Rasmussen Poll Iowa : Romeny 25%, Paul 20%, Gingrich 17%

Could the race in Iowa really go to a man who has spent the least amount of time in the state among all of the candidates vying for caucus-goers?  Rasmussen’s latest poll of 750 likely caucus-goers show Romney with a small but statistically significant lead, 25% to 20% for new second-place candidate Ron Paul.  But the big move may be from the second tier:

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul are leading the pack in Iowa with just two weeks to go until Caucus Day. But large numbers of voters remain uncommitted and lots could change between now and January 3.
The new Rasmussen Reports survey of Iowa caucus participants shows Romney on top with 25% of the vote followed by Paul at 20% and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 17%. Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, both at 10%, are the only other candidates in double-digits.  Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann earns six percent (6%), former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman four percent (4%), while one percent (1%) prefer some other candidate and eight percent (8%) are not sure.  …
This poll reflects the highest level of support yet measured for Romney and Paul. It’s also by far the best result yet for Santorum who on Tuesday received an endorsement from Bob Vander Plaats, a major social conservative leader in Iowa. While the Evangelical Christian vote is very divided at this time, Santorum now picks up 19% of it, more than any other candidate. Romney is close behind at 18%.
Among those who say they are certain to participate in the caucus, Romney and Paul are essentially even. As always in a caucus, the organizational effort to get identified supporters to show up on January 3 is likely to determine the outcome.

The organizational edge might go to Paul — but it might not, either.  Even if Romney has not spent much time in Iowa, he has built a significant organization in the state, and he launched a massive ad buy of over $3 million last week.  Furthermore, Romney isn’t having to compete against expectations, so a big finish here might be enough to generate enough momentum to run the table in the early states — especially if Paul ends up being the second-place finisher.  A Gingrich third-place finish would put a serious dent  in his credibility as a candidate.
And it might get worse than that.  Both Perry and Santorum have moved up to 10% in this poll, but Santorum’s support is almost double that of a week ago.  Bachmann has not gotten the same kind of boost, remaining at 6%.  Santorum edges ahead of Perry among Republicans (13% to 11%) and just behind Paul’s 14%, but both trail Romney (27%) and Gingrich (21%).  Paul gets 32% of independents, which is no great shock, and Romney comes in second at 19%, which is also no great shock.  Among those who consider themselves “very conservative,” Santorum comes in third at 19%, almost tying Gingrich and Romney, who get 21% each. Santorum now also comes in third among Tea Party adherents at 17%, just behind Romney at 18% and Gingrich at 23%, and ahead of Paul (14%) and Perry (12%).
As for Paul, this poll shows that his bounce is real, if sometimes overestimated, but he has significant issues in this support.  When asked to pick the weakest candidate to put against Obama, Paul wins with 26% of the respondents, followed by Michele Bachmann at 21% and Gingrich at 16% — a danger sign for Gingrich as well.  (Santorum only gets 4%, but then again, he only gets 4% in the question on which candidate would be strongest, too.)  Gingrich does well in the strongest-candidate question with a second place 25%, but that’s ten points below Romney’s 35%.  Paul only gets 15% on this question, making him the only one of the top three to underperform his support on this question.  If caucus-goers break late on the question of electability — and it’s certainly a trend we’ve seen in the past — then Romney stands the most to gain.
A third-place finish would be a boost to Santorum, who hasn’t ever broken out of the pack, and a big disappointment to Gingrich, who had a big lead in Iowa just a couple of weeks ago.  If Paul falters, Romney will probably get the most benefit, but Santorum could be riding a wave that could crest with perhaps even a second-place finish, if social conservatives in Iowa begin to flock to his banner — and that could have South Carolina Republicans, known for their evangelical social conservatism, taking a new look at Santorum.  We’ll see.

