memeorandum: Bachmann's Iowa chairman jumps to Paul (Cameron Joseph/Ballot Box)

10:30 PM ET, December 28, 2011

Top Items:

Kevinliptak / CNN:

CNN Poll: Romney on top, Gingrich fading & Santorum rising in Iowa — Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Did Newt Gingrich peak too early? — A new survey of people likely to attend Iowa's Republican caucuses indicates that the former House speaker's support in the Hawkeye State is plunging.

Discussion: The Politico, Campaign 2012, ABCNEWS, The Caucus, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, Riehl World View, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller, Poliglot, Mediaite, Politisite, Daily Kos, Iowa Caucuses, National Review, The Other McCain and GOP 12

Erick Erickson / Erick's blog:

No Surprise, Iowa Social Conservatives Are About To Shoot Us All in the Foot Again — I'm hearing several campaigns and external pollsters have a surge for Rick Santorum. With the National Review folks fawning over him again, it probably means a surge is real and any surge by Rick Santorum …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Online, Outside the Beltway and Mediaite

Adam Sorensen / Swampland:

CNN/TIME/ORC Poll: Gingrich Collapse Fuels Santorum Surge in Iowa, Solidifies Romney Lead in New Hampshire — Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich speaks before a group of supporters at the Global Security offices in Davenport, Iowa, Dec. 19, 2011.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Washington Post, msnbc.com, Ballot Box, Indecision Forever and Truthdig

Zachary Abrahamson / The Politico:

How the Iowa caucuses work — Four years ago, 120,000 Iowa Republicans turned out in freezing temperatures to vote on their pick for a presidential nominee. The weather report and turnout predictions for next Tuesday's caucuses are still somewhat in the air, but the campaigns' organizing efforts …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Ballot Box and Weasel Zippers

Swampland:
Topline Results of Dec. 21-27, 2011, CNN/TIME/ORC Poll

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, msnbc.com, ABCNEWS, The New Republic and The Page

CNN:
Santorum gets late help from super PAC

Discussion: Washington Post and GOP 12

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Michele Bachmann chair defects to Ron Paul — In a shock announcement Wednesday night, Iowa state senator and onetime Michele Bachmann campaign leader Kent Sorenson declared that he is now supporting Ron Paul for president. — Sorenson made the announcement at a Paul rally with veterans …

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, Taegan Goddard's …, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and RADAMISTO

Jason Noble / Des Moines Register:

Breaking: Michele Bachmann Iowa campaign co-chair endorses Ron Paul — News is breaking this evening that presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's Iowa campaign co-chairman Kent Sorenson has endorsed Ron Paul, one of her rivals in the Iowa caucus race. — Sorenson, a state senator from Indianola …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Firedoglake and Mercury Rising

Mark Halperin / The Page:

Bachmann Iowa Chair Ditches Her for Paul — Hawkeye State Sen. Kent Sorenson jumps to the Texan's camp hours after he attended an event in Indianola to support the MN Congresswoman. — Sorenson: “When the Republican establishment is going to be coming after Ron Paul, I thought it is my duty to come to his aid.”

Discussion: The Political Carnival, Mediaite, Hot Air, The Caucus, MN Progressive Project and Race 4 2012

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:

Bachmann's Iowa chairman jumps to Paul — Michele Bachmann's Iowa chairman has jumped ship and backed Ron Paul, the latest blow to her campaign and coup for his. — Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson (R) endorsed Paul, his campaign announced Wednesday night. Paul has led in most Iowa caucus polls …

Discussion: The Politico

2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Death Penalty For Gays: Ron Paul Courts The Religious Fringe In Iowa

Discussion: Warren Throckmorton, Ron Paul 2012 Presidential …, Liberal Values, The Huffington Post, Jezebel, Box Turtle Bulletin, Hullabaloo, Outside the Beltway and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Mary Stegmeir / Iowa Caucuses:
Breaking: Michele Bachmann campaign co-chairman endorses Ron Paul

Discussion: American Power

Jeremy W. Peters / The Caucus:
Commercial Introduces Gay Marriage as an Issue in the Iowa Caucuses

Discussion: New York Times, The Raw Story and Towleroad News #gay

Kevinliptak / CNN:

Gingrich: Campaign worker's signature fraud cost slot on Virginia ballot — Algona, Iowa (CNN) - Newt Gingrich cited fraud Wednesday as the reason he didn't get on the Virginia primary ballot. — Last week his campaign acknowledged they used paid volunteers to scramble …

Discussion: The Politico, Ballot Box, Indecision Forever, American Power, Washington Post, Washington Monthly and Taylor Marsh

New York Times:
The Retooled, Loose Romney, Guessing Voters' Age and Ethnicity

Discussion: NewsBusters.org blogs, Los Angeles Times, The Caucus, Indecision Forever, Guardian, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, Hotline On Call, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Boston Globe, Jezebel, The Politico, ABCNEWS, 24Ahead, Political Mojo and Prairie Weather

Tony Radar / RADAR:

Anthony Weiner Wanted Threesome With Another Man, According To Mistress — Disgraced former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner was caught in online trysts with numerous women, but RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned that according to one of his mistresses, he expressed wanting a threesome - with another man.

