THE OTHER SHOE DROPS: Turning back the tide of information overload with a digest of the latest developments in news conservatives need to pay attention to:

† Romney and Gingrich get Rick-rolled: Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum (R-PA) has raised $1 million in the days since winning the trifecta in CO, MN and MO Tuesday night, The Daily Beast reports:

Eighty percent of the money was from online donations – which even crashed the website. … While this sum is still far behind Mitt Romney’s numbers, it’s a sign that Santorum may be gaining momentum.

The Washington Times makes the case that Mitt Romney is losing momentum:

In all three states Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, won fewer voters than he did in 2008, signaling that he hasn't been able to hold onto those who turned out to pull the lever for him last time.

In Minnesota in 2008 he won nearly 26,000 voters in the caucuses, while on Tuesday he won fewer than 10,000. In Missouri's primary his take dropped from 172,329 votes to just 63,826. And in Colorado's caucuses he won more than 33,000 votes last time but fell 10,000 votes shy of that this year. 

Overall turnout was lower in each of those states, but Mr. Romney can't take solace there – not only does it suggest a drop in enthusiasm from 2008, but Mr. Romney won a smaller share of the total vote in each of the three states this year.

Tuesday also marks the first time Mr. Romney has come in third in any race, as he fell to both Mr. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in Minnesota's caucuses.

So far, with eight states having voted, Mr. Romney has done worse than his 2008 showing in five of them.

FOX News analyst Juan Williams explains why voters don't like Mitt Romney and why he is proving to be his own worst enemy. Short version: He’s an incredibly tone-deaf, incredibly rich guy who comes off as “an out-of-touch plutocrat who is insensitive to the economic pain being felt by the average American.”

† Nice guys finish last? Maybe not this election cycle. (second item on page): The mittens have been traded in for brass knuckles as former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) and his surrogates began pounding former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) after his stunningly strong showing in Tuesday’s races in CO, MN and MO, CNN reports:

Suddenly facing new questions about the strength of his candidacy, GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney indicated Wednesday he's prepared to wage a more aggressive campaign against Rick Santorum, the surprise winner of all three of Tuesday's Republican contests.

"We think we can beat Sen. Santorum where we compete head-to-head in an aggressive way, and we obviously didn't do that in Colorado or Minnesota to the extent that (Santorum's) campaign did," Romney told reporters. …

Romney also blasted Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, calling them big-spending Washington insiders.

Republicans in Washington have "spent too much, borrowed too much, (and) earmarked too much," he said. "Frankly, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were a big part."

† The Republican contender who will be Obama II: Timothy Furnish, Ph.D., an expert on Islam, contends that former Gov. Mitt Romney’s (R-MA) position on Islam “is closer to Barack Obama’s than to the mainstream of his own party”:

[I]n Iowa last December … Romney said radical, violent Islamists pose a threat to Americans and others around the world. However, he said, "they take a very different view of Islam than the Muslims I know." He noted that he was raised in the Detroit area, which has a large Muslim population. "They are peace-loving and America-loving individuals. I believe that very sincerely. I believe people of the Islamic faith do not have to subscribe to the idea of radical, violent jihadism" [emphasis added by Furnish]. …

So whence come the Republican front-runner’s “All-American Muslim”-style views? From his own religion, it would seem. …

The clearest and most complete elucidation of the LDS position vis-à-vis Islam can be found in an August 2000 article by James Toronto, entitled “A Latter-day Saint Perspective on Muhammad,” from Ensign – the church’s flagship monthly magazine. … Toronto says that “as early as 1855, at a time when Christian literature generally ridiculed Muhammad as the Antichrist and the archenemy of Western civilization, Elders George A. Smith (1817-75) and Parley P. Pratt (1807-57) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivered lengthy sermons demonstrating and accurate and balanced understanding of Islamic history and speaking highly of Muhammad’s leadership.” In fact “Elder Pratt went on to express his admiration for Muhammad’s teachings, asserting that ‘upon the whole … [Muslims] have better morals and better institutions than many Christian nations.’” In this century, the LDS First Presidency Statement of 1978 “specifically mentions Muhammad as one of ‘the great religious leaders of the world’ who received ‘a portion of God’s light” …

Mitt Romney’s church officials are on record as saying that Muhammad – a man who created violent jihad, who had at least 11 wives (one of whom was 9 when he consummated the marriage), who ordered the beheading of an entire Jewish tribe – was illuminated by “God’s light” and was one of the “great religious leaders of the world.” Rather like the situation involving Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright’s church, it beggars imagination that Romney has spent over six decades listening to LDS teachings and has not imbibed at least some measure of such beliefs. …

Would a President Romney, already on record as stating that jihad has nothing to do with Islam, be willing to repeal the Obama administration’s gag order on discussing jihad in counter-terrorism training – even if such honest analysis portrays Muhammad as something other than a shining beacon of virtue and tolerance, as per LDS rubrics?

Lest you think Furnish is being overwrought, consider these remarks by Romney about universal healthcare:

Did you notice in Lebanon, what Hezbollah did? Lebanon became a democracy some time ago and while their government was getting underway, Hezbollah went into southern Lebanon and provided health clinics to some of the people there, and schools. And they built their support there by having done so. That kind of diplomacy is something that would help America become stronger around the world and help people understand that our interest is an interest towards modernity and goodness and freedom for all people in the world. And so, I want to see America carry out that kind of health diplomacy.
 

[Hat Tip: Pamela Geller]

† Romney: the sequel (click here for related article): President Barack Hussein Obama has found yet another similarity between ObamaCare and RomneyCare that he is more than happy to publicize so as to take it off the table as a campaign issue should he be running against the architect of universal healthcare coverage on the state level, The Washington Times reports:

The White House is pushing back against Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's condemnation of President Obama's recent mandate for insurance coverage of contraceptives as part of the new health-care law.

White House spokesman Jay Carney on Wednesday called Mr. Romney an "odd messenger" to be criticizing Mr. Obama over the issue, considering he followed a similar policy in Massachusetts when Mr. Romney served as governor. …

Mr. Romney said the president's policy amounts to an "assault on religion," and Mr. Carney responded that the former Massachusetts governor's comments were "ironic," considering his tolerance for what he called a virtually "identical" policy in that state.

Romney counters that the contraception provision in the MA healthcare law predates his tenure and that he was unsuccessful in removing it and other healthcare mandates when crafting his own bill. That may be so, but it undermines his claims that he is a leader who can reach across the aisle to get things done.

† A gov’s gotta do what a gov’s gotta do: MI, a state that “experienced an economic downturn earlier, deeper and longer than most of the rest of the country” swung from budget deficits to a $457 million surplus under Gov. Rick Snyder, a first-term Republican, The New York Times reports:

By the close of the state’s 2011 budget year, in September, Michigan had collected $8.8 billion in general fund revenues – more than $1 billion less the amount collected in, say, 2000, but noticeably up from the $7.6 billion in Michigan’s coffers in 2010, thanks to growth in state income and sales tax revenues. Officials are now projecting $632 million more in revenues over the next two years than they had been expecting.

“After a decade of declining revenues, it’s pretty doggone good news,” John E. Nixon, Mr. Snyder’s state budget director, said in an interview. “Things have turned.” …

Mr. Nixon attributed the improved state budget outlook to the state’s broader economic uptick, but also, in part, to tax and policy changes Governor Snyder pressed. The state replaced a business tax with a corporate income tax that is expected to save businesses $1.5 billion a year, though that change did not take effect until January.

To make up lost dollars, lawmakers agreed to tax public workers’ pensions, reduce the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor, and remove or reduce other tax exemptions and deductions – moves Mr. Snyder’s critics point to as evidence that even if Michigan’s businesses start feeling better, its ordinary families may feel worse.

“A lot of people want us to backfill the cuts we made last year, and we’re not doing that,” Mr. Nixon said. “We’re not going to have a record recovery here — we’re going to have a long, drawn-out recovery.”

Meanwhile, in neighboring WI, Dems find themselves waging an uphill battle to recall Gov. Scott Walker (R), who has implemented reforms that have “already saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and rescued the state from a budget crisis,” The Wall Street Journal reports:

Since last summer, unions have fired every weapon in their arsenal at Mr. Walker and state senators who voted for his collective-bargaining reforms for government workers. Union members must now contribute a very reasonable 5.8% of salary toward pensions and 12.6% toward health insurance, and unions must collect dues from members, rather than having it done by the government. …

In three of the largest school districts—Milwaukee, Kenosha and Janesville—schools had locked themselves into long-term agreements with unions that predated Mr. Walker's reforms. Unable to take advantage of the changes, Milwaukee and Kenosha, which serve more than 100,000 students altogether, saw layoffs of more than 800 teaching positions for the 2011-2012 school year.

By contrast, Madison's school district, the second largest in the state, had no teacher layoffs because it was able to ask employees to make additional contributions toward health care and pensions. …

In mid-December, Wisconsin taxpayers got evidence of the direct benefits of reform in their latest property tax bills – an average annual increase of 0.3%, the smallest since 1996. …

The only loser here are government unions that have less control over state and local politics. With the state no longer automatically withdrawing dues for the unions, labor leaders face the prospect of smaller checkbooks to buy politicians and intimidate reformers.

† College diploma not worth the paper it's written on (related article, second item on the page): A report by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) finds that an increasing number of college graduates and their parents – who often co-sign loans or take out second mortgages and other loans to cover tuition costs – are finding themselves in bankruptcy court as their “final option to deal with mounting debt,” The Washington Times reports:

Four out of five bankruptcy lawyers reported a “significant” increase in clients seeking help with college loan debt, and 40 percent said such cases have increased by at least 25 percent in just the past three years, the report says.

With college loan debt now surpassing $1 trillion and outpacing credit card debt for the first time in American history, many are beginning to see grim parallels between student borrowing and the subprime mortgage crisis that ultimately derailed the nation’s economy in 2008. …

The average college graduate now owes about $25,000 after school. Nearly 20 percent of parents cosign loans or borrow additional money for their children, and those parents now owe an average of about $34,000, the report says.

While federal loans offer deferment plans and income-based repayment options, private loans do not. They often come with variable interest rates, making it difficult for graduates to get ahead.

In almost all cases, federal and private student loans can’t be discharged through bankruptcy. Graduates can, however, eliminate almost all other debt by declaring bankruptcy, thereby freeing up money to repay the federal government or private lenders.

NACBA is lobbying Congress to pass legislation sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) to allow student loans to be discharged through bankruptcy.

† Look before you leap: Part II: A day after the VA Legislature passed a bill requiring women to undergo ultrasound imaging before an abortion, the state Senate’s Education and Health Committee deadlocked 7-7 on a "fetal pain" bill that would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy in most cases (related article, last item on the page), The Washington Times reports:

Sen. Harry B. Blevins, Virginia Beach Republican, abstained from the vote. …

The abstention of Mr. Blevins, long considered a swing vote on abortion issues, was among the most notable developments from the committee meeting. He voted for the ultrasound bill, saying he thought it important for a mother considering an abortion to have access to an ultrasound imaging.

AL, ID, IN, KS, OK and NE have already passed similar “fetal pain” legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

† The tale of the ticker tape (last item on the page): It's happened again -- some of the paper tossed out the window during a NYC-style ticker tape parade was unshredded and contained people's confidential medical and/or financial information. Mediaite reports:

[D]uring the Giants’ big celebratory parade on Tuesday, businesses along the route were supplied with confetti to throw out. Unfortunately, some people got overzealous and started throwing out any paper they could find in their office without even shredding it. This meant that documents featuring people’s social security numbers, legal statements, and medical records were gracefully gliding to the ground. …

[I]f you’ve worked with a business along the route of the parade, go to their office and ask for your records. If they can’t retrieve them for you and quickly try to hide the Giants hat they were currently wearing on their head, it might be time for you to change your credit card passwords.