Priebus: ‘Malpractice’ for me to back Trump debate  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus spoke out Thursday against an upcoming GOP presidential debate to be moderated by Donald Trump, saying it would be “malpractice” for him as the leader of the party not to think the debate was problematic.

Dems' payroll tax cut extension goes down again in Senate  —  Senate Republicans blocked the latest installment of President Obama's jobs plan — a bill to extend the payroll tax cut — for the second week in a row on Thursday.  —  The bill, titled the Middle Class Tax Cut Act, was shot down 50-48.

Poll: Elizabeth Warren soars 7 up over Scott Brown  —  UMass-Lowell, Herald poll shows attack ads harm both  —  Democrat Elizabeth Warren has opened up a lead against Republican incumbent Scott Brown for the first time in their U.S. Senate showdown, but a barrage of attack ads appears …

Christie heckles ‘Occupy’ protesters in Iowa  —  Follow on Twitter:Follow @hcpeterson  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie heckled a group of protesters at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Iowa on Wednesday, calling them immature and dissilusioned for supporting President Obama.

Ann Coulter Newt Presents a Fresh New Virtual Face  —  Before you newly active Republicans commit to Newt Gingrich as your presidential nominee on the basis of the recent debates, here's a bit of Newt history you ought to know.  I promise you, it's going to come up if he's the candidate.

Rick Perry's Anti-Gay Iowa Ad Divides His Top Staff … 2012 Election , Log Cabin Republicans , Elections 2012 , Rick Perry , Video , Iowa Caucuses , Fabrizio Perry , Iowa Caucus 2012 , Perry Ad , Perry Dadt , Rick Perry 2012 , Rick Perry Ad Campaign , Rick Perry Don't Ask Don't Tell …

Tweets from Congressional Staffers Describe On-Job Drinking in Office of Congressman Larsen  —  For young men and women with ambitions toward a career in politics, working in a Congressional office can be a heady, almost dreamlike experience.  Left unsupervised, the combination of youth indiscretion …

Republicans Less Enthusiastic About Voting in 2012  —  Republicans' enthusiasm gap over Democrats narrows  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans' enthusiasm about voting in the election for president next year has decreased, with 49% of Republicans and independents who lean Republican now saying …

Corzine: ‘I Simply Do Not Know Where The Money Is’  —  A contrite Jon S. Corzine will express both sorrow and a firm defense of his actions Thursday in his first public appearance since the collapse of MF Global Holdings Ltd. in late October.  —  “Recognizing the enormous impact …

Virginia Tech Police officer, one other, killed on campus  —  A Virginia Tech police officer was fatally shot Thursday during a routine traffic stop on the Blacksburg campus and a second person was found slain in a nearby parking lot after the gunman fled, the university reports.

The Coming GOP Gingrich Freakout  —  Today's question is: will the Gingrich balloon deflate like all the previous Not Mitt balloons?  —  The answer is: yes of course-but given that these balloons take typically 6-8 weeks to shrivel, the impending Gingrich bust may not arrive soon enough to save Romney.

Eric Cantor smacks down ‘insider’ Spencer Bachus  —  A day after Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus said he would move forward on an insider-trading bill, Majority Leader Eric Cantor stopped him dead in his tracks.  —  In a Wednesday meeting described by one source as …

VIDEO: Bill O'Reilly Hits Community Organizer with Umbrella, Tries to Get Him Arrested  —  Anyone who has watched the footage of Bill O'Reilly's infamous meltdown on the set of Inside Edition knows that the Fox News personality has a hot temper.  But you would expect the Fox News personality …

Toys for Tots ‘running out of toys’ in Philly  —  The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program in Philadelphia has been flooded with requests for toys this year, far outstripping supply, say organizers.  —  And local marines are asking for help.  —  “We are way under supplied,” …

TWITTER AND THE CAMPAIGN  —  HOW THE DISCUSSION ON TWITTER VARIES FROM BLOGS AND NEWS COVERAGE AND RON PAUL'S TWITTER TRIUMPH  —  A detailed examination of more than 20 million Tweets about the race for president finds that the political discussion on Twitter is measurably different …