memeorandum: Does the GOP care about Latino voters? (Dana Milbank/Washington Post)

8:35 PM ET, February 15, 2012

Top Items:

Zeke Miller / Politics:

Is Romney Going To Run Out Of Money? — Santorum goes to the small-donor well, but Romney may have to dip into his own pockets to survive the long haul. Looking “under every stone.” — (Getty Images / Eric Thayer) — Mitt Romney is running out of rich people.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Other McCain, American Prospect, Daily Kos and Newshoggers.com

Kos / Daily Kos:

Announcing Operation Hilarity: Let's keep the GOP clown show going! — It's time for us to take an active role in the GOP nomination process. That's right, it's time for those of us who live in open primary and caucus states—Michigan, North Dakota, Vermont and Tennessee in the next three weeks …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo

Joe Bosso / MusicRadar.com:

Interview: Megadeth's Dave Mustaine talks guitar, politics and today's music … Above video: Mustaine at the 1992 Democratic National Convention for MTV News. — Speaking of news, you were a correspondent for MTV during the 1992 presidential election. What's your take on US politics in 2012?

Discussion: newsfeed.time.com, BuzzFeed, Rolling Stone and Shakesville

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Going After Rick — America is going bankrupt, Iran is going nuclear, the Obama administration is going after religious liberty. And Mitt Romney is going after Rick Santorum. — Which is fine (sort of). Romney's in a political fight, and politics ain't beanbag, as Romney has tried to say.

Discussion: Ballot Box, GOP 12, The Other McCain, Campaign 2012, The Moderate Voice, National Review, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Politics, Taylor Marsh and American Spectator

Caitlin McDevitt / Politico:
Megadeth frontman backs Rick Santorum

Discussion: MusicRadar.com, The PJ Tatler, Rush Limbaugh and Conservative Hideout 2.0

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Does the GOP care about Latino voters? — When it comes to Latino voters, Republicans must have un impulso suicida. — What else but a death wish could explain the party's treatment of the fastest-growing voting bloc in the nation? First was the wave of Arizona-style immigration laws.

Discussion: ACS Blog, Taylor Marsh, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fausta's Blog, CNN, Mediaite, Daily Kos, The Caucus and The Atlantic Online

Justin Sink / The Hill:

GOP demands apology for Obama campaign manager's ‘chimichanga’ tweet — Republicans are demanding an apology Wednesday from President Obama's campaign manager after a tweet that they argue was insulting toward Latino Americans. — Jim Messina, who is helming the president's re-election effort …

Discussion: 24Ahead, Wonkette, Don Surber and The PJ Tatler

Val Prieto / Babalú Blog: Chimichangamalangarepaorale — So, leftist WaPo Columnist …

Jordan Fabian / Univision News Tumblr:
Obama camp, Republicans wage Twitter war over “chimichanga” comment

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Wake up America, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin and The Daily Caller

Jim Lakely / Heartland Institute:

Heartland Institute Responds to Stolen and Fake Documents — FEBRUARY 15, 2012 - The following statement from The Heartland Institute - a free-market think tank - may be used for attribution. For more information, contact Communications Director Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org and 312/377-4000.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Hit & Run, Guardian, DeSmogBlog and New York Times

Leo Hickman / Guardian:
Leaked Heartland Institute documents pull back curtain on climate scepticism | Leo Hickman

Discussion: bishophill.squarespace.com, Watts Up With That?, DeSmogBlog, ThinkProgress and Hullabaloo

Brendan DeMelle / DeSmogBlog:
Heartland Institute Exposed: Internal Documents Unmask Heart of Climate Denial Machine

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Huffington Post, Guardian, Politico, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, AlterNet and msnbc.com

Brad Johnson / ThinkProgress:
INTERNAL DOCUMENTS: The Secret, Corporate-Funded Plan To Teach Children That Climate Change Is A Hoax

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Democracy in America, Guardian, Republic Report and DeSmogBlog

Newt Gingrich / CNN:

CNN Poll: Obama approval rating back to 50% mark — Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama's approval rating is back to 50% for the first time in more than eight months, and he currently holds an edge against all the remaining Republican presidential candidates in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups …

Discussion: Politico and Hot Air

Nate Silver / New York Times:

Why Obama Will Embrace the 99 Percent — The last time I considered Barack Obama's re-election chances in this magazine, in mid-November, things were looking pretty bleak for the president. The statistical model I used measured three key factors — a president's approval rating …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Taegan Goddard's … and Prairie Weather

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Rasmussen national poll puts Santorum up 12 over Romney

Discussion: CNN, Big Government, Ballot Box, GOP 12 and The Reaction

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Santorum: Birth control ‘harmful to women’ — Yesterday I speculated on some of the reasons Rick Santorum has problems with women voters. This interview from 2006 sure isn't going to help — For starters, does he realize that married women (men too!) use birth control?

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Rush Limbaugh, The Daily Caller, US Politics, Wizbang, GOP 12, Religion Dispatches, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, RADAMISTO and Swampland

David Nather / Politico:

Did OMB director not get the mandate memo? — It's the kind of “oops” moments every high-ranking administration official dreads. You're testifying before Congress, you answer a question the wrong way, and — oops! — you just undermined the administration's defense of the health care law.

Discussion: Budget Committee

Philip Klein / Campaign 2012:

OMB director undercuts legal case for Obamacare — Testifying before Congress this morning, President Obama's acting budget director Jeffrey Zients directly undercut one of the administration's key legal defenses of its national health care law as it nears a hearing before the Supreme Court.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Lonely Conservative and Sister Toldjah

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:

Payroll tax deal would take first real bite from Obama's health law — The payroll tax cut package under discussion in Congress would take the first real bite out of President Obama's healthcare reform law, according to congressional aides and lobbyists. — A tentative deal struck late …

Discussion: Firedoglake and Washington Post

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Paul Ryan has ‘problem’ with GOP payroll tax cut deal

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The Maddow Blog

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Newt Gingrich: The most disliked politician in America — Newt Gingrich hasn't just fallen in the GOP presidential race; he may be the most unpopular person in American politics right now. — Two new polls out this week show the former House speaker with an absolutely atrocious favorability rating.

Discussion: The Caucus, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, Salon.com, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos and The Moderate Voice

Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:
Can money stop Rick Santorum?

Discussion: Hot Air, News Desk, The Spectacle Blog, Shakesville, Campaign Stops, The Hill and GOP 12

Sam Kiley / Sky News:

Fears Iran Is Helping Al Qaeda Plot Atrocity — Iran and al Qaeda's core leadership under Ayman al Zawahiri have established an “operational relationship” amid fears the terror group is planning a spectacular attack against the West. — There are concerns such an attack, possibly targeting Europe …

Discussion: The Long War Journal and The Jawa Report

New York Times:
Iran Warns 6 Countries in Europe It Will Cut Off Oil

Discussion: The New Republic and Prairie Weather

Adele Hampton / The Hill:

Santorum: Obama White House full of ‘elite snobs’ — Rick Santorum continued to lambaste President Obama's healthcare policy during a Tuesday night campaign stop in Boise, Idaho, labeling members of the administration as “elite snobs.” — “They don't believe you can make these decisions …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story, CNN and Ballot Box

Dan Popkey / Idaho Statesman:
Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum woos Idaho conservatives at Boise gathering

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Why birth control is a good wedge issue against the GOP — Some time around the end of February, the Senate will vote on the Blunt-Rubio amendment, which would allow insurers and employers to deny coverage for birth control or any other medical services simply on the grounds that they find them morally objectionable.

Discussion: The Hill, Daily Kos, Wake up America, Balloon Juice, The Maddow Blog and Shakesville

Tyler Durden / ZeroHedge:

Farage On Greek Chaos: “You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet” — Outspoken and oracular MEP Nigel Farage bombards his fellow unelected officials with 'you can't handle the truth' comments as he points out the total contradiction that is the European Parliament's (and 'Puppet Papademos') …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and National Review

Kim Zetter / Wired.com:

Female Passengers Say They Were Targeted for TSA Body Scanners — TSA agents in Dallas singled out female passengers to undergo screening in a body scanner, according to complaints filed by several women who said they felt the screeners intentionally targeted them to view their bodies.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and US Politics

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Chris Christie Ignores Gov. Gregoire's Outreach On Marriage Equality, Hopes To Swiftly Veto Measure — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) hopes to put the politically delicate question of same-sex marriage behind him and is prepared to swiftly veto a bill extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians …

Discussion: Poliglot, BuzzFeed and Towleroad News #gay

Peter Fimrite / San Francisco Chronicle:

Study: Sierra snowfall consistent over 130 years — Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada has remained consistent for 130 years, with no evidence that anything has changed as a result of climate change, according to a study released Tuesday. — The analysis of snowfall data in the Sierra …

Discussion: Jammie Wearing Fools, The PJ Tatler and The Daily Caller

Jeremy Scahill / The Nation:

Washington's War in Yemen Backfires — Soldiers with the 25th Mechanized Brigade near the front lines in Zinjibar Yemen. Image credit: Richard Rowley, Big Noise Films — — Gen. Mohammed al-Sumali sits in the passenger seat of his armored Toyota Land Cruiser as it whizzes …

Discussion: emptywheel

Will Rahn / The Daily Caller:

Media Matters tax-exempt status may face new scrutiny from Congress — Congressional Republicans are now interested in examining the Media Matters For America's tax-exempt status, The Daily Caller has learned. Doing so would cause the GOP to wade into the complex world of tax laws that govern …

Discussion: Hot Air, Wake up America, US Politics, The PJ Tatler, The Agonist, Big Journalism, American Power, Riehl World View, Verum Serum and iOwnTheWorld.com, more at Mediagazer »

Tim Mak / Politico:

7 very tired political cliches — 4. “America is at a crossroads” : 24 mentions — “We are at a crossroads in our system of government and our personal lives,” wrote Pieter Verboom in a letter to the editor, appearing in the Chico Enterprise-Record on Jan. 23.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Lesley Wroughton / Reuters:

World Bank's Zoellick to step down, U.S. eyes spot — (Reuters) - World Bank President Robert Zoellick said on Wednesday he will step down in June and Washington pledged to put a replacement candidate forward within weeks for a job that has always gone to an American.

Discussion: Guardian and Big Government