Happy New Year!

Here is video from New York’s Times Square of the “Ball Drop” as New Yorkers celebrate the beginning of 2012.

The Des Moines Register has released it’s final poll ahead of the January 3, 2012, Iowa Caucuses. Here are the results:

Dec 27-30: Romney leads at 24. Paul 22, Santorum 15, Gingrich 12, Perry 11, Bachmann 7.

However:

Final 2 days of DMR polling Santorum ahead to 21, Paul in 3rd at 18. Romney remains same at top, 24. Others same order.

Larry Sabato Tweets about the results of the poll:

Everyone says Santorum peaked at just right moment. But did he? Sustained negative ads in final 72 hrs by others can reverse Sant-Surge.

Will other candidates go negative on Santorum on TV? Who can turn them around fast? Romney, Paul, Perry.

Check all the polls and the polling averages in Iowa. Romney leads the 4-day polling average by 3 points.

Nate Silver and FiveThirtyEight over at the New York Times has factored the Register Poll into their latest projection for the Iowa Caucuses: Romney 24.2%, Paul 19.2%, Santorum 17.3%, Gingrich 13.8% . . . .

On this week’s “Inside Washington,” the panel was asked to predict who the 2012 GOP Presidential Ticket will be. Interestingly, four of the five – starting with Charles Krauthammer – said “Mitt Romney/Marco Rubio.” Mark Shields predicted “Mitt Romney and Rob Portman of Ohio.”

Via Daily Caller

Here is video of Rick Santorum being “glitter-bombed” today in Iowa by a man who then shouted at him, “Stop the hate. Taste the rainbow.”

Okaaaaay.

Rick Santorum just brushed it off and took it all in stride as he talked with supporters.

Via HotAirPundit

We’re just three days away from the Iowa Caucuses on January 3, 2012. Who do you think is going to win? Please look in the right sidebar of the site and vote.

I’m sure it’s useless to say this, but I will anyway! We’d like you to vote for the candidate you really believe WILL win, not the candidate you want to win. Of course, they may be one and the same. We’ll see what kind of results we come up with by Tuesday. Thanks for participating!

Here’s a new Rick Santorum ad that is airing in Iowa this weekend, and will air in New Hampshire next week. The ad focuses on Santorum’s credentials as the GOP Candidate with the “best chance” to defeat Barack Obama. The ad calls Santorum a “trusted conservative,” with a “Made in the USA” jobs plan, and “more Foreign Policy experience” than any of the other candidates.

In a sign Santorum is feeling very confident on how he will finish in Iowa, his campaign is reportedly making an ad buy in South Carolina, even though the primary there is not until January 21.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is intervening to try and make sure all major GOP Presidential Candidates will appear on the state’s Presidential Primary Ballot. Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have qualified for the ballot under Virginia’s laborious process. Virginia’s Primary is scheduled for “Super Tuesday,” March 6, 2012:

FOX NEWS: Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is intervening in the Virginia presidential primary dispute and plans to file emergency legislation to address the inability of most Republican presidential candidates to get their name on the ballot, Fox News has learned.

Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul qualified for the Virginia primary, a contest with 49 delegates up for grabs.

The failure of other candidates to qualify — notably Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry — led to complaints that the 10,000-signature requirement is too stringent.

Cuccinelli, who is a Republican, shared the concerns.

“Recent events have underscored that our system is deficient,” he said in a statement. “Virginia owes her citizens a better process. We can do it in time for the March primary if we resolve to do so quickly.”

Cuccinelli’s proposal is expected to state that if the Virginia Board of Elections certifies that a candidate is receiving federal matching funds, or has qualified to receive them, that candidate will upon request be automatically added to the ballot. . . . Read More

Via Weasel Zippers