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By James Hohmann (
mailto:jhohmann@politico.com
jhohmann@politico.com ; Twitter: @jameshohmann)

EXCLUSIVE - NEW SANTORUM AD RESPONDS TO ROMNEY ATTACKS: As Mitt Romney and his Super PAC intensify their attacks on Rick Santorum, the Santorum camp is looking to defuse their sting with a humorous 30-second commercial that mocks Romney for his reflexive impulse toward negativity. In "Rombo," an actor playing Romney tries to shoot a cardboard cutout of Santorum with a paintball gun filled with mud. He gets so frustrated that the gun backfires on him at the end of the spot - with mud spewing all over his fancy suit. Meanwhile, a message on the screen notes that Romneycare was a model for Obamacare. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a3e4cd2a537877198dc628c30524039d6fdd160058fac28d4b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a3e4cd2a537877198dc628c30524039d6fdd160058fac28d4b .

SANTORUM MINDMELD:Campaign leaders feel that Newt Gingrich's initial dilly-dallying in Iowa after the Romney machine started attacking in early December proved fatal. They understand their man's favorables will come down to earth as negative ads run, but they're determined not to allow the frontrunner to define the former Pennsylvania senator without a fight. They decided that going funny, instead of nasty, would engender more goodwill from voters who think Romney went into the gutter to sideline Gingrich after South Carolina. Santorum plans to stay as positive as possible on the stump. Campaign officials will point out at every opportunity that Romney is the candidate being overwhelmingly
backed by Washington lobbyists. The main talking point in coming earned media will be that Romney is attacking because he does not have a good record to run on.

ROMNEY'S TWO-PRONG ATTACK:Santorumhas never run anything, and he's a D.C. insider. "The biggest thing he ever ran is his Senate office,' a Romney advisor tells BuzzFeed. "They're going to hit him very hard on earmarks, lobbying, voting to raise the federal debt limit five times."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a373f5ef1c601c86774d47296d64e39a2d36adddeda7ac8e73
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a373f5ef1c601c86774d47296d64e39a2d36adddeda7ac8e73

MORE FROM THE AIR WAR -

RESTORE OUR FUTURE AD - "HOW DID SANTORUM ACTUALLY VOTE?":The Romney Super PAC is up with a 30-second spot in Michigan, Arizona and Ohio that attacks Santorum solo (no more mentions of Gingrich) on his two-term record in the Senate. The tagline: "Rick Santorum. Big Spender. Washington Insider." Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a33889888acd18fc02ffbf9ce75430650ed2b9f6f83fd62ee6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a33889888acd18fc02ffbf9ce75430650ed2b9f6f83fd62ee6 .

ROMNEY'S BIO SPOT - "GROWING UP":The 30-second ad, which they're going to run heavy on Detroit TV, touts his roots in the state. Romney narrates. The kicker: "I want to make Michigan stronger and better. Michigan has been my home and this is personal." Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a39bec858d95463ba8a127a9d49c8d7d4b9167bc967767e6b2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a39bec858d95463ba8a127a9d49c8d7d4b9167bc967767e6b2 .

SANTORUM ELECTABILITY SPOT - "VERY, VERY BEST CHANCE":30-second spot says he has the best chance to win. Narrator script: "A full spectrum conservative, Rick Santorum is rock solid on values issues. A favorite of the Tea party for fighting corruption and taxpayer abuse. More foreign policy credentials than any candidate. And Rick's 'Made in the USA' jobs plan will make America an economic superpower again. Rick Santorum, a trusted conservative who gives us the best chance to take back America." Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a39b22fd78013d990827587fb9ab5e23e088a45983b8225fd3
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a39b22fd78013d990827587fb9ab5e23e088a45983b8225fd3 .

SANTORUM VALIDATION SPOT - "QUOTES":The 30-second commercial has no narration. Instead it includes quotes on the screen from Mike Huckabee, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and a few media outlets praising Santorum. Then Santorum comes on at the end to say he approves. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a35bb7f050befbedde019ad409b0d548f37522c140d0095d13
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a35bb7f050befbedde019ad409b0d548f37522c140d0095d13 .

