memeorandum: Rick Santorum presses culture wars attack (Nia-Malika Henderson/Washington Post)

12:15 PM ET, February 27, 2012

Top Items:

Susan Page / USA Today:

Swing states poll: Health care law hurts Obama in 2012 — WASHINGTON - The health care overhaul that President Obama intended to be the signature achievement of his first term instead has become a significant problem in his bid for a second one, uniting Republicans in opposition and eroding his standing among independents.

Rick Santorum / Wall Street Journal:

My Economic Freedom Agenda — We need bold tax reform, but Mitt Romney wants to tinker at the margins. — America's budget process is broken. Our economy and American families are struggling, and the country needs bold reforms and major restructuring, not tinkering at the margins.

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, USA Today, The Spectacle Blog, msnbc.com, Shakesville, Campaign 2012, JunkScience.com and Politico

James Hohmann / Politico:

Battleground Poll: GOP president's race takes toll, Obama inches up — A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll reveals the prolonged nominating battle is taking a toll on the GOP candidates and finds the president's standing significantly improved from late last year.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, CNN, CBS News, The Moderate Voice, Los Angeles Times, Washington Wire and Associated Press

Quinnipiac University:

Men, Conservatives Push Santorm To 7-Pt. Ohio Lead, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 45% Of GOP Voters Might Change Their Mind — With strong support from men and conservatives, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum leads the Ohio GOP presidential field with 36 percent of likely Republican primary voters …

Discussion: GOP 12, CNN, Metro, 2012 Decoded, ABCNEWS, The Charlotte Observer, The Hill, Politico, Washington Post, msnbc.com, The Page and Mediaite

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Americans Divided on Repeal of 2010 Healthcare Law — Majority of Republicans strongly favor repeal if a Republican is elected president — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans divide evenly when asked if they favor (47%) or oppose (44%) a Republican president's repealing the 2010 healthcare law if elected this November.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Hill, LifeNews.com, Campaign 2012, Wizbang and Weasel Zippers

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Romney headed for an Arizona rout — Mitt Romney is headed for an overwhelming victory in Arizona's primary on Tuesday. He's at 43% to 26% for Rick Santorum, 18% for Newt Gingrich, and 11% for Ron Paul. — You can make a fair argument that Romney's already won the Arizona primary.

Discussion: Firedoglake, American Prospect and Outside the Beltway

CNN:

GOP voters split over Romney, Santorum, new poll shows — (CNN) — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has erased a 10-point deficit against rival Rick Santorum among registered Republicans in the race for the GOP nomination, according to a new Gallup poll released Monday on the eve of the Michigan and Arizona primaries.

Discussion: Politico and The Agonist

Rick Santorum / CNN:
Santorum adviser on Michigan: ‘We have already won’

Discussion: The Hill and Los Angeles Times

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney takes small Michigan lead

Discussion: weaskamerica.com, Politico, CNN, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Detroit Free Press, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, The New Republic, Daily Kos, Los Angeles Times and New York Magazine

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:
Warren Buffett: ‘It Is A Myth’ That U.S. Corporate Taxes Are High

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, The Raw Story and Campaign 2012

msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: High stakes

Discussion: Fox News, Big Government, CNN and The Political Carnival

Gerald Herbert / ABCNEWS:
‘World News’ Political Insights: What Mitt Romney Has Already Lost

Discussion: The Hill, Politico and New York Times

Sarah B. Boxer / CBS News:

Romney: Not a NASCAR fan, but friends are owners — Mitt Romney went to the races today, and instead of putting his pedal to the metal, seems to have put his foot in his mouth. — Asked by a reporter from the Associated Press about whether or not he follows NASCAR, Romney reportedly responded …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Obama Diary, Toronto Star, Balloon Juice and Dependable Renegade

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:

Santorum Makes Case for Religion in Public Sphere — TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — With two days left before the high-stakes Republican primaries in Arizona and Michigan, Rick Santorum delivered a full-throated defense of religion in public life on Sunday, appealing to the social conservatives who have revived his presidential campaign.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, The Maddow Blog, The Caucus, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos

Nia-Malika Henderson / Washington Post:
Rick Santorum presses culture wars attack

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, entertainment.time.com, USA Today, ABCNEWS and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Chris Jenkins / Associated Press:
Romney takes campaign detour to Daytona

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, BuzzFeed, Tucson Citizen, Rod Dreher and Associated Press

John Horton / Metro:

5 students hurt in shooting at Chardon High School; suspect in custody — CHARDON, Ohio — Five students have been injured in a shooting this morning at Chardon High School. — According to the Geauga County Sheriff's Office and the FBI, a suspect has been arrested.

Discussion: This Just In, msnbc.com, The Wire, Hot Air, Mediaite, Wake up America, The PJ Tatler and UrbanGrounds

Connor Kiesel / WEWS-TV:

Police: 5 injured, gunman in custody in Chardon High School shooting — CHARDON, Ohio - The FBI and police said five students are injured and a student gunman is in custody after a shooting at Chardon High School Monday morning. — Chardon Police Chief Timothy McKenna said two students …

Discussion: ABCNEWS and Los Angeles Times

New York Times:

Violent Uproar in Afghanistan Casts Shadow on U.S. Pullout — WASHINGTON — American officials sought to reassure both Afghanistan's government and a domestic audience on Sunday that the United States remained committed to the war after the weekend killing of two American military officers inside …

Discussion: Via Meadia and Outside the Beltway

Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:
Violence in wake of Koran incident fuels U.S. doubts about Afghan partners

Discussion: Althouse and Prairie Weather

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Will Bush v. Gore make an election-year return? — Tracie Hunter is a Democrat whose still-unsettled 2010 election contest with her Republican opponent will be decided by a legal battle over a batch of disputed and uncounted votes. — Irony alert: One of her legal lifelines is the decision …

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Brent Kendall / Wall Street Journal:
EPA Air Rules Head to Court

Discussion: ThinkProgress, InsideClimate News and Law Blog

Sandra Tsing Loh / The Atlantic Online:

Daddy Issues — Why caring for my aging father has me wishing he would die — To my surprise, in a motion as automatic as the reflex of a mussel being poked, my body bent double and I heard myself screaming: — “I WAAAAAAAANT MY FATHERRRRRR TO DIEEEEE!!!”

Dan Hinkel / Chicago Tribune:

Louis Farrakhan warns of racial hatred that could lead to attempts to kill President Obama — Nation of Islam leader in Chicago to speak at annual event — In a fiery lecture to thousands of followers of the Nation of Islam on Sunday in Chicago, Minister Louis Farrakhan warned that racial hatred …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Don Surber, Weasel Zippers, Atlas Shrugs and Jammie Wearing Fools