New Hampshire’s most influential daily newspaper, the Union-Leader, endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for president yesterday, saying:
This is not exactly a ringing endorsement of Newt. The paper “sympathizes” with conservatives over the lack of good choices and acknowledges that Newt “is by no means the perfect candidate.” So why bother issuing an endorsement at all? This line explains it: “We would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear.” That is a direct shot at Mitt Romney, the real target of this non-endorsement.
In 1988, facing the inevitability of then-Vice President Bush, the Union-Leader endorsed long-shot candidate and former-Delaware Gov. Pete DuPont. DuPont ended up coming in fourth in New Hampshire with just 11% of the vote and he never carried a single state. Bush won the nomination despite surprisingly strong showings by Rev. Pat Robertson in Iowa and several Southern primaries. This year, Romney appears to be an almost surer bet than Bush in ’88. That year, in addition to DuPont, Bush faced some real competition, besides Robertson Sen. Bob Dole, R.-Kan., and Rep. Jack Kemp, R-N.Y. Nobody in this year’s field, save Romney, comes anywhere close to Dole and Kemp’s stature.
The Union Leader’s endorsement is not about Newt. It’s about the conservative movement’s continued reluctance to accept the fact that Romney, unless disaster strikes, appears headed to the nomination.
Around the Bigs
The New York Times, Time Runs Short for Europe to Resolve Debt Crisis: With financial panic now threatening to move beyond Greece, Italy and Spain to France and Belgium, analysts say the European Union must act this week or implode: “The countries must deliver,” Mr. Constâncio, a former governor of the Portuguese central bank, tells The Times. “In the end, it is governments that are responsible for the euro area — it is not just the E.C.B.”
Financial Times, The eurozone really has only days to avoid collapse: Financial Times columnist Wolfgang Münchau predicts the European Union will collapse in 10 days, unless Germany agrees to bail everyone out.
The Hill, Stage set for contentious December: Funding for the federal government, which runs out on December 16th, is just one of many contentious issues facing Congress this December. The House and Senate must also find a way to doctors from decreasing by almost 30%, as required by Obamacare, and prevent the alternative minimum tax from raising taxes on middle-income Americans. Democrats are also pushing for an extension to the payroll tax cut which expires Dec. 31st.
The Washington Post, Health-care case brings fight over which Supreme Court justices should decide it: Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers are stepping up their campaigns to pressure Supreme Court justices to recuse themselves from Obamacare litigation before the Court. House Democrats recently demanded an inquiry into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s ethics, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith,R-Tex., called for the release of more documents about Justice Elena Kagan’s role as President Obama’s solicitor general
The Los Angeles Times, Police step up presence as supporters converge on City Hall: Dressed in riot gear, Los Angeles Police began to clear out the Occupy LA encampment at midnight this morning.
The Los Angeles Times, Cash-strapped cities want workers to contribute more to pensions: Cash strapped cities across California are asking their workers to contribute more of their salary to pension costs.
The Arizona Republic, Behind the fall of Operation Fast and Furious: The Arizona Republic reports, “Operation Fast and Furious, which allowed hundreds of weapons to cross the border in hopes of catching Mexican drug kingpins, wound up increasing the firepower of cartels without getting any key players.”
The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Faces New Afghan Test: Now that Pakistan has closed all borders to NATO members after this weekend’s attack, the United States must supply its troops in Afghanistan by new routes through Uzbekistan.
Campaign 2012
Obama: When Obama visits Scranton, Pa., Wednesday, he will break the record for campaign stops by an incumbent president set by President Bush.
Romney: Mitt Romney told New Hampshire’s WMUR that Obama should restore the $600 billion in defense cuts caused by the Super Congress’ failure to reach a debt deal.
Righty Playbook
The Corner‘s Mark Krikorian explains what bugs him most about Gingrich’s position on immigration: “If illegals are permitted to stay, that’s an amnesty, whatever the conditions. If you want to make a case for amnestying long-established illegal aliens, that can be an honorable position, but call it for what it is. Don’t lie to voters, imagining they’re too stupid to see through your deceit.”
RedState‘s Daniel Horowitz takes on Rep. Ron Paul’s, R-Texas, claims that the Super Congress’ Defense cuts are only cuts to automatic increases.
Mark Perry identifies three Milton Friedman videos that he thinks best embody what Friedman would tell Occupy Wall Street protesters.
Lefty Playbook
The Center for American Progress‘ Ruy Teixeira and John Halpin have put out a blueprint for how Obama plans to win reelection in 2012.
Talking Points Memo claims Solyndra hearings will end up backfiring on Republicans since the Navy bought some solar panels from SunPower Corp.
The Washington Post‘s Ezra Klein posts a graph showing what would happen if both the $1.2 trillion sequestration happened and the Bush tax expired.
