memeorandum: Georgia Survey Finds Farmers Are Having Hard Time Replacing Migrant Workers (Elizabeth Llorente/Fox News)

11:50 PM ET, January 4, 2012

Top Items:

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Suddenly, a fun candidate — The complaint that Iowa is not a typical American state is true but trivial because there is no such state. Can you name one whose political culture, closely considered, is more like than unlike any other state's? Anyway, someplace has to go first …

Discussion: National Review, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze.com, DownWithTyranny!, Mediaite, Don Surber, ABCNEWS and Eunomia

David Corn / MoJo Articles:

Newt the Destroyer — Gingrich is now on a single-minded mission to detonate Mitt Romney's presidential prospects. Will he blow up the GOP in the process? — Newt Gingrich has finally reached his destiny: destroyer of the GOP. — In a bitter and spiteful concession speech last night in Iowa …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Box Turtle Bulletin, CNN, Rod Dreher, The Atlantic Online, Gawker, Indecision Forever, msnbc.com, Balloon Juice and BuzzFeed

Kevin Drum / Political Mojo:

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Mitt Romney? — Mitt Romney has a win in Iowa under his belt and is now headed to the friendlier environs of New Hampshire, where he's got a good chance of all but wrapping up the Republican nomination. Turns out, though, that this poses a problem for the Obama campaign …

Discussion: Swampland, New York Times and Truthdig

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

After Iowa caucuses, GOP elites seek ‘consensus’ candidate — A group of movement conservatives has called an emergency meeting in Texas next weekend to find a “consensus” Republican presidential hopeful, POLITICO has learned. — “You and your spouse are cordially invited to a private meeting …

Discussion: CNN, Liberal Values, RedState, The Caucus, Washington Post, Taegan Goddard's …, USA Today, Indecision Forever, FreakOutNation, 2012 Decoded, Reuters, Washington Monthly, Business Insider, ThinkProgress and Taylor Marsh

Emily Schultheis / The Politico:

Newt won't congratulate Mitt on win — POLITICO's Ginger Gibson reports:

Discussion: Hot Air and TheBlaze.com

Jay Cost / Weekly Standard:
Morning Jay: What Iowa Tells Us About the State of the Race

Discussion: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Power Line, Progressive Policy Institute, Washington Wire, Vodkapundit, The Atlantic Online, New Hampshire Journal and Betsy's Page

Bill / Pundits Blog:
Obama wins Iowa — without even campaigning!

Discussion: The Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog and 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Winning Ugly, but Winning — I don't care if you call it a win or a tie.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Daily Beast, The Caucus, Talking Points Memo, National Review, Feministing, msnbc.com, Wake up America, Newshoggers.com, NationalJournal.com, neo-neocon and Saint Petersblog

Major Garrett / NationalJournal.com:
Gingrich Commits Political Malpractice

Discussion: Hot Air and NO QUARTER

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Rick Perry surprises staff, stays in race

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, LifeNews.com, Hit & Run, GOP 12, The Hill and Daily Kos

Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
Bachmann Ends Presidential Run — Source

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Wonkette, CNN, Big Government, THEROOT.COM, American Prospect, The Politico, Indecision Forever, Right Wing Watch, The Caucus, The Hinterland Gazette, Towleroad News #gay, ABCNEWS, Wake up America and Associated Press

NRO Symposium / National Review:
What Iowa Means — The Iowa caucuses provide four big takeaways:

Discussion: Salon.com, Clayton Cramer's Blog, Roger L. Simon, Guardian, Weekly Standard, Campaign Stops, The Huffington Post and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
Gingrich places fourth, slams Romney and praises Santorum

Discussion: Slate, Washington Post, Eunomia, Patchwork Nation, Online NewsHour, Iowa Caucuses, Daily Pundit, Gawker and GOP 12

Stephen Gutowski / MRCTV:

Richard Cordray: Any Legislation Which Has Even “Incidental Effects on the Economy” is a “Valid Exercise of Congressional Authority” — President Obama announced today that he was going to take a new step in the expansion of executive authority by recess appointing a head …

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Verum Serum, Michelle Malkin, Nice Deb, Daily Pundit and Prairie Weather

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Breaking: Obama also set to make recess appointments to the NLRB — It isn't just Richard Cordray. Obama is also set to use recess appointments to install his picks to the National Labor Relations Board, according to White House officials and others familiar with ongoing discussions.

Discussion: Political Mojo, ThinkProgress, The Hill, Firedoglake, American Prospect, Main Street, Reuters, Daily Kos, The Heritage Foundation, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Monthly, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Breitbart.tv and Big Government

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:

Reid backs Obama after using pro forma sessions to block Bush — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who previously held pro forma sessions to block recess appointments by President George W. Bush, said Wednesday he supported President Obama's decision to ignore those sessions to push through one of his key nominees.

Discussion: National Review, The Politico, Thoughts From A …, Weasel Zippers, Speaker, Hot Air, Mediaite, Viking Pundit and White House Dossier

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Obama under strong pressure to break precedent on recess appointments — President Obama is under strong pressure from liberals to use his recess-appointment power during the congressional break, but doing so would break 20 years of precedent, putting him in a tough position.

