memeorandum: Black Woman Confronts Santorum Over Comments: ‘Why Do You Have A Problem Against Black People?’ (Alex Seitz-Wald/ThinkProgress)

11:15 PM ET, January 7, 2012

Top Items:

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

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

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:

Romney's business record cross-examined in NH GOP debate — The Republican presidential candidates took turns interrogating Mitt Romney's record creating private-sector jobs at the start of Saturday's ABC News debate, accentuating the top-dog status Romney has secured coming out of his narrow win in the Iowa caucuses.

Discussion: The Politico

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, Mediaite and The Hill

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

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

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:

Gary Bauer to endorse Rick Santorum — Social conservative leader and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer will endorse Rick Santorum in South Carolina, he confirmed to The Hill on Saturday. — Bauer said that he didn't want to get into the details of the endorsement since …

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

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

Discussion: Guardian

Los Angeles Times:
Rick Santorum focuses on gay marriage

Discussion: Sky Dancing, ThinkProgress, The Camp Of The Saints, CANNONFIRE, The Political Carnival, Datechguy's Blog, The Other McCain, Outside the Beltway, American Power, Taylor Marsh, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice, uExpress, The Daily Dish and Joe. My. God.

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Rick Santorum to get Gary Bauer endorsement Sunday

Discussion: The Other McCain, ABCNEWS and Hot Air

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

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

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

Discussion: Balloon Juice, National Review, The Impolitic and ThinkProgress

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

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

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative and Power Line

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, Doug Ross, The Spectacle Blog and Connecting.the.Dots

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Trailing in New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman takes the long view — MANCHESTER, N.H. — More than 160 New Hampshire events and counting to his name, Jon Huntsman is hoping to pull off a political miracle Tuesday with the same shoe-leather campaign Rick Santorum ran with success in Iowa.

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

Discussion: CNN

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

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Black Woman Confronts Santorum Over Comments: ‘Why Do You Have A Problem Against Black People?’ — ThinkProgress filed this report from Hollis, New Hampshire — At a campaign event outside a pharmacy in Hollis, New Hampshire Saturday afternoon, an African-American woman confronted Rick Santorum …

Discussion: field negro and The Hinterland Gazette

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: Pundit & Pundette, The Camp Of The Saints 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 Raw Story and The Political Carnival

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, The Hill, TalkLeft, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Hullabaloo, JustOneMinute, The Impolitic, Bangor Daily News, Weasel Zippers, The Huffington Post and Chicago magazine

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

Discussion: Doug Ross, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers 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