memeorandum: All We Are Saying . . . The establishment usually wins. (William Kristol/Weekly Standard)

9:15 PM ET, January 7, 2012

Top Items:

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

All We Are Saying . . . The establishment usually wins. That, after all, is what it means to be an establishment. But not always. Three of the last six presidents—Jimmy Carter in 1976, Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Barack Obama in 2008—ran against their own party's powerbrokers …

Discussion: The Politico, Outside the Beltway, American Spectator and Washington Monthly

Washington Examiner:

Why Gingrich tanked — NASHUA, NH — Just as in Iowa, Newt Gingrich's popularity has plunged here in New Hampshire. The former House speaker, who hit 24 percent in a Rasmussen survey in late November, is languishing at eight percent in the latest Rasmussen Granite State poll.

Discussion: Campaign 2012

Los Angeles Times:

Rick Santorum focuses on gay marriage — He suggests to a New Hampshire audience that an imprisoned father is preferable to a same-sex parent. — Mitt Romney leaves a campaign event outside an old peanut warehouse in Conway, S.C. (David Goldman, AP / January 6, 2012)

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Sky Dancing, The Camp Of The Saints, CANNONFIRE, The Political Carnival, Outside the Beltway, The Other McCain, Datechguy's Blog, Taylor Marsh, Balloon Juice, American Power, The Daily Dish and Joe. My. God.

Danny Yadron / Washington Wire:

Santorum: All Students Shouldn't Be Pushed to Go to College — GOFFSTOWN, N.H. — Former Sen. Rick Santorum expanded his populist message into education Saturday, accusing President Barack Obama and others of “snobbery” for pushing all kids to go to college.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette, The Hill and Mediaite

A.Killough / CNN:

Gingrich in friendly attack-mode ahead of debate — Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (CNN) - With a World War II-era military tank behind him and two critical debates ahead of him, Newt Gingrich gave his most muscular performance in weeks at a town hall Saturday. — Speaking at a WWII museum in Wolfeboro …

Discussion: The Politico, Los Angeles Times and Hot Air

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Rick Santorum to get Gary Bauer endorsement Sunday — Gary Bauer, a leader in the social conservative movement, will endorse Rick Santorum's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination Sunday in South Carolina, according to a person close to Bauer. — Bauer, who chairs the Campaign …

Discussion: ABCNEWS and Hot Air

Travis Waldron / ThinkProgress:

Santorum Accuses Obama Of ‘Elitist Snobbery’ For Wanting Every Child To Go To College — ThinkProgress filed this report from Amherst, New Hampshire — President Obama has laid out an ambitious agenda for America's high school students, stating that by 2020, he wants the United States …

Discussion: The Political Carnival and The Huffington Post

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney up in South Carolina

Discussion: Guardian

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Gary Bauer to endorse Rick Santorum

Discussion: CNN

ABCNEWS:
Republican Candidates Ready to Rumble in Key New Hampshire Debate

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative and Power Line

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Romney pushing for four-state streak to steamroll GOP opponents

Discussion: Campaign 2012, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and American Power

Erik Eckholm / New York Times:
Evangelicals Hurry to Find Alternative to Romney

Discussion: The Caucus, ABCNEWS, Good As You, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather and Washington Post

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
N.H. Debate(S) Preview: The Mitt ‘N’ Rick Grinder

Discussion: ThinkProgress, National Review and The Impolitic

Universal Uclick / uExpress:
SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES UNITE FOR SANTORUM

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Balloon Juice

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Paul pushback on Huntsman video — Ron Paul supporters have pushed back furiously in the last 24 hours on the charge that one Paul backer posted an offensive video questioning Jon Huntsman's national loyalty, and showing clips of Huntsman speaking Mandarin with his adopted Chinese daughter.

Discussion: The Caucus, Erick's blog, The Spectacle Blog and Connecting.the.Dots

Emily Goodin / Ballot Box:
Huntsman's New Hampshire strategy: ‘Speak from the heart’

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

Jodi Kantor / New York Times:

Michelle Obama and the Evolution of a First Lady — Michelle Obama was privately fuming, not only at the president's team, but also at her husband. — In the days after the Democrats lost Edward Kennedy's Senate seat in January 2010, Barack Obama was even-keeled as usual in meetings …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Hullabaloo, JustOneMinute, The Impolitic, TalkLeft, Bangor Daily News, Weasel Zippers, Firedoglake, The Huffington Post and Chicago magazine

Raf Sanchez / Telegraph:
Michelle Obama ‘raged against Rahm Emmanuel and White House advisors’

Discussion: Doug Ross, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and Atlas Shrugs

Ventura County / Ventura County Star Stories:

Rep. Elton Gallegly to retire — U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, the longest serving congressional representative in Ventura County history, announced this morning that he will not seek re-election and will retire at the end of the current Congress.

Discussion: CNN, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos

Peter Schroeder / The Hill: Rep. Gallegly to retire

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
Gallegly to retire — Rep. Elton Gallegly will not seek reelection …

Discussion: Capitol Alert

Mark Steyn / National Review:

The Left's So-Called Empathy — Lest you doubt that we're headed for the most vicious election year in memory, consider the determined effort, within ten minutes of his triumph in Iowa, to weirdify Rick Santorum. Discussing the surging senator on Fox News, Alan Colmes mused on some of the “crazy things” he's said and done.

Discussion: The Camp Of The Saints, Pundit & Pundette and Don Surber

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPM2012 — Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Romney's A ‘Job Cremator’ — Democrats are in full force at Saturday night's Republican debate in New Hampshire, ostensibly to rebut the GOP field, but in practice mostly to go after frontrunner Mitt Romney. — Well, not necessarily, the frontrunner.

Discussion: The Political Carnival

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

The G.O.P.'s ‘Black People’ Platform — That didn't take long. — As we've gotten around to casting votes to select a Republican presidential nominee, the antiblack rhetoric has taken center stage. — You just have to love (and despise) this kind of predictability.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette, The PJ Tatler, Wonkette, The Huffington Post, CBS News and Booman Tribune

ThinkProgress:

Didn't matter, Matthew said, since the medicine obviously wasn't for him. … The situation got worse from there. Melbourne put his wife on the phone and even Googled the medication to show the pharmacist there was no law against selling it to a man. But “she didn't want to see it,” he said.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Jezebel