memeorandum: Poll: McCain gets 21-point bump after victory (Paul Steinhauser/CNN)

1:30 AM ET, January 12, 2008

Top Items:

Racial tensions roil Democratic race — A series of comments from Senator Hillary Clinton, her husband, and her supporters are spurring a racial backlash and adding a divisive edge to the presidential primary as the candidates head south to heavily African-American South Carolina.

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, The Caucus, Bookworm Room, Althouse, QandO, Sister Toldjah, baldilocks, Associated Press, First Friday Collective, The Page, BitsBlog, TIME, Irish Trojan in Tennessee, Wizbang, The Stump, TPM Election Central and Perfunction

Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:

Bill Clinton: Obama's Candidacy Isn't The “Fairy Tale” — But His War Opposition Is — Bill Clinton just appeared on Al Sharpton's radio show, and was asked about his statements in New Hampshire that the media was pushing a “fairy tale” about Obama's candidacy.

Discussion: Spin Cycle and Blue Mass. Group

Karl / protein wisdom:
Dems 2008: To Live and Die by Identity Politics

Discussion: The Politico and The Moderate Voice

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

Poll: McCain gets 21-point bump after victory — CNN Deputy Political Director — WASHINGTON (CNN) — John McCain's victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary appears to be paying off. — The senator from Arizona is the front-runner in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Boston Globe, Power Line, alicublog, American Power, The Moderate Voice, Political Machine, Taegan Goddard's …, Hot Air and Pollster.com

Media Matters for America:

Does Chris Matthews have a problem with women? — Using overtly sexist language, he has referred to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) as a “she devil” and compared her to a “strip-teaser." He has called her “witchy” and likened her voice to “fingernails on a blackboard.”

Discussion: TalkLeft, Sweet Jesus …, The Reaction, Group News Blog, Cliff Schecter, Orcinus, Feministing and Shakespeare's Sister

The Raw Story:
Accused of misogyny, Matthews hits back at ‘View’ hosts

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Group News Blog, Cogitamus, Whiskey Fire, Cliff Schecter, South Texas Chisme and TVNewser

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

High Court Accepts Case on Provision Of McCain-Feingold — The Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will review the constitutionality of the so-called Millionaires' Amendment, which allows opponents of some self-funded congressional candidates to raise more money than federal law normally allows.

Rick Hasen / Election Law:
BREAKING NEWS: SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE THIS TERM

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Michael Winter / On Deadline:
80 arrested in Guantanamo protest at Supreme Court

Discussion: michellemalkin.com and Gateway Pundit

Marc Ambinder:

The Daily Five: Giuliani Loses His National Finance Chair — 1. It's not a good sign that Giuliani's senior staff have decided to work without paychecks, and there is no way to spin it otherwise. The amount of money that's involved is miniscule: about $50,000 per month.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, NewsBusters.org, The Politico, CNN, GreenMountainPolitics1, driftglass, Confederate Yankee, Power Line, Fred File, race42008.com and Eunomia

Elizabeth Benjamin / New York Daily News Blogs:
NY Conservative Party To Endorse Thompson, Not Un-Conservative Rudy

Discussion: race42008.com, New York Observer and Daily Pundit

Joe Garofoli / San Francisco Chronicle:
Giuliani camp finds the GOP race right where he wants it

Discussion: Firedoglake, CBS News, PoliBlog (TM), Boston Globe and The Moderate Voice

Jane Smiley / The Huffington Post:

Shut Up, Larry — When I read Lawrence O'Donnell's post calling John Edwards a “loser” and threatening a lifetime of infamy if he doesn't get out of the race, I immediately went to O'Donnell's bio to see his party affiliation. I was sure it would say “R” — but it didn't. It didn't say anything.

Discussion: protein wisdom, PunditGuy, Daily Pundit and American Street

Lawrence O'Donnell / The Huffington Post:

John Edwards is a loser. He has won exactly two elections in his life and lost 31. Only one of his wins and all of his losses were in presidential primaries and caucuses. He remains perfectly positioned to continue to lose with a Kucinich-like consistency. Nothing but egomania keeps Edwards in the race now.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Liberal Values, QandO, Firedoglake, Redstate, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah and PSoTD

Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:

Clinton Aide: Obama Is For People Who Want “Imaginary Hip Black Friend” — An anonymous Clinton adviser made an interesting comment to The Guardian, explaining the difference between Hillary supporters and Obama supporters. — “If you have a social need, you're with Hillary,” the aide said.

Jonathan Freedland / Guardian:
Clinton's amazing comeback could yet crown McCain

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Spin Cycle, The Strata-Sphere, The Anchoress, Too Sense and Eunomia

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
TAKING A DEEP BREATH

Discussion: Democrats.com and Open Left

Ariel Alexovich / The Caucus:

D.L.C. Leaders Cut Edwards Out — As would be expected, the two gentlemen from the Democratic Leadership Council on a conference call today told reporters they're very confident in their party's chances of reclaiming the White House, they're happy that substantive issues are being discussed ...

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, DownWithTyranny!, CANNONFIRE and TPMCafe blogs

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Mysterious crowd suddenly stopped Bhutto's car, officer says — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Two new reports on the assassination last month of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto suggest that the killing may have been an ambitious plot rather than an isolated act of violence and that the government …

Discussion: At-Largely

Eugene Volokh / The Volokh Conspiracy:

THE AD MS. MAGAZINE REFUSED TO RUN: — The message, I take it, is pretty clear — “Feminists should like the way women are treated in Israeli life,” coupled with the pretty strong implication of “... and look how favorably it compares on this score to Israel's enemies.”

Discussion: Wake up America, PR Newswire, Yourish.com, Gateway Pundit and Commentary

Mark R. Levin / National Review:

The Real McCain Record — There's a reason some conservatives who support John McCain are rarely willing to discuss the bulk of his record. They want to discuss his personal story, his position on the surge, and his supposed electability. And when questions are raised about McCain's broader record …

Discussion: THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Washington Post and PrestoPundit

John Solomon / Washington Post:

FBI Picks Terrorism Expert to Lead Agency's National Security Sector — The FBI named a career-long expert in terrorism to its top national security job yesterday as one of its own agents went public with allegations that the bureau still lacks the experience and skills needed to effectively combat terrorists.

Salon:

“We're all fascists now” — Along those lines, you write, “What is fascist is the notion that in an organic national community, the individual has no right not to be healthy; and the state therefore has the obligation to force us to be healthy for our own good.”

Discussion: Think Progress