** As Romney's Michigan team gets confident about Michigan, a key Hillary backer will chair the Democratic convention and Callista prepares for a charm offensive, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

TRIGGER THE VOTE - NRA TO LAUNCH REGISTRATION DRIVE: The National Rifle Association will announce this morning that Chuck Norris will chair a voter registration drive. The multi-million dollar effort will also feature a series of ads over the course of the year. To kick off the campaign, the NRA has posted a web video called "Peace and Quiet" that features actor and former U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey (he played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket). The goal is attract a younger generation of new voters who like guns. The initial media buy will hit political battleground states and future ads will follow with Chuck Norris, Ted Nugent and others. Watch the video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a3a1fc8ad540158759bb32c42acdf797a9d6349ec10666531f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=304570a760bed3a3a1fc8ad540158759bb32c42acdf797a9d6349ec10666531f .

LATEST POLLING-

WASHINGTON POST/ABC - SANTORUM HAS LOWER UNFAVS BUT REMAINS UNKNOWN:Romney's standing with independents: 37% positive, 40% negative.Santorum with indies: 35% positive, 32% negative, with the rest saying they don't know one war or the other. 60% of Republicans view Romney favorably to 61 percent for Santorum. "Romney also gets nearly double the number of unfavorable reviews as about one in four Republicans expressed no opinion about Santorum," Post pollster Jon Cohen blogs.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed9d00ac86b54fa276d03d55199a8c2b9f8a35dc4bfdb0d2ef
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed9d00ac86b54fa276d03d55199a8c2b9f8a35dc4bfdb0d2ef

MORE - RICK HAS "STRONGER" FAVORABLES THAN MITT:"Santorum leads Romney in 'strong' favorability among key groups in this poll," ABC pollster Gary Langer writes. "Romney is seen strongly favorably by just 13 percent to 19 percent of Republicans, conservatives, very conservatives and conservative Republicans. Santorum reaches 33 percent strong popularity in the latter two groups, boosting him to a 26 percent strongly favorable rating among all Republicans, 9 points ahead of Romney. Still Romney, while trailing Santorum among very conservatives, has clawed back some ground in this group, one in which he's struggled to win consistent support. Fifty-four percent of very conservatives now see
Romney favorably, vs. 43 percent late last month, his low this cycle... These ratings indicate that both candidates are basically acceptable to majorities within their party."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed9ce95674d4fcc4592dba1c1d10bed656449de2c1fed6e338
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed9ce95674d4fcc4592dba1c1d10bed656449de2c1fed6e338

CNN/ORC - GENDER, INCOME GAP OPENING IN GOP RACE:Santorum gets 34% to 32% for Romney. Santorum leads among GOP men by 10. Romney leads among women by 9. "And Republicans who describe themselves as blue collar are backing Santorum by 11 points over Romney. But among those who say they come from white collar families, Romney has a 10-point advantage. The poll also indicates Santorum topping Romney 45% to 29% among self-described tea party movement supporters, with Romney edging out Santorum 34% to 29% among people who don't describe themselves as tea party supporters." Among self-described born-again voters, Santorum leads 42% to 24%. Romney beats Santorum 40% to 26% among those who
don't describe themselves as born-again. Full top-lines:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed7e032127d8fb1d679740a39b0d4a0813bebb36322a772a55
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed7e032127d8fb1d679740a39b0d4a0813bebb36322a772a55 . Story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40edeb6c0e6001d00da32ec5b47eab4fefb8c7cb5cd646e7402a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40edeb6c0e6001d00da32ec5b47eab4fefb8c7cb5cd646e7402a .

PPP - SANTORUM FARES BETTER AGAINST OBAMA THAN ROMNEY:"PPP's newest national poll finds Romney trailing Obama by 7 points at 49-42, while Santorum trails by only 5 points at 49-44," Democratic pollster Tom Jensen writes."Over the previous 6 months when Romney first trailed Michele Bachmann, then Rick Perry, then Herman Cain, then Newt Gingrich in our national polling he still did on average 6 points better than them in our general election tests. Santorum's the first insurgent to challenge Romney on that front as well."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed9380bafba8bb470eaac9b8581136ee52715d6bbe51909b98
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed9380bafba8bb470eaac9b8581136ee52715d6bbe51909b98

NEW YORK TIMES/CBS - OBAMA REACHES CRITICAL 50% APPROVAL THRESHOLD:"In what could be a turning point, the percentage of people who say they believe the economic outlook is improving is now greater, by double digits, than the percentage of those who say they believe it is getting worse, a reversal from a low point in September, when pessimists outnumbered optimists by more than three to one," Jim Rutenberg and Allison Kopicki write in today's New York Times. "Showing steady improvement since early December, Mr. Obama's approval rating has reached the 50 percent mark in The Times/CBS News poll - an important baseline in presidential politics and his highest approval rating since May 2010
(excepting the brief bump he received after Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011). For the first time since the election season began in earnest in the late summer, as many Democrats as Republicans say they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting in the 2012 presidential election." Main story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed767c2ba3f0cbde52d14cd245fb7843ff688dc1d0912cbdb9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed767c2ba3f0cbde52d14cd245fb7843ff688dc1d0912cbdb9 . Nate Silver's take on what Obama should do next for the paper:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed6ac384c3ca90915db1acc9b8edd9568e94c16a79366be775
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed6ac384c3ca90915db1acc9b8edd9568e94c16a79366be775 .

MORE - REPUBLICANS THINK PROLONGED PRIMARY HURTS:57% of Republicans say a long fight will hurt in the general. 35% think it will strengthen the nominee against Obama. CBS:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed6a797270437e91aeaa81ae51370d1e9ae71c44e513312ed4
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40ed6a797270437e91aeaa81ae51370d1e9ae71c44e513312ed4 .

GALLUP - CATHOLIC APPROVAL OF OBAMA HOLDS STEADY:"An average of 46% of Catholics approved of the job Obama was doing as president last week, compared with 49% the prior week, a change within the margin of sampling error," per Gallup's Jeffrey Jones. "It is possible that practicing Catholics are more likely than nonpracticing Catholics to hew to the church's teachings on birth control. But both groups -- those who attend church every week or nearly every week and those who attend less often -- had identical 46% approval ratings of Obama last week."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40edf6718da06453b5495adef3fcc71b678f00e48c4c975f20a6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40edf6718da06453b5495adef3fcc71b678f00e48c4c975f20a6

NYT/CBS - MOST BACK MANDATING CONTRACEPTION COVERAGE:"61 percent of Americans support federally-mandated contraception coverage for religiously-affiliated employers; 31 percent oppose such coverage. The number is similar among self-professed Catholics surveyed: 61 percent said they support the Obama administration's rule, while 32 percent oppose it. Majorities of both men and women said they are in favor of the rule, though support among women is especially pronounced, with 66 percent supporting and 26 percent opposing it. Among men, 55 percent of men are in favor; 38 percent object." More from CBS:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40edd4860fb34eb1c4654b7313c7ccf2a37e1c292c4d5e9c47fb
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3152cf01f5cd40edd4860fb34eb1c4654b7313c7ccf2a37e1c292c4d5e9c47fb .

NATIONAL JOURNAL - RACIAL SPLIT ON CONCERN FOR VERY POOR:"A slim 51 percent majority said the middle class 'is suffering the most' during the economic slowdown, while 45 percent said the poor had absorbed the most pain. Just 1 percent picked the wealthy," per Ron Brownstein. "While 58 percent of whites said the middle class had suffered the most, 58 percent of nonwhites picked the poor. Likewise, 62 percent of those earning less than $30,000 a year said the poor had suffered the most; 62 percent of those earning at least $75,000 picked the middle class."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddfe00b53ed51574d4b879498c8a15697853ee7a2b4a76cf067
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddfe00b53ed51574d4b879498c8a15697853ee7a2b4a76cf067

MITT TALKS ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE:"A Smart Politics review of the 19 Republican presidential debates finds that Mitt Romney has made more references about the need to address the problems of the middle class (41) than the remainder of the GOP field combined (31)," according to the University of Minnesota's Eric Ostermeier.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf82713d7a5e4aa39a857801f6e87e12c47164ef850a934d19
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf82713d7a5e4aa39a857801f6e87e12c47164ef850a934d19

MICHIGAN MELEE -

ROMNEY MOVES TO LOCK DOWN HOME STATE:"Few old GOP hands believe that Santorum actually enjoys a 15-point lead, as a recent Public Policy Polling poll has it, but there is also a sense that Romney doesn't have quite the advantage his endorsements, organization and native son status should grant him," Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns write in the story leading our home page this morning. "In fact, some who've worked Michigan races see similarities between this race and the 2000 presidential primary, when it was George W. Bush who had locked up most of the state's Republican establishment and enjoyed the superior operation - but ultimately lost to John McCain by seven percentage
points...Santorum benefits from the contrarian impulse that runs through the Michigan electorate, but even more from his blue-collar persona and authentic passion on cultural issues in a state full of working-class Catholics, Dutch Reformed members and non-denominational Christians. It's well known that Michigan has been hit hard by the recession and is ripe for a populist message, but what's less understood is just how important a role social conservatives play in the state's GOP."

ANOTHER WRINKLE - OPEN PRIMARY MEANS DEMS MAY HELP SANTORUM:"The Michigan GOP primary is open, there's no registration by party, and there's a tradition of cross-over voting - most notably in 2000 when some Democrats backed McCain as a means of embarrassing the pro-Bush Gov. John Engler. 'And Republicans came out to vote for George Wallace in the '70s,' noted Michigan Democratic Chair Mark Brewer. 'We don't encourage it. But people are people. It's gonna happen.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf121a7041ecd15f738167d2f4ead455534d45619e307b2789
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf121a7041ecd15f738167d2f4ead455534d45619e307b2789

WONK ALERT:A technical explanation on Frontloading HQ blog about the proportional delegate allocation rules specific to Michigan.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf008ae22e3ba38b5a9b86051c3c012b9388c2f6f4b4b75589
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf008ae22e3ba38b5a9b86051c3c012b9388c2f6f4b4b75589

SANTORUM MANAGES WOLVERINE STATE EXPECTATIONS:"I'm used to running in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania and Michigan have a lot of similarities. We hope we can plant our flag there and do well, and hopefully finish a good strong second," he said in Boise, Idaho, last night.

WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO:In Grand Rapids, Romney holds a roundtable on "jobs and big labor" at 5:50 p.m. and a rally at 6:15. In North Dakota, Santorum holds an energy roundtable and town hall in Tioga before finishing the day with a rally in Fargo. Gingrich continues his California swing with unannounced stops in the Bay Area.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf524cd8f24a311d77ee903e9b3bf09defc193c8ed2c77be9a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf524cd8f24a311d77ee903e9b3bf09defc193c8ed2c77be9a

MITT ATTACKS -"ROMNEY HAMMERS SANTORUM IN TELEPHONE TOWN-HALL TALK WITH 20,000 IN MICHIGAN":That's the Detroit Free Press headline. From the story: "Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who grew up in Bloomfield Hills, spent a half-hour on the conference call answering questions of voters and accusing Santorum of voting to raise the nation's debt ceiling without making compensating spending cuts, embracing congressional earmarks and voting against so-called right- to-work legislation that unions oppose."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddfe2c86a441a2ad8f8cbae92a66176cec00dffcdeadae0ebbc
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddfe2c86a441a2ad8f8cbae92a66176cec00dffcdeadae0ebbc

1 PM CONFERENCE CALL TODAY:Hillsdale College Professor Gary Wolfram, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, and State Representative Aric Nesbitt will appear on a conference call being convened by the Romney camp to discuss "Santorum's record of increasing government spending and earmarks." Romney's Missouri backers had their own call yesterday. Here's a preview of what will be in Michigan papers tomorrow, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf93e0d941e7de262faaa1b2c629c385226dec59f75c1ad114
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf93e0d941e7de262faaa1b2c629c385226dec59f75c1ad114 .

SANTORUM SURGE THROWING ROMNEY OFF MESSAGE: Yesterday, Romney's campaign circulated an interview with James Bopp Jr., the general counsel of the National Right to Life Committee, vouching for Romney's "sincere conversion to the pro-life cause.'' The Boston Globe's Michael Levenson: "Republican political observers said Romney's new emphasis on social issues risks taking him off an economic platform that was geared toward a broad, general election audience, and thrusting him into more emotionally charged territory where he has struggled in the past. Charges of ideological inconsistency hurt his last campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. But, some say, he may have no
choice if he is to fend off Santorum."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddfb7bd55154f31c240f076d8a488f5f7245dcf425c305eea1c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddfb7bd55154f31c240f076d8a488f5f7245dcf425c305eea1c

ROMNEY ATTACKED FROM THE LEFT IN MICHIGAN -

UAW PRESIDENT BOB KING:"He can try and rewrite history as much as he wants, but when we were at our darkest hour, Mitt Romney turned his back on the industry, their workers and the people of Michigan and in other places where Americans depend on the auto industry."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf60ba4c988712a05a9db68c295351b8b2d734b4f5d33c615d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf60ba4c988712a05a9db68c295351b8b2d734b4f5d33c615d

FORMER DEMOCRATIC GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM:'This rescue loan was hardly a free ride. President Obama demanded extraordinary concessions and shared sacrifices from labor and management...Romney will say and stand for anything to get elected, but it's funny he can't even do that right.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf555eea000ade8cce161f1eae0e63e54db64c10f3b7010a72
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e060a9e52588ddf555eea000ade8cce161f1eae0e63e54db64c10f3b7010a72

GINGRICH - HITS SANTORUM ON "EMOTIONAL" COMMENT:"The fact is, if you're serving in uniform in Iraq or Afghanistan, or any place in modern warfare, you are in combat. Whatever your technical assignment, whether you're a truck driver or you're working with logistics or a military police person, you're in combat," Gingrich said after touring the World Ag Expo. "And I think that Rick completely misunderstands the nature of modern warfare by his comments." CNN:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a4445be1dfd2daf830fbc185d8071c2143eeb1d242670df6bb
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a4445be1dfd2daf830fbc185d8071c2143eeb1d242670df6bb .

BURNED BRIDGES - NEWT GETS NO LOVE FROM WASHINGTON:Gingrich's campaign reported pulling in just $278,000 from the Washington metro area last year -compared with $2.5 million for Romney. "Only a smattering of Gingrich's former colleagues have endorsed him or given him money from their political action committees or leadership committees. And unlike Romney, Newt hasn't reported any lobbyist bundlers bringing in checks of $50,000 or more - which candidates are required to disclose. In the last three months of 2011, Romney reported 14 lobbyist bundlers raising $1.2 million for the campaign." Robin Bravender:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a46cd476da147dfa20910a586e271aaac9d675a8d1f7bcbdb5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a46cd476da147dfa20910a586e271aaac9d675a8d1f7bcbdb5 .

TODAY'S WSJ - ADELSON MIGHT HELP ROMNEY KEEP SANTORUM AT BAY:"Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, by far the biggest financial backer of Newt Gingrich's presidential bid, is preparing to open his wallet again. But this time, the casino magnate appears to have more than one agenda. In a bit of political chess, Mr. Adelson is ready to not only directly support the former House speaker in the Republican primary, but to use his cash to push Rick Santorum from his position atop the latest national polls, according to people who have discussed the matter with Mr. Adelson."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a46394091b53e9f662759e186d8d41f7cfd0de7aa90c7daa65
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a46394091b53e9f662759e186d8d41f7cfd0de7aa90c7daa65

SUPER PACS - FRIESS TRIED TO BRING ADELSON INTO SANTORUM FOLD:Santorum mega donor Foster Friess told Ken Vogel that he tried to convince Gingrich mega donor Sheldon Adelson to support Santorum and also planned to solicit donations from donors linked to the libertarian billionaire industrialist Koch brothers. Their most recent gathering of major donors, held late last month in Indian Wells, Calif. was attended by both Adelson and Friess. A source close to the Adelsons dismissed the Bloomberg report (that Adelson intended to cut off the flow of cash to the pro-Gingrich super PAC), explaining Adelson has not made it known whether he intends to continue contributing to Winning Our Future, and
would not be influenced in his decision by pressure from other donors or candidates. Meanwhile, Gingrich's campaign is considering assisting the fundraising of a supportive super PAC.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a42bfe5b55b5abd79bca567428988dd26d457bec9fd10dd77b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a42bfe5b55b5abd79bca567428988dd26d457bec9fd10dd77b

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE - 30 FUN FINDS IN A NEWT ARCHIVE:"Gingrich's Democratic challenger in 1988 and 1990, lawyer David Worley, assembled a massive opposition research file on the Georgia Republican. A decade later, he donated the file to Georgia State University. A BuzzFeed researcher spent 23 hours with the 10 boxes of files of newspaper clippings, campaign literature, and more." Our favorites are #1 (Newt attacking Kitty Dukakis a drug addict), #12 (Newt saying he wouldn't mind losing because he would make more as a political consultant than a congressman), #14 (touting his family values...before he divorced his first wife) and #29 (a caption under a picture of Gingrich with his
second wife touts says he's "providing 'moral leadership' for the country."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a42dfb0ba55f98506dbdfd74714649a932691af4b80bd11a2c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a42dfb0ba55f98506dbdfd74714649a932691af4b80bd11a2c

CALLISTA STEPPING UP ROLE:Newt's wife delivered her first solo performance as a campaign surrogate for her husband yesterday by speaking to a group of Republican women at a burger chain in San Diego. "Reading from handwritten notes and stumbling at times through her five-minute remarks, she explained that her time on the trail has been met with both criticism and warmth," Ginger Gibson reports. "Gingrich's campaign strategist Kellyanne Conway said Callista will continue to step up and expand her role, explaining that the campaign has been receiving requests from people who want to see more of her...Conway said thatCallista will also start granting more interviews to female-friendly
publications, including People and Us Weekly magazines."Ginger:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a4c2d85b858d87dee39f454edab3867d56ac040aaaa940f7da
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a4c2d85b858d87dee39f454edab3867d56ac040aaaa940f7da .

While his wife spoke, Gingrich toured the San Diego zoo by himself on an unannounced visit. A Union-Tribune reporter who got tipped off by the zoo:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a4a2b4d8426952c0cc14580d879f09a0dbbaecfa416f35e310
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a4a2b4d8426952c0cc14580d879f09a0dbbaecfa416f35e310 .

PUNDITS GRAPPLE WITH SANTMENTUM-

THE WASHINGTON POST'S DAN BALZ - EXPECT MORE VOLATILITY:"It's safe to say that most Republican voters know very little about Santorum, other than what they have seen of him in debates or on the campaign trail. He is, for now, a place-holder for dissatisfaction with Romney. That is probably not enough to win the Republican nomination. In the coming weeks, Santorum's record in Congress, his writings, his past interviews - everything - will be dissected as never before...Santorum's challenge now is to translate interest in his candidacy into lasting support. None of those who have gone before him as the non-Romney have scaled that wall. Through self-inflicted wounds or attacks from Romney,
they have fallen away, though it may be too soon to count Gingrich out a third time. It must be clear by now that there are no perfect choices and few realistic options for those who talk of drawing someone else into the contest. Republicans should be braced for more volatility."
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NEW YORK'S JON CHAIT - SANTORUM MAY BE MORE ELECTABLE:"Unlike previous Romney opponents of the past, Santorum is not a pure clown, and it's far from clear that he'd have a harder time beating Obama...As hard a time as Santorum would have closing the sale among certain moderate quarters, I don't think it's sunk in quite how poisoned Romney's image has become among downscale voters. Coverage of Romney's wealth, corporate history, and partially released tax situation coincided with, and almost certainly caused, a collapse in his support with white voters with income under $50,000. Republicans have enjoyed great success attracting downscale whites in recent years, but that success has hinged in
part on things like not nominating standard-bearers who epitomize everything blue-collar whites distrust about their party."
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SALON'S STEVE KORNACKI - FOUR REASONS WHY IT MIGHT NOT LAST:Other anti-Romneys flamed out. Santorum won't have enough money to compete. Santorum has not really been attacked yet. Santorum has no endorsements. "One of the reasons Gingrich was hurt so badly by Romney's Florida assault was that GOP elites mostly sat on their hands; they were secretly (or not so secretly) happy to see a candidate they saw as unelectable and unreliable cut down to size," Steve argues. "The lack of support for Santorum now suggests that may hold similar reservations about him."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a490574ee87be0d708f470a12e8447b2d255b3686dca8bba18
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=36a196b86ff2f8a490574ee87be0d708f470a12e8447b2d255b3686dca8bba18

THE NEW REPUBLIC'S ED KILGORE - ROMNEY ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT IF HE WINS ON 2/28:"In the end though, Mitt's money may come to the rescue. Even if he doesn't go heavily negative, Romney can use his heavy money advantage to saturate the airwaves in these two states; Santorum can't possibly match that unless his top Super-PAC donor, Foster Friess, drops an unimaginable amount of money on him. And if Romney does stage a February 28 comeback, the road gets much rockier for Santorum. Gingrich is likely to make a final stand on Super Tuesday in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and certainly Georgia, which will make a conservative consolidation for Santorum difficult. Rick won't win Mitt's own Massachusetts
and isn't even on the ballot in Virginia. His best shot then would rest on a breakthrough in Ohio-but that's only possible if the money is there."
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SANTORUM STILL HAS NOT RELEASED TAX RETURNS: "Santorum told CNN last week he would release his tax returns 'in the next couple days,' but five days later he hasn't released them," USA Today notes in a paper story. "Spokesman Hogan Gidley said Monday the campaign was discussing the subject, but did not say when the returns would be made public."
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WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO - WISCONSIN AND CALIFORNIA:"In Milwaukee, the President will tour and deliver remarks at Master Lock, to continue to discuss his blueprint for an economy built to last based on American manufacturing and the importance of companies insourcing and investing in America...In the afternoon, the President will depart Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Los Angeles, California...In the evening, the President will deliver remarks at two campaign events." Here's the White House's four-page Fact Sheet on what Obama will propose in Milwaukee:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc8743aacc7f22716828ef5d49e379a935ce3d42b07e592cb3
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc8743aacc7f22716828ef5d49e379a935ce3d42b07e592cb3 .

THREE CURTAIN RAISERS ON THE TRIP-

Wisconsin is a must-win for Obama.There's no path to victory that doesn't include the Badger state:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc2e7afeb56bfd49211b2d840c2c5fb5b7b9e9c8a33ba14ee2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc2e7afeb56bfd49211b2d840c2c5fb5b7b9e9c8a33ba14ee2 .

Gov. Scott Walker will join Obama for his Wisconsin visit, per the Journal-Sentinel:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc493853cb758161f0816b99f3b6c19449b2b7987fdb67c790
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc493853cb758161f0816b99f3b6c19449b2b7987fdb67c790 .

Obama faces a difficult balancing act between pleasing his donors in Hollywood and Silicon Valley.Helene Cooper in the New York Times:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc6597c82a89b77aa82b091234c86548b415539926f3379246
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc6597c82a89b77aa82b091234c86548b415539926f3379246 .

DNC - LOS ANGELES MAYOR WILL CHAIR CONVENTION:"Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been selected chairman of this summer's Democratic National Convention, elevating his role as a surrogate in the Latino community and raising his national profile at a time Villaraigosa considers his political future," Mark Z. Barabak and John Hoeffel scooped for the LA Times (confirmed by POLITICO). "A formal announcement was scheduled Wednesday in Washington, with the mayor planning to join President Obama Wednesday night for a presidential fundraiser in Los Angeles. As convention chairman, Villaraigosa will wield the gavel during the event in Charlotte, N.C., which opens with a festival on Sept.
3 and continues for three days of official business, including the nomination of Obama and his acceptance speech. Villaraigosa will also serve as a spokesman for the convention, starting with a Web video the party planned to release on Wednesday...In 2007, Villaraigosa endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton in her presidential bid, serving as a national campaign chairman and stumping on her behalf in several states." LA Times:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dcf68b1813ac97916f354dfa32ebfb3943f2de6ab85c40e166
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dcf68b1813ac97916f354dfa32ebfb3943f2de6ab85c40e166 . The DNC hotel assignments rolled out yesterday:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc355203d060d6f5cb298e7fd08d2b84b106c27013321e6ad7
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dc355203d060d6f5cb298e7fd08d2b84b106c27013321e6ad7 .

MICHIGAN SENATE - HOEKSTRA AD BACKFIRED, AS STABENOW LEAD GROWS:Incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow leads Pete Hoekstra by 14 points, 51-37, in a Public Policy Polling survey released yesterday. "In 3 previous polls Stabenow led Hoekstra by an average of just 7 points and on the most recent one, in July, her lead was 9." 54% of voters in the state were familiar with Hoekstra's Super Bowl ad, and within that group 45% said it made them less likely to vote for him compared to only 16% who considered it a positive and 37% who said it didn't make a difference to them either way. Independents said they were turned off by it and he's gone from leading with them by 6 points in July to now
trailing by 4 points."
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dcfd4c967d83eebcd338a379c8cabd844a49123e4db781289a

WASHINGTON GOVERNOR - MCKENNA OPENS 9-POINT LEAD OVER INSLEE:"The poll, conducted last week, found 45 percent of respondents would 'definitely' or 'probably' vote for [Republican Attorney General Rob] McKenna, compared with 36 percent for [Democratic Congressman Jay] Inslee," per the Seattle Times. "PollsterStuart Elwaynotes one 'ominous' sign for Inslee in the poll data: the proportion of voters with a negative impression of him (22 percent) is nearly equal to those with a positive impression (28 percent). By contrast, McKenna has a 3 to 1 ratio of positive to negative impression among voters surveyed. Elway also foundMcKenna enjoying a lead among key independent voters: 49 percent said
they're at least leaning toward McKenna compared with 24 percent for Inslee. In addition, McKenna is picking up 13 percent of Democrats in the poll, while only 3 percent of Republicans said they'd cross party lines to back Inslee."
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=06aea83a6859f1dcb8ab6d49464be59ca88e0f2b14be905af8501f7226ad8cd0

296 ELECTORAL VOTES - HOWARD DEAN PREDICTS NARROW OBAMA WIN:"If Mitt Romney's the Republican nominee, I would say it's a one or two point win for Obama," the former DNC chair tells The Nation's Ari Berman, whose book "Herding Donkeys" just came out in paperback. Dean predicts Obama will win 296 electoral votes. "Republicans are going to look better when they have a nominee. But boy, they're in big trouble now. This has been a disastrous primary season for them. Too many debates have compelled Romney to say some things that are going to be landmines for him in general election if he's the nominee." Also: "I'm predicting flat out that if Obama wins, Democrats take back the House."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d482a14d13ede319b148c58a8597ef17f059ecdee6b9d86e94
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d482a14d13ede319b148c58a8597ef17f059ecdee6b9d86e94

DESSERT -

CAIN TURNS DOWN "DANCING WITH THE STARS":"A spokeswoman for Herman Cain confirmed [to the Atlanta Journal Constitution] that the former GOP presidential candidate was approached by ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars' to appear on this season's competition. But Cain nixed the idea. 'He can't dance in an eight-count. He can only dance in a nine-count,' said Lisa Reichert, Cain's executive assistant.Nine-count. Get it? 9-9-9."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d489f1ad8de5b5d1e7c022583ce2654c83014716e72fdd1e83
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d489f1ad8de5b5d1e7c022583ce2654c83014716e72fdd1e83

ROMNEY'S GOOGLE PROBLEM:ABC notes that a bunch of negative terms pop up in auto complete when you search Mitt Romney.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d46bbf39d9650a4a7832624eba9beeb2bef2764b90b48c7474
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d46bbf39d9650a4a7832624eba9beeb2bef2764b90b48c7474

NEWSWEEKis going to begin posting magazine covers outtakes on their Tumblr page. The first week is on "the politics of sex." Here's nine covers that the graphics department mocked up but then left on the cutting room floor. Strikingly, they went with the least provocative:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d45428024aa26f425768fae511601f29eeeec59b8e402a9338
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d45428024aa26f425768fae511601f29eeeec59b8e402a9338 .

STEPHEN COLBERTjoked about what he playfully called Obama's "War on Religion" during his show last night. He brought out a guillotine as a prop:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d4dc4611ebd143c4e60d294cad52d01881f12aadb7bed18c84
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d4dc4611ebd143c4e60d294cad52d01881f12aadb7bed18c84 .

JON STEWARTmade fun of a Fox segment about women serving in combat that keyed off Santorum's controversial comments last week. His show last night:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d419136f2ed81da373ebdcce926ad30e27eaecc6bc15ad7a96
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6942cda497e181d419136f2ed81da373ebdcce926ad30e27eaecc6bc15ad7a96 .

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY:"Go big." -President Obama's Valentine's Day advice to men
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