memeorandum: STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY (CNN)

11:25 PM ET, January 8, 2012

Top Items:

Romney: Politics For The Rich — His father told him he shouldn't go into politics if he had a mortgage to pay. Most people have mortgages to pay. — (Reuters / JIM BOURG) — Mitt Romney suggested in today's debate that only rich people should run for office, and then quickly celebrated …

Discussion: Politics, PERRspectives, Hullabaloo, The New Republic, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Little Green Footballs, Taegan Goddard's … and ThinkProgress

Buzzfeed Politics / Politics:

Romney's Inexplicable Debate Fibs — Why not just tell the truth? The odd, small shadings of truth were the talk of the spin room in Concord after Sunday's debate. — (AP / Elise Amendola) — CONCORD, New Hampshire — Mitt Romney's generally strong debate performance was marred …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Mahablog and Power Line

ABCNEWS:

Mitt Romney Says He Feared Getting ‘Fired’ — ABC News' Russell Goldman and Michael Falcone report: — ROCHESTER, N.H. — Mitt Romney attempted his own version of an “I-feel-your-pain” moment at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Sunday, telling a crowd that like so many Americans he too has worried about getting fired.

Discussion: Riehl World View

Meghashyam Mali / Ballot Box:

Romney tells voters he knows what it's like to fear getting a ‘pink slip’ — Mitt Romney, attacked by GOP rivals, for his private sector experience with Bain Capital told New Hampshire voters Sunday that he knew what it was like to fear losing one's job. — “I know these are tough times …

Discussion: The Politico

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Romney: elected office is for the rich

Discussion: The Reaction, Booman Tribune and No More Mister Nice Blog

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com: TPM2012 — Mitt Romney: Don't Run For Office If You Need The Salary

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Romney holding steady in NH — Mitt Romney continues to be headed for a comfortable win in New Hampshire. PPP's final poll there finds him with 35% to 18% for Ron Paul, 16% for Jon Huntsman, 12% for Newt Gingrich, 11% for Rick Santorum, 3% for Buddy Roemer, and 1% for Rick Perry.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Robert Walker / The Huffington Post:

Santorum and the ‘Anti-contraception’ Conservatives — If the current GOP presidential primary campaign is remembered for nothing else, it will be known for the meteoric rise of the “anti-contraception conservatives.” — The Republican leadership has been anti-abortion since time immemorial …

Discussion: Washington Post

New York Times:
Pro-Gingrich PAC Details Ads Against Romney's Bain Role

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Caucus, LewRockwell.com Blog, ABCNEWS, Hot Air and Hullabaloo

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
Stephanopoulos struggles with fairness during NH debate

Discussion: Campaign 2012, Wizbang, Wake up America, bustardblog, The Gateway Pundit, Los Angeles Times, Doug Ross, NO QUARTER, Mediaite, RedState, The Lonely Conservative and Instapundit

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
2012 ABC/Yahoo!/WMUR New Hampshire GOP primary debate (Transcript)

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, US Politics, Crooks and Liars, Washington Monthly, Althouse and Campaign 2012

ABCNEWS:
Anti-Romney Movie Attacks to Bain Career

Discussion: NewsHounds blog, Mediaite, TomDispatch and The Gateway Pundit

ABCNEWS:
Why Mitt Romney Didn't Get Attacked In Saturday Night's Debate

Discussion: Campaign 2012, Hot Air, msnbc.com, Connecting.the.Dots, The Daily Caller, American Spectator, Taylor Marsh, The Other McCain, Outside the Beltway, Ballot Box and New York Times

James V. Grimaldi / Washington Post:
Billionaire Adelson gives millions to Gingrich Super PAC

Discussion: Hot Air, Capital New York, Crooks and Liars, The Daily Caller, The Moderate Voice and The Politico

Gautham Nagesh / Ballot Box:
GOP debate: Gingrich, Romney trade barbs over super-PAC ads

Discussion: The Politico, CBS News and ThinkProgress

Michael O'Brien / msnbc.com: Romney faces fire at NBC News-Facebook debate

Joseph W. McQuaid / unionleader.com:
Crisis for America — This newspaper has endorsed Newt Gingrich …

Discussion: New York Times and The Page

New York Post:

White House threw secret ‘Alice in Wonderland’ bash during recession — It was the tea party the Obamas just couldn't resist. — A White House “Alice in Wonderland” costume ball — put on by Johnny Depp and Hollywood director Tim Burton — proved to be a Mad-as-a-Hatter idea that was never …

Discussion: Verum Serum, Don Surber, Weasel Zippers, Atlas Shrugs, Doug Ross, New York Magazine and The Lonely Conservative

Alex Spillius / Telegraph:

White House ‘covered up’ Tim Burton-staged Alice in Wonderland Halloween party — The White House covered up an Alice in Wonderland-themed Halloween party staged by film director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp for fear of creating the wrong impression during a recession, a new book on the Obamas has claimed.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Carol E. Lee / Washington Wire: New Book Portrays Explosive White House Dynamics

David Eldridge / Washington Times:

Ex-Times Editorial Page Editor Tony Blankley dead at 63 — Tony Blankley, a noted conservative author and commentator and former editorial page editor of The Washington Times, died Sunday morning, according to family sources. He was 63 and had been battling stomach cancer.

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Sundries Shack, NewsBusters.org, The Daily Caller, The Other McCain and Outside the Beltway

Gschwarzcnn / CNN: Tony Blankley, conservative author, dies at 63

Kevinliptak / CNN:

TRENDING: Christie takes on protesters chanting at Romney rally — Exeter, New Hampshire (CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fired back at protesters at a rally Sunday for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. — The brash Republican governor …

Discussion: The Politico

Katrina Trinko / National Review:
Christie Squares Off with Occupiers at Romney Rally

Discussion: Washington Post, Ed Driscoll and Nice Deb

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Black Man Confronts Gingrich On Food Stamps Comments: ‘Stop Using Blacks As A Punching Bag’ — MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich defended himself today against charges of racial insensitivity by noting that he's worked with African-American leaders in the past.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Angry Black Lady Chronicles

CNN:

STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY — Interview with Jon Huntsman; Interview with Bob Walker, John Sununu; Interview with Nancy Pelosi — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — CANDY CROWLEY, HOST: Good morning from New Hampshire.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Pelosi: Obama right to run against Congress

Discussion: Hot Air

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPM2012 — Carl Paladino Trash-Talks The Entire GOP Field (Except Newt) — MANCHESTER, NH — Ron Paul's about to “get on the mother-ship and go back to the mother planet,” Rick Perry's going nowhere unless it's to “hang around the shooting range,” and Jon Huntsman clearly loves the Chinese so much he “should move to China.”

Discussion: Capital New York, The Politico and No More Mister Nice Blog