Top Items:
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.
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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:
Washington Post, 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, Weekly Standard, Iowa Caucuses, Hot Air and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
NBC's Mark Murray / msnbc.com:
NBC poll: Mitt Romney, Ron Paul neck-and-neck in Iowa; Newt Gingrich in 5th — The wild card in this race has been and continues to be Ron Paul, the Libertarian who has a growing following inside the Republican Party. NBC's Chuck Todd has more. — By NBC's Mark Murray
Discussion:
Iowa Caucuses, Outside the Beltway, Libertarian Republican and Taegan Goddard's …
Paul West / Los Angeles Times:
Ron Paul: Sanctions against Iran are ‘acts of war’ — Ron Paul campaigns during an event honoring veterans at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011. (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press) — Reporting from Perry, Iowa— Defending himself against charges of isolationism …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Dish, Politisite, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers and CNN
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:
Wall Street Journal, The Week and National Review
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Occupy vs. Ron Paul
Occupy vs. Ron Paul
Discussion:
The Politico, Tom Watson, Mediaite and Mercury Rising
Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Top Santorum supporter says he can win Iowa caucus
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 …
First Thoughts: Why not Santorum? — Santorum surges in new poll …
Discussion:
TBogg, Associated Press, A plain blog about politics, Iowa Caucuses, The New Republic and Swampland
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney still up big in New Hampshire
Romney still up big in New Hampshire
Discussion:
CNN, The Raw Story, Mediaite, Guardian, Ballot Box, Bloomberg and Iowa Caucuses
Shushannah Walshe / ABCNEWS:
Rick Santorum Gets A Big Polling Boost, Goes After Ron Paul
Rick Santorum Gets A Big Polling Boost, Goes After Ron Paul
Discussion:
CNN, Real Clear Politics, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Daily Kos, Weasel Zippers and New York Times
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 …
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Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Ron Paul Downplays Newsletters : Only ‘Eight To Ten Sentences’ Were Offensive — Ron Paul on Thursday downplayed the fringe aspects of his old newsletters, saying on an Iowa radio program that the most offensive passages were probably only a small portion of the overall content.
Joseph W. McQuaid / unionleader.com:
Ron Paul is truly dangerous
Ron Paul is truly dangerous
Discussion:
The Politico, Real Clear Politics, USA Today, The Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post
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
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Penny Starr / CNSNews:
Tournament of Roses to Occupiers: You Can't March in Our Parade
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
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
Welcome To Verizon Wireless:
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
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
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Jeffrey Scott Shapiro / Big Government:
EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Pelosi's Daughter: ‘My Mom Wants to Leave Congress’
EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Pelosi's Daughter: ‘My Mom Wants to Leave Congress’
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
Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
Despite GOP opposition, light bulb standards will phase in on Jan. 1 — New light bulb efficiency standards will begin phasing in on Jan. 1 despite intense opposition from conservatives, who have blasted the rules as a textbook unnecessary federal regulation.
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative and LewRockwell.com Blog
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 »