People who are highly paid speakers and performers (even people who perform less than mega fees as grounds acts at fairs) often have “riders” in their contracts which specify things they insist on as perks. The Smoking Gun has HERE a copy of a Newt Gingrich contract. It turns out he required two bathrooms. Now, I always felt Newt had two FACES….but….

Politically you are what you watch. YES: Republicans and Democrats do have different TV viewing habits.

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Romney supporter and surrogate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, talking to Republicans in Des Moines, Iowa. And it’s a quote that I suspect will be used for many many years: “If you’re looking for a candidate who agrees with you on everything, buy a mirror,” Christie said. This is advice that members of both parties might seriously ponder.

The choice in 2012 is not only the path American voters wish to choose but the path Republicans as a party wish to choose. And this choice is presented aptly by the Washington Post’s conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin who reports on the differences in the style and content of the current frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the widely-longed-for candidate who got away, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The difference, really, is between a candidate...

Former House Speaker and current front-runner for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination Newt Gingrich has announced that if he’s elected he’d appoint John Bolton as Secretary of State, rather than someone who indulges in “appeasement” as he says Hillary Clinton is doing. Yes, it’s the same John Bolton who ran into trouble being confirmed as UN ambassador under George Bush — but I contend that was due to the facial hair curse. It’s the same Bolton who...

New CNN/Time/ORC polling has more good news for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and more bad news for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Go to the link to read the full details. Here are the top five candidates in these surveys: Florida: Gingrich 48% Romney 25% Paul 5% Bachmann 3% Huntsman 3% Iowa: Gingrich 33% Romney 20% Paul 17% Perry 9% Bachmann 7% New Hampshire: Romney 35% Gingrich 26% Paul 17% Huntsman 8% Bachmann 3% South Carolina: Gingrich 43% Romney 20% Perry 8% Bachmann 6% Paul 6% UPDATED:...

The Daily Beast’s Jon Avlon, who also is an independent voter commentator of CNN, lists 10 GOP Endorsements That Still Matter in 2012’s Presidential Election. One person who he didn’t include on the list is this guy who thinks the whole Republican race hangs on his endorsement (apparently some Republican candidates think so, too).

RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch The Importance of Being Earnest and Anyone but Mitt Romney DETROIT — Who would have thought it could come to this? Unless steps are taken, the city of Detroit’s financial crisis is so bad it could default and the state is on the verge of taking the city over. Unless Mayor Dave Bing gets concessions from labor unions, makes draconian budget cuts and other pieces quickly fall into place, the state could soon appoint an emergency manager who could slice city...

This qualifies for an honorary chair in TMV’s Get A Life Club. I mean really. But people make good livings playing these kind of tiresome partisan word games. Meanwhile, we do have some serious issues to be discussed in this country and serious questions to ask the White House. (Or most of us would, anyway…)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may be soaring in the polls among Republicans but if he wants to grow and maintain that lead he will sooner or later have to deal with a big obstacle: Karl Rove.

Take a Peek at a new site: the Anti Drudge Report. Over the years there have been various attempts at using the Drudge format by others who wanted to see a version of it that is not done from a conservative Republican standpoint. Some of them are excellent (and we have linked to them and given a h/T when we remember to do that too quickly vanishing courtesy source acknowledgement) but it has never been easy to launch this kind of site. This brand new site promises to be an extremely popular one:...

Anyone who has dealt with kids as a teacher or performer will tell you this: they can be brutally honest. And she recently got a dose of the reality of the impact of her polemics and a bit of truth. The Daily Beast best explains the set up for this video: Michele Bachmann’s had plenty of uncomfortable moments on the campaign trail, but wait until you see this: At a South Carolina book signing, an 8-year-old boy named Elijah whispered to Bachmann, “My mom is gay and she doesn’t need fixing.”...

Make no mistake about it: there is now a new front runner for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination and his name is Newt Gingrich. The former House Speaker is zooming in the polls while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the former presumptive Republican nominee, remains stuck in the 20s. Just look at the latest Gallup Poll: Newt Gingrich leads Mitt Romney 37% to 22% in Gallup’s inaugural Daily tracking of Republican registered voters’ preferences for the 2012 GOP presidential...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney seems to have finally broken his cycle of political unwinding and bad publicity with a move that will enhance his standing: he has declined participating in Donald Trumps debate. He says Trump — who can be seen these days with Newt virtually bowing down to him and acting as his virtual public relations person and with Gingrich asking about how could anyone POSSIBLY turn down a chance to “hang out” with Donald — didn’t take it personally....

It’s pretty clear from press coverage, his poor performance on Fox, and sliding national and Iowa poll numbers that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is no longer the front runner for the 2012 Republican nomination. Romney has been supplanted by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. But the one bright spot for Romney — his political firewall — has been New Hampshire, where he has invested a ton of time and money. But a new poll shows his lead is shrinking there — which indicates...

If you don’t believe Newt Gingrich has baggage that will surely chip away at his polling numbers if he gets the Republican Presidential nomination — which I increasingly feel he can do — then just read Maureen Dowd, who effectively catalogs it in her newest masterful-as-usual column. The reality is that in politics baggage does count to a certain extent because it can steadily reduce support if it is highlighted or — as is the unfortunate case in politics — greatly...

I agree with those who say that, in the end, Herman Cain has helped his brand: he’ll probably sell more books, get higher speaking fees and most likely wind up with a national radio talk show or a big fat contract at Fox News, perhaps if Roger Ailes finally boots out the political star who disappointed and frustrated him, Sarah Palin, when her contract is up: Rob Frankel, author of “Revenge of Brand X,” said the harassment allegations will “go away” and leave Cain with...

Add Universal Studio Florida’s Bruce the shark to the ranks of the unemployed. In a sign of the passing of a generation of entertainment, Universal Studios Orlando will close the famous Jaws attraction as new blockbusters, news films with lots of buzz supplant a past blockbuster. Bruce will soon sleep with the fishes: Jaws, the classic Universal Studios Florida ride in which tour boats full of guests are attacked by a robotic great white shark, will close permanently on Jan. 2 to make way...

The late former President Harry S. Truman is constantly in the news. Whenever a President gets into serious trouble, people urge him to be “another Truman,” or run a “Truman like campaign.” And this has never been truer before than with President Barack Obama: his supporters want him to run like Truman, and some pundits say he’s planning a Truman like campaign. So exactly what is a Truman like campaign? And how did Truman run? The answer to that is a bit tougher than...

More signs that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may cause an operative conventional wisdom (that he didn’t have a chance) to be swept under the rug (I myself believed it as well) and could be catching on. With polls such as this how can it be said that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the front runner: Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has carved out a clear lead in what’s become a three-candidate race in Iowa, according to The Des Moines Register’s new Iowa Poll. Texas...

Here’s live Herman Cains announcement that he’s pulling out of the race for the Republican race for the Presidential nomination: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Times are sad and stressful for so many people. Watch this video and keep the words of this old song and the expressions of the singer — and the little girl — in your hears and minds. It’s kind of a mind vitamin:

I don’t know why but the news that Donald Trump (and his hair) will be moderating a Presidential debate (supposedly) attended by leading candidates of the Republican Party brings to mind the song below. Once upon a time, debates conjured up images of Lincoln-Douglas, the Kennedy-Nixon debates, debates hosted by news organizations such as Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS. And the serious Gain-Gingrich debate. But Donald Trump? Birther Donald Trump? Reality show Donald Trump? It brings to mind this...

Will the Newt Gingrich boomlet sweep Gingrich into capturing the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination? Already there are signs of a shift: Gingrich is rising in the polls and (once again) becoming dismissive, arrogant and earning his reputation as of the best quote machines for journalists and supposed front runner Mitt Romney seems scared and showing it in a Fox News interview. But can it last? The Washington Post’s Jonathan Bernstein thinks it won’t because too many GOP insiders...

Our Quote of the Day comes from former CNN personality Larry King: “I want to be frozen on the hope that they’ll find whatever I died of and bring me back,” Larry King told a shocked group of dinner guests gathered at his Beverly Hills home for a party hosted by him and his wife, Shawn. I watched Larry King the two years before he retired and he looked frozen to me. Actually, if he wants to be frozen, he should come to where this post is being written — to Michigan. And I...