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By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, aburns@politico.com )


SCORE EXCLUSIVE - O'MALLEY'S MARCH TO RICHMOND - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is poised to deliver his first major address as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, a speech he'll use to unveil his vision for Democratic leadership in the states. Speaking to the Virginia Democratic Party's Saturday Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, O'Malley will call on governors to balance spending restraint with investments in education and infrastructure. And he'll accuse Republican governors of having a single-minded focus on slashing government services. "The other side would have you believe ... that we can somehow just cut our way to a better future," O'Malley will say, according to his prepared remarks. "Friends, that type of tea party is more Alice in Wonderland than Sam Adams ... We're not somehow being clever by failing to invest in high-speed rail, while they use out money to build it in China. We're not doing ourselves any favors by neglecting public education. We're better than that."


MORE - GOING NATIONAL: O'Malley, the 48-year-old former mayor of Baltimore, will defend the Democratic Party's deficit-hawk credentials, calling Republicans "late to the party" on balancing the federal budget. He'll also call for an approach to government that goes beyond fiscal austerity. "We all say we must cut. ... But you and I know that to make this new economy ours, we must be strategic in how we do it," O'Malley plans to say. "Creating jobs and expanding opportunity is not only about the spending we cut, it's about the progress we protect. It's not only about today's budget math, it is about giving our children the opportunities they will need to win the future." The speech is only the beginning of O'Malley's rollout as a messenger for Democratic governors: In the coming months, he'll be stepping up his out-of-state travel and taking an even more vocal role in national debates.


As Richard Lugar pulls an Eisenhower, Brad Miller plans ahead and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin hears the call of K Street, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.


FRIDAY STANDINGS - BETTER OFF NOW? The White House budget rollout is over. The fight over a national spending plan has just begun. The New Hampshire primary, meanwhile, is less than a year away. Here's how Morning Score thinks some of the week's highest-profile politicians should answer the question: Are you better off now than you were seven days ago?


BETTER OFF: (1) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose command performance at the American Enterprise Institute makes him an almost painfully obvious choice for this category; he'll stay at the top of Republican 2012 wish lists until another presidential nominee is chosen; (2) Florida Rep. Tom Rooney, a previously obscure junior Republican, who put himself on the political map when he played a pivotal role in cutting back funding to the Joint Strike Fighter project; (3) DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, who must feel like the prettiest girl at the dance as a host of state and national Democrats - including the president of the United States - talk up his prospects in the Virginia Senate race.


WORSE OFF: (1) Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, whose national aspirations take a real hit every time he fumbles over his home state's racial politics, as Barbour did this week when he declined to condemn an effort to create license plates commemorating the founder of the KKK; (2) Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley, whose dream of running against Republican Sen. John Ensign dimmed a bit when Rep. Dean Heller moved toward a GOP primary challenge - potentially depriving Berkley of the opponent she wanted; (3) Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who had barely recovered from his last foot-in-mouth incident (telling black Democratic lawmaker, "I don't need your people" in the governor's office) before getting caught on camera describing a police officer who pulled him over as an "idiot." Three times.


KAINE WATCH - KEEP WAITING: The former Virginia governor won't announce his plans for the 2012 cycle when he attends the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner this weekend. The Times-Dispatch had the news first: "Brad Woodhouse, communications director for the DNC, said that Kaine will discuss the vacancy at Saturday's Jefferson-Jackson Democratic fundraiser in Richmond and thank the many supporters who have encouraged him to run. Then he will take more time to consult with his wife and family. ... Woodhouse said it is important that people know that Kaine's decision is 'a personal decision,' and said the governor 'won't drag it out interminably.'" http://bit.ly/gSuQS2


THE 2012 SCORE - NORTH (SHORE) TO THE FUTURE: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told a Long Island business group yesterday that if she runs for president, she'll be a boots-on-the group campaigner who personally courts "people in the diners, shaking hands." POLITICO's Maggie Haberman: "Palin flirted openly with running for president on Thursday, saying there's 'no one' more qualified for White House multi-tasking than 'a woman, a mom' ... Before the crowd of about 1,000, Palin lamented her low poll numbers, sounding almost wistful when asked about them before declaring, 'They are what they are.'" The New York Times's Jeff Zeleny: "No, she did not say whether she intended to upend the Republican race for president with a campaign of her own. And, no, she did not say when she would answer the question that has kept other prospective candidates in suspense. But she did suggest that the presumed candidates for 2012 might not have the intensity that voters are demanding. And, she said, her decision could come sooner rather than later." http://politi.co/gc41ni and http://nyti.ms/hLUDFD


MITCH-MENTUM: Rich Lowry isn't the only one who thinks Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is the closest thing to Jeb Bush Republicans will get on the ballot next year. So does Jeb Bush, reports the Times-Union's Abel Harding: "The former Florida governor told a private gathering of Jacksonville business leaders that Daniels is the only potential candidate he's heard who demonstrates a willingness to face up to harsh realities. 'Mitch is the only one who sees the stark perils and will offer real detailed proposals,' he said ... 'He would be the anti-Obama, at least socially,' Bush said. 'He's not good on a teleprompter, but if my theory is right that could work well for him.'" http://bit.ly/hSm5qm


