It’s not the holiday season without the Golden Duke Awards, TPM’s annual homage to the year’s best purveyors of public corruption, outlandish behavior and The Crazy. (The awards are named in honor of Congressman-turned-inmate Randy “Duke” Cunningham. See the letter Cunningham sent our reporter Ryan Reilly last April.) This is the fifth annual installment of the Golden Dukes! (See last year’s winners here.)

Nominations are due no later than Friday, December 16, 2011.

This year’s categories are:
1. Meritorious Achievement in The Crazy
2. Best Election Gaffe
3. Most Outrageous Fib Issued By A Politician
4. Outstanding Achievement In Corruption-based Chutzpah
5. Best Scandal — Sex and Generalized Carnality
6. Best Scandal — Local Venue
7. Best Scandal — General Interest

How do you participate? Read More

Did you see the total eclipse of the moon over the weekend? Here’s your chance.

At this moment Intrade gives Romney a 43.1% chance of nomination; Newt gets 36.7%.

When does Newt pull ahead?

Benjy Sarlin boils Romney’s $10K bet gaffe down to 100 delicious seconds.

Gingrich Tax Plan makes it the law of the land that taxes for the 1% are lower than those for the middle class.

A lot of readers have been sending in their nominations for our annual TPM Golden Duke Awards.

Keep ’em coming! Deadline for submissions is this Friday, December 16.

Read everything you need to know here.

Fresh from a day of bashing Romney every which way but loose, Gingrich is out with an email to his staff and supporters telling them not to resort to negative attacks.

David Axelrod finds a way of mentally associating Newt Gingrich with a monkey’s butt. Really.

The ACLU is stepping further into the fray on voting rights, filing a lawsuit against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his state’s new voter ID law.

Video of Mitt from 2002: I’m a moderate. I’m no partisan Republican.