memeorandum: Front runners take short break from Iowa this weekend (CNN)

9:35 AM ET, December 30, 2011

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 …

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Iowa Caucuses, Outside the Beltway, The PJ Tatler, Libertarian Republican and Taegan Goddard's …

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

The Santorum Surge In Iowa and Beyond — The extent to which Rick Santorum has gained in Iowa polling is not entirely clear. Although two polls have him with 16 percent of the vote, two others that were in the field at the same time have him at 10 and 11 percent, respectively.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post, New York Times, The Caucus, Daily Kos, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Los Angeles Times, Ballot Box, Telegraph and Connecting.the.Dots

msnbc.com:

Bachmann campaign loses second key staffer in Ron Paul flap — Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign lost another high-ranking staff member on Thursday after that staffer defended another former Bachmann official's defection to a rival campaign. — Wes Enos, Bachmann's political director …

Discussion: New York Magazine, National Review and The Page

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Michele Bachmann's hard fall — The split had been presaged, however, for weeks, thanks to a divide between the staffers and advisers on her campaign bus, and the national and Washington-based team. Her then-state chairman, Kent Sorenson — who is now a Paul backer …

Discussion: Washington Post, Iowa Caucuses, Hot Air, ABCNEWS and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

CNN:

Front runners take short break from Iowa this weekend — Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - With four days to go until the caucuses, the two candidates at the top of the field are taking a short break from campaigning in the Hawkeye State. — After a stumping all day Friday in Iowa …

Discussion: GOP 12, NY Daily News and Iowa Caucus 2012

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:

Mitt Romney: President Obama Out Of Touch Like Marie Antoinette … 2012 Election , Barack Obama , Mitt Romney , Republican Presidential Primary , Elections 2012 , Ron Paul , Unemployment , Video , Iowa Caucuses , Marie Antoinette , Ron Paul 2012 , Caucus , Iowa , Iowa Caucus …

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, ABCNEWS, THEROOT.COM, Washington Post, CNN and Ballot Box

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: Outside the Beltway, Wall Street Journal, The Week and National Review

Alex Roarty / 2012 Decoded:
Why Is No One Attacking Romney? — Mitt Romney's confidence is brimming.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Politico, Weekly Standard, NationalJournal.com, Race 4 2012, The New Republic, Hot Air and Washington Post

Hunter Walker / PolitickerNY:

Stormfront Founder Don Black Says White Supremacists Thought Ron Paul Was ‘One of Us’ — Ron Paul was a hot topic this week on the talk radio show hosted by prominent white supremacist Don Black and his son Derek. Mr. Black said he received Mr. Paul's controversial newsletters …

Discussion: Osborne Ink, iOwnTheWorld.com, Nice Deb, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers, Pat Dollard, Little Green Footballs, Libertarian Republican, Liberal Values and Balloon Juice

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Ron Paul Downplays Newsletters : Only ‘Eight To Ten Sentences’ Were Offensive

Discussion: CBS News and Daily Kos

Joseph W. McQuaid / unionleader.com:
Ron Paul is truly dangerous

Discussion: The Politico, USA Today, Real Clear Politics, The Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Occupy vs. Ron Paul

Discussion: The Politico, Mediaite and Mercury Rising

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.

Discussion: PR Newswire, Israel Matzav, American Power and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Malia Zimmerman / Hawaii Reporter:

Occupy Hawaii Island Movement Plans Protest Near Pelosi's Posh Hawaiian Hotel — BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN - U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, one of the most powerful supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement, may be in the right place at the right time to protest with the Big Island branch of the movement, Occupy Hawaii Island.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Penny Starr / CNSNews:
Tournament of Roses to Occupiers: You Can't March in Our Parade

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative, Michelle Malkin, The Gateway Pundit and Scared Monkeys

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: Daily Kos and Vox Popoli

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:

IOWA NOTEBOOK: Occupy Caucuses? — Rick Perry speaks at Smokey Row coffee shop — After days of chasing after campaigns, I find myself in the unusual position of waiting for the campaign to come to me. Rick Santorum will be here in Davenport this evening for a 7 p.m. event …

Discussion: Daily Pundit

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Top Santorum supporter says he can win Iowa caucus

Discussion: The Politico and National Review

msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: Why not Santorum? — Santorum surges in new poll …

Discussion: TBogg, Associated Press, A plain blog about politics, Iowa Caucuses and The New Republic

Jake Sherman / The Politico:

Pelosi aides dispute daughter's claim — Nancy Pelosi's office says her daughter is wrong when she says the California Democrat wants to leave politics. — Alexandra Pelosi, the Democratic activist and filmmaker, said in an interview with Andrew Breitbart's Big Government …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Wall Street Journal

Jeffrey Scott Shapiro / Big Government:
EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Pelosi's Daughter: ‘My Mom Wants to Leave Congress’

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, The Hill, Don Surber, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Sister Toldjah, Moe Lane, Pat Dollard, Mediaite, The Lonely Conservative, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Anchoress and The Other McCain

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Customers Encouraged to Use Options to Avoid Single Payment Fee That Starts Jan. 15 — Customer Inquiries — For customer inquiries, please call 800-922-0204 or go to — Verizon Wireless offers customers numerous free and simple payment options and we encourage customers to use those options.

Discussion: New York Times, The Verge, The Daily Caller, Gothamist and Bits

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: Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

Source: Al Qaeda leader sends veteran jihadists to establish presence in Libya — (CNN) — Al Qaeda's leadership has sent experienced jihadists to Libya in an effort to build a fighting force there, according to a Libyan source briefed by Western counter-terrorism officials.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Americans See Views of GOP Candidates Closer to Their Own — Obama, Bachmann furthest away on ideological scale — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans perceive Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, and Ron Paul as closest to themselves ideologically, and Michele Bachmann and Barack Obama as furthest away.