memeorandum: Americans' Satisfaction Almost as Low as It Was Under Carter (Lauren Fox/US News)

2:20 PM ET, February 22, 2012

Top Items:

Chris Christie: Rick Santorum's Satan Comments Are Relevant — Rick Santorum says his 2008 comments that “Satan has set his sights on the United States of America” are “not relevant” to the 2012 presidential race, but Chris Christie told me on “GMA” that Santorum is wrong.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Opinion L.A., Arizona Republic, his vorpal sword, Daily Kos, The Maddow Blog, The Raw Story, Washington Post and The Huffington Post

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

Get Thee Behind Me! — Ah, you just gotta love the MSM and its blinders! — Thanks to a handful of obscure researchers and bloggers (I first noticed the story at People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, but others may have gotten there first), and to the subsequent efforts of a handful …

Discussion: Eschaton

Quinnipiac University:

Santorum Up 9 Points Among Republican Voters, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Obama Edges Santorum, But Romney Is Too Close To Call — Former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum leads the Republican presidential field with 35 percent, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney …

Discussion: GOP 12, The Hill, ThinkProgress, Ballot Box, Hot Air and Washington Wire

Mark Murray / msnbc.com:
NBC poll: Romney, Santorum deadlocked in Michigan; Romney leads in Arizona

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, Campaign Stops, Ballot Box, Guardian, Politico, Online NewsHour, GOP 12, Outside the Beltway, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Daily Kos, The Maddow Blog, Prairie Weather, HotAirPundit, Drudge Report and Associated Press

Howard Kurtz / The Daily Beast:
Rick Santorum Faces a Grilling at CNN Debate

Discussion: Big Journalism, The Daily Dish, Politico, The Week, The Atlantic Online and Blue Mass Group

Mollie Reilly / The Huffington Post:
Alan Simpson: Rick Santorum Is ‘Rigid And A Homophobic’

Discussion: CBS News and Mediaite

detroitnews.com:
Detroit News endorsement: Mitt Romney for Michigan GOP primary

Discussion: American Prospect, The Caucus, Politico, The Impolitic, New York Times, Guardian and Washington Post

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box: Detroit News endorses Romney, calls opponents unelectable

Associated Press:
Poll: Santorum surges, Obama leads Republicans

Discussion: Politico and Booman Tribune

Anita Kumar / Washington Post:

Virginia governor no longer fully supports ultrasounds before abortions — RICHMOND — Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, focusing new attention on one of the most controversial pieces …

Alana Goodman / Commentary Magazine:
Ultrasounds Already Part of VA Planned Parenthood Abortion Procedure

Discussion: Big Journalism, LifeNews.com, RedState, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org, The Mahablog, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, The Week, Newsy and American Prospect

Frances Martel / Mediaite:
Jon Stewart Explains Ultrasound Law To GOP: ‘A TSA Pat-Down In Your Vagina’

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Jackie Calmes / New York Times:

Obama Offers to Cut Corporate Tax Rate to 28% — WASHINGTON — President Obama will ask Congress to scrub the corporate tax code of dozens of loopholes and subsidies to reduce the top rate to 28 percent, down from 35 percent, while giving preferences to manufacturers that would set …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Atlantic Online, Bloomberg, Jared Bernstein, msnbc.com, iOwnTheWorld.com, Reuters, Business Insider, Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Economix and ABCNEWS

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

Obama proposes lowering corporate tax rate to 28 percent — The Obama administration proposed a major overhaul of the nation's corporate tax code on Wednesday, an election-year gambit that aims to draw a contrast over a key policy issue with the Republicans vying to replace him.

Discussion: Daily Kos, US Politics, Hit & Run, Pirate's Cove, The Lonely Conservative, Shakesville and Taylor Marsh

James Pethokoukis / The Enterprise Blog:

Why Obama's corporate tax plan is a total bust — The current U.S. economic recovery is arguably the worst in modern American history. Incomes are flat, housing is moribund, and the past three years have seen the longest stretch of high unemployment in this country since the Great Depression.

Discussion: Politico, National Review, Political Mojo, Hot Air and The Hill

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
New Romney proposal would cut individual tax rates by 20 percent

Discussion: CNN

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
Wonkbook: Tax reform is really, really hard

Discussion: A plain blog about politics, ThinkProgress and Wall Street Journal

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:

EXCLUSIVE: The Memo that Larry Summers Didn't Want Obama to See — For the past three years, Washington journalists and politicos have obsessed over a 57-page memo that Barack Obama's incoming economic team prepared for him in late 2008. The document has achieved such totemic status for good reason …

Discussion: Questions and Observations, Taegan Goddard's …, The Enterprise Blog, Economist's View and Business Insider

Robert Winnett / Telegraph:

50p tax rate ‘failing to boost revenues’ — The amount of income tax paid fell sharply last month in the first formal indication that the new 50p higher rate is not raising the expected amount of revenue. — A Treasury source said the relatively poor revenues from self-assessment returns …

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com, Hot Air, Don Surber, Big Government, CARPE DIEM, Pirate's Cove and TigerHawk

Wall Street Journal:

Obama's Dividend Assault — A plan to triple the tax rate would hurt all shareholders. — President Obama's 2013 budget is the gift that keeps on giving—to government. One buried surprise is his proposal to triple the tax rate on corporate dividends, which believe it or not is higher than in his previous budgets.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, RedState, The PJ Tatler, Townhall.com, Vodkapundit and Betsy's Page

David Harsanyi / Real Clear Politics:

Aren't High Gas Prices What Democrats Want? — Gas prices are spiking. That's great news, right? We have to wean ourselves off the stuff. At least that's what we've been hearing for years. Oil is dirty. We import it from nations that hate our guts (like Canada!). And moreover, we're running out.

Discussion: Tom Nelson and Cold Fury

Danny Yadron / Washington Wire:
Gingrich Releases Half-Hour Energy Ad

Discussion: Hot Air

Investor's Business Daily:
Obama's Double Talk on Sky-High Gas Prices

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Tim Mak / Politico:

Chris Christie tells Warren Buffett: ‘Shut up’ — Chris Christie has heard enough about Warren Buffett, and in typical fashion, the New Jersey governor had a certain blunt way of putting it. — “He should just write a check and shut up,” Christie said Tuesday on CNN's “Piers Morgan Tonight.”

Discussion: Business Insider, Wonkette and The Lonely Conservative

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
A simple solution to inequality: Stop talking about it

Discussion: The Maddow Blog and The New Civil Rights Movement

Marist Poll:

2/22: Romney and Santorum Neck and Neck in Michigan — In the race for the Republican nomination in Michigan, Mitt Romney — 37% — and Rick Santorum — 35% — are in a tight battle among likely Republican primary voters including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate and those who voted absentee in the state.

Discussion: Hotline On Call

Dan Nowicki / Arizona Republic:
Republican debate: What to watch for tonight in Mesa

Discussion: Plutocrap

Marist Poll:
2/22: Romney with 16 Percentage Point Lead in Arizona

Discussion: Washington Wire, Firedoglake, The Caucus, Washington Post and CNN

Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online:

Some More Thoughts on Heartland — I know that many of you are probably sick of this story, for which I apologize. I'm crunching on a column after a weekend family emergency, so the other blogging which would normally be interspersed with the Heartland stuff is going to be very light through at least tomorrow.

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Global Warming Alarmists Resort to Hoax

Discussion: Via Meadia, Wall Street Journal, Maggie's Farm, JunkScience.com, The Volokh Conspiracy, Climate Etc., Quark Soup, Tom Nelson, Online NewsHour and Washington Post

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Democratic Lawmaker Responds To ‘Fetal Pain’ Bill With Measure Limiting Vasectomies — A Democratic lawmaker in Georgia is responding to a Republican-backed effort to prevent women from receiving abortions 20 weeks after fertilization with a tongue-in-cheek measure that seeks …

Discussion: Metro, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Don Surber, The Maddow Blog, Taegan Goddard's …, Florida Times Union and The Raw Story

Scott Shane / New York Times:

In Din Over Iran, Rattling Sabers Echo — WASHINGTON — The United States has now endured what by some measures is the longest period of war in its history, with more than 6,300 American troops killed and 46,000 wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan and the ultimate costs estimated at $3 trillion.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Firedoglake, Reuters, The Atlantic Online, Wall Street Journal, emptywheel, No More Mister Nice Blog and Washington Post

Peter Beinart / The Daily Beast:
Experts Say Iran Attack Is Irrational, Yet Hawks Are Winning the Debate

Discussion: Eunomia and Angry Bear

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

Mystification and Triumphalism — Why the left can't handle the truth about social conservatism. — Social liberals have two basic approaches to social conservatism: mystification and triumphalism. Both reflect a failure of understanding—but more than that, an incapacity to understand …

Discussion: Althouse, American Power, Instapundit and Moonbattery

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Rick Santorum: Evolution Is Used To Promote Atheism — The former Pennsylvania Senator was a champion of creationism in the Senate. — Rick Santorum campaigns at the First Baptist Church in Naples, Florida. (Reuters) — Rick Santorum's social conservatism isn't limited to his views …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and American Prospect

Lauren Fox / US News:

Americans' Satisfaction Almost as Low as It Was Under Carter — It's February, nine months before a presidential election, and only 22 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the way things are going. Voters haven't been this unhappy with the country since George H.W. Bush's presidency …

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, Don Surber, The PJ Tatler, Questions and Observations, Scared Monkeys, americanthinker.com, Weasel Zippers and HotAirPundit

Nick Bilton / Bits:

Google to Sell Heads-Up Display Glasses by Year's End — People who constantly reach into a pocket to check a smartphone for bits of information will soon have another option: a pair of Google-made glasses that will be able to stream information to the wearer's eyeballs in real time.