Fresh Politics, New Media

I'm anxiously awaiting the results of the 2012 GOP Iowa Caucus. Will Mitt Romney be able to secure more than 25% of the vote? Will Ron Paul eek out a Mike Huckabee style victory? Or will Santorum and his v-neck sweater vests  make the most of some recent momentum? While the New York Times  sweater vest story (link above) is a funny one, nothing beats these proposed Santorum newspaper headlines , a fun list that pays tribute to Santorum's Google problem . While Romney remains as the presumptive nominee even with a second or third place finish in Iowa, a second place finish (or even a good showing) for either Santorum or Paul will keep the respective #2 candidate in the media spotlight. If it's Santorum in the news, you can bet the headlines, the sweater vests, and the association with the Google problem will only continue on to New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Bill Maher, host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher  offers his list of new rules for the new year in today's New York Times . You can read the full list here . My personal favorite: New Rule  You can’t be against same-sex marriage and for Newt Gingrich. No man has ever loved another man as much as Newt Gingrich loves Newt Gingrich. Happy 2012!

President Obama continues to "evolve" with respect to his stance on same-sex marriage. In recent months, he's repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell, instructed the Justice Department not to defend DOMA, and supported the statements of surrogates like Hillary Clinton and others who are championing the cause of gay rights, in this case on an international stage. Whether Obama shows his support for same-sex marriage before the November 2012 election remains to be seen, yet speculation abounds. While recent polls have shown that a majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage , it may be more prudent for Obama to wait until 2013 to reach "total evolution." Much of this will of course depend on how his poll numbers look among key groups of swing voters. In the meantime, look for federal agencies and cabinet officials to pick up the slack and champion a more inclusive outlook.

Check out the answers to yesterday's NYT  quiz. Here's to more Oops! moments in 2012.

2011 is quickly coming to a close. As we head into 2012, it's fun to look back at the political events of the year. The New York Times  has a great graphical display of 2011's top moments . The chart is pasted below. For the answers check back with the NYT  tomorrow (or check the answers out when I post them here). Look for a return to regular blogging sometime in January 2012. Happy New Year to all. The Iowa Caucus is just around the corner ...

The New York Times  has a great little piece about the web site,  Newtgingrich.com , currently offered for sale by  American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic opposition research group.  Available for $1 million or less on Craigslist, the web site links to damaging content about Newt Gingrich including negative news stories, the Tiffany web site , and this video on global warming from 2006 with Nancy Pelosi. Didn't Netflix/Qwikster teach us about t he importance of securing Twitter handles , domain names, etc. before launching a campaign? Perhaps it's cause for Newt's campaign to do a little shopping? Just in time for the holidays ...

Saturday night's GOP debate offered some entertaining exchanges. The first was between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich (or Newt Romney) regarding the differences between the two candidates. The best zinger of the evening: when Gingrich suggests that Romney would have been a career politician if he had actually beaten Senator Ted Kennedy during the 1994 campaign in Massachusetts. Of course the media seems to think the key take-away from the debate is Romney's $10,000 bet wager with a non-betting Rick Perry. Jon Stewart offered his take on the debate exchanges during Monday's broadcast of The Daily Show . The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook As a testament to Stewart's popularity, ABC News  repeated part of the clip on their Tuesday evening broadcast. video platform video management video solutions video player Whether the race is really just between Newt and Romney...