Midday open thread

• Today's comic is Animation: Newt thinks he'll win South Carolina (actual audio) by Scott Bateman:
  
• Laura Clawson will be on the Rick Smith Show today at 4:00 PM ET.
• Think President Obama can still pack a stadium? We'll find out in September:

  On the final night of this fall's Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech at Bank of America stadium, party sources told the Observer on Monday night. [...]

  The move to the Carolina Panthers' 74,000-seat stadium would replicate the 2008 convention, where Obama accepted the nomination at a packed Invesco Field in Denver.

  The move, which would open the speech to the public, is designed to help mobilize voters in North Carolina, a key swing state. It could also serve as a perk to donors, who could be rewarded with skybox seats.

• So apparently, all the coolest people were born on Jan. 17. Happy birthday, Michelle Obama. And Betty White. And James Earl Jones. And Muhammad Ali. And Benjamin Franklin. And ...
• Should Jon Huntsman be mad at Stephen Colbert?

  Stephen Colbert is taking full credit for Jon Huntsman dropping out of the 2012 race, declaring on “The Colbert Report” that his announcement last week to form an exploratory committee for president has “completely changed the complexion of this race.” [...]

  “Folks, do you see what’s happened here? The mere possibility that I might run for president blew Jon Huntsman all the way back to the Lands’ End catalog he came from!” said Colbert. “Again, that’s just from me exploring the idea of running. Can you imagine what it would do to the field if I, Stephen T. Colbert, looked into the camera right now and officially announced?”

  But the comedian quickly quieted his cheering fans, saying, “But I’m not.”
  He added, “By the way, that snapping sound you heard just now is the sphincters of the other candidates snapping shut. You have to listen closely for Romney’s because it starts out about 90 percent clenched.”

• Rick Santorum says God looks at him as "disabled." Um, Rick? It's not just God.
• Nancy Pelosi is not impressed:

  The top House Democrat dismissed the Republican presidential contenders Tuesday, saying they represent the "third tier" of the GOP and have no chance of unseating President Obama in November.

  "This crowd that they have there, it's not exactly what you would call the first string of the Republican Party," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said during an interview hosted by Politico. "I think that they can do better than that."

• Netroots Nation needs your help in developing and organizing the sessions (panels, trainings and screening series sessions) you want to see at Netroots Nation this June 7-10 in Providence. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 31. Guidelines and the submission form are here.
• This probably isn't the best way to get a job interview:

  Good morning [REDACTED],

  Attached is my resume, along with a few writing samples. If you have any questions, please feel free to fucking contact me at [REDACTED]. And if you dont im gonna be fucking pissed!! So come on stop bullshitting and call me ;)
  Thanks Cunt!

• Really want to piss off TSA? Buy these cupcakes.
• Uh, good?

  Consumers whacked down credit card debt by 11% last year, and average debt loads dropped in every state.

  The average credit card balance for 2011 was $6,576, down from $7,404 the previous year, according to a report from credit tracking and financial education website CreditKarma.com, based on data from more than 300,000 of its users.

• Having a hard time remembering who is running where in the wake of California's radical new congressional redistricting (and renumbering) plan? The folks at Daily Kos Elections have put together a handy cheat-sheet that'll help you keep track of all 53 House races in the Golden State. —David Nir
• Get out your tiniest violin:

  Like tens of thousands of other Florida homeowners, imprisoned former football star O.J. Simpson is in danger of losing his house to foreclosure.