Tim Tebow Critics Put Their Own Hate On Display

Linda Chavez - Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has been a controversial sports figure ever since he agreed to do an ad for the conservative organization Focus on the Family; the spot aired during the 2010 Super Bowl. Feminists and other groups, who feared the ad would be overtly pro-life and anti-abortion, tried to keep it from running. In the end, the message turned out to be pretty innocuous, and those who tried to censor it looked downright silly.
Now Tebow is once again a target for illiberals who find his evangelical Christianity somehow threatening and offensive. The latest episode involves a recent column for The Jewish Week that bashed Tebow for symbolizing intolerance. But it was the writer, Connecticut Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, who put his own astonishing bigotry on display. Hammerman titled his piece "My Tebow Problem," and indeed it is Hammerman's problem -- not Tebow's.
While claiming to want to root for Tebow, who has pulled off an unprecedented string of amazing consecutive fourth-quarter comebacks for his underdog team this season, Hammerman made the following prediction: "If Tebow wins the Super Bowl, against all odds, it will buoy his faithful, and emboldened faithful can do insane things, like burning mosques, bashing gays and indiscriminately banishing immigrants. While America has become more inclusive since Jerry Falwell's first political forays, a Tebow triumph could set those efforts back considerably."
Really?
And Hammerman's bigotry doesn't stop there. On his own blog, he responds to criticism from those who took offense to his original article, noting that Tebow's "entire life's work is also predicated on saving my soul for Jesus. He's not alone in this. Tebow has been affiliated with the Southern Baptists, who spend millions to convert Jews, often deceptively. I personally don't consider that exemplary behavior. Is it better than raping little boys? Absolutely. But is it admirable? I have issues with anyone determined to save my soul, be that person Christian or Jewish."
So, Southern Baptists want to trick Jews into becoming Christians? And Catholics (or is it priests only?) all want to sexually abuse children?
Apparently even Hammerman finally realized how outrageous these comments were, as he has now removed them from his own website, and The Jewish Week has taken his piece down as well. But erasing the words don't constitute an apology. And I'm not sure Hammerman is capable of understanding what he did wrong, which is the precondition for actual contrition.
Tim Tebow harms no one when he bends a knee to thank Jesus for giving him the athletic gifts that have served him so well. And he's never said anything publicly about saving anyone's soul. So how is it offensive that his piety inspires others -- even his opponents on the field -- to join him in prayer? In an era when other famous athletes are better known for sexting, criminal assault or even murder, it's a mystery why humility and faith would be viewed negatively.
True tolerance means allowing others to believe what they choose and to express those beliefs, so long as they do not interfere with the liberty of others. Tebow does not insist that his teammates join him in prayer, nor does he interfere with those who choose a different religious -- or non-religious -- expression of joy and gratitude.
But illiberals want religion out of the public square altogether. They want to reinterpret the First Amendment to deny religious freedom, not to protect it. They want to force religious people of all faiths to keep their religion in the closet, while at the same time enforcing the open acceptance -- indeed, encouragement -- of behaviors that conflict with traditional religious tenets. The illiberal religious bigots believe putting a creche on public property is unconstitutional; but displaying a crucifix in a in a tax-supported museum is just fine, just so long as it's stuck in a jar of urine.
Tim Tebow is not the problem. The real problem is our willingness to be bullied into thinking that prejudice masked as tolerance is acceptable.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Endores Mitt Romey

(Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney picked up the endorsement of South Carolina's Republican governor, Nikki Haley, on Friday in a move that could boost his fortunes in the early voting state.
Romney has been lagging in South Carolina and his backers in the state have been urging him to campaign more frequently there. South Carolina holds the first primary in the South on January 21 and former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, who hails from neighboring Georgia, has a lead there.
South Carolina holds the third nominating contest after Iowa on January 3 and New Hampshire on January 10.
"The election next November will have ramifications for generations," Haley said in a statement released by the Romney campaign. "Neither South Carolina nor the nation can afford four more years of President (Barack) Obama, and Mitt Romney is the right person to take him on and get America back on track."
The announcement came a day after a smooth debate performance by Romney in Sioux City, the last debate of the Republican candidates before Iowa launches the 2012 election contest.
Haley was elected in 2010 with the strong backing of Tea Party champion Sarah Palin. Though her popularity has sagged a bit in recent months, her endorsement was still coveted by Republican presidential candidates.
Romney plans to spend Friday and Saturday campaigning in South Carolina.
Haley, the first woman governor of South Carolina, had been backed in her campaign for the office by Romney.
Romney has built up an impressive list of endorsements from establishment Republicans. At a campaign event at a Sioux City steel factory, Romney was introduced by former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out of the presidential race last summer and later endorsed him.
In his remarks to the plant's employees, Romney injected a personal tone in a sign he is trying to connect better with everyday voters. He played up the entrepreneurial skills of his father, George Romney, who built up the old American Motors car company before he was elected governor of Michigan.
Romney singled out China for what he called unfair trade practices that have to be stopped. He said one of his first acts of business upon taking power in January 2013 would be to designate China as a currency manipulator.
"There are some cheaters out there and one of them is China. They've been stealing designs, patents, technology," he said. "You can't allow that to happen year after year after year