memeorandum: The High Stakes in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri (Nate Silver/FiveThirtyEight)

8:15 AM ET, February 8, 2012

Top Items:

Santorum revives campaign with wins in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota — DENVER — Rick Santorum had a breakthrough night Tuesday, winning GOP presidential contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, all of which is expected to breathe life into his struggling campaign and slow Mitt Romney's march …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Don Surber, The Huffington Post, US Politics, Sky Dancing, Michelle Malkin, BuzzFeed, Pundit & Pundette, Taegan Goddard's …, The Last Tradition, Israel Matzav, The Other McCain, Wonkette, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Newshoggers.com and Althouse

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Santorum scores triple win — Rick Santorum dealt an embarrassing setback to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign Tuesday night, sweeping non-binding contests across three states and raising new questions about conservatives' willingness to accept Romney as their nominee.

Discussion: Associated Press, Reuters, ABCNEWS, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, Marbury, Opinion L.A., Conservatives4Palin, The Reality-Based Community, The Colorado Independent, CNN, 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com, The Reaction and Sky Dancing

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:

Santorum Upsets G.O.P. Race With Three Victories — His candidacy all but dismissed just days ago, Rick Santorum won the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses and a nonbinding primary in Missouri on Tuesday, an unexpected trifecta that raised fresh questions about Mitt Romney's ability to corral conservative support.

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, FiveThirtyEight, Taylor Marsh, American Spectator, The Caucus, BAGnewsNotes, The Page and Outside the Beltway

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

The High Stakes in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri — A cynic might say that tonight's Republican contests in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri deserve an asterisk. In Minnesota and Colorado, which will hold caucuses, voters will pick their preferred presidential candidate in a nonbinding straw poll …

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, Weasel Zippers, A plain blog about politics, Guardian, New York Magazine, Wonkette, Firedoglake, Saint Petersblog, Taegan Goddard's … and Pundit & Pundette

Patricia Zengerle / Reuters:

Romney's lead dips despite wins: Reuters/Ipsos poll — (Reuters) - Despite his strong showing in early state contests in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney's support nationwide has dipped slightly during the past month, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

Discussion: The Raw Story, The Moderate Voice, The Daily Caller, Rasmussen Reports, Hit & Run and Saint Petersblog

Alexander Burns / Politico:

In Republican 2012 presidential race, Rick Santorum roars back — Just in case the 2012 Republican primary race hasn't already had enough twists and turns - welcome back, Rick Santorum. — After winning Tuesday's non-binding contests in Missouri and Minnesota by thumping margins …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Jeremy P. Meyer / Denver Post:

Rick Santorum wins Colorado Republican caucuses — Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum upended the race for the Republican nomination Tuesday, winning three states, including Colorado. — Colorado's race see-sawed throughout the night until 11 p.m., when Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call declared Santorum …

Discussion: Politico, Kansas City Star, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Poliglot and Mediaite

ABCNEWS:

GOP Rivals Pounce on Romney's ‘Assault on Religion’ Line — JOHNSTOWN, Colo. - Mitt Romney's Republican rivals pounced today on his accusations that President Obama has an “assault on religion” by forcing Catholic institutions to provide contraceptives and abortion services, suggesting it was a hypocritical statement.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Democracy In Action? — We attended our precinct caucus tonight …

Discussion: msnbc.com, FiveThirtyEight, Saint Petersblog and The Daily Dish

Matt Negrin / ABCNEWS:
Hat Trick? Santorum Tries to Trip Romney

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Kimi Yoshino / L.A. NOW:

Prop. 8: Gay-marriage ban unconstitutional, court rules — A federal appeals court Tuesday struck down California's ban on same-sex marriage, clearing the way for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on gay marriage as early as next year. — The 2-1 decision by a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court …

Lisa Leff / The Huffington Post:
Prop 8, California's Same-Sex Marriage Ban, Declared Unconstitutional

Discussion: The Left Call, Towleroad News #gay, Hot Air, DownWithTyranny!, The American Independent and Washington Monthly

Ed Whelan / National Review:
Ninth Circuit Panel Affirms Anti-Prop 8 Ruling

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, Sadly, No! and CatholicVote.org

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Proposition 8 is overturned, and Obama catches a break on gay marriage

Discussion: Guardian, Political Mojo, Gay Politics and Wonkette

Alyssa Rosenberg / ThinkProgress: How Pop Culture Influenced Today's Proposition 8 Ruling

Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:
Reporters grill Carney on marriage, Prop 8 ruling

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Gay Politics and Towleroad News #gay

American Prospect:
In Prop. 8 Ruling, a Liberal Lion Coos

Discussion: New York Times and Campaign Stops

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Ban on gay marriage struck down (FINAL UPDATE)

