Everyday we ask influential politicos to send us their top three bullet points that are driving the day's conversation in and outside Washington.

Happy Monday all, as we gear up for the State of the Union Address and begin to get a better sense of just how the new divided Washington will play out. The “prom night” seating arrangements make for nice symbolism, and maybe will lead to some progress erasing the trust deficit between Democrats and Republicans here in Washington. But don’t let the cozier atmospherics blind you to the giant challenges ahead. President Obama will call for spending discipline but in the same speech call for some targeted spending increases – investments is his label for those. The GOP enters this negotiation saying no, that it wants cuts across the board. The House GOP has the votes to hold firm there, which makes the Senate – quiet so far these early days of the new Congress – the test market for who will ultimately get leverage heading into big spending negotiations down the road.

On to Erick and Mario:
Erick makes note of the annual anti-abortion march here in DC. It’s an important event for the movement, but the most interesting debates on the abortion issue this year will be in the states. He shouldn’t hold his breath though, about his No. 2; White House officials tell us the speech will contain a robust defense of the health care law, and the administration today is touting what it calls major advances fighting fraud. And Erick ends with a reminder the GOP soul searching continues. Erick backs a tea party activist over the comeback bid of former GOP Sen. George Allen.
Mario begins with another big issue in the states – Colorado among those where conservatives want to copy the Arizona approach to immigration. Amid more optimistic talk about the economy, his No. 2 reminds us housing is a lingering soft spot. And Mario sees irony, or worse, in his final point today.

Enjoy the day, and the week. – John King

Talk Show Host and Online Editor of MyLatinoNews.com Mario Solis-Marich:

– State of the State: Colorado State GOP’s effort to gather votes to pass an anti-immigrant Arizona 1070 copy cat bill is making their local business community nervous.

– State of the Union: As the American middle class braces for a titanic foreclosure iceberg the Congress is rearranging the deck chairs.

– State of Confusion: The same folks who have been saying that hate speech is not to blame for violence are about to blame teen pregnancy on MTV.

RedState.Com Editor Erick-Woods Erickson:

– Pro-lifers march on Washington. The gruesomeness of the doctor in Pennsylvania continues opening eyes to the legalization of child killing.

– White House aides suggest the President will push for entitlement reform. Independents and conservatives will not take him seriously unless he will address the costs of Obamacare.

– Former Senator George Allen will announce his intention to seek his old Senate seat. He will get no easy pass in the Virginia primary.