LUGAR DINGS THUNE - NOT SINCE IKE AND NIXON - Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar told the Washington Post he couldn't recall an occasion when South Dakota Sen. John Thune has taken point on an individual policy issue. Lugar's comments come in the middle of a 2,289-word story that attempts to answer the question: "Why does a guy like John Thune think he could be president of the United States?" From the story: "Thune chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee, the No. 4 leadership position, and presides over the GOP senators' private lunches every Tuesday. Sen. Richard G. Lugar (Ind.), the most senior Republican senator, said Thune plays his role 'with grace and diplomacy.' But when asked whether he has shown leadership on a specific policy issue, Lugar said: 'I've not observed that.'" http://wapo.st/dUhbQG Flashback: http://bit.ly/h8fQZc


MORE FROM THE STORY - MONEY QUOTE: "'He's kind of an enigma,' said a former senior GOP leadership aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share observations candidly. 'When you hear senators or chiefs [of staff] talking about Thune, it's always with a little bit of puzzlement. Is he an empty suit? Or does he really have his eye on the ball? Nobody's really sure. They just keep watching him.'" http://wapo.st/dUhbQG


ANGLE RAISING IN N.H. - Former Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle may not be running for president, but next Friday she'll help raise money for an influential Granite State group aligned with the tea party. Angle's already planning to be in New Hampshire for a screening of "The Genesis Code," a movie about science and religion that's being heavily promoted in early primary states. While she's in town, Angle will appear at a low-dollar fundraising reception for the New Hampshire Liberty Caucus, according to an e-mail invitation shared with Morning Score. From the pitch: "Sharron Angle has never shied from a fight. She is best known on the national scene for her courageous run for US Senate against public enemy #1-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. ... However, she also has long been working to protect the interests of constitutional government."


THE HOUSE CAMPAIGN - "Pols grease state lawmakers' palms" - POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt: "Even as they spent furiously on their 2010 campaigns, House Democrats and Republicans were quietly doling out cash in preparation for their next battle for survival: the upcoming round of redistricting. ... In 2008, [North Carolina Rep. Brad] Miller contributed just $250 to the North Carolina House Democratic Committee in Raleigh. In October, however, Miller sent $10,000 to that committee and $14,000 to the coffers of the state Senate campaign counterpart. ... Another frequent donor last year was Michigan Rep. Sander Levin ... Levin, who under one scenario could see his southeastern Michigan-based district merged with that of neighboring Democratic Rep. Gary Peters, cut a $20,000 check to the Michigan House Democratic Fund - a contribution he did not make in 2008." http://politi.co/fOvXvy


SO MUCH FOR THAT: Just a day after the DCCC touted former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin as a potential comeback candidate for 2012, Roll Call reported that the ex-lawmaker may be close to joining a Washington DC law firm. The Rapid City Journal has more: "Rick Frank of Olsson Frank Weeda said Thursday that he is trying to attract Herseth Sandlin to his firm. 'We are in discussions with Ms. Herseth Sandlin' ... Frank said. 'There has been no final agreement reached yet. I'd say we're close.' .... Herseth Sandlin did not return several calls Thursday. Olsson Frank Weeda is a 32-year-old firm that does legal and lobbying work." http://bit.ly/ihqOzX and http://bit.ly/hYn59U


BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT - WHAT TEXAS LOOKS LIKE: Texas is a more populous, more suburban and more Hispanic state than it was 10 years ago, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday. The Dallas Morning News: "From 2000 to 2010, Texas grew more than at any point in its history, by more than 4.5 million people. ... [R]oughly 90 percent of the state's growth came in four areas: Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston, the Austin-San Antonio corridor and the lower Rio Grande Valley. The numbers reflect a couple of significant shifts in the state's population. Roughly two-thirds of that growth is Hispanic, with the group now making up 38 percent of the population, up from 32 percent in 2000. ... In many ways, though, 2010 was the Suburban Census, with the push of people from major cities enveloping small towns that were surrounded by square miles of mostly empty land just 10 years ago." http://bit.ly/f45w4n


CHICAGO BULLETIN - DALEY DEFENDS EMANUEL: Outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley interceded in the race to succeed him Thursday, condemning a union leader's description of Rahm Emanuel as a "Wall Street Judas." The Sun-Times: "The remarks were made by a union leader who has endorsed Gery Chico, Daley's former chief of staff and one-time president of the school, park district and City Colleges board. 'Everybody should refute it. It's a disgrace. ... It's wrong for a campaign. Win on the issue and not on the ethnic origin or the religious [background] of anyone. Do not take that point. That lowers the campaign for the city of Chicago. It's a disgrace,' the mayor said." http://bit.ly/fzWTku


CODA - THE PUNCH LINE - "In a prepared statement Thursday, [Jim] Sweeney insisted that his remarks about Emanuel were 'in no way intended as anti-Semitic' and 'solely intended to liken him to one of the great traitors in history.'" http://bit.ly/fzWTku

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