 |  | 
December 20, 2011 | | BUBBLE Is it time for a Rick Santorum bubble? The latest polls out of Iowa show Newt Gingrich collapsing, Ron Paul surging, and the underdog ex-Pennsylvania senator finally reaching double digits. The Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky writes that Santorum is free of the flaws that dragged down the last alternatives to Romney, knows how to mobilize the conservative base—and could even be competitive in a blue state if he gets the nomination. Funerals North Korea isn’t ready to put its Dear Leader in the ground: Kim Jong-il’s corpse is on public display ahead of his Dec. 28 funeral. State TV showed it beneath a red blanket, beside bouquets of red flowers, and with two guards standing watch nearby. His body rests in the same glass mausoleum where his father’s body has been on display since 1994, though it’s unclear if it will remain on display after the official funeral. His heir, Kim Jong-un, paid respects, along with military leaders. On the Hill Maybe they should rally behind Newt Gingrich, after all: House Republicans compared themselves to the Scots in Braveheart (a Gingrich favorite) Monday in a closed-door meeting as they vowed to defeat a payroll-tax extension. They delayed a Monday-night vote to Tuesday, but House Speaker John Boehner still predicted defeat for the two-month extension. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says, however, that the Senate will not reopen talks after passing the extension 89–10. Without the extension, the payroll tax will jump from 4.2 percent to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1, raising taxes by $1,000 on the average American family. Suspicious More evidence of insider trading on Capitol Hill? The Wall Street Journal reports on “a growing, lucrative—and legal—practice in Washington that employs a network of brokers, lobbyists, and political insiders who arrange private meetings between hedge funds and officials, including lawmakers and their aides.” The hedge funds pay for access and learn valuable information. On Dec, 8, 2009, for example, a group of hedge funds learned about the health-care compromise hours before it was made public—information worth millions of dollars. The meeting was arranged by JNK Securities, a New York–based brokerage firm. 2012 Welcome back to earth, Newt. The former House speaker’s lead has evaporated, and he now finds himself in a dead heat with Mitt Romney according to two new national polls. CNN shows Gingrich and Romney tied 28–28, while Gallup finds Gingrich maintaining a slim edge, 26–24. Gingrich led Romney 24–20 in CNN’s November poll, and Gallup showed him with as big as a 14-point lead earlier this month. Ron Paul is in third place in both polls, with 14 percent in CNN and 11 percent in Gallup. | | 
GET The Cheat Sheet A speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from across the Web. You'll love the featured original stories on politics, entertainment, and more from The Daily Beast's diverse group of contributors.  GET The Yes List Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast.
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment