(CNN)-It's early, and State of the Union is bringing you the best of the morning headlines to go with your cup of coffee.
On our radar this morning: The latest polling out of Iowa, Ron Paul wins another straw poll, and President Obama's campaign hurdles.
Check out what we're reading, and be sure to watch our exclusive interview with Obama senior campaign strategist David Axelrod and our interview with Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul.
2012 CAMPAIGN
Herman Cain, Mitt Romney lead new Iowa Poll
Ron Paul wins both tallies at GOP straw poll in Iowa
Ron Paul has won two separate tallies for the National Federation of Republican Assemblies Presidential Straw Poll.
Obama's demographic support may not weather economy
To win, Obama needs big margins among his two core groups, minorities and college-educated white professionals, plus a reasonable share of whites without college degrees — the working-class voters who formed the bedrock of the Democratic majority in the 20th century, but who now tend to vote Republican.
Right now, he's in danger on both sides of that equation.
Obama's Swing-State Cash Problem
In both Florida and Nevada, Romney nearly doubled the president’s haul, despite a crowded field of Republican candidates who are also vacuuming up donations. Romney also boasts bigger totals in both Colorado and Michigan, where he’s so far beaten the president by $30,000 and $400,000, respectively.
Ending speculation, Perry will debate
THE ECONOMY
The debt fallout: How Social Security went ‘cash negative’ earlier than expected
In his February budget request, Obama ignored the Social Security blueprint put forth by his own bipartisan panel on debt reduction. During this summer’s debt-limit showdown, he endorsed the panel’s proposal to tie future benefits to a less-generous inflation index. But Obama took that idea off the table in September when he submitted recommendations to a special debt-reduction “supercommittee” now at work on Capitol Hill. Until recently, members of the supercommittee said, Social Security had rarely come up in their closed deliberations.
IN OTHER NEWS…
3 dead, over 2 million without power as snowstorm slams Northeast, Mid-Atlantic
Assad: challenge Syria at your peril
"Syria is the hub now in this region. It is the fault line, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake … Do you want to see another Afghanistan, or tens of Afghanistans?"
U.S. Is Planning Buildup in Gulf After Iraq Exit
The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran.
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Is the presidential race over CNN? Have you already called it for big money? Did Mittens already win? We know Mittsy is raking in the money because teabaggers, teavangelicals, billionaires. big corporations, and big oil, like someone who has no backbone, and will not stand up to them. As a person, Mr. Flip-Flop, is the only candidate who apparently has no beliefs or core values.
Why are voters embracing the GOP? Apparently seniors want someone who is willing to take away their social security and medicare. Veterans want someone who will take away their benefits. Middle class and poor support the GOP because they want to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, unfunded wars, tax breaks for big oil, and sending jobs overseas. Teavangelicals want someone who can finally treat women like the Taliban treat women.
when Hindu, Piyush Zindal, and Hindu Namratha Radava Hailey become governors of LA, SC idiotic states, and most impoverished states, why not Mormon become POTUS? what a shame. Perry is an idiot. known fact. factum valet.
Media highlighting all the good news about Romney, their games is on now sorry tea party is not buying that.
I don’t think Romney will win the south
Wire palladin...if 'big money' wins the election then the s'n'f bagman for the chicago hoods gets four more. The 'man' has sold himself to more people then a cw has in her lifetime.
@fred ca – The Kochs and the turd blossom Rove will spend over a half of a billion dollars to defeat President Obama. That does not even count the money Bank of America, Wall Street, Big Oil, and foreign corporations are tossing in.
Wire Palladin, S. F.
Why are voters embracing the GOP?...
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They started in 2010 because of the spectacular failures of the Obama/ Pelosi/ Reid Washington Political Machine. They took a difficult situation in 2008 and turned it into a downward spiral accelerating with huge overspending on partisan programs, none of which even met their own goals. Washington became a dysfunctional mess under Obama's lack of leadership.
But then after 2010 elections, Americans saw real leadership based on a mandate directly from the American voters and very quickly we saw promises turn into results. The 2011 federal budget set forth by Obama was reduced by $100 billion. The debt ceiling increase was accompanied by bipartisan efforts to make a serious effort to control federal government spending against the wishes of Obama and Harry Reid. We see progress from the Republicans. They have earned the landslide they will enjoy in 2012.
And the chosen one and his buddies on wall street and the lobby industry have stated they will raise and spend over a billion dollars...and that does not count their outside pacs and unions.