memeorandum: The G.O.P.'s ‘Black People’ Platform (Charles M. Blow/New York Times)

5:15 PM ET, January 7, 2012

Top Items:

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: The Other McCain, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway, Datechguy's Blog, The Political Carnival, Balloon Juice, Joe. My. God., The Daily Dish and ThinkProgress

msnbc.com:
NBC/Marist Poll: Romney has 20-point lead in N.H.; Santorum gets Iowa bounce

Discussion: Franklin Center, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Scared Monkeys, 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com and Rasmussen Reports

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

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative and Power Line

MiamiHerald.com:
Santorum again stresses social issues at event in N.H., criticizing gay marriage

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay and Little Green Footballs

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

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

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 Daily Caller, TalkLeft, The Hill, JustOneMinute, Hullabaloo, The Impolitic, Bangor Daily News, Weasel Zippers and Chicago magazine

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

Discussion: Doug Ross, The Gateway Pundit and Atlas Shrugs

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
‘The Obamas’: Book Reveals Friction Between Rahm Emanuel, Michelle Obama (UPDATE)

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Weasel Zippers, Firedoglake, Guardian, Lynn Sweet and The Politico

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: American Spectator, Outside the Beltway and Washington Monthly

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:

Gallegly to retire — Rep. Elton Gallegly will not seek reelection in 2012, he announced Saturday, forgoing an uphill post-redistricting race against fellow GOP Rep. Buck McKeon. — “The decision to step aside at this time did not come lightly,” the California Republican said in a statement.

Discussion: Capitol Alert

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:

Rep. Gallegly to retire — Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) has announced he will not seek re-election in 2012, and will instead retire after 25 years in Congress. — In a statement issued Saturday, Gallegly said he and his wife had decided “now was the right time to begin the next chapter in our lives.”

Discussion: Ventura County Star Stories and Daily Kos

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, Daily Kos, CBS News, Booman Tribune, The Huffington Post and Wonkette

Emily Goodin / Ballot Box:

Huntsman's New Hampshire strategy: ‘Speak from the heart’ — MANCHESTER — Jon Huntsman stopped by his Manchester headquarters Saturday afternoon to drop off chicken tenders for his supporters and rally his troops. — The former Utah governor, who is counting on a strong performance …

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

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: ThinkProgress, The Hill, The Political Carnival, Mediaite and The Huffington Post

Lynne LaMaster / Home-Prescott eNews:

Gosar Formally Announces Yavapai Candidacy — Breaking news: Gosar announces as a Yavapai County candidate for Congress. — Saying that Yavapai County is his base, Paul Gosar has formally announced his candidacy for Congressional District 4 today at the Republican Precinct Committee meeting.

Discussion: The Hill and Hotline On Call

American Prospect:

Occupying Grand Central Station — Five hundred people returned to Zuccotti Park on New Year's Eve, with drums, chants of “Whose Year? Our Year!”, and a tent, which they say they gave to police in exchange for entrance to the park. An hour before midnight, police and occupiers attempting …

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Government: The redistributionist behemoth — Liberals have a rendezvous with regret. Their largest achievement is today's redistributionist government. But such government is inherently regressive: It tends to distribute power and money to the strong, including itself.

Discussion: Campaign 2012 and Maggie's Farm

The Right Scoop:

Hilarious! McCain mistakenly refers to Romney as Obama — Oh man, this is classic. McCain totally referred to Romney as “President Obama” and went on for a few seconds before Gov. Haley corrected him. Hilarious! You know what they say about drunk people being more truthful, right?

Discussion: Althouse and Michelle Malkin

CNN:

U.S. Navy rescues Iranian sailors — From Larry Shaughnessy, CNN Pentagon Producer — (CNN) — U.S. sailors from a carrier strike group whose recent presence in the Persian Gulf drew the ire of Iranian military officials have rescued 13 of the Middle Eastern country's sailors from a hijacked fishing boat …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress and The Jawa Report

Fars News Agency:
IRGC to Conduct Naval Wargames Soon

Discussion: New York Times, Booman Tribune and Danger Room

Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:

Nigeria sect kills 15; Christians vow defense — MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A radical Muslim sect attacked a church during a worship service in Nigeria's northeast during assaults that killed at least 15 people, authorities said Saturday, as Christians vowed to defend themselves …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch