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Crowd boos mentioning of McCain's name at Santorum event — SOMERSWORTH, N.H. — Drawing an implicit contrast with Mitt Romney on the eve of the first-in-the-nation primary, Rick Santorum on Monday implored New Hampshire not to settle for a centrist, establishment candidate.
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, Doug Ross and Weasel Zippers
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Gingrich Swift Boats Romney — There is an informal set of rules governing attacks in the presidential primary campaigns, so as to keep things within the healthy, winnowing spirit of Darwinian competition, and away from dangerous subversion of the eventual nominee.
Discussion:
The Caucus, Politics Blog, RedState, The New Republic, The PJ Tatler, Political Mojo and Applesauce


Romney at Bain: Big Gains, Some Busts — Mitt Romney's political foes are stepping up attacks based on his time running investment firm Bain Capital, tagging him with making a fortune from the rougher side of American capitalism—even as Mr. Romney says his Bain tenure shows he knows how to build businesses.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, New York Times, The Caucus, The Atlantic Online, Los Angeles Times, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, National Review, Outside the Beltway, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, NO QUARTER, Hot Air, Riehl World View, Guardian, The Moderate Voice, The Enterprise Blog, The Raw Story, The Right Scoop, GOP 12, American Prospect, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Shakesville, Washington Wire, Business Insider, Campaign 2012, Taegan Goddard's …, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Lonely Conservative and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »


Romney Gets Instant Flak for Saying ‘You Can Fire Them’
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Crooks and Liars and USA Today

The abysmal incompetence of the non-Romneys; Huntsman, Gingrich, Perry all go Occupier; Santorum declines

TPM2012 — Newt Goes Full ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Against Romney
Discussion:
News Corpse, Balloon Juice, ThinkProgress and Indecision Forever

Mitt Romney and the Bain bomb
Discussion:
CNN, The Caucus, The Politico, Swampland, About.com US Liberal Politics, TBogg, The Right Sphere and Ballot Box

Gingrich: How does he know so much about the super PAC ad?
Discussion:
Club for Growth, American Spectator and National Review

Romney Waves Away Opponents' Intensifying Attacks
Discussion:
The Caucus, Firedoglake and Washington Examiner

Gingrich's Own Close Tie to Buyout Industry
Discussion:
Fortune, Hot Air, The Page, DealBook and New York Times


William Daley to step down as Obama's chief of staff — White House Chief of Staff William Daley, left, confers with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney as President Barack Obama addresses the media in the briefing room of the White Hous. (Win McNamee/Getty Images / December 8, 2011)
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Daley to leave White House
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, The PJ Tatler and Outside the Beltway


Lew to Replace Daley as White House Chief of Staff
Discussion:
New York Times, News Desk, A plain blog about politics, Political Mojo, Connecting.the.Dots and Washington Wire

White House Hid Johnny Depp-Hosted Secret ‘Alice In Wonderland’ Party
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Politico, Doug Ross, The Stir By CafeMom, Guardian and The Daily Caller

Poll: Among GOP hopefuls, Romney fares best against Obama — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a two-point lead against President Obama …
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Power Line, The Moderate Voice and Ron Paul 2012 Presidential …
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GOP Voters Still Unenthused About Presidential Field — Romney Ahead Nationally, Santorum Gains Ground — OVERVIEW — On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Republican voters continue to express mixed views of the party's presidential field. Roughly half (51%) of Republican …
Discussion:
Hot Air, 2012 Decoded, The Politico and Taegan Goddard's …

Poll: 58% of Republicans want more presidential choices
Discussion:
Hot Air

Texas Voting Rights Case Heard by Supreme Court — WASHINGTON — Several members of the Supreme Court appeared frustrated on Monday as they surveyed the available options and looming deadlines in a major voting rights case from Texas that could help decide control of the House.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and msnbc.com
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A way out on Texas? — Analysis — Well aware that it must act swiftly, the Supreme Court on Monday pondered two simple ways and one considerably more complex way to let Texas go forward with its 2012 elections for state legislature and Congress, but left open the possibility …
Discussion:
The Politico and Election Law Blog

Supreme Court grapples with messy Texas redistricting case
Discussion:
Off the Kuff, CNN and SCOTUSblog

A weak defense of EPA (UPDATED)
Discussion:
Cato @ Liberty, The Volokh Conspiracy, New York Times and The PJ Tatler

Romney didn't really say he enjoys firing people — Dems are jumping up and down this morning because, as Taegan Goddard puts it, they've “caught him on video saying he likes firing people.” — Let me go on record saying it would be misleading and unfair to clip the video in question …
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Why You Cannot Say You ‘Like’ Firing People
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo

Todd Palin Endorses Newt Gingrich — ABC News' Santina Leuci and Z. Byron Wolf report: — Sarah Palin's husband is endorsing Newt Gingrich for president, Todd Palin told ABC News today. — But Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and John McCain's 2008 Republican running mate …


Gayest Cities in America, 2012 — It's no secret that megalopolises New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles have robust LGBT life — and we've even heard tell of little queer hoods like the Castro and P-Town. This isn't that list. — There's the official census with information …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Knoxville News-Sentinel, Truthdig and Joe. My. God.


N.J. Gov. Chris Christie Responds to Female Hecklers With Offensive Oral Sex Joke … - New Hampshire Debate: Gingrich Attacks Romney for His “Pious Baloney” - CBS Stakes Its Claim as the Adult Contemporary of the Network Morning Shows — Chris Christie Responds to Female Hecklers With Lame …
Discussion:
Sky Dancing, Taylor Marsh, TBogg, The PJ Tatler, Washington Monthly, National Review and CNN

Conservatives vs. Capitalism — The last two presidential election cycles have revealed a stinking hypocrisy in conservatives: They profess their love of capitalism and entrepreneurship, but when offered a real capitalist and entrepreneur, they go, “Eek, a mouse!” And they tear him down in proud social-democrat fashion.

Media mob chases Ron Paul from campaign stop in New Hampshire — MANCHESTER, N.H. — A campaign stop at a New Hampshire eatery unraveled into a bit of a circus when the media scrum chasing Ron Paul apparently became too much for the 76-year-old Texas congressman to handle.
Discussion:
The Politico, Wonkette, CNN, Business Insider, FiveThirtyEight, The Other McCain and The Lonely Conservative
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Paul Cuts Off CNN, Again
Discussion:
Slate, Washington Post and The Hill

Satan Cheers Graham, Osteen, Starr for Not Telling the Truth About Mormonism — Contact: Bill Keller, bkeller@liveprayer.com, 727-420-7005 — Bill Keller, the world's leading Internet Evangelist and the founder of LivePrayer.com, with over 2.4 million subscribers worldwide reading …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs and Dependable Renegade


California Bars Prisoner From Reading ‘The Atlantic’ — We received an unusual letter last week here at The Atlantic, from the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, one of the larger prisons in the California state system (and home to the state's death row for women).
Discussion:
Mediaite