windfall for Businesses — The stock market's rebound from the financial crisis three years ago has created a potential windfall for hundreds of executives who were granted unusually large packages of stock options shortly after the market collapsed.
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, Business Insider and The Impolitic
Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
DCCC moves to shore up House Dems imperiled by redistricting — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added five House members to its Frontline program to protect Democratic incumbents on Friday, including some whose reelection prospects suffered major blows from redistricting.
Discussion:
The Politico
almasryalyoum.com:
Muslim villagers burn houses of Christian family Upper Egypt — Average: — ShareThis — views: — Send to friend — Dozens of residents of the village of Baheeg in Assiut, Upper Egypt, burnt three houses owned by a Christian family after a Christian villager allegedly published …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch