1.) The Gingrich Who Stole New Hampshire? — A lot of people counted out Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential race a long time ago, your humble correspondent included. Whoops! It’s his turn to be the Not-Romney, and his effort just got a big boost, as TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:

“While Republican strategists say that the New Hampshire Union Leader’s endorsement Sunday of Newt Gingrich goes a long way to projecting the former House Speaker as the preeminent ‘anti-Romney’ candidate in the GOP primary field, some strategists suggest that it won’t give him enough of a boost to overcome former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s formidable lead in the polls… The Union Leader is a conservative bastion and New Hampshire’s only statewide paper. It was one of the first outlets to throw its weight behind Ronald Reagan, all the way back in 1975 when Reagan primary-challenged President Gerald Ford… The Union Leader’s endorsement likely comes as a blow to Romney. Sources tell TheDC that he had worked harder than any other candidate in pursuit of the endorsement and, had he received it, it would have gone a long way to clinching the New Hampshire primary for him… In the editorial, Union Leader Publisher Joseph W. McQuaid writes, ‘We don’t have to agree with them on every issue. We would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear.'”

In response, the Romney campaign is trying to figure out what stance to take that McQuaid would find agreeable. Meanwhile, go ahead and make all the jokes you want about Gary Johnson making a third-party run. If Gingrich is still a player, it’s anybody’s game.

2.) Rev. Al to OWS: ‘Assist we much’ — Did you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday? Did you give thanks for all your blessings and whatnot? Al Sharpton sure did. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports:

“Thanksgiving can mean different things to different people depending on their point of view… But MSNBC host Al Sharpton had something else in mind for his reflections on this holiday. On his Wednesday radio program, Sharpton gave thanks for the Occupy Wall Street movement. ‘Last year we had just come out of the midterm elections where the Republicans gained 61 seats and we were under siege by the tea party,’ Sharpton said. ‘This year, Occupy Wall Street, whatever its shortcomings, it changed the conversation to where we are now talking about economic inequality — 1 percent versus 99. I am grateful for that.'”

Is it really fair to say OWS has shortcomings, Al? Sure, Occupiers have committed rapes and shootings and hundreds of other crimes across the country, spread filth and disease wherever they go, and generally behave like spoiled babies, but should we really allow that to distract from the message they’re woefully incapable of elucidating? Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Chanting is the way to go!

3.) Not All Egyptians attack women — Speaking of protesters who are quickly gaining a reputation for sexual assault, TheDC’s Caroline May reports:

“Egypt is again proving to be an unwelcoming place for female reporters. In the wake of massive protests against Egypt’s military rulers, the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders reports that at least two female journalists have been sexually assaulted. On Friday the group reported that Caroline Sinz, a French reporter for public TV station France 3, was sexually assaulted Thursday in Cairo while covering the protests… Sinz explained that she was assaulted in a way that ‘would be considered rape,’ adding that “[s]ome people tried to help me but failed. I was lynched. It lasted three quarters of an hour before I was taken out. I thought I was going to die…’ On Wednesday Egyptian-American journalist Mona Al-Tahtawy reported that she was sexually assaulted by the Central Security Forces after being arrested at Mohamed Mahmoud Street… ‘5 or 6 surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count how many hands tried to get into my trousers,’ she said, according to Abramonline.”

Occupy Cairo.

4.) Van Jones still vanjonesing — The “American Dream Movement” has been overshadowed by the filthy, violent Occupiers, but that doesn’t mean Van Jones has given up. TheDC’s Matthew Boyle reports:

“A new book details how environmental extremist and Occupy Wall Street enthusiast Van Jones may still be influencing President Barack Obama’s policy decisions. Jones resigned from his post as Obama’s green jobs czar on September 5, 2009 amid political pressure after his history of radicalism was revealed in conservative media outlets… At the time of his resignation, then-White House press secretary Robert Gibbs thanked Jones ‘for his service to the country,’ but insisted Obama ‘doesn’t endorse’ Jones’ radical beliefs. But in the recently released ‘Red Army: The Radical Network That Must Be Defeated To Save America,’ World Net Daily’s Aaron Klein reveals several different backdoor channels from which Jones appears to be indirectly helping to shape White House policy. The first is through the Presidential Climate Action Project. Jones serves on PCAP’s 20-member advisory committee. Before the 2008 presidential election, PCAP developed a proposal to guide the incoming president’s environmental policy during his first 100 days, whether the president turned out to be Arizona Sen. John McCain or Obama… Klein said PCAP’s executive director, William S. Becker, confirmed to him in a phone interview that the plans were developed with Jones serving on PCAP’s board. Klein said Becker admitted that the Obama administration ‘adopted quite a few of our recommendations or variations of them…’ Jones also continues to influence Obama administration policy through the Efficiency Cities Network, according to Klein. Though Jones isn’t officially a part of the ECN, Klein points to how the ECN is really a ‘partner group’ of many of Jones’ organizations.”

Hey, just because he’s a Maoist and a Truther doesn’t make him a bad person. It’s just a coincidence.

5.) College conservatives launch The College Conservative — No matter how bad things seem, don’t give up hope! Not all of the leaders of tomorrow are falling for the rhetoric of yesteryear. Matthew Boyle reports:

“Conservative college students nationwide have banded together to launch a new website aimed at providing a platform for right-of-center students to freely express their political views. The College Conservative aims to give conservative college students nationwide, and eventually worldwide, ‘a place to get their voices heard.’ The site launches Monday with about 30 conservative university writers and editors. Editor Zachary Freeman, a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, told The Daily Caller the plan is publish three articles per weekday… ‘My goal is to have a completely worldwide network of writers who are all for one unified cause,’ Freeman said, adding that he already has one writer in Canada and is trying to lock down a British correspondent. ‘I mean unified with a cause, not just unified in some ridiculous protesting technique like Occupy Wall Street.'”

Okay, so no rape, then. Well, they’ll just have to figure out how to change the conversation without that.

6.) Today’s incredibly perceptive question from Alec Baldwin’s Truther, er, Twitter feed — “What’s next for OWS?”

VIDEO: Bad news for Auntie Zeituni?

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