gang of six and talking about regrouping. you are starting to see a plan emerge among those in congress who want to see some sort of deficit reduction deal in the event that the super committee is unable to meet its deadline. but it's was telling to hear the center -- the senator's political assessment that it is so hard for the parties to come together. the political will is what is takes -- is what it takes, and i do not know if we're quite there yet. >> why is it so difficult for these parties to work something out? >> a lot of that has to do with

the house of representatives. i have seen a lot of compromise among senators, a lot of camaraderie and a willingness to reach across the aisle. the republicans know they can hardly get anything through the house that has any with of a tax increase and it. -- in it. the republicans know going into these negotiations, they can negotiate in good faith and they can agree to a certain amount of tax increases, but they cannot get it through the house. >> you have to look at the big picture of the election next year. the political calculations that both parties are making. what is the risk of failure? what is the risk of a deal? what is it -- what is better? is it better to let it go and keep the issues alive for the

election? >> thank you for being with us. >> there is a story that i was told, when obama was given the first budget. his first instinct was to veto the budget. he was told by his lobbyist for capitol hill there is no way you can do that. you cannot cut the ties with the democrats. had he vetoed that, he would have been the tea party. he could have continued to rally the reform movement that breaks out all over the world because of the frustration with the current wave that democracy does not function. >> money and its influence on

washington. tonight. >> chicago mayor rahm emanuel, a former white house chief of staff, was the keynote speaker at the iowa democratic party's jefferson jackson dinner saturday in des moines. i will hold the first presidential caucuses on january 3. his remarks are about 30 minutes. >> barack obama took office three years ago. he needed a chief of staff that would be loyal, aggressive, and get the job done in the face of a global economic crisis. that is exactly what he got in rahm emanuel. serving in both the clinton and obama white house is, representing illinois fifth congressional district, and in his current position as mayor of

the great city of chicago, he has always been focused on results. as chief of staff, he became one of president obama's closest advisers, and a catalyst for the most productive first 100 days of any president in history. working on behalf of the president, he ensured that policies were put into place to turn the economy around and after decades of complacency, america has true health care reform. [applause] he is here tonight because he has been a witness to president obama's vision for our nation and he knows the importance of granting him another four years in the white house. please join me in welcoming chicago mayor rahm emanuel.

♪ ♪ [applause] >> thank you. we meet here tonight. the republicans are having a debate across town. i have watched a couple of those debates. i have to be honest. i never thought i would say this. i am beginning to miss the wisdom of sarah palin. [laughter] their debate was called the

thanksgiving family forum. i never seen a greater collection of turkeys. look at the top of their candidates. mitt romney, he said he would be in iowa tonight. we should have known he would change his mind. newt gingrich was that the debate, he had to run back to his most important people, the salespeople at tiffany's. herman cain, rick perry arrived a little late. they were in their tutorial class -- where is libya? [laughter] the republicans do have an impressive field. gov. mitch daniels, jeb bush. the only problem? they are not on the field. you'll work your four years ago. think of our field. joe biden, hillary clinton,

chris dodd, president obama. do you think of their field. michele bachmann, rick perry, and rick santorum. four years ago, at this dinner, many of you were in attendance, at a young senator from my home state of illinois, who is 23 points down in the polls, spoke to you in words will never forget. with the promises he made in that speech, he began a journey that would change history. he did it with your help. all of us may be a little older and a little grayer.

we can remember what he said. we can also remember what he said was worth fighting for. he stood on this platform and promised to end a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged. republicans did not want to let it happen. democrats did not believe its coach. the last of america's finest hour on their way home. the war is over. that is the change we believed then -- in. that is the change we worked for. that is the change our president delivered. [applause] four years ago, at this podium,

he promised he would take the fight to al qaeda, to those who perpetuated the 9/11 event. those were responsible for 9/11. he said he would bring justice to al qaeda leaders. tonight, osama bin laden is history. al qaeda has been decimated. thanks to the bold and determined leadership of president, justice has been done and america is safer for it. typical of the person i know, president obama did not brag. he thanked our troops. he thanked our intelligence services. he moved on to the next terrorist who was threatening america and brought him to justice. he did not hang a banner, he did not pretend that the mission was accomplished. he got the job done. [applause]

that is the change we believed in and that is the change the president delivered. four years ago, senator obama, at this podium, stood before you and said, he wanted to stop talking about the outrage of 47 million americans without health care. he wanted to start doing something about it. he promised then, i will make certain that every single american in this country has health care they can count on and i will not do it 20 years from now. i will not do it 10 years from now. i will do it at the end of my first term as president. folks, you know this. politicians have been talking about this for 60 years. president obama delivered. [applause]

because of his leadership, an insurance company cannot turn you down because you have a pre- existing condition. [applause] because of president obama, they cannot discriminate against you because your a woman or have grown older. because of president obama, your children can stay on a parent's policy until they enter the workforce. because of your support, iowa, and his courage, no american will ever again it received this letter. sorry, you have reached the limits. we will not pay for your cancer treatment anymore. [applause] republicans opposed every one of those reforms. but now we have those life-

saving protections, that peace of mind, because the president obama's leadership. that is the change we believed in, that is the change worked for, and that is the change the president delivered. [applause] then senator obama stood at this podium four years ago, at this dinner, and promised to make sure that every american child has the best education we have to offer. from the day they're born until the day they graduate from college. as president he doubled college scholarships. he expanded pell grants. he invested in schools and innovation. he expanded -- you gave him that chance. republicans fought him every

step of the way. because of this leadership, millions of young americans have been given a better chance. that is the change we believed then, that is the change worked for, that is the change president obama delivered. [applause] you heard him say it right here for years ago. he made the pledge, not just to you, but to the american people. now you have seen him deliver on the promises he made. that is how we measure character. doing what you say you'll do. i have the privilege of sinbad character close-up. working by isaak -- i have the privilege of seeing that character close-up. despite a you are thinking, --

they say you can learn most about someone's character in a crisis. and then i think we all know our president pretty well. during our greatest economic crisis in decades, the strength of our president's character was on display every day. the president inherited an economy that was spiraling toward a depression. a financial system that had frozen up and an auto industry that was near collapse. the problems president obama faced, they were not caused by accident. they were caused by policies, republican policies. the first time i worked in the white house for president clinton, we had a democratic president, a democratic house, and a democratic senate. we passed an economic plan without a single republican

vote. it put america back to work and back to economic growth. it lifted 7 million americans out of poverty. it ended welfare as we know it and put 100,000 cops on america's streets. [applause] we balanced the budget. we put america on the path to 0 debt by 2009. we left. president bush and the republicans a record surplus. and they left president obama and the democrats debt. they held the white house, the house, and the senate for six long years. they tried to find two wars with three tax cuts. that is how you go from 0 to 9 trillion dollars in debt. is that simple.

[applause] they took everything they inherited, the jobs, the surplus, the statute of america around the world, and then squandered it. it is a bit ironic, isn't? the one thing republicans were good at were inheriting things. [laughter] i kind of like that one. [laughter] that is what the republicans handed president obama and america on day one. the worst economic mess since president roosevelt to cover the presidency from herbert hoover. president obama did not complain and did not blame. he knew the burdens on everyday americans were far worse than the ones he was facing. he rolled up his sleeves and went to work on behalf of the hard-working families of this country. every day i worked by his side,

i saw a leader who did not ask what the easy thing to do, what was the politically convenient thing to do, but what was the right thing to do. what was the essential thing to do for america? the president did not make choices based on politics. and he made them because of principles. he did not make choices for the next election. but for the next generation. trust me, i know this firsthand. he did not make decisions based on whether they were politically convenient because i was the one giving the advice to go with the quick and politically convenient. i did not win any of those fights. president obama never taylor's what he believes in to the moment. -- tailors what he believes and to the moment. i want you to compare that to mitt romney. he was once a pro-choice, but

now he is not. he supported gun control, but now he does not. he supported immigration reform, but now he does not. he supported a national health care reform with a mandate, now does not. mitt romney says he is a man of steadiness and consistency. if that is true, i am a linebacker for the chicago bears. [laughter] [applause] i want you to take a step back, though. people have talked about all the flip-flops. i think there is a different part to mitt romney. it is what he has been steadfast about. what he has refused to give an inch on. what he will never flinched on and never abandoned. that is the position on the middle class burris is the most fortunate.