Discussion: Poliglot, The Volokh Conspiracy, Balkinization, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Election Law Blog, The Huffington Post, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, The Last Tradition, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Outside the Beltway

Maggie Gallagher / National Review:
Ninth Circuit to 7 Million California Voters: You Are Irrational Bigots

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, NOM Blog and New York Times

Public Religion Research Institute:

February PRRI Religion and Politics Tracking Poll — ▶ Read the news release here. — ▶ Read the Topline Questionnaire including the survey methodology here. — Majority Support Requirement that Employer Health Care Plans Include Contraception Coverage

Discussion: NewsBusters.org blogs, ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Religion Dispatches, ECHIDNE of the snakes, The Raw Story, Naked Politics, ThinkProgress and Little Green Footballs

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
White House May Look to Compromise on Contraception Decision

Discussion: Public Religion Research …, Daily Kos, New York Times, Washington Post, Salon.com, Taylor Marsh, JustOneMinute, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, Jezebel, LifeNews.com, Live Action News & Opinion, Hot Air, The Huffington Post, Outside the Beltway, The Maddow Blog and The Last Tradition

Washington Post:
White House seeks to soothe concerns over contraception rule

Discussion: Hot Air, LifeNews.com, Hullabaloo, Pundit & Pundette and Firedoglake

Sarah Huisenga / CBS News:
Contraception issue heats up as Santorum makes headway

Discussion: Politico, Truthdig, Politicker and The Mahablog

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Dem Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper: I Wouldn't Have Voted for Obamacare If I'd Known About HHS Regulation

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, The Last Tradition, UrbanGrounds, Rush Limbaugh, Don Surber, Weasel Zippers, The Heritage Foundation and Wake up America

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Many Catholic Universities, Hospitals Already Cover Contraception In Their Health Insurance Plans

Discussion: 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com, Lez Get Real, Hullabaloo, The New Republic and CBS New York

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Poll: Majority of Catholics support contraception coverage

Discussion: Political Mojo, The Maddow Blog, The Daily Beast, Religion Dispatches, Hot Air and The Daily Caller

ABCNEWS:

Michelle Obama in Tug of War at White House — The normally dignified Blue Room at the White House became a late-night show comedy set last month when first lady Michelle Obama engaged in a friendly game of tug of war with host Jimmy Fallon, according to a photo released by the White House today.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

David A. Graham / The Atlantic Online:
Photo of the Day: Shock and Awe at the White House

Discussion: BuzzFeed and The Daily What

Quinnipiac University:

Obama Inches Past Romney In Virginia Presidential Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Senate Race Still Tied — For the first time in this election cycle, President Barack Obama inches ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the leading Republican candidate, 47 - 43 percent in Virginia …

Discussion: Ballot Box, Taegan Goddard's … and Hotline On Call

Stephanie Jones / Journal Times:

Suspect recall signing could result in felony charges — RACINE — What started with a man noticing his friend's signature four times on recall petitions could result in felony charges. — The Racine County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate possible fraudulent recall signatures collected …

Discussion: RedState and Campaign 2012

Telegraph:

BBC tells its staff: don't call Qatada extremist — The BBC has told its journalists not to call Abu Qatada, the al-Qaeda preacher, an “extremist”. — Abu Qatada, the Islamic extremist, in one of the images banned by the BBC — In order to avoid making a “value judgment” …

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, Weasel Zippers, Power Line, Jihad Watch and Biased BBC

Jeremy Finley / WSMV-TV:

No investigation when suspected drugs found at home of ABC director — Suspected marijuana was found by three police officers at the home of the director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission, whose mission is to eradicate marijuana. — A Channel 4 I-Team investigation found the drugs were never seized or investigated.

Discussion: The Agitator

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:

Bashar Assad emails leaked, tips for ABC interview revealed — In part one of the Haaretz expose of emails leaked from the account of the Syrian president's media adviser, Assad is told, ahead of interview with Barbara Walters, that the ‘American psyche can be easily manipulated.’

Discussion: Politico, livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com, Telegraph, Mashable!, Guardian and The Daily Caller

Rush Limbaugh:

The Clint Eastwood Ad is Right: It's Time to Come Together... and Defeat Liberalism — RUSH: I've had two people e-mail me recently calling Clint Eastwood, “Eastman.” Clint, you gotta do something. They think you're related to a film company here, Eastman instead of Eastwood.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog and Althouse

Michael Beckel / iWatch News by The Center …:

Another Bain exec revealed as man behind corporate donor to pro-Romney super PAC — ‘Restore Our Future’ super PAC outs ex-Bain exec as donor — 4 minutes, 25 seconds ago Updated: 2 minutes, 39 seconds ago — A mysterious corporate donor to an outside spending group supporting Mitt Romney's campaign …

Discussion: New York Times and The Caucus