memeorandum: Santorum's wife: Rick doesn't hate anyone (A.Killough/CNN)

7:00 PM ET, January 16, 2012

Top Items:

Activists say pro-Santorum vote was rigged — A civil war is breaking out among evangelical leaders over allegations of a rigged election and ballot stuffing at a Saturday gathering of religious and social conservatives. — At the meeting about 150 religious conservative activists at the Benham …

Discussion: The Caucus, Washington Monthly, The BRAD BLOG, Big Government, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Fox News, ABCNEWS, Outside the Beltway, Betsy's Page, American Prospect, Political Mojo, The Mahablog, Ballot Box, Wall Street Journal and Daily Kos

Wallacegw / CNN:

CNN Poll: Obama tied with Romney & Paul in November showdowns — Washington (CNN) - Mitt Romney is all tied up with President Barack Obama in a likely general election matchup, with the president showing signs of weakness on the economy and Romney seen as out of touch with ordinary Americans, according to a new national survey.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette and Fire Andrea Mitchell!

Mark Halperin / The Page:

“Easy Answer,” Hard Ad — FIRST ON THE PAGE: New Santorum South Carolina TV spot finally goes where many conservatives (and commentators) expected Romney rivals to go. — Hits on Palmetto State TV stations Tuesday. — The script: … Watch it here. » — HALPERIN'S TAKE

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

National Polls Suggest Romney Is Overwhelming Favorite for G.O.P. Nomination — While most of the political world's attention has been focused on South Carolina, Mitt Romney has moved into a clear lead in a set of national polls conducted since his victory in the New Hampshire primary.

Discussion: CNN and Don Surber

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Romney Has 23-Point GOP Lead Nationally — Romney is up 13 points since just before Iowa caucuses — PRINCETON, NJ — Mitt Romney has climbed to a commanding 23-point lead over his nearest competitor among Republican registered voters nationally, based on interviewing conducted Jan. 11-15.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Post, Poll Watch Daily, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos

Fox News:

Fox News Poll raw data: Romney hits record high, but still tied with Obama — While far more Republican primary voters view Rick Santorum as the true conservative, Mitt Romney has become the clear leader in the race for the GOP nomination, according to a just-released Fox News poll.

Discussion: Hot Air, Campaign 2012, The Lonely Conservative, Taegan Goddard's …, Balloon Juice and National Review

A.Killough / CNN:

Gingrich pitch to conservatives: Don't vote for Santorum — Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (CNN) - Newt Gingrich delivered a staunch warning to South Carolina conservatives Monday: “Any conservative who votes for anyone but Newt helps elect a moderate as the nominee.”

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Santorum calls on Romney to release tax returns

Discussion: The Other McCain and CNN

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Group spends $6 million linking Obama to Solyndra in ad

Discussion: Ballot Box and The Impolitic

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Newt tweaks Mitt for losing to McCain

Discussion: Hot Air

A.Killough / CNN:
Santorum's wife: Rick doesn't hate anyone

Discussion: TBogg

NewsMax.com:
SC Poll: Romney Lead Grows, Gingrich Second

Discussion: Ballot Box, Globe and Mail and The Hinterland Gazette

Alicia M. Cohn / Ballot Box:
GOP poll: Gingrich wins for ‘nastiest’ campaign

Discussion: CNN, Verum Serum, Hot Air and Vodkapundit

NY Daily News:
Newt Gingrich, natural woman

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Daily Caller

Wallacegw / CNN:
DeMint: I will not endorse

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Politico, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Indecision Forever, The Lonely Conservative and Taylor Marsh

Congressman Allen West / Facebook:

Mr. President, please don't play the race card in 2012... Mr. President, please don't play the race card in 2012 — I was born in the inner city of Atlanta in 1961, when segregation was still rife, at a time when I would have been barred from visiting the very beaches that make up part …

Discussion: The Hill, Weasel Zippers, The Hinterland Gazette and Campaign 2012

Mj Lee / The Politico:
Holder: Same voting issues as MLK

Discussion: Big Government, Weasel Zippers, Taylor Marsh and Freedom Line Blog

Amanda Peterson Beadle / ThinkProgress:
On MLK Day, Romney Campaigning With Anti-Immigrant Official Tied To Hate Groups

Discussion: Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars, The Hinterland Gazette and Hullabaloo

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
How Fares the Dream? — “I have a dream,” declared Martin Luther King …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, JustOneMinute, THEROOT.COM and Concurring Opinions

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Beast:

Andrew Sullivan: How Obama's Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics — The right calls him a socialist, the left says he sucks up to Wall Street, and independents think he's a wimp. Andrew Sullivan on how the president may just end up outsmarting them all. — You hear it everywhere.

Kevin Drum / Political Mojo:

Jon Hunstman, It Turns Out, Just Isn't That Good a Politician — Since I'm feeling lazy this morning, I'm going to outsource my Jon Huntsman commentary to a reader. As it happens, he says exactly what I was thinking anyway about Huntsman's exit from the race:

Discussion: The Caucus, The Politico, Salt Lake Tribune and Washington Monthly

David Weigel / Slate:
Jon Huntsman's Presidential Campaign, RIP

Discussion: CNN, Democracy in America, No More Mister Nice Blog and Towleroad News #gay

James Antle / Guardian:
Jon Huntsman: chronicle of a defeat foretold

Discussion: American Spectator and Datechguy's Blog

Tony Hsieh / blogs.zappos.com:

No Way! Free Next Day Shipping On Clothing M-F. Order Today, Wear It Tomorrow! Plus Free Returns. Learn More — 24/7 Customer Service (800) 927-7671

Discussion: Chicago Tribune, Mediaite, TalkLeft, Computerworld, This Just In, msnbc.com, Bits, TechCrunch and The Daily Caller

Daily Mail:

Forget women and children first. Burly crew men led the race for the lifeboats — Survivors tell of panic as men ignore order that women and children should go first and passengers fight to get on boats — Foreign Secretary William Hague says all British passengers and crew have been accounted for and are safe

Discussion: Pundit & Pundette, Guardian and Vox Popoli

The Atlantic Online:
The Wreck of the Costa Concordia

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Politics:

Huntsman, Trapped In 2009, Never Had A Chance — The Utahn dropped out today, but the whole campaign was a fantasy. — Huntsman looks over Sarah Palin's shoulder at a meeting with Obama on December 2, 2008 in Philadelphia. — Jon Huntsman had his moment.

Discussion: msnbc.com and Balloon Juice

Politics:
Axelrod: Huntsman Dropped Because He Wouldn't Sell His Soul

Discussion: Washington Post, Scared Monkeys, The Hinterland Gazette, Patterico's Pontifications, Mediaite, ABCNEWS, The Politico and Michelle Malkin

NY Daily News:

$44 million bill from Bronx-Lebanon Hospital — ‘System error’ is blamed — Alexis Rodriguez got a bill exeeding $44 million for Bronx-Lebanon Hospital outpatient services. — The hospital cured his pneumonia, but the bill — for an eye-popping $44 million — made him sick.

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, The Raw Story and Gothamist

Nancy Hass / The Daily Beast:

Before Karen Met Rick — The GOP contender's hard-core pro-life wife once dated an abortion provider. Nancy Hass on their time together. — Karen Santorum, the ultra-pro-life wife and mother of seven home-schooled children, has been the perfect complement to her husband, Rick, as he chases the Republican presidential nomination.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Other McCain, Joe. My. God. and Connecting.the.Dots

Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:

Jobs take center stage in Keystone fight — When U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue proclaimed that the Keystone XL pipeline would create 250,000 jobs, he touched a nerve in the environmental community. — “That's just not true,” Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, director …

Discussion: Don Surber and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog