Afternoon update:

LATEST NEWS

2012:

• Newt’s new Contract with America is out - Newt2012
• Rick Perry, in N.H., takes on the immigrant critics head-on by touting his record of being tough on illegal immigration - Newsmax
• Santorum: “Somebody in Florida wants to help the favorites” by moving up the primary date - Political Wire
• Herman Cain leads HotAir’s reader poll for the first time - HotAir
• Ron Paul at assisted living community: I would preserve Medicare if President - ABC

Obamanomics:

• It turns out that Warren Buffett doesn’t think the Buffett rule actually applies to most millionaires - The Hill
• Krauthammer: However the Court rules on ObamaCare, the President will benefit - The Daily Caller
• ICYMI: As Solyndra still burns and Stirling Solar also files for bankruptcy, the Obama administration rushes another $5 billion in green loan guarantees out the door - Washington Post

FEATURED OPINION

• Walter Russell Mead: Solyndra began back “when delusional greens thought their global agenda was on the verge of being realized”
• Will Inboden: Will Iran ever do the right thing when it comes to religious minorities?
• Howard Portnoy: Why are oil companies in federal court over 28 bird deaths but no one talks about the 400,000 bird deaths due to wind turbines?
• Stephen Green: So, we’ve gone soft, have we, Mr. President?
• Mark Steyn: The only thing soft about America is Obama’s way of trying to sell his hard statism
• Andrew McCarthy: So-called moderation in Saudi Arabia still oppresses women

Morning links:

Videos:

• GOP Weekly Address: Rep. Morgan Griffith on how federal regulations are costing America jobs
• Perry steps up attacks on Romney
• AP reports that Christie deliberation continues over the weekend

Florida scrambles the 2012 presidential calendar by moving its primary up to January

“Just as it did in 2008, Florida blew up the carefully constructed 2012 GOP presidential calendar Friday, choosing to hold its presidential primary more than a month ahead of the Republican National Committee-authorized date. It’s a move with far-reaching effects that could remake the presidential primary and caucus landscape — and possibly lead to a nominating season that begins as early as December.” - Politico

• “The early-voting states of New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina will lose half of their Republican convention delegates when, as expected, they move their primary dates up to be ahead of Florida.” - The Hill

Chris Christie "will he run?" update: He continues to send mixed signals, fueling speculation that he really (really!) is reconsidering

“Christie and his team may be analyzing where he might fit into the current field and how big an opening there really is. Republican strategists said Christie would pose as big a threat to Texas Gov. Rick Perry and other tea party-aligned conservatives as he would to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has won over many in the party establishment.” - Washington Post

• But he may not decide by Monday after all. - Robert Costa at The Corner

To understand Rick Perry, you need to look back to his days at Texas A&M

“Mr. Perry learned during his college years that leadership often involves charm and charisma more than displays of dazzling intellect, and that surviving a trial by fire—in his case, the hazing underclassman endured in the corps—strengthens one's character. Those skills subsequently served him well in a lengthy career in politics that includes the longest gubernatorial tenure in Texas history.” - Wall Street Journal

Perry’s first domestic policy speech short on details, long on his Texas record and Romney critiques

“In a speech at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, Perry discussed his record on healthcare and the environment. But he offered few policy proposals, instead focusing on his record as Texas governor for 10 years, criticizing Obama, hitting Romney’s health-care law and opening a more aggressive line of attack on Romney’s record.” - NY Post

Taking a look inside the scrappy, quixotic campaign of Rick Santorum

“Mr. Santorum has no campaign headquarters, no speechwriter, no advance team, no advertising budget. Campaign finance records show he raised just $582,000 through the end of June; Herman Cain, the former pizza executive, raised $2.5 million. Mr. Santorum is supporting himself by giving speeches, he said, and running through savings.  He insists he can win the old-fashioned way, through shoe-leather politicking.” - New York Times

The GOP race so far is like a soccer match in which the strikers trip all over each other and can’t hit an open goal - The Economist

Rick Perry says it’s not Americans who are “soft” but rather our President - FoxNews

More 2012 news:

• Sarah Palin can’t even keep to her own announcement deadline, which has made her a bad joke. - Erick Erickson at RedState
• Ron Paul criticizes Obama for killing al-Awlaki. - NY Daily News
• …and Santorum loses no time in blasting Paul over his comments. - Politico
• …while the other candidates issue statements lauding the killing. - CNN
• Michele Bachmann releases a new video going after Perry on immigration. - New York Times
• Romney set to take in up to $14 million this quarter. - NY Post
• Ron Paul going all-out to hit his $8 million end-of-quarter goal. - Examiner
• Eight highlights from Herman Cain’s memoir. - The Daily Beast

Obama and House Republicans pushing very different jobs agendas

“President Barack Obama and a House Republican used weekly radio addresses to spar over alternative visions of how best to boost job creation. Obama again made the case for quick Congressional passage of his American Jobs Act…Rep. Morgan Griffith pointed to a series of bills the House will consider in the coming weeks ‘aimed at cutting red tape and stopping the excessive regulations that hamper job creation.’” - Roll Call ($) | USA Today

Americans think Republicans will do a better job of keeping the country prosperous

"Americans perceive Republicans as better able than Democrats to handle what they name as the nation's most important problem, giving the GOP the clear advantage on this metric for the first time." - Gallup

A look at Chris Christies greatest YouTube hits - Washington Post

Republican Bill Maloney closing the gap in the W. Virginia governor's race

“National groups are pouring money into the governor's race in West Virginia, an election widely viewed as the most competitive of the four statewide contests this fall.” - WSJ

George Will: A short history of federal overreach in education

“Federal aid to education came in 1965, the year of liberals living exuberantly, which produced Medicare and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The latter completed the long repudiation of the idea that some sectors of life are fenced off from federal supervision. In 1976, the NEA made its first endorsement of a presidential candidate; Jimmy Carter reciprocated by creating the Education Department.” - Washington Post

Irwin Stelzer: We are all Europeans now

“Attempts to immunize the American financial system from European contagion can only be partially successful. European banks depend on the Fed to provide dollars to make up for the retreat of money market funds from the lending market. That has U.S. politicians on edge.” - Weekly Standard

Americans’ income has dropped for two straight months - Mike Shedlock at Townhall

Diversity check: Fastest growing group in America are those who say they are both black and white

"The black-white multiracial population showed the highest increase of any multirace combination, jumping more than 133% to 1.8 million from 2000 to 2010." - USA Today

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