memeorandum: Gingrich confronted on race, agrees to meet with Sharpton (Cameron Joseph/Ballot Box)

5:15 PM ET, January 21, 2012

Top Items:

McKay Coppins / Politics:

BYU Students Bus In To South Carolina To Rally For Romney — The campaign has been buzzing about growing energy at recent events. But it turns out, many of the candidate's most energetic fans are actually in from Provo, Virginia, or D.C. — (Reuters / JIM YOUNG)

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Daily Kos, FITSNews and US Politics

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Gingrich Is Well-Positioned as South Carolina Votes — Newt Gingrich, who had trailed Mitt Romney by a double-digit margin in South Carolina in several polls conducted just after the New Hampshire primary, may instead be headed to a big victory there, recent polling suggests.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post, The Other McCain, Wake up America, Little Green Footballs, The Democratic Daily, Big Government, The Politico, americanthinker.com, The Moderate Voice, CBS News, Outside the Beltway, A plain blog about politics, The Mahablog, Balloon Juice, CNN, Guardian and WND

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

Doubts creep in as an awkward Mitt Romney tries not to lose the GOP nod — What's wrong with Mitt Romney? — In the early stages of this cycle's Republican nominating process, the former Massachusetts governor seemed confident and sure-footed. Now he seems awkward and defensive.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic, Riehl World View, Pundit & Pundette and Prairie Weather

CNN:

Gingrich has momentum as South Carolina votes — It's a big day for politics in South Carolina Saturday on CNN. Tune in at 4 p.m. ET to see the candidates debate the issues from Thursday night's edge-of-your-seat debate then, at 6 ET, CNN's special live coverage of the South Carolina primary begins.

Discussion: Ballot Box, FiveThirtyEight, US Politics, Telegraph, The Atlantic Online and The Stranger …

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Newt expands South Carolina lead — Newt Gingrich heads into South Carolina election day as the clear front runner in the state: he's now polling at 37% to 28% for Mitt Romney, 16% for Rick Santorum, and 14% for Ron Paul. — Gingrich's lead has actually increased in the wake of his ex-wife's controversial interview with ABC.

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Romney demands Gingrich release contract for Freddie Mac work

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and CNN

Fox News:
Gingrich, Romney in savage fight as South Carolina voters head to polls

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Mediaite

Charles Dharapak / ABCNEWS:
No Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich Throw Down at Tommy's Ham House

Discussion: National Review

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:
Mitt Romney Campaign Begins Preparing For Possible South Carolina Loss

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Santorum now the Iowa winner, officially

Discussion: CNN, The Iowa Republican, Mail Online, Hot Air, Riehl World View, The Other McCain, Telegraph, Politics, The Lonely Conservative and ABCNEWS

Ross Douthat:
The Momentum of Ideas — During last night's Republican debate …

Discussion: americanthinker.com, National Review, American Spectator, Swampland, Rod Dreher and The Atlantic Online

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Not Just A Democrat Dirty Trick, But A Crime — A few years ago, as part of its strategy of facilitating voter fraud as a means of winning close elections, the Democratic Party undertook a campaign to secure as many Secretary of State offices in swing states as possible.

Discussion: Des Moines Register and Atlas Shrugs

Shane Vander Hart / Iowa Grounds:

Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz Targeted for Identity Theft by Former Obama Staffer — I heard this on WHO Radio tonight driving home, and then I saw this article in The Des Moines Register. … So for political reasons Secretary Schultz and his brother Thomas were targeted... hmmmmm.... Where are we Chicago?

Discussion: Campaign 2012

Kevin Hall / The Iowa Republican:

Former Obama Staffer Busted for Stealing Iowa Secretary of State's Identity — Barack Obama's 2008 Iowa New Media Director was arrested Friday for attempting to use the identities of Secretary of State Matt Schultz, and/or his brother Thomas, with the intent to falsely implicate the Secretary Schultz in illegal or unethical behavior.

Discussion: RedState, Hot Air and The Gateway Pundit

Iowa Department of Public Safety:
Man Charged with Identity Theft after Falsely Implicating Secretary of State in Illegal Activity

Discussion: National Review

Charles Murray / Wall Street Journal:

The New American Divide — The ideal of an ‘American way of life’ is fading as the working class falls further away from institutions like marriage and religion and the upper class becomes more isolated. Charles Murray on what's cleaving America, and why. — America is coming apart.

Discussion: alicublog, Eunomia, pandagon.net and Ricochet Conversations Feed

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:

Gingrich confronted on race, agrees to meet with Sharpton — GREENVILLE, S.C. — Newt Gingrich was confronted by a black man outside Tommy's Country Ham House, who drilled him on his comments on having poor children work as janitors. — The man, who sounded like he had a northern accent …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Michelle Malkin, Politics, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Weasel Zippers

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Gingrich Says ‘Work’ Is A ‘Strange, Distant Concept’ To Juan Williams

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Raw Story, Mediaite and Gawker

Matt Gertz / Media Matters for America:

Huckabee Wants To Know If Obama Got College Loans “As A Foreign Student” — During a Fox News appearance this evening, Mike Huckabee suggested that Mitt Romney, who has come under fire for refusing to immediately release his tax returns, respond by challenging President Obama to release …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Political Carnival and The Raw Story

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Obama Averages 44% Approval in 3rd Year — Averaged 43% job approval in most recent quarter in office — PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama averaged 44% job approval for his third full year in office, which ended Jan. 19. His third-year average is down slightly from his second-year average …

Discussion: Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Don Surber, Scared Monkeys and Campaign 2012

Ron Edmonds / Investor's Business Daily:
Exactly 3 years in, Obama's job approval hits lowest level yet

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative

New York Times:

The iEconomy: Apple, America and a Squeezed Middle Class — When Barack Obama joined Silicon Valley's top luminaries for dinner in California last February, each guest was asked to come with a question for the president. — But as Steven P. Jobs of Apple spoke, President Obama interrupted …

Discussion: The Politico and Gretawire, more at Techmeme »

Tara Siegel Bernard / New York Times:

Blacks Face Bias in Bankruptcy, Study Suggests — Blacks are about twice as likely as whites to wind up in the more onerous and costly form of consumer bankruptcy as they try to dig out from their debts, a new study has found. — The disparity persisted even when the researchers adjusted for income …

Discussion: Economist's View and Prairie Weather