you can see much more of his special series only here on cnn. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." "erin burnett out front" starts right now. new tonight, hillary clinton comes out swinging against donald trump. cruz rising. the conservative darling raking in the cash. who exactly is funding his campaign? an out front investigation. in her own words. we are hearing from the woman who drove her car into dozens of people on the las vegas strip, her toddler in the car with her. why did she do it? let's go "out front." good evening, i'm erin brunt "out front" tonight, clinton slamming trump, telling supporters in iowa that donald trump does not deserve to be

president. >> we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. >> clinton's attack coming less than 24 hours after trump used a vulgar word to describe how barack obama beat hillary clinton in the 2008 race. tonight at a rally in iowa, clinton says she's not bothered. plenty of bad things have been said about her and she tripled down on her claim that isis is using trump to recruit terrorists. >> you look at what is being blasted out with video of mr. trump being translated into arabic, no muslims coming to the united states, other kinds of derogatory, defamatory statements, it is playing into the hands of the violent jihadists. >> this is a the latest national poll shows trump holding on to his lead in the gop. four points ahead of ted cruz. that is within the margin of error. much more on that in a moment.

we begin with jeff "out front" tonight. people are asking, what has this come to? >> just when we think we heard it all, the old rules of acceptable political discourse seem to be out the window here. hillary clinton fired back in her far more subtle way. >> you are looking at somebody who had a lot of terrible things said about me. luckily, i'm old enough it doesn't particularly bother me. >> a not so subtle dig at donald trump. after a young girl asked hillary clinton about bullying. >> we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency. >> reporter: when you thought politics couldn't sink lower, trump went there, talking about clinton's 2008 defeat to barack obama. >> how does it get worse? she was favored to win. she got sclonged, she lost. >> a yiddish that means -- you

guessed it. >> i know where she went. it's disgusting. >> reporter: he's talking about this moment when clinton went missing for a few moments at the democratic debate. when she returned, she had only one word to say. >> sorry. >> how do you respond to donald trump's comments? >> reporter: clinton refused to answer questions about trump's remarks, her campaign seized on his comments as a rallying cry for women. we are not responding to trump, but everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should. for trump, it's just the latest volley in a campaign filled with vulgarities, none of which has tarnished his popularity. first, he went after fox news anchor megyn kelly. >> you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her, wherever. >> reporter: republican rival

carly fiorina. in a "rolling stones" story, trump said, look at that face. would anyone vote for that? can you imagine that? the face of our next president? clinton is trump's favorite target. >> she is playing the woman card up. that's all she has. honestly, outside the woman's card, she's got nothing going. believe me. >> reporter: a sentiment jeb bush took further today. >> she's great at being the victim. this will enhance her victimology status. this is what she loves doing. >> reporter: bottom line, it's good politics for republicans to say anything negative about hillary clinton. jeb bush is clearly trying to get into the game here. you can bet the word "victim" fires up all the democrats. >> thank you very much, jeff. trump supporter jeffrey lord who served as political director for ronald reagan, and penny nance, ceo of conservative group concerned women for america and

david gergen who served as advisor to four presidents including reagan and clinton. were trump's comments inappropriate or not? >> i learned a new word. it is quite a feat considering my age and i have kids. i thought that was interesting. i think we've got to think about his electability. we have republicans have to carry women. women carried every presidential election since 1964 where the majority of general election voters hope the republicans will think clearly and thoughtfully when they go into the voting room booth who they cast their vote for and if they can win in a general. >> jeff, you heard in the piece there comments trump made about carly fiorina, megyn kelly and others. women made up more than half the vote in the last election, 53%. among women clinton gets 54%, trump gets 33%?

>> when you get to the election itself in november, people make their choices based on a lot of things, the economy is first and foremost always. secondarily is foreign affairs. in this case, isis, et cetera. that goes for women. evangelicals across the board. all these folks are not to be pigeon holed into one category or another. by the time you get to an election, there is a choice to be made. i would say this also. there is a history of this in american history. william f. buckley once said of harry trueman he was the nation's most conspicuous bolgarian. we've been down this path before. it didn't hurt the nominee, it didn't hurt lincoln or harry truman. >> to that point, david gergen,