Discussion: The Politico, Washington Post, The Volokh Conspiracy, CNN, The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Times and Moe Lane

Joseph Williams / The Politico:
Obama makes 3 NLRB recess appointments

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The White House, ThinkProgress, ACS Blog and The Political Carnival

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Court fight over recess appointments ‘almost certain,’ Chamber says

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Brad Plumer / Washington Post:
With Cordray appointment, Obama sets new precedent

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Caucus, Political Mojo, Gawker, ThinkProgress, The New Republic and tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com

Dan Pfeiffer / White House.gov Blog:
America's Consumer Watchdog

Washington Times:
Obama defies Congress with ‘recess’ picks

Discussion: Power Line, The Heritage Foundation and Campaign 2012

Grace Wyler / Business Insider:

Ron Paul May Have Secretly Won The Iowa Caucuses — DES MOINES — Ron Paul may have officially come in third tonight, but if the campaign's caucus strategy went off as planned, then Paul may actually be the real winner of the first Republican voting contest.

Discussion: NPR, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, NO QUARTER, The Hill, Firedoglake, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Wake up America, Hit & Run, A plain blog about politics, New York Times, Guardian, Truthdig, americanthinker.com, FrumForum and CNN

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Credit Santorum with sinking Ron Paul

Discussion: Saint Petersblog

Jonathan Weisman / The Caucus:
For McCain, a Choice Between Old Enemies

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Washington Monthly, Philly.com and Connecting.the.Dots

The Right Scoop:
Palin: GOP better not marginalize Ron Paul and his supporters

Discussion: GayPatriot, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Pundit, Power Line, Mediaite, Hot Air and Campaign 2012

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Army soldier rallying for Paul violated military ban on political activity

Discussion: Political Mojo, Outside the Beltway and Big Government

Rebecca Lopez / WFAA-TV:

Dallas teen missing since 2010 was mistakenly deported — DALLAS - “It's very frustrating,” Lorene Turner said. — She has spent hours on Facebook trying to find her granddaughter, Jakadrien. — “Once I get home I am up until 3 or 4 in the morning searching and looking,” Turner said.

Discussion: theGrio, Firedoglake, utsandiego.com, Gawker, The Raw Story, Hullabaloo, emptywheel, msnbc.com and The Agitator

Wall Street Journal:

Kodak Teeters on the Brink — Eastman Kodak Co. is preparing to seek bankruptcy protection in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter said, a move that would cap a stunning comedown for a company that once ranked among America's corporate titans. — The 131-year-old company …

Discussion: Guardian, The Verge, Atlas Shrugs and AllThingsD, more at Techmeme »

Hollie McKay / Fox News:

Do Musicians Block GOP Candidates From Using Their Songs? — When GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's team was looking for a theme song for his campaign, Kid Rock's hit “Born Free” hit a chord. But instead of doing what countless other politicians before him had done …

Discussion: Big Hollywood and No More Mister Nice Blog

Marie Diamond / ThinkProgress:

New Hampshire GOP Bill Mandates That New Laws Find Their Origin In 1215 English Magna Carta — New Hampshire Republicans are taking textual originalism to a whole new level: three lawmakers have proposed a bill that requires that all legislation find its origin not in the U.S. constitution, but an English document crafted in 1215.

Discussion: Wonkette and Angry Black Lady Chronicles

Marisa Guthrie / Hollywood Reporter:

Keith Olbermann Blasts Current TV; Internal Memo Reveals Tension Over GOP Primary — “I was not given a legitimate opportunity to host under acceptable conditions,” Olbermann said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. “They know it and we know it. Telling half the story is wrong.”

Discussion: Hot Air, National Review, Mediaite and The Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Elizabeth Llorente / Fox News:

Georgia Survey Finds Farmers Are Having Hard Time Replacing Migrant Workers — A study by the Georgia Agriculture Department of the state farm workforce shows that finding legal employees with the skill and desire to do labor-intensive harvesting is extremely difficult.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Romney vs. Obama on job creation — “And I'm very happy in my former life; we helped create over 100,000 new jobs. By the way, we created more jobs in Massachusetts than this president's created in the entire country. So if the president wants to talk about jobs, and I hope he does …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, ThinkProgress, Obama 2012 Blog, Paul Krugman, Daily Kos, Brilliant at Breakfast and Washington Monthly

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Santorum has raised $1M since last night — Rick Santorum has raised just over $1 million since his eight-vote loss in Iowa last night, his top strategist tells POLITICO. — John Brabender, who revealed that their server briefly went down under the crush last night, said almost all of the cash came online.

Discussion: The Week

Vauhini Vara / Wall Street Journal:

California Train Plan Hits Bump Over Funds — SAN FRANCISCO—California's ambitious plan for a high-speed rail system hit a big roadblock Tuesday, as an independent panel urged lawmakers to deny authorizing the issuance of $2.7 billion in bonds to kick off the $98.5 billion project.

Discussion: The Informer, ThinkProgress and Via Meadia