[jogiba]

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has taken the top spot for the first time in poll averages compiled by The New York Times and Real Clear Politics for Saturday’s South Carolina primary.

The Times average has the former House speaker leading former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 35.4 percent to 32.7 percent. Texas Rep. Ron Paul takes third place with 16 percent and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is fourth with 12.9 percent.

In the Real Clear average, Gingrich leads Romney 32.5 percent to 31.5 percent. Paul sits in third place with 14 percent and Santorum is fourth with 11.8 percent.

The Times average comes from 22 surveys taken from Jan. 11 to Jan. 19. It is weighted according to a polling firm's accuracy, the freshness of a poll, and each candidate's momentum. Gingrich was ahead in six out of nine of the most recent surveys.

Real Clear’s result represents a simple average of four polls taken Jan. 17 to Jan. 19. The polls come from Public Policy Polling, Rasmussen Reports, InsiderAdvantage, and Politico/Tarrance. Gingrich was ahead in three of the four surveys.

The Times also rates candidates’ chances of winning. Gingrich is at 62 percent and Romney at 38 percent.

Gingrich Grabs Lead in NYT, RCP Poll Averages for SC Primary

Go Newt ! The gift that keeps on giving.

+
Newt Gingrich, in an interview with CNN 's Wolf Blitzer, promised to reward Sarah Palin with a presidential appointment. He made the promise a day after the former Alaska Governor offered an endorsement of his candidacy on Fox News.
Palin had told Fox's Sean Hannity: "I want to see this thing continue because iron sharpens iron. If I had to vote in order to keep it going, I would vote for Newt."
It was after Palin's unofficial endorsement, that Gingrich, in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, promise to reward Palin with a presidential appointment. According to Daily kos, Gingrich said: "I was honored and delighted last night when she said if she were in South Carolina, she’d vote for Newt Gingrich...I would ask her to consider taking a major role in the next administration if I’m president."

Read more: Did Gingrich commit a felony promising Palin appointment?

Palin , the gift that keeps on giving !

[jogiba]

If you’re looking for a silver lining in what has been a pretty rotten week for Mitt Romney, it’s this: The expectations for Saturday’s South Carolina primary have shifted so dramatically that even a razor-thin Romney victory will now be seen as a momentous triumph, while anything short of an outright win for Newt Gingrich will be regarded as a crushing disappointment.

The three most recent polls in the state all show Gingrich pushing into the lead after trailing by double-digits earlier this week, and RealClearPolitics’ polling average now puts him a point ahead of Romney. And it’s likely that Gingrich’s performance at Thursday night’s debate did nothing to slow his momentum, and may actually have increased it. So it’s not surprising that the Romney campaign is already seeking to soften the blow from a South Carolina loss. As the Huffington Post’s Jon Ward reported, one of Romney’s top surrogates, former New Hampshire Governor and Bush 41 Chief of Staff John Sununu, is again playing up the long game

Suddenly Mitt is bracing for defeat - War Room - Salon.com

[jsherman999]

Hasn't South Carolina picked the eventual nominee in something like the last 4 primaries? Mittens can't afford to lose SC, destiny will come crashing down on his perfectly-coiffed head!

[jeffkrol]

It's fun to watch them eat their own..........

Romney to Gingrich: Release your ethics report – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

One of Romney's top surrogates, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, chastised the news media for repeatedly raising the question this week.

"The people of South Carolina are not talking about tax returns," Haley said.

"I've heard more people wondering about why you people aren't asking about ethics reports and ethics problems with the Gingrich campaign and nobody is talking about tax returns," Haley added.

[jogiba]

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney owns investments worth between $7 million and $32 million in offshore-based holdings, which are often used legitimately by private equity firms to attract foreign investors. Such offshore accounts also can enable wealthy investors to defer paying U.S. taxes on some assets, according to tax experts.

An Associated Press examination of Romney's financial records identified at least six funds set up in the Cayman Islands, a small Caribbean island chain that has long been used as a base for international investments because of low tax rates and financial secrecy. Romney has acknowledged that some of his investments are based in the Caymans, but he has not identified all of the specific accounts and the amounts based there. There is no indication Romney uses the accounts to dodge any U.S. tax obligations.