let me take the other side of the woman coin here. trump supporters split evenly 27% women, 30% minimum. that's even. ted cruz 29% men, 19% women. if you look at it from this poll, donald trump doesn't seem to have a problem with women at all. is it possible many see him talking like a regular person? he uses vulgarity, so what? >> let's go back a little history. harry truman was vulgar so was abraham lincoln. i have the privilege knowing eight presidents. all used profanities at time. they used them in private. they didn't say things like this in public. they didn't want to demean the office. it's sad jeb has to defend this. donald trump ought to can it. >> jeff? >> well, david, i know one of those presidents was not

lincoln. i'm kidding you here. let me make just sort of a -- >> comes close. harding. >> let me make an observation about the culture. where we are all aware of the comment selkes on socion socia s comment selkes on sociections o media. i'm always astounded. they are frequently vulgar. they are off the charts sometimes. i'm wondering if this is not sort of in the culture for movies and television and all this kind of thing. >> it may be part of a low culture. >> if i could. honestly, perhaps yes, the f-bomb has permeated our culture and there is a new word. that is not what we aspire to. in our president, we expect to be better. so i really think this is what's

catching up with donald trump in iowa. he is probably not going to win iowa. this is why ted cruz is gaining on him and perhaps surpassed him at this point. that looks like that's the trend. this is a big issue for him. i think his likability factor for women will be a problem. >> ted cruz does worse with women. penny, let me ask you when you heard about what donald trump said to carly fiorina, who could vote for that face. people say he just likes beautiful women, it's so nasty. we looked up all the times donald trump used the word "beautiful." he is obsessed with beautiful things and beautiful people. let me play it. >> i'm a big builder. i do beautiful work. the door is going to be a big beautiful door. beautiful to this day lower manhattan. they finally used a beautiful picture of me. he calls himself beautiful. is it possible he's not being sexist when he talks about

looks? this is just the way he talks? >> i don't know. i don't know him personally. i know enough about him to know there's some deep concerns there. not just about the way he talks. it's about the way he flip-flops on issues. the fact we don't know where he stands on planned parenthood. conservatives aren't sure way thinks about gay marriage or a number of things because he changed his mind every other day. there are some deep concerns about his reliability, about his electability. that's really what people are asking themselves as they get closer to when they really have to vote. >> jeff, what do you think when donald trump loves the word beautiful to talk about himself? >> i know him at this point fairly well. i heard him use the term. he's into beautiful and amazing and things of that nature.

i'm sorry? >> and the word loser. >> what i'm suggesting is every personality as we get to know them has ticks, if you will, verbal ticks. maybe those are his. let me get back to hillary clinton. this is important. when i asked donald trump about a year ago what he would do because the complaint from conservatives was their candidates didn't fight back in the media. they didn't fight the media they didn't stand up. he said what he illustrated in spades, he would do that. hillary clinton among a number of women has this image of being a bully herself. when i hear her say this, there are a raft of women more than willing to stand up in public at this point and say she, herself, is one. when you get to the women's vote, i think this is going to play out.

>> we are going to hit pause for a moment. we'll be back in just a couple of moments. happy birthday, ted cruz. latest poll has cruz neck and neck with donald trump. >> half of all voters say a quote/unquote president trump would be an embarrassment, but his poll numbers keep going up. why? tina fey and sarah palin with dualing impersonations. >> are we not doing the talent portion? ♪ advil pain relievers are used by more households than any other leading brand. to treat their aches and pains more people reach for advil.

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ted cruz surging in the margin of error against donald trump. cruz four points behind the gop front-runner. >> reporter: ted cruz steadily chipping away at donald trump's dominance. >> from day one, my view of this race was conservatives unite, we win it. >> reporter: while trump still is on top, his lead over cruz getting smaller. a new national poll showing cruz gained eight points in the past four weeks and now is within striking distance of trump. >> it could easily end up being a two-man race between donald trump and me. >> reporter: that head-to-head matchup already playing out on conservative talk radio.

