WASHINGTON -- The Obama team's newest slogan, "An America built to last," rolled out this week for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, is brawny and evocative of a headline on a car ad.

It's a phrase that draws a contrast to the intangible investment products that figured centrally to the economic bubbles that have burst and left us bust. You would laugh out loud, of course, if anyone suggested "mortgage funds, built to last."

Obama used the words "built" or "rebuilt" 13 times as he focused on domestic matters in his third State of the Union speech. The "built to last" theme works in two -- probably more -- ways.

The first is fairly concrete. In his speech, Obama offered a variety of plans to try to stop the flow of jobs out of the U.S. and to bring back manufacturing jobs that have left, most having to do with tax code revisions to give more incentives to stay rather than go.

The other goes to to the allegation of the GOP presidential candidates that under Obama's watch the United States has somehow been diminished.

"Anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about," he said. Obama offered proposals on making taxes fairer, education, regulatory reform and green energy to be unveiled in more detail in the next three days -- when he travels to five 2012 battleground states: Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan.

The greatest threat to Obama's re-election is a poor economy, a bigger challenge right now than Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich. The economy has been on an uptick in recent weeks, but there is no guarantee a slide won't occur before November.

Obama made several pleas to Congress to work together; he's not counting on it, but he reached a rhetorical high in the speech when he talked about the day U.S. special forces carried out the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Partisanship can run its course,"just like it didn't matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates, a man who was George Bush's defense secretary, and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president."

WASHINGTON--Shortly after President Obama finished his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, the Republican National Committee produced a video highlighting phrases Obama in his 2012 speech he repeated from his 2011 and 2010 addresses.

From the RNC: "If you thought tonight's speech sounded similar to President Obama's past State of the Union speeches, you were right. After three years of failed policies and broken promises, it's not surprising that Barack Obama can only repeat himself."

I asked RNC communications chief Sean Spicer how the video was produced so fast and he told me, "after three years, we anticipated this."

WASHINGTON--President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union speech, called for community colleges and businesses to form partnerships to train students with skills employers in their area explicitly need--programs that community colleges in Chicago have in place.

"Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers - places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing," Obama said.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel--who talked about Chicago's experience in a speech before the U.S. Conference of Mayors here last week--and Obama's former chief of staff--said in a statement, "the President gave a great speech tonight. As he outlined his vision for the country, I am pleased that he mentioned strengthening our nation's community colleges as a way of providing our young people a ladder to the middle class. Chicago is leading the way in that effort with our College to Careers Program, linking our community colleges with partners in industry to provide students the skills they need to compete.

Chancellor Cheryl Hyman of City Colleges of Chicago said in a statement, "President Obama tonight called for a national effort to equip Americans with the right job skills and make college more affordable. Community colleges hold a large part of the answer to both challenges.

"Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and City Colleges of Chicago have launched the College to Careers initiative to partner with high-growth industries to align curriculum with market demand. This will ensure we address our nation and region's enduring skills gap and empower students to compete and win the global jobs of today and tomorrow.

"City Colleges of Chicago similarly plays a critical role in reducing the student debt crisis, removing cost as barrier to job training and college degrees. A City Colleges of Chicago student can save up to $40,000 versus comparable coursework elsewhere.

"It is incumbent on community colleges to ensure that students have access to quality programs that prepare them for success, and provide a truly worthwhile return on students' investment in time and resources.

"City Colleges of Chicago remains committed to delivering both access and success through the Reinvention of our entire system so that Chicagoans receive academic credentials of true economic value that help drive our city's economy."
The City Colleges of Chicago includes seven colleges: Richard J. Daley College, Kennedy-King College, Malcolm X College, Olive-Harvey College, Harry S Truman College, Harold Washington College and Wilbur Wright College. The system also oversees the Washburne Culinary Institute, the French Pastry School, two restaurants, five Child Development Centers, the Center for Distance Learning, the Workforce Institute, the public broadcast station WYCC-TV Channel 20 and radio station WKKC-FM 89.3. For more information about City Colleges of Chicago, call: (773) COLLEGE or visit www.ccc.edu.

WASHINGTON--President Obama is announcing in his State of the Union address that he will use his executive power to create two massive new green energy projects.

Obama will order the Defense Department to make the biggest renewable energy purchase in the history of the nation--one gigawatt.

He will also order his administration to build solar and wind energy areas on public lands for 10 gigawatts of projects by the end of 2012.

WASHINGTON--In his State of the Union address, President Obama is calling on every state to require students to stay in high school until they graduate or reach 18.

Some 20 states already have that requirement; Illinois does not.

Illinois requires students to stay in school until the age of 17. That was increased from 16 years old in 2005.

Obama is making the proposal because stronger anti-dropout laws keeps students in school longer--thus increasing their lifetime earning potential.

WASHINGTON-- President Obama in his State of the Union address is announcing the creation of a Financial Crimes unit in the Justice Department to probe banks and financial companies that helped contribute to the mortgage meltdown with risky loans.

He is also asking Congress to increase the penalities for fraud, so fines are not just seen as a business expense.

WASHINGTON--The Obama re-election team is using President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night as a massive organizing tool.

*To rally the troops, over the weekend, Obama previewed his State of the Union speech at BarackObama.com, the campaign website--rather than WhiteHouse.gov.
In that video, Obama talked about creating a U.S. "economy built to last," which morphed into "An America Built to Last," a central theme of the speech Tuesday night and a slogan you'll be hearing a lot in the days to come.

*Obama urged people to view the speech together; the campaign said Tuesday afternoon 2,700 local watch parties were planned across the country.

*The campaign sent reminder texts before the speech

*The campaign website is running a livestream of the speech.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago held a briefing Tuesday on Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) operated on for a stroke on Monday. He asked for Blackberry, doctors said. The Sun-Times report is HERE.

WASHINGTON--First Lady Michelle Obama's guest list for the State of the Union tonight is heavy on guests from battleground states, underscoring the merging government and political agendas as the Obama team prepares for the November election.

Mrs. Obama will host in her House box astronaut Mark Kelly, the retired Navy captain who is the husband of Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Az.) who is stepping down from Congress this week, a little more than a year after she was shot in the head. Senior White House advisor and close friend Valerie Jarrett will also be in Mrs. Obama's box.

Most of the 20 other guests--mainly female-- come from states that could determine the outcome of the 2012 contest: two from North Carolina; two from Michigan; two from Colorado; one from Pennsylvania; two from Virginia; one from Ohio and one from Florida. California, a deep source of fund-raising dollars--Mrs. Obama will be in California next week for fund-raising--has four guests.

One of the guests is Debbie Bosanek of Nebraska, who has been Warren Buffett's secretary for almost two decades--and who has been used by Buffett as an example of the inequities in the tax system. Buffett pays a lesser tax rate than Bosanek.

On Thursday, Mrs. Obama heads to battleground Florida as the GOP presidential candidates are camped there in advance of the Jan. 31 primary. There is a CNN GOP debate in Jacksonville on Thursday night and Mrs. Obama may grab some of the free media attention. Mrs. Obama visits GOP strongholds: Tampa for a Latino event connected with her healthy eating drive and then Sarasota and Palm Beach for fund-raisers.

Click below for Mrs. Obama's SOTU guest list...

WASHINGTON--In advance of President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address tonight, the
White House Office of Legislative Affairs--the president's lobbyists--put together talking points for members of Congress and their staffs.

The memo stresses Obama's newest slogan, "America, Built to Last" and highlights some of the very broad theme of the speech before the Joint Session of Congress.

Read the talking points for yourself, click below...

WASHINGTON--GOP White House hopeful Mitt Romney, stumping in Florida in advance of the Jan. 31 primary there, ripped into President Barack Obama's newest slogan--"America, Built to Last," in a "prebuttal" to his State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Obama's team has another slogan it has been using for the past few months, "We Can't Wait," created to buttress Obama's increasing use of executive orders as it became clearer to the administration it would not be able to pass programs with a House controlled by Republicans and a Senate run by Democrats.

