Has the conventional wisdom been turned on its head again? Or is this yet one more little blip in the hugely funded and professionally organized former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s “inevitable” march to the 2012 Republican nomination? And was there a big message to President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party again: that once more social issues can fuel and excite and outrage GOPers issues stemming from the legal status of gay marriage coming the forefront during an election...

Independent CNN commentator John Avlon gives these tips on three things you need to know about today’s GOP contests: FOOTNOTE: It’s already looking as if this could be a good night for former Senator Rick Santorum, a wash-out for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and night present front-runner former Gov. Mitt Romney might want to forget. Photo via shutterstock.com

A Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests Mitt Romney is not closing the deal with conservative Republicans. In fact, he has lost a bit of support: Despite his strong showing in early state contests in the race for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination, Mitt Romney’s support nationwide has dipped slightly during the past month, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday. Romney was backed by 29 percent of Republican voters in the telephone poll conducted February 2-6, down from 30 percent...

It’s a story so painful I can’t write about it. Josh Powell, husband of two-years-missing Utah woman Susan, not only blew up the house with him and his two sons. Details coming out are even more horrific — if that’s possible. And the photo of him with his two trusting young sons sparks a heartbreak that will last my lifetime. Details here.

The Super Bowl commercial that is getting the most welcome and unwelcome buzz is Chrysler’s moving “It’s Halftime in America” commercial featuring the great Clint Eastwood, who praises American’s tradition of coming together and acting as one in times of adversity. He points to how Detroit was written off but survived. Who could argue that was some kind of manipulative political, ideological statement? (Some Republicans suggest it was to boost Barack Obama’s re-election...

One of the most anticipated and commented upon 2012 Super Bowl commercials was Honda’s which kind of updated “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off”. Here’s the Honda explanation on You Tube: To celebrate the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V, Honda brought Ferris Bueller’s Day Off back in a big game commercial. We cast Matthew Broderick as himself, skipping out on a day of acting work and living it up in his all-new CR-V. Relive movie history with Honda’s fresh twist and...

Armey and Gingrich in not necessarily happier times.. How much work does former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have to win over conservatives and Tea Party members as a viable Anti-Romney option? I’d say a ton of work: Freedom Works chairman and former Rep. Dick Armey (R-Texas) blasted Newt Gingrich for his continued tough attacks on Mitt Romney saying Gingrich was carrying out a vendetta against the Republican frontrunner. Armey said that Gingrich’s criticisms of Romney were not helpful for...

NBC scored a media touchdown with its Super Bowl ad — a promo for its shows, using the show-stopping song from the smash Broadway Musica “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” called “The Brotherhood of Man.” It is witty, fun, slick, smart — and will rank as one of the best ever: < /center> Here’s an abridged version of the show stopper as performed by the cast of the Broadway revival last year on David Letterman — starring Daniel “Harry...

Chances are if you (among the millions) watch the Super Bowl today you’re going to see one ad that turns out to be highly controverial. The Hill: Super Bowl advertisements have a long history of attracting political controversies, and this year is no different. While the match-up between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants will be country’s focus on Sunday, the high-priced ads during the game will come in a close second. And in an election year, the odds are that there will...

Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News Pundits had been predicting it would happen but you can’t obscure the real impact: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won big in the Nevada caucauses yesterday — further consolidating his candidacy, after a gaffe-peppered week adding to the positive image of someone who’s on a political roll, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s candidacy continues to shrink in terms of support and imagery. The New York Time’s report captures the...

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune Is Newt Gingrich going to make a major announcement? Will he announce that he’ll drop out after all? This item from the National Journal suggests something a bit unusual might be in the works — and soon: Instead of the traditional election night party, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will hold a press conference after the Nevada Caucus on Saturday, raising new speculation about his future in the race. An e-mail sent to reporters on Saturday morning...

Senator Orrin Hatch has sometime defended injecting religion in politics. But not in an election year — if it involves a Democrat.

Political talking heads on cable such as MBNBC’s Joe Scarborough expressed shocked at this New York Times piece that ran January 28 which basically had a bunch of unnamed sources trumpeting how former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s advisors were so smart and shrewd in turning Romney’s seemingly bumbling campaign around, starting at the last Florida debate. Scarborough and others argued that the aides involved in the piece should be fired for going public to take credit for...

Which political party is more exciting? Apparently the Republican Party.

Five reasons why Donald Trump is a joke — five cartoon reasons, via Daryl Cagle HERE.

The economy is hurting everyone. And here’s proof: (us) ventriloquists feel it too. Just look at this report by my friend Justin Ver Burg: P.S. Ventriloquists aren’t the only ones looking for work. These days you see a lot of dummies clamoring for jobs, too (it’s election year).

So if you strip away all of the partisan and ideological analysts and their political self-interest they often inject inf their analysis, and look at the cold, hard political facts in political science terms, how likely is it that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney can be taken off his apparent course to the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination — and how long will it take? The University of Virginia’s top political scientist Larry Sabato and his top political team provide an answer...

The South Carolina and Florida Republican presidential debates will be pointed to as turning points for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaigns. But they’ll also be remembered for two moments underscoring the uneasy relationship between the news media and politicians who often seek to control, intimidate or politically use the news media — and how the media rises again. Mike Keefe, Cagle CartoonsBoth involved Gingrich. The...

Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner One day after his massive — and massively purchased – victory over chief rival for the 2012 Republican nomination former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in Florida, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney cut short the positive news spin on his victory by making a gaffe that is a Chistmas, Hanuka, Kwanza, Easter, Birthday gift to Democrats: a gaffe fitting right into the narrative Democrats hope to roll out to voters of Romney as a rich, out of touch, country...

This just in! Here’s a “who cares so what alert”: Donald Trump has called a press conference for tomorrow. Informed speculation: he’ll endorse Newt Gingrich. (Ahh, he’s just doing it because if Gingrich wins he gets to build a casino on the moon.”

Our political Quote of the Day comes from The Daily Beast’s John Avlon, who explains why the 2012 race for the Republican nomination is not over despite the blowout victory of mega-funded former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney over his chief rival, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Avlon begins his post with this: Yes, Mitt Romney had a big win in Florida last night. He’s won two of the first four primary states, totaling 84 delegates to date. But he needs 1,144 to clinch the Republican...

If you think the criticism Mitt Romney is getting now for strapping his dog in a carrying case to the top of his car years ago is big, just look at this rare piece of film the TMV research staff discovered of the reaction it got years ago:

So former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was obliterated in Florida largely because of the brutally effective, millions of dollars worth of advertising primary winner former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney threw at him.Even with $5 million checks from a casino owner and the casino owner’s wife, it isn’t enough to effectively compete. Here is Gingrich singing his post-Florida theme song:

After coming under fire for spending millions on ads to negatively define his chief rival former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in a campaign in which a staggering 92 percent of all ads have been negative, former Massachusetts Mitt Romney won a decisive (47 percent) victory over Gingrich (30%). He also delivered a speech in which he tried to pivot from a slice-and-dice-em primary battle opponent to a party nominee. The only problem: Gingrich later made his speech and it’s clear Gingrich intends...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has gotten some powerful new allies in his battle against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and the Republican establishment: polarizing talk show host Rush Limbaugh, former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Ronald Raegan’s talks show/columnist son Michael Reagan and former GOP front runner Herman Cain. But Nate Silver — who has a good record when it comes to forecasts — doesn’t see this as being a very good day for Gingrich: The...