right wing radio hosts who reach tens of million of listeners extremely influential with voters trump and cruz are chasing seem to be showing their hand. >> here is the problem going after ted cruz who is rising dramatically in the polls from a trump perspective. ted cruz is loved by the conservative base. >> at the end of the day when people go vote, people are going to remember of the two it was marco rubio who was a member of the gang of eight and ted cruz that wasn't. >> reporter: when cruz took a rare blow from donald trump calling cruz a maniac, the heavyweights coming to cruz' defense. >> i think my friend donald trump really screwed up this weekend. big time. >> reporter: eric erickson wrote, it is increasingly obvious ted cruz is the last, best chance to stop donald trump. cruz and rubio are aware of the

race will ultimately be. between the two i would give the edge to ted cruz right now. all this as behind the scenes cruz' dollar power is packing more punch. >> everyone talks about the need to take on washington. >> reporter: asserting more strength. >> who stood up not just to democrats but leaders in our own party? >> reporter: cruz bragging his campaign is flush with cash. >> if i told you six months ago we are going to outraise the other republicans and have $3.5 million more dollars than jeb bush, you would have thought i was bark at the moon crazy. >> reporter: ted cruz has been focusing exclusively on super tuesday states in tennessee. those states that vote in march. this is a core part of the ted cruz' campaign to focus on looking ahead. >> thank you very much.

ted cruz supporter, president and ceo of the family leader and republican strategist rory cooper. bob, ted cruz, not just battling with donald trump for the lead in iowa. it is nationally. to emphasize it, not just within the margin of error but a jump of eight points in a few weeks for ted cruz. can he topple trump? >> i believe he can. it's down to a two-person race. it's trump versus cruz. conservatives are uniting not only here in iowa but across the country around ted cruz as a full spectrum conservative. they are enthusiastic about going behind ted cruz. >> which candidate is scarier, trump or cruz? >> that's an easy question anyone could answer is trump. ted cruz is having a very good moment right now. other candidates had good moments in iowa in december weeks out from the caucus.

there is plenty of time for other candidates to still have their moment. to the point how many people are coming out of iowa, it's not going to be trump versus cruz. there are three tickets out of iowa. in this case there will be more than that unless donald trump comes in fourth. i think there are still plenty of time for other candidates. new hampshire is going to be indicative of people having strength there. we have time to go here. >> everyone trump has gone after has fallen in the polls. now ted cruz is breathing down his neck are you worried? could it happen again that could be a death knell for cruz? >> i think what's happened with trump, he's done the counterpunch. someone attacked trump and they've gone down in the polls. ted cruz is not attacking donald trump. ted cruz is uniting conservatives. i do believe cruz is building a campaign to last. this isn't like other campaigns

you've seen in iowa that peak and have fallen. these people are with ted cruz. he's only going to build on this support and build on this momentum. you are looking at ted cruz as not only looking at iowa, but will be a real competitor in new hampshire. es a is doing in the s.e.c. primary, he wins the nomination. bob crsaid ted cruz is a spectrum conservative. donald trump used to be pro-choice, now isn't. a lot of people conservative, those are things they dislike. rory, donald trump is at least from the perspective of those things, able to get independence in people in the middle. do you need that to win or is ted cruz right? you can leave all those independents and democrats who might vote republican and win with the conservatives? >> of course not.

you have to win some in the middle. it's not you have to change your values or principles. communicate how conservative helps achieve goals independents have for better education, health care, stronger economy, stronger security. you can do that. as you said, donald trump is none of those things and i think that ted cruz is currently benefitting from people giving a strong look to donald trump and realizing this is not a republican let alone conservative. there are other candidates sitting by who may benefit from that. marco rubio has a strong chance. somebody who started in the tea party movement who landed a blow against obamacare. >> you think cruz would be the better choice. doesn't sound like you prefer cruz over anybody else. >> there are a lot of republicans who in the past differed with ted cruz over his

strategy during the shutdown or idea he may say things in one room to one group of people and things to another group of people. i think he could bridge those potentially. there is a strong anybody but trump camp to save the future of our party. i think ted cruz is not going to walk away from this because of the current blip in the polls. he has work to do. there are candidates on the rise like marco rubio to give him a strong run. >> how do you feel about marco rubio? does it make you nauseous even though he did the gang of eight. >> senator rubio does not make me nauseous. i don't think ted cruz is a blip on the radar. i think he's exceptionally strong candidate. his favor bil ratings, he's the highest among republicans. what's happening is what you

heard with rush limbaugh. senator rubio, they think of gang of eight. ted cruz wasn't part of that. this race will be phenomenal. i love what's happening with ted cruz in the way he's finally able to unite conservatives. >> thanks to you both. happy holidays. "out front" next, donald trump topping the polls. voters say they would be the moist embarrassed to have him as president. why the disconnect? two billionaire brothers backing ted cruz. who are they? ♪ ♪ isn't it beautiful when things just come together? build a beautiful website

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tonight, half of americans say they would be embarrassed if donald trump was their president. a new poll of quinnipiac say 23% of americans would be proud of president trump. this is half all americans, some could be democrats. donald trump still the front-runner. >> absolutely. in fact, i went a little bit deeper into the poll so we could talk about that. you mentioned this as all americans, 50%, half the country. when it comes to republicans, only 20% say they would be embarrassed. a lot more obviously say they would be proud. what does this show? it shows that donald trump is

incredibly polarizing. probably not a big surprise that we see that in these numbers. one thing that did surprise me when i looked deeper is just talking about gender, you hear and you were talking in your last couple of segments whether or not there is a gender issue he has. more men said they would be embarrassed than women, 47-40, which i thought was surprising considering the rap he gets. >> absolutely. i'm curious about hillary clinton. you talk about among republicans, the vast majority are proud. hillary clinton has a problem. more americans than not say they would be embarrassed by her. less than donald trump, 35%. more embarrassed than not embarrassed. what does this say this country, americans, have such a negative view about both front runners? >> it's very interesting. i think it's largely because both of them are very well

known, not just donald trump that's polarizing, but hillary clinton who has been for the past 25 years in public life. something we should expect from her. the fact she has about 1/3 who say they're proud, about 1/3, a little bit more say they're embarrassed, again, i think if you're the clinton campaign they say, okay. tell us something we don't know. there are a lot of people out there who can't stand the idea of a hillary clinton presidency just like there are a lot of people who can't stand the idea of a trump presidency. we are very early on in the process. both have to get the nominations for this to be an actual conversation not a hypothetical conversation. talking about it really is important now because it does gives us a good snapshot how divided this country still is. not just about both parties, but about the people who are most

well known when it comes to the political race. >> dana, thank you very much. now pastor james davis, he's endorsed donald trump and cnn political commentator ben ferguson. when you look at your support for donald trump, does it worry you? do you worry about a president half americans say they find embarrassing? >> i'm not worried, per se. i believe the poll in and of itself is bias from the outset. i don't believe quinnipiac, i don't mean to be dismissive to the great work the folks do up in there connecticut, but i believe they would never ask s that question request of barack hussein obama whether they would be embarrassed to have president obama as the president. it would throw in the face of being racist in nature and throw in the face of political correctness. with that -- >> they did ask it about hillary. more people were embarrassed of

her than not, but the number was lower. it was 35%. >> it's consistent with this polling, i would say. the fight is always in the middle. he has a 40% favorability in the poll, there is another 10% that he hasn't gained yet. with respect to embarrassment, i believe truth many times is brash and in your face. we are at a stage in this country where we can't allow ourselves to fall into what someone says, all the wanter back and forthwith respect to the quips that come out of his mouth. we need someone that can lead the country forward. we believe mr. trump to be that person. >> people say he's embarrassing, but he's still at the top of the polls. when you drill down only 20% of republicans felt that way. that means a vast majority would more than likely be proud of a

president trump. >> there are a lot of people that love him and people that hate him. i think his biggest vulnerability is that ceiling. can you get people in the middle, the undecided to come to your side over hillary clinton in a general election? that is what this poll is saying be cautious of here. there's a lot of people that would be embarrassed by hillary clinton. donald trump, people absolutely love him or hate him. if you hate him, it seems to be you really despise him. can you -- let's say elections, 46% democrat, 46% republican, the middle will make up the winner or loser here. are those people so turned off that you have a hard time coming over? the answer is that's exactly why you see ted cruz right now surging. a lot of people looking at him as being the guy with a bigger upswing here.

>> also with the 46-46 or 40-40. when people were polled online, they say if it's an online poll, he's catching 4-10 more consistently than he is 3-10 when it's a live phone call. there is this shaming aspect. in my community there is a bullying aspect if you support mr. trump. >> what about that? because they have this feeling they should be ashamed. when you ask them, they don't want to admit they like trump. >> i don't think so. i think people who like trump love trump. i talk to people every day on my show that call. in he has the biggest and best advocates. if you are on the trump bandwagon, you're proud of it. >> i disagree.

