• We’re sorry, this is just low: Back in 1997, Newt Gingrich faced a tough punishment for ethics violations similar to those that caused his predecessor’s downfall. So, clearly, with Mitt needing some strong ammo to hold him off in Florida, this is probably the right line of attack. Problem is … well, what the hell does Tom Brokaw have to do with this? Mitt’s latest ad in Florida is just a long replay of a news clip from that era, with a little bit of dramatic music to really sell the whole thing. Brokaw is understandably pissed: “I am extremely uncomfortable with the extended use of my personal image in this political ad,” he said in a statement. “I do not want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign.” We’re pissed for him —Romney just co-opted his trusted image to score some cheap points. Not cool. NBC has asked the Romney campaign to remove their news footage from the clip, and they better. source

• This kind of language is more than just unfortunate. It’s inaccurate, inflammatory, and doesn’t belong in this campaign. The truth is that neither of these two men is anti-immigrant and both have positive messages that play well in the Latino community.
• Florida Senator Marco Rubio • Condemning a radio ad released by the Gingrich campaign, which referred to Mitt Romney as “the most anti-immigrant candidate.” This is an issue on which Rubio carries a lot of heft, as both a member of the young Republican surge in 2010, as well as the GOP’s most prominent Latino voice. The political effect of his remarks, whether intended or not, is to give Romney a leg up. Though Gingrich’s immigration reform ideas are far from progressive, that he’s further left on the issue than Romney is undeniable; Romney has reveled in staying to the (at times somewhat absurd) far-right of every opponent on the issue. If he’s given cover from criticism about it, however inartful that criticism may be, it means he won’t have to bear the cost of that clear political calculation. Gingrich pulled the ad from the airwaves following Rubio’s remarks. source

• 14% the effective tax rate for
  Mitt Romney in 2010

• $21M the amount he made in 2010 — a tally which mostly came from investments
• $3M the amount Romney paid in federal taxes that year, according to forms he just released
• $3M the amount in charitable deductions he paid — and got deductions for — that same year source

• » The “duh” sentence in this story: “His tax bill is significantly higher than the amount paid by most Americans.” What tipped you off, Wall Street Journal, the fact that there’s “million” in the amount?

• Speaker Gingrich had a good week. It was not a great week for me. We spent a lot of time talking about tax returns and the changing result in Iowa.
• Mitt Romney • Discussing his loss in South Carolina and revealing that he would finally release his tax forms after much goading. His dad, George, famously released his own tax returns when he ran for president in 1968. “I’m not going back to my dad’s year,” Mitt said, but he would (on Tuesday) release his 2010 return and an estimate of his 2011 taxes. We will not be happy until he tells us where his money pit is. source

• yeah … An early count showed Mitt Romney leading the Iowa Caucus, but a mere eight votes ahead of Rick Santorum, who peaked just before the caucus.
• … but … Now the vote has been certified, and it seems that Santorum has the lead in votes — Rick is now 34 votes ahead of Mitt in the state.
• … um But don’t call it a victory just yet; irregularities in some precincts prevent Santorum from declaring victory; Romney’s camp calls it a virtual tie. source

• ABC is flat wrong. The Romneys’ investments in funds established in the Cayman Islands are taxed in the very same way they would be if those funds were established in the United States. These are not tax havens and it is false to say so.
• Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul • Trying to quell the swirls of criticism that have emerged over Mitt Romney’s tax information. This all came to a head, in a way, during Monday night’s presidential debate in South Carolina, when Mitt Romney gave an extremely uncomfortable, unprepared seeming answer on whether or not he’d release his tax information, which all but forced them start letting some information out. The fact that Romney only pays (legal though it is) 15% in taxes has caused a stir, but not as much as subsequent reports by ABC News might; they report that Romney maintains millions in investments held in the Cayman Islands, notorious as an offshore tax haven, allowing him to pay an even lower rate. source

• $68 million (!!!) raised in the fourth quarter of 2011 by Obama source

• » His opponents: Not even close. While the Obama campaign denies trying to raise a bold-sounding $1 billion for his campaign, he is doing quite well on the fundraising front, especially in comparison to next-best Mitt Romney. Mitt scored $24 million in donations in the same period. But not all that money will go straight into the Obama campaign: Roughly $24 million will go to the Democratic National Campaign’s efforts reelect members of Congress and the Senate.

• 39% the average percentage the NH primary winner gets source

• » That’s according to Nate Silver: Silver crunched the numbers and did the math, and the average non-incumbent winner of the New Hampshire primary wins roughly 39 percent of the vote. Silver has Romney getting right around 39 percent. “If Mitt Romney stays close to our forecast and gets about 39 percent of the vote in New Hampshire tonight, his performance will be highly typical for the winner of the primary,” Silver writes.

• Aren’t jokes supposed to be funny? Mitt Romney’s son Matt was on the campaign trail for his dad the other day when he made an Obama birth certificate joke, in reference to Mitt’s own tax return issues. The joke, and we quote: “I heard someone suggest the other day that as soon as President Obama releases his grades and birth certificate …then maybe he’ll do it.” This was so toxic that Matt joined Twitter just to apologize for the joke:

I repeated a dumb joke. My bad. RT @emilyrs Romney’s son Matt made an Obama birth certificate joke on the trail in NH

— Matt Romney(@Matt_Romney) December 30, 2011

• » Worst reason to join Twitter ever? Perhaps. Most people quit Twitter over saying something stupid. source

• We agree entirely with Governor Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100 percent insurance coverage for all Americans.
• Newt Gingrich • Speaking in support of then Gov. Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health insurance plan back in 2006, on a site long hidden in the annals of the Internet — well, until now. Archive.org is your friend, guys. source