memeorandum: New Hampshire primary: Mitt Romney rises above squabbling pack (Alexander Burns/The Politico)

12:15 AM ET, January 8, 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

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

New Hampshire primary: Mitt Romney rises above squabbling pack — GOFFSTOWN, N.H. - The Republican presidential debate Saturday broke out into a volley of charges and counter-charges between the candidates, but left front-runner Mitt Romney almost entirely unscathed in the second-to-last forum before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Discussion: Washington Post, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and The Page

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: Talking Points Memo, The Reality-Based Community, The Raw Story and The Political Carnival

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, Taylor Marsh and Washington Monthly

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

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:

Romney's private sector record cross-examined in NH Republican debate — MANCHESTER, N.H. — 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 …

Discussion: The Politico

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

Discussion: Guardian

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

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Hot Air and The Other McCain

Los Angeles Times:
Rick Santorum focuses on gay marriage

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

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

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

Jonathan Martin / The Politico: Trailing in New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman takes the long view

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

Discussion: CNN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 …