Discussion: Gothamist, Weasel Zippers, Scared Monkeys, iOwnTheWorld.com and Lez Get Real

New York Post:
Anthony Weiner wanted threesome with woman and man

Discussion: M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S …

Josh Poltilove / TBO.com:

Tarzan co-star Cheetah dies at Palm Harbor sanctuary — Cheetah the chimpanzee, who acted in classic Tarzan movies in the early 1930s, died of kidney failure Saturday at Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, a sanctuary spokeswoman said. — Cheetah was roughly 80 years old …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, TheGazette and Telegraph

Dave Itzkoff / New York Times:
Chimpanzee Said to Be Cheetah in ‘Tarzan’ Films Has Died

Discussion: CNN, Agence France Presse, Jack Shafer, Guardian and Nation Now

Kevin D. Williamson / National Review:

Repo Men — If you're making money on the Wall Street scale — which is nothing like your boring, middle-management in the Fortune 500, Hamptons-and-Mercedes, barely-a-1 percenter type money — then you can buy basically anything. When real-estate investor Robert Rosania put part …

Discussion: Moe Lane, Ed Driscoll, Verum Serum and Cold Fury

John Avlon / The Daily Beast:

Sen. Ben Nelson's Retirement Signals Twilight of Blue Dog Democrats — Centrist Sen. Ben Nelson's retirement puts the Democrats' Senate majority in jeopardy and could even spell trouble for Obama's reelection. But the absence of his and other independent voices in Congress is the real danger.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune

Investor's Business Daily:
What Ben Nelson's surrender means for 2012

Discussion: The Other McCain

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:

What Moves Republican Crowds in Iowa — DES MOINES — The Republican candidates for president are doing a lot of talking in the last week before voting begins. — But spending a day observing how the crowds react to the candidates can be just as instructive.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Wonkette, Washington Monthly, New York Times, The Impolitic and Prairie Weather

Daniel Cancel / Bloomberg:

Chavez: U.S. May Be Behind Leaders' Cancer — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hinted that the U.S. may be behind a “very strange” bout of cancer affecting several leaders aligned with him in South America. — Chavez, speaking a day after Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jezebel

Amy Chozick / Media Decoder:

The Times E-Mails Millions by Mistake to Say Subscriptions Were Canceled — Updated The New York Times said it accidentally sent e-mails on Wednesday to more than eight million people who had shared their information with the company, erroneously informing them they had canceled home delivery of the newspaper.

Discussion: GigaOM, Poynter, TalkLeft and Doug Ross, more at Techmeme »

Billy Hallowell / TheBlaze.com:

GIRL SCOUTS BOOK REFERS READERS TO LIBERAL GROUP MEDIA MATTERS TO CLEAR UP ‘MEDIA MISINFORMATION’ — In 2010, the Girl Scouts of the USA published a book called “MEdia.” The publication, designed for girls in grades six through eight, is a guide that apparently offers insight into how young people …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Scared Monkeys, The American Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Wizbang and The Lonely Conservative

Erick Erickson / RedState:

TODAY, December 28, 2011, Mitt Romney Calls Obamacare “Conservative” — This isn't a flash back. This is today. Mitt Romney is again declaring the foundation of Obamacare, the individual mandate, “conservative.” — To be sure, it is conservative that one takes responsibility for their own healthcare.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit and The Spectacle Blog

Ann Coulter:

ONLY ONE CANDIDATE IS RIGHT ON THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES — In the upcoming presidential election, two issues are more important than any others: repealing Obamacare and halting illegal immigration. If we fail at either one, the country will be changed permanently. — Taxes can be raised and lowered.

Discussion: Power Line and PoliPundit.com

Kevinliptak / CNN:

Gingrich urged yes vote on controversial Medicare bill, former congresswoman says — Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Another Republican has come forward to say that Newt Gingrich personally pressed her and other members of Congress in 2003 to vote for a controversial Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Discussion: National Review, Hot Air, Iowa Caucuses, Ballot Box and iOwnTheWorld.com

Batocchio / Vagabond Scholar:

Jon Swift Memorial Roundup 2011 — Welcome to a tradition started by the much missed Jon Swift/Al Weisel. He left behind some excellent satire, but was also a nice guy and a strong supporter of small blogs. As Lance Mannion puts it: … Here's his 2007 and 2008 editions. Last year's revival is here.

Discussion: The Impolitic, Lance Mannion, The Moderate Voice, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Mad Kane's Political Madness, TBogg and Balloon Juice

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

Perry Pledges To Openly Defy A Supreme Court Decision Striking Down An Anti-Choice ‘Personhood’ Law — At a radio forum sponsored by the anti-abortion and anti-birth control group Personhood USA, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said that he would refuse to obey a Supreme Court decision striking down the group's signature anti-choice proposal:

Discussion: CBS News, Ballot Box, The Raw Story and Political Mojo

Craig Robinson / The Iowa Republican:

Exclusive: Iowa GOP Chair Severs Ties With Strong America Now — Matt Strawn, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, has disassociated himself from Strong America Now after reports that the group has a Super PAC that is advocating for one specific candidate.

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses, The Caucus, msnbc.com and Campaign 2012

Fred Barnes / Wall Street Journal:

The GOP's Answer to Union Money — Achieving parity with the Democrats in campaign spending would be no small feat. Yet it appears possible. — When Steven Law was deputy secretary of labor in the George W. Bush administration, he routinely scrutinized the disclosure forms of labor unions.