The Caymans have often been associated with individuals and corporations seeking to avoid paying U.S. taxes. However, it is legal for U.S. residents to own investment accounts that are set up there — if they file the proper forms with the Internal Revenue Service and pay the appropriate taxes.

Romney offshore accounts contain up to $32 million ? USATODAY.com

[magkelly]

The choices for the upcoming presidential elections are just so...inspiring, sigh...I can't stand any of them, either party, so far. Oh here we go again, it's going to be the lesser of two evils or not voting at all. UGH, I hate that!!!! Why can't they give me a candidate I can actually feel right about voting for just ONCE darn it. Might actually not get sick to my stomach at the idea of going to the polls for once...

[jsherman999]

It's fun to watch them eat their own..........

Romney to Gingrich: Release your ethics report – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

I wonder what's in it....

"We know from Newt's own statements that he turned over a million pages of documents. Nancy Pelosi, who sat on the ethics committee, said that this information contains damaging information. Nancy Pelosi is gleeful over the information she has on Speaker Gingrich, and Speaker Gingrich is concerned enough to threaten her with a rules violation. If Nancy Pelosi has this information, Barack Obama has this information."

Mittens wants him to release it right away so he can win SC. If it doesn't come out now, and Newt wins the nomination, it will come out in the Summer or Fall.

Boy, the Democrats are really getting lucky with the clowns they drew in this contest. Sheesh.

.

[Ratmagiclady]

Boy, the Democrats are really getting lucky with the clowns they drew in this contest. Sheesh.

.

It's not luck. The Republicans actually got nobody but the clowns/bigots/hypocrites that the big money will pay for. Their little coalition of greed and theocratic impulse and hawkishness just *isn't holding together anymore.* This circus we've seen is just about trying to cycle through talking points so they can do more damage and delay more fixes.

They haven't been able to settle on anyone cause the person that can be all their contradictiory extremist demands... Without flip-flopping... Does not exist. Never mind as a statesman of any kind.

[jolepp]

...
In every state where Republicans have voted so far, the story has been the same. Conservatives don't like or don't trust the obvious front-runner Mitt Romney. But they simply can't come together around one single alternative candidate.
...

BBC News - Candidates need saving in Bible Belt

[Nesster]

What I find really funny is how the Mitt campaign feels his tax returns are equivalent to Newt's ethics violations!

[jolepp]

What I find really funny is how the Mitt campaign feels his tax returns are equivalent to Newt's ethics violations!

As in there might be something akin to a Freudian slip there (or at least this is prone to invoke such an association ). (?)

[boriscleto]

I wonder what's in it....

"We know from Newt's own statements that he turned over a million pages of documents. Nancy Pelosi, who sat on the ethics committee, said that this information contains damaging information. Nancy Pelosi is gleeful over the information she has on Speaker Gingrich, and Speaker Gingrich is concerned enough to threaten her with a rules violation. If Nancy Pelosi has this information, Barack Obama has this information."

Mittens wants him to release it right away so he can win SC. If it doesn't come out now, and Newt wins the nomination, it will come out in the Summer or Fall.

Boy, the Democrats are really getting lucky with the clowns they drew in this contest. Sheesh.

.

Funny thing is, it's already on the Internet. It's a matter of public record. All 1,100 pages.

WashingtonPost.com: Gingrich Ethics Report -- I. Introduction

Nancy Pelosi doesn't have anything that would violate the rules.

[boriscleto]

Baron Newton Von Gingrich, Master of Sociopaths, Head of House Harkonnen, last known homeworld Callista III. Image courtesy of DemFromCT

He loves marriage so much that he wanted his wife to share with another woman.

[jsherman999]

Funny thing is, it's already on the Internet. It's a matter of public record. All 1,100 pages.

WashingtonPost.com: Gingrich Ethics Report -- I. Introduction

Nancy Pelosi doesn't have anything that would violate the rules.

I think the implication was that there were underlying documents that contain info that wasn't brought to light, possibly containing violations they chose not to pursue in order to focus on the violations they did pursue. There's reportedly around a million pages unreleased on this.

[boriscleto]

I think the implication was that there were underlying documents that contain info that wasn't brought to light, possibly containing violations they chose not to pursue in order to focus on the violations they did pursue. There's reportedly around a million pages unreleased on this.

Yeah, but Nancy Pelosi doesn't have them so she can't release them. Gingrich knows this, does Romney?