>> look how many people come out to -- >> there is a cross section of people that are still embarrassed. people came to us when we had the meeting that exploded. >> meeting of trump and the black pastors. >> people came up after that meeting. some went around on the news channels and said they were against it. they were uncertain. >> but for this to be true -- >> let me finish. they had conversations with us that said they would never vote for hillary clinton and would stand in support of mr. trump, however in priority. i hear that all the time. >> when you look at ted cruz who has gotten closer to donald trump, i don't think people are not afraid to say his name and

saying his name in de facto because they are too afraid to say donald trump's name to someone they don't know randomly calling their phone. we know people lie to exit polling because they like to mess with people. i've never seen this idea or phenomenon that you're discussing right now. i don't think people when they're called are saying i'll go protect cruz. >> i'm quoting two studies. los angeles papers did one. people still have an embarrassment factor. if not, we wouldn't have this so-called poll saying 50% of people are embarrassed to have him as president. beyond that, the chatter of this whole thing is silly. we should be on the conversation of who is the most competent

person. it's just something that shouldn't be on the table in the first place. >> for donald trump, he's the best turning "being picked on" to making his poll numbers rise. if you play this well in the trump camp, he'll be using this to his advantage to make people like him that much more. i don't think you'll be a victim out of this one. >> thank you both very much. a little known texas billionaire brothers who are bank rolling ted cruz. who are they? what do they want? we have a special report. in her own words, we are hearing from the woman who hit dozens of pedestrians on the las vegas strip for the first time. >> being homeless and on my own taught me how to stand on my own two feet. not only did i manage to beat working dead-end jobs, but i managed to land a federal job at 21.

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(train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. ted cruz celebrating his birthday tonight. plenty of people are trying to make money off the occasion. this is the website asking for $45 for his 45th birthday. the small donations are crucial to any campaign. for cruz, it's been all about the big money. from two little-known billionaires. that is america's choice. >> reporter: dotting the road

leading to the tiny town of cisco, texas, brothers, the newest and biggest single-family donors to the presidency race pumping $15 million to ted cruz' super pac. >> when he sees biblical examples how to do things, that's the way he does things. >> reporter: the family christian values defended on the national stage. he's cisco's mayor where ferris wilkes is head pastor. they urging parisher ins to pray for public officials opposing gay marriage. ferris wilkes said this. >> they are being taught the other ideas, the gay agenda every day out in the world. we have to stand up and explain

to them that's not real. >> reporter: his brother dan. >> we have to make people aware and bring the bible back into the school. >> reporter: in this town of 4,000, the wilks are cisco pride and folklore, local sons of a modest brick layer made their way into the new oil fracking. their expansive home tells their story of a billionaire fortune. these remote compounds are some of the few outward signs of wealth here in cisco. small reminder these brothers are worth $2.7 billion, according to "forbes." a $15 million political contribution? that's less than 1% of the brothers' net worth. the wilks joined an elite group of super pac bank rollers. norman brayman donated $5 million backing marco rubio. right to rise usa, health care equities investor miguel

hernandez gave $3 million to jeb bush's super pac. univision owner donated $2 million to hillary clinton's super pac. limitless donations to super pacs mean recently rich sons hold sway. their rise on the national stage, is that good or bad news for this country? >> i think it's good news. personally, we've got all kinds of influences you can get from all different sides. any time you've got somebody willing to provide and is able to provide an influence for good, it's a fantastic thing. >> reporter: cruz' super pac haven't spent much of the millions raised. one did release a new ad for ted cruz estimated to cost into the six figures. keep an eye on the money. the financial disclosures, how

much they have raised for the super pacs, that is expected to be released next month. it's a fascinating story. i want to go to david gergen. you just heard these brothers, one talking about wanting to bring the bible back into school. the other talking about how schools were pushing a gay agenda and that's what they are against. yes, they are the top dollar backers for ted cruz, but are people with these beliefs going to hurt or help ted cruz down the line? >> i think the two wilks' brothers are promoting christian values. in iowa, the christian right is a strong powerful force. the very story we started with tonight about donald trump, his vulgarities will go badly with true christian groups. this will be a major force in the weeks ahead, especially when

we get into super tuesday in the south and south carolina where ted cruz could score heavily through the investments made by his pac, especially by the two wilks' brothers. >> i'm curious, there's a lot of money out there right now donald trump not taking money from the big donors. you don't have him competing. a few have gotten onboard with marco rubio. it seems a lot are sitting and waiting. that means a huge opportunity for someone. where does this money go? >> that's an interesting question. there have been people sitting on the side. they have seen their investments haven't paid off all that well for most of the candidates. jeb bush is the prime example. he raised more money than anybody else. yet he's down fourth, fifth, sixth in various polls. money doesn't guarantee you win. people then start sitting on the