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Text of Romney "prebuttal" is HERE
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The White House and the Obama re-election team is organizing around Obama's third State of the Union speech, on social media and with house parties across the country. On Wednesday, Obama flies to battleground states to underscore the themes of his speech, visiting in three days five battleground states: Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan.

The travel schedule alone feeds into Republican complaints that the trips are more political than governmental in nature. At this stage, it is harder to make clear distinctions.

In ripping Obama, Romney taunted his slogans.

"He keeps telling people, "We can't wait." To which I say, "Yes, we can."

"Tonight, the President will deliver his State of the Union. But make no mistake: What he's really offering are partisan planks for his re-election campaign.

"The President has been telling people that his agenda will create an economy that's "built to last."

"Well, let's talk about what has lasted.

"What has lasted is unemployment above 8% for 35 straight months. What will last is almost as much debt in four years as all the prior presidents combined. What will last are home values that are too low and foreclosure rates that are too high. And a legacy of debt that will imperil future generations.

"What is critical is that we make today Barack Obama's last State of the Union.

"The President's agenda sounds less like "built to last" and more like doomed to fail. What he's proposing is more of the same: more taxes, more spending, and more regulation. And all of his proposals involve "big" government and "big" price tags.

"Tonight, we'll also be treated to more divisive rhetoric from a desperate campaigner-in-chief. It's shameful for a President to use the State of the Union to divide our nation. And someone ought to tell him: In order for the economy to truly "work for everyone," everyone needs to be working," Romney said.

White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe, Obama's 2008 campaign manager, made the rounds of the morning shows to amplify the "Built to Last" theme.

On NBC's "Today Show," Plouffe said, "the president is going to lay out tonight, at this make-or-break moment for the middle class here in America, how do we build an economy that's built to last? We saw what happened when we had an economy that was built on bubbles and fraud and, you know, phony financial instruments. We need an economy that's built on American manufacturing, American energy, developing the skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

So we've had obviously a terrible recession, only rivaled by the Great Depression. We've had over 3 million jobs over the last 22 months -- the manufacturing sector creating jobs for the first time since the `90s; auto industry coming back. So there's some good news out there. But the economy is far too weak. The hole was very deep.

So we've got to really dig in here and determine what kind of economy and kind of America do we want? And we want an economy that's based on everyone doing their fair share, everyone getting a fair shake, and everybody playing by the same set of rules."

WASHINGTON--Karl Rove headlines an Illinois GOP fund-raising lunch Tuesday in Chicago, and the Tammy Duckworth Democratic House campaign is trying to raise money off the event, a classic political fund-raising turn.

Rove has become a more powerful force in politics because of a SuperPac he is associated with--Crossroads GPS. He speaks at the Chicago Club, 81 E. Van Buren.

Duckworth, running in the 8th congressional district, is locked in a primary battle with Raja Krishnamoorthi. The winner will take on Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) in a race that has been targeted by the Democrats for a turnover.

Josh Levin, Duckworth's campaign manager said in an e-mail appeal, "Karl Rove is coming to town. He's headlining a fundraiser tomorrow for the Illinois Republican Party. Tickets will start at $2,500 and the event is expected to raise nearly half a million dollars--all to benefit Illinois Republicans in tough races, including Joe Walsh.

We have to fight back. Will you contribute $10 to stop the Republican money machine from outspending us in November?"

WASHINGTON--After taking a beating, on Tuesday the Romney campaign released tax returns for 2010 and estimates for 2011. The returns are for Mitt Romney and his wife and their foundations and trusts. The main link to read the pdf's for yourself is HERE

Newt Gingrich's work for Freddie Mac has been an issue in the NBC GOP debate Monday night. (I am following the debate on Twitter: @lynnsweet

Read his 15-page agreement between his consulting group and Freddie Mac here.. freddiemacagreement.pdf

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) was at the famed Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago the night before he suffered a stroke on Saturday. On Monday, Kirk underwent surgery; his recovery is expected to take months. Sun-Times political writer Abdon M. Pallasch was there and has the story.

WASHINGTON--GOP White House hopeful Rep. Ron Paul hopeful stepped up his criticism of the Transportation Security Administration after his son, Sen. Rand Paul was not allowed on an airplane Monday after he refused to be patted down after an alarm went off went he went through a screening maching.

"The police state in this country is growing out of control. One of the ultimate embodiments of this is the TSA that gropes and grabs our children, our seniors, and our loved ones and neighbors with disabilities. The TSA does all of this while doing nothing to keep us safe," Paul said in a statement.

"That is why my 'Plan to Restore America,' in additional to cutting $1 trillion dollars in federal spending in one year, eliminates the TSA.

"We must restore the freedom and respect for liberty that once made American the greatest nation in human history. I am deeply committed to doing that as President of the United States."

WASHINGTON--Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is recovering from a stroke at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after surgery on Monday. He was stricken on Saturday.

On Saturday, Kirk, 52, drove himself to Lake Forest Hospital and was transferred to Northwestern for tests that revealed he suffered an ischemeic stroke, his office said in a statement.

His Monday surgery was to relieve swelling around his brain.

At Lake Forest, "doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck. He was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where further tests revealed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke. Early this morning the Senator underwent surgery to relieve swelling around his brain stemming from the stroke. The surgery was successful. Due to his young age, good health and the nature of the stroke, doctors are very confident in the Senator's recovery over the weeks ahead," the statement said.

Doctors discussed his condition at an 11:30 a.m. cst press conference at Northwestern.

Kirk was sworn in as senator on Nov. 29, 2010, to fill the weeks remaining in President Barack Obama's Illinois senate term. Kirk moved to the Senate after an election battle with then Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. Kirk, a Highland Park resident, served five terms in the House--first elected in 2000--before moving to the Senate. Kirk is also a Navy Reserve officer.

According to the National Institute of Health, "Ischemic strokes may be caused by clogged arteries. Fat, cholesterol, and other substances collect on the artery walls, forming a sticky substance called plaque."

Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) said in a statement, "Senator Kirk is one of Illinois' most dedicated and hard-working champions, and it's hard to imagine that anything could slow him down for long. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, staff, and friends right now. All of us in the delegation are pulling for his full and speedy recovery. Senator Kirk is a fighter, and I am confident he will battle through this."

GOP White House hopeful Mitt Romney said in a statement, ""I am extremely distressed by the news that my friend Mark Kirk is hospitalized for emergency medical treatment. I wish him a speedy recovery and a swift return to the U.S. Senate chamber, so he can continue his important work for the people of Illinois and all the people of the United States." Kirk endorsed Romney

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a statement, "I was stunned to learn that Mark suffered a stroke. He is young and in good physical condition and I have no doubt he will make a speedy recovery. I have reached out to his staff and offered to do anything I can to help with his Senate duties. Loretta and I will keep Mark and his family in our prayers."

Rep. Bob Dold (R-Ill.) said in a statement, "Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Kirk and his family today. I would like to thank the medical professionals for their excellent work and their immediate actions to care for the Senator. Danielle and I join with all the people of the 10th district and across the country in wishing the Senator a full and speedy recovery."

Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said on her Twitter, "Sending all of our best wishes to HP resident US Senator Mark Kirk for a speedy recovery."

Also on Twitter, Sen. John McCain said that his "thoughts and prayers" are with his colleague and wished him "a speedy recovery."

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said in a statement, "Like anyone who knows Senator Kirk, I am stunned and saddened to hear about his recent stroke. But if there is one thing I have learned about Mark over the years, it's that he is a fighter and relentless in his efforts to accomplish a goal. Those attributes will serve him well in working toward a rapid recovery. My thoughts and prayers are with him."

Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) said in a statement, ""Like anyone who knows Senator Kirk, I am stunned and saddened to hear about his recent stroke. But if there is one thing I have learned about Mark over the years, it's that he is a fighter and relentless in his efforts to accomplish a goal. Those attributes will serve him well in working toward a rapid recovery. My thoughts and prayers are with him."

I discussed my column on Newt Gingrich and Saul Alinsky this morning on "The Takeaway" with John Hockenberry. I was joined by Alinsky biographer Sanford Horwitt.

