Top Items:
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Obama up 5 on Romney nationally — PPP's first national poll of 2012 finds Barack Obama with his best standing against Mitt Romney since last May, right after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Obama leads Romney 49-44. — It's not as if Obama's suddenly become popular.
RELATED:
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Romney says his effective tax rate is 15% — Florence, South Carolina (CNN) - Mitt Romney said Tuesday he pays roughly a 15% effective tax rate on his income - an acknowledgment that the multi-millionaire pays a smaller percentage of taxes on his income than many middle-income Americans.
Discussion:
US Politics, iWatch News, Don Surber, The Hill, The Hinterland Gazette, ABCNEWS, The Moderate Voice, The Mahablog and Shakesville
Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:
Romney Admits His Tax Rate Is About 15 Percent, Lower Than Many Middle Class Families — Citizens for Tax Justice a few months ago estimated that Mitt Romney, due to most of his income coming from investments, pays a tax rate of around 14 percent, a far cry from the 35 percent top income tax rate.
Washington Post:
Mitt Romney to release tax returns, estimates rate at about 15 percent — FLORENCE, S.C. — Bowing to pressure from his Republican rivals as well as the Democrats, Mitt Romney told reporters here Tuesday that he plans to release his federal income tax returns this spring and estimated his rate at about 15 percent.
New York Times:
Romney Says His Effective Tax Rate Is ‘Probably’ 15%
Romney Says His Effective Tax Rate Is ‘Probably’ 15%
Discussion:
American Prospect, Economix and Balloon Juice
Pat Garofalo / The Atlantic Online:
The Real Scandal in Private Equity? It's the Taxes
The Real Scandal in Private Equity? It's the Taxes
Discussion:
New York Times and Wonkette
Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Mitt says he pays close to 15 percent rate
Mitt says he pays close to 15 percent rate
Discussion:
The Hill and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Patrick Marley / JSOnline:
Democrats file 1 million signatures for Walker recall — By Patrick Marley, Jason Stein and Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel — Madison - Democrats and organizers filed petitions Tuesday afternoon with more than a million signatures as they sought to force a recall election against Gov. Scott Walker …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Media Trackers, Marathon Pundit, Colorlines, The Impolitic, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Balloon Juice
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Dems gather more than one million signatures to recall Scott Walker — Wisconsin Democrats are telling reporters that they have gathered more than one million signatures to recall Governor Scott Walker — a remarkable number that could have real ramifications for this year's presidential race.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, JSOnline and US Politics
Jon Bershad / Mediaite:
Chris Matthews Accuses Newt Gingrich Of Racially Charged Use Of The Name ‘Juan’ — A big moment of last night's debate came when moderator Juan Williams and Newt Gingrich argued over Gingrich's comments that many have seen as condescending towards blacks. However, Williams …
Discussion:
Rush Limbaugh, THEROOT.COM and National Review
RELATED:
Pete Kasperowicz / Ballot Box:
Gingrich doubles down on promise to follow Obama around the country to force debates
Gingrich doubles down on promise to follow Obama around the country to force debates
Discussion:
CNN
Charles M. Blow / Campaign Stops:
Newt Gingrich and the Art of Racial Politics
Newt Gingrich and the Art of Racial Politics
Discussion:
Mediaite, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Atlantic Online and The Daily Dish
Danny Yadron / Washington Wire:
Gingrich: ‘I Would Be Delighted’ With a Santorum Endorsement
Gingrich: ‘I Would Be Delighted’ With a Santorum Endorsement
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN and Hot Air
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney, Dewhurst lead in Texas — Rick Perry's Presidential campaign is doing about as bad in Texas now as it is everywhere else in the country. When PPP last polled the state in September he was at 49%, leading Mitt Romney by 39 points. Now Perry's support has declined by 31 points, leaving him in 3rd place at 18%.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Trail Blazers Blog, Ballot Box and Campaign 2012
RELATED:
Emily Schultheis / The Politico:
Court rejects Perry's Va. ballot appeal
Court rejects Perry's Va. ballot appeal
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Outside the Beltway
ABCNEWS:
Va. Appeals Court Rules Against Perry and Gingrich's Attempt to Get on Ballot
Va. Appeals Court Rules Against Perry and Gingrich's Attempt to Get on Ballot
Discussion:
Fire Andrea Mitchell!