sidelines for jeb and they weren't sure about carson. there will be money out there for the republican nominee in all likelihood. if it's donald trump, that is a different ballgame. >> incredible that would be. >> i want to come back to this. these folks are serious. the wilks have played a behind-the-scenes role. look at who the money is, what values they stand for. as much respect as i think the wilks command in texas, it is true in their church, being gay is considered a crime. abortion is considered murder, even for rape and incest. they consider climate change to be a nonissue. they are also promoting free enterprise and the like. as some voters, especially the independents and democrats who

republicans would like to break away, are going to look at that and say, i'm not so sure. >> david gergen, thank you very much. "out front" next, three years ago lakeisha holloway said she was rescued and living a grand life why. did she crash her car and kill people the other day? on a lighter note, sarah palin and tina fey. sinus pressure,ith you need fast relief. alka-seltzer plus severe sinus congestion and cough liquid gels rush relief to your tough symptoms. to put you back in control. [doorbell] woman: coming! alka-seltzer plus sinus.

new information tonight about the woman charged with murder. las vegas police say she plowed her car into a sidewalk of tourists. lakeisha holloway was featured in a video for turning her life around. >> pretty much this whole place. >> multiple people that are not breathing. >> police say when la kchkeisha holloway plowed her car into the sidewalk she killed one and injured dozens of people. one count of neglect or endangerment and one count of leaving the scene of the accident. >> additional charges as information flows to our office.

>> three people are still in critical condition with life-threatening head injuries. holloway would not explain why she drove on to the sidewalk but remembered a body bouncing off her windshield, breaking it. we are learning more about the 24-year-old mother. holloway legally changed her name to paris paradise hilton. she was part of the program at the portland opportunities industrialization center for at-risk youth. holloway was honored in 2012 for her achievements and even spoke about overcoming the odds. >> today, i am not the same scared girl i used to be. i'm a mature young woman who has broken many generational cycle that those before me hadn't. being homeless and on my own taught me how to stand on my own two feet. >> but police believe holloway and her 3-year-old daughter were living out of her car since arriving in las vegas about a week before the hit and run. a test for alcohol came back negative but police say she may have been on a stimulant. >> at first we were like, she's

probably drunk because she was just slowly on the curb. but then when she accelerated, it seemed like there was a purpose to her actions. >> and holloway will make her first court appearance to face her three felony charges 8:00 am local time, erin. >> stephanie, thanks. sarah palin turning the tables on tina fey next.

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tonight, sarah palin turning the tables on tina fey. >> almost a rite of passage. >> look at this guy. >> great, great, great, great, great. isn't that fantastic? >> former vice presidential candidate sarah palin is turning the table. >> a tv writer who left the small town for the big city. >> yep, that is palin, spoofing her tv look alike tina fey. instead of liz lemon, she is lynn melon. this is pailen's version "31 rock." >> nerds! >> tackling issues like missing snowflakes on starbucks cups. >> only pc i need is right here. >> clinton and palin have been fodder for years.

>> i believe diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy. >> and i can see russia from my house. >> and the two are still favorite targets of the show. >> oh, god, that was a real fun election. i was paired up with that cute little john mccain fellow. may he rest in peace, i'm guessing. >> he's alive. >> palin isn't the only one enjoying the last laugh. >> melon, here is what you do. >> senator john mccain saying i think i like sarah's impression of tina better. senator ted cruz is also getting in on political satire. remember that time that he read dr. seuss to filibuster president obama's health care bill? now he has a commercial about it. >> imagin the greatest christmas stories told by the senator who once read "green eggs and ham fr" from the senate floor. >> twas the night before the shutdown. and all through the house -- >> politicians are taking the

old saying to heart. if you can't beat 'em -- >> oh, geez, looks like i went through time and space again. >> -- join 'em. >> star wars didn't actually change cinema. >> thank you so much for joining us. we begin with new poll numbers showing ted cruz closing in on front-runner donald trump in a new quinnipiac national poll, they're just four points apart, trump at 28, cruz at 4. ben carson at 10, chris christi and jeb bush in single digits. today he spent campaigning in tennessee, six-day swing. the cruz country christmas tour. tonight, his growing momentum and poll numbers are being celebrated inside the cruz camp. there is one place he does not poll well.