WASHINGTON--A year ago, a gunman on a rampage at an Arizona grocery store killed six people and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) Giffords is going to resign this week to spend more time on her recovery; before she goes she will attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

Her video script:

"I'm getting better. Every day, my spirit is high," said Giffords. "I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country. Thank you very much."

Two debates before the vote played an important role in Newt Gingrich winning the South Carolina primary on Saturday. Will upcoming two be critical in Florida? Early voting in Flordai has already begun.

Expecting boxing gloves on: With the Florida primary on Jan. 31, the GOP presidential candidates debate again, 9 p.m. Monday on NBC from the University of South Florida in Tampa. On Thursday the quartet meets again in Jacksonville, for a CNN debate from the University of North Florida.

WASHINGTON -- GOP White House hopeful Newt Gingrich constantly -- the latest time on Sunday -- invokes the name of the late Saul Alinsky -- a Chicago native -- when he wants to assert that President Barack Obama is a "radical."

Gingrich, a historian, demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the work of Alinsky, a legendary community organizer in Chicago's Woodlawn and Back of the Yard neighborhoods and beyond.

With his anti-elitist, anti-establishment populist rhetoric--on display Saturday night in his South Carolina victory speech in which he slammed "elites" in Washington and New York -- Gingrich seems as if he is taking a page from the Alinsky playbook.

"Newt's anti-elitism is so much what Alinsky really was about," Alinsky biographer Sanford D. Horwitt told me Sunday. "Alinsky was about organizing ordinary people so they could get a seat at the table rather than getting crumbs or no crumbs at all when public policies were decided," said Horwitt, the author of Let Them Call Me Rebel: Saul Alinsky: His Life and Legacy.

Alinsky was born in Chicago on Jan. 30, 1909; he lived around Maxwell Street until his family moved to North Lawndale when he was 6. He attended Marshall High School and the University of Chicago. He lived most of his life in Hyde Park. He died on June 12, 1972, in Carmel, Calif.

Horwitt has a Google alert for Alinsky, so it's easy to track how he has become a lightning rod for the right. About 15 to 20 times a day, the "overwhelming majority" of those alerts equate Alinsky with socialism, anti-capitalism and the Obama White House, Horwitt said. "And that has not let up since Obama was elected."

Alinsky's name first surfaced in the 2008 presidential race when Obama was battling Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Clinton, who grew up in Park Ridge, wrote her Wellesley senior thesis on the "Alinsky model" of organizing.

Alinsky's work indirectly touched generations of activists, including Obama, who came to Chicago to become a community organizer.

The demonization of Alinsky started as 2008 GOP nominee John McCain, his running mate, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani and other Republicans invoked his name -- along with Bill Ayers -- to give voters the impression that Obama was allied with terrorists, socialists or worse.

On CNN Sunday, Gingrich said, "One of the reasons I think people in South Carolina voted for me was the belief that I could debate Obama head-to-head, that I could convey conservative values and that I could in an articulate way explain what American exceptionalism was all about and why the values that he believes in, the Saul Alinsky radicalism that is at the heart of Obama, are a disaster."

Horwitt, who obtained Alinsky's FBI files when he researched his book, said "Alinsky was emphatically not a Marxist, he was not a Communist ever. He was a true American populist. And here is a bit of an irony. I think that Newt right now, some of Newt's strongest appeal is his populism."

Gingrich's victory speech, in which he "went after elites in Washington and New York . . . really has a lot of currency, and I think it does not just have currency among Republican primary voters but also on the left," Horwitt said.

". . . Alinsky had no interest in replacing the basic system in this country, political or economic. What he loved about this country is you had the freedom to change a lot of the rules, meaning that you could get a seat at the table for low-income people or even middle-class people," Horwitt said.

In Chicago, Alinsky's flamboyant tactics fighting slumlords and bad schools drew attention. But he operated with important support, even as he battled with the first Mayor Daley. Horwitt points out that Alinsky started his Industrial Areas Foundation in 1940 with a $10,000 grant from Marshall Field III and was backed by two Chicago cardinals -- Samuel Stritch and Albert Meyer.

And what would Alinsky make of the Tea Party movement? Said Horwitt, "I think that Alinsky and some of the Tea Party people really would have common ground."