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Perry: Santorum a ‘good Catholic’
Perry: Santorum a ‘good Catholic’
Discussion:
CNN, GOP 12, Questions and Observations and The Other McCain
Fox News Insider:
TRANSCRIPT: Fox News Channel & Wall Street Journal Debate in South Carolina — Here's a full transcript from tonight's GOP debate in South Carolina: — BAIER: Thanks, Bill, and welcome to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center and the Republican presidential debate.
Discussion:
washington.emb.mfa.gov.tr, The Huffington Post, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, OpenSecrets.org, The Atlantic Online, Informed Comment, Eunomia, ThinkProgress, Hit & Run, PERRspectives, The New Republic, Hot Air, iWatch News, The Daily Caller, Washington Wire, RedState, Booman Tribune, 24Ahead, Law Blog, Politics K-12, The Moderate Voice, Wake up America, Daily Kos, Michelle Malkin and The Stranger …
RELATED:
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Turkey responds angrily to Perry remarks
Turkey responds angrily to Perry remarks
Discussion:
USA Today, Mediaite and Jihad Watch
Jim Watson / ABCNEWS:
New Polls Show Signs Of Serious Vulnerability For President Obama — There are plenty of Democrats and even some Republicans who view the Republican primary as a gift to President Obama. Sixteen debates, web videos and “you can't even make this up” candidate behavior …
Discussion:
Investor's Business Daily, Big Journalism, Taylor Marsh and Gallup
RELATED:
Seung Min Kim / The Politico:
‘Occupy Congress’ protesters arrested
‘Occupy Congress’ protesters arrested
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, nation.foxnews.com and The Gateway Pundit
Seung Min Kim / The Politico:
Nancy Pelosi: GOP knows Mitt Romney can't win
Nancy Pelosi: GOP knows Mitt Romney can't win
Discussion:
Wizbang and Weasel Zippers
David Brooks / New York Times:
South Carolina Diarist — Sumter, S.C. — When I started covering presidential primaries, the best part was getting to know the candidates. We journalists would ride around in vans and buses with them and get an intimate look at what it's like to endure this soul-destroying process.
Discussion:
The American Conservative, The State, No More Mister Nice Blog, Booman Tribune, Prairie Weather, Poynter and CNN
RELATED:
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
An Economic Recovery Is Not Fated for 2013 — Can this be fixed by 2013? - Calculated Risk job loss chart Click to see enlarged original at CR — I've seen a spate of stories recently suggesting that a economic recovery is fated to happen by 2013, and whoever wins the Presidential election …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
RELATED:
Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
Who will get the ‘Recovery Presidency’? — Julie Schmit reports …
Who will get the ‘Recovery Presidency’? — Julie Schmit reports …
Discussion:
USA Today, The Daily Dish and Political Mojo
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Obama warns left: You won't like budget — Top White House officials are warning liberal and labor leaders to brace themselves for President Obama's budget proposal. — Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, sought in meetings last week to lift the left's gloom …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, The Politico, Firedoglake, Pirate's Cove, Liberal Values, Prairie Weather and Shakesville
Shelby Grad / L.A. NOW:
Pinkberry co-founder beat homeless man with tire iron, LAPD says — One of the founders of the popular Pinkberry yogurt chain is accused by police of chasing down a homeless man and beating him with a tire iron. — The incident took place in June 2011 on an off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway …
Discussion:
Opinion L.A., BuzzFeed, Gawker and The Raw Story
Jessica Firger / Wall Street Journal:
Protest Sapped of Cash — Occupy Wall Street Freezes Spending on New Projects as Donations Dry Up — Occupy Wall Street—the movement built on protesting corporate greed and income inequality—is running out of money. — After raising more than $700,000 last fall …
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Hill, The Politico, ThinkProgress and Gothamist
Thomas Erdbrink / Washington Post:
U.S. drone that crashed in Iran goes miniature — A photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps purports to show the RQ-170 drone that was reported crash in December. (Sepahnews via Associated Press) TEHRAN — For the American government, the crash of the RQ-170 drone in Iran was an embarrassment.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Marie Diamond / ThinkProgress:
Santorum Staffer Says Women Shouldn't Be President Because It's Against God's Will — In an article about the reasons Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign fizzled, the Des Moines Register points to “sexism among conservatives,” singling out an offensive email written by a staffer to Rick Santorum:
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette
Orlando Sentinel:
Obama: I'm going to Disney World — WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will visit Walt Disney World during a planned trip to Orlando on Thursday, according to a White House aide. There, he will “unveil a strategy that will significantly help boost tourism and travel,” the aide added.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin and Weasel Zippers