DAYLEE PICTURE: Lake Assal in the Afar region of Ethiopia. From National Geographic.
Not Fade Away: Against the Myth of American Decline (Robert Kagan) from the New Republic
"Powerful as this sense of decline may be, however, it deserves a more rigorous examination. Measuring changes in a nation’s relative power is a tricky business, but there are some basic indicators: the size and the influence of its economy relative to that of other powers..."
What the World Makes of Mitt (Uri Friedman) from Foreign Policy Magazine
OH NO!! It's another The-neighbors-can-hear-us moment with these GOP candidates. This time it's Romney.
"Romney's rise may be producing yawns at home, but the Republican frontrunner has touched a nerve (make that several nerves) overseas."
The End of the Christian Right (Michael Kazin) from the New Republic
"Is the Christian Right still a power in American politics? The lavish coverage which its partisans and their favorite issues have received during the current Republican campaign certainly leave that impression. Yet all this attention is akin to the dazzling glow of a setting sun. In fact, the Christian Right is a fading force in American life, one which has little chance of achieving its cherished goals."
Andrew Sullivan Infuriates the Right (and the Left) by Calling Obama Critics ‘Dumb’ from the Reid Report
We showcased Sullivan's original story yesterday.
"Conservative bloggers are fuming (or resorting to racist, schoolyard taunts.) But none have undermined the substance of Andrew Sullivan’s Newsweek cover article, which asks the question: why are President Obama’s critics so dumb?"
With Recall In Motion, Democrats Consider Candidates To Challenge Walker from Talking Points Memo
"Now that Wisconsin Democrats made their big move to trigger a recall election against Republican Gov. Scott Walker — turning in over a million signatures against him on Tuesday — the next step is now approaching, with potential Democratic challengers starting to make their way out into the open."
Mitt Romney: The Last Republican President? (Steve McCann) from the American Thinker
"The chances are that Romney would be the last Republican president, as the Party may fly apart under his rule. The country would then have to face another round of the Left-dominated Democratic Party in charge and the inevitable collapse that would bring about. The forces arrayed against the conservative challengers from the Romney money machine, the Party establishment, and the so-called conservative and mainstream media appear too formidable to overcome; particularly as the conservative movement cannot coalesce behind one candidate."
Five Ways Conservatives Will Have to Sell Their Souls if Romney Wins (John Hawkins) from Townhall
"If you were trying to come up with the most atrocious candidate imaginable to go toe-to-toe with Barack Obama in 2012, you couldn't do much better than Mitt Romney. ... Romney's candidacy also runs counter to almost every political trend in the book right now. He's the antithesis of everything the Tea Party stands for -- a moderate establishment-endorsed, principle-free Rockefeller Republican."
The South Carolina Primary has gotten noticeably more ugly in the last 24 hours:
Rick Perry's Stupidity Causes Diplomatic Incident (Hunter) from Daily Kos
"I can just imagine the State Department conversations. First they have to explain to the Turkish ambassador that Rick Perry is really, really stupid, and was probably mistaking their country for some other place. That leads to a whole conversation in which the ambassador wonders aloud at how someone so stupid can even be considered to be a potential leader of a country the size and strength of the United States ..."
Mitt Romney's Bain Capital Invested In Stericycle, A Company Now Targeted By Anti-Abortion Activists (Sam Stein) from the Huffington Post
"One of the highest performing companies in which the private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney invested is now a top target of the most vehement anti-abortion groups in the nation."
Mitt Romney is Rich. So What? (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"How Romney’s wealth is ultimately perceived by voters in the center of the American electorate will play a critical role in determining whether or not he can beat President Obama. Of late, Romney hasn’t helped himself much in framing the wealth debate in his favor."
Newt Gingrich and the Art of Racial Politics (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
Blow nails the racism that underlies conservative attitudes towards poverty programs generally.
"Gingrich seems to understand the historical weight of the view among some southern whites, many of whom have migrated to the Republican party, that blacks are lazy and addicted to handouts. He is able to give voice to those feelings without using those words."
What the Polls Can’t Tell Us from the New York Times' Room for Debate
"Between now and November, can we expect big swings in public opinion? And if so, what does that mean for the G.O.P. front-runners?"
You knew this was coming:
Callista Gingrich Called A 'Mistress For Eight Years' By James Dobson from the Huffington Post
"In making his case for Rick Santorum as the conservative consensus' alternative to Mitt Romney at a conference in Texas over the weekend, evangelical leader James Dobson reportedly brought up the marital past of Newt Gingrich, calling his wife, Callista, a "mistress of eight years.""
Don't think for a minute that this political s@#$ storm isn't impacting Romney's overall numbers. Check this:
Poll: Obama up 5 on Romney Nationally from Public Policy Polling
"It's not as if Obama's suddenly become popular. He remains under water with 47% of voters approving of him to 50% who disapprove. But Romney's even less popular, with only 35% rating him favorably while 53% have a negative opinion of him. Over the last month Romney's seen his negatives with independents rise from 46% to 54%, suggesting that the things he has to say and do to win the Republican nomination aren't necessarily helping him for the general. Obama's turned what was a 45-36 deficit with independents a month ago into a 51-41 advantage."
The Good Wife: Can Callista Gingrich Save her Husband? (Ariel Levy) from the New Yorker
A long-form profile of the current Mrs. Gingrich.
"Callista Gingrich has a firm formality that can be very effective in curtailing conversations she does not wish to engage in."
Speaking of good wives (like for real):
Over-scrutinizing Michelle Obama (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"Few thoughts are more horrifying than that of having a writer observing and interpreting your personal life. For better or worse, presidents and their spouses will have to suffer these intrusions and potential
indignities. It is the world in which we live. This is a shame for the nation, ultimately. When Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor of The Washington Post, asked this week in a column why the Republican field is so weak, my immediate thought was, It’s not so weak, followed by: Why would anyone submit to such torture? In the end, this query may provide the moral of our story. The fittest nation may not survive because our strongest leaders won’t bother to run."
ZOO NUGGET!!
At German Zoos, Christmas Comes in January from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"For many German zoos, a high point of the animal year is the arrival of discarded Christmas trees. Thousands are fed to elephants, camels, polar bears and a variety of other animals. The trees are rich in Vitamin C and other healthy properties. However, the tradition is threatened at some zoos because of the use of chemicals to make trees last longer."
Who knew? Check out the photos of all the different animals chowing on unused x-mas trees!
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