what he has failed to do for the middle class and what he is willing to do for the most privileged and fortunate in our society. he faced the same set of choices president obama did when the country faced an auto industry and a financial industry in crisis. when the markets collapsed in 2008, and the government had to step in, mitt romney did not hesitate for a moment. he welcomed putting taxpayers on the hook to save the financial system. when the automobile industry and the millions of jobs and are dependent on it, the backbone of america's manufacturing economy was on the brink, he said to all the families, all the small businesses, you should go bankrupt. nothing reveals more about the character and the values of these two individuals then how they dealt with these two crises. president obama did not think

either one to be abandoned. the financial system or the auto industry. both were essential to america's economic leadership and to economic growth. those were the decisions he faced in the oval office. the choices he faced were not easy. for the financial system, it was a choice between more taxpayer money to support the bank's or to nationalize them. for the auto companies, is the helping them out or letting them go bankrupt? there were those who said he was throwing good money after bad. there were those who said like chrysler go to save gm. and then there were those who advocated bankruptcy. we know where mitt romney stood. the title of his own oped -- " let's detroit go bankrupt." the height priced financial

engineers were essential to our future. the engineers, the technicians, the workers on the top floor in the auto industry, there were dispensable. there were dispensable. three years later, now we know who was right and who was wrong. [applause] even after the auto industry has not survived, but is thriving, mitt romney has stuck to his guns and he is defending his position to let them go bankrupt. i am the mayor from chicago. we have a plant on the south side. for just added 1200 jobs. in ohio, chrysler just added another 1100 jobs. if we had fallen but ronnie, those jobs would not be there. our communities -- if we have followed mitch prodi, those jobs would not be there.

mitt romney, those jobs would not be there. he continued to show his true colors. how he values the privilege to and the affluent over the middle class. just this summer, mitt romney said the president was out of touch for his focus on manufacturing jobs. out of touch. mitt romney has valued outsourcing. in iowa, he said that corporations are people with all the same rights. in nevada, one of the states with the worst housing crisis and foreclosure crisis, he said the mortgage crisis should run its course and hit bottom. he had a plan for the speculators to step in, but not for the people living in those homes. people think he is a flip-flop peper.

the only thing scarier are the issues where he has refused to change. he has been rock solid in siding with the privileged over the middle class. the autoworker versus the financial engineer, or employees of versus corporations, he has been consistent on whose side he is gone. if you are in the hard-working middle class, your left at the scrap heap. in the next four years, there will be more challenges, and more crisis. as good as i'm standing before you, that is what you can guarantee will happen. those challenges and those crises will determine the economic vitality of a middle class and the economic future of this country. those character, whose judgment do you want in that oval office? over the next four years, there will be a series of choices.

it will not be clear like in the auto industry. we will need leadership, we will need values. the past tells you everything you need to know about mitt romney and president obama. how they will make decisions in the future and new table makes them for. middle-class americans cannot afford mitt romney's leadership and values. the middle class of this country are fighting every day to hang nine. a daily struggle to give their children a better life. they cannot have a leader to turn a blind eye to their struggles. who do you want in the oval office? a man who said the auto industry and autoworkers are dispensable, a man who said that " corporations are more than valuable than the employees, a man is said that speculators in the housing industry are more

important than the families living in those homes, a man is about the financial engineers are more important than the factory workers? can we afford mitt romney's values? can we afford his leadership? can we afford his judgment? can we afford his character? that is not the america are parents fought for. that is not the values we're teaching our children. to create a true middle-class, with security, we just cannot cut our way to prosperity. we must now build the rest of the world. america cannot afford an economy built on an outsourcing and risking financial deals. we need an economy that is built to last. that creates jobs for the future, that makes the things the rest of the world wants to buy. [applause]

we need a president policies america's potential in every american. an america where every american plays a role in winning the 21st century. president obama believes in an america where hard work pays off, where responsibility is rewarded. he believes in an america where everyone, from main street to wall street, does their fair share. he believes in an america where we do not have to rule books, whenever those at the top and one for everybody else. president obama believes in the idea that our country prosperous when all of us are in this together. [applause] that the american dream. it is the dream that president obama has lived by. the president was raised by a single mother who worked hard

and got up before dawn. he earned scholarships to the best schools and rose through hard work and intellect. after he was the president of harvard law, he could have made millions. his values brought him to the south side chicago to help working people lost their jobs through no fault of their own. here is the deal. you know and i know our president is a man of character. he is a man of principle. he is a man who has been fighting for the middle class and he will continue to fight for the middle class families. i know the president values. i have seen his persistence. you need not ask whether president obama o continue to fight. the only question is, what we fight for his belief in america? [applause]

i want to hear it. will you fight for the president who is fighting to save the middle class? will you fight for the president who was fighting to save middle-class values? will you fight for the president who is fighting for education? will you fight for the president who is fighting for equality, men, women, asian, hispanic, gay or straight? let's go to work. let's get in the fight. let's support our president. support the middle class. america and the middle class are worth fighting for. thank you, and god bless you. [applause] ♪

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> next, a political roundtable

on the 2012 campaign. this is from today's "washington journal."

he won in massachusetts. it is hard for a true blue southern conservative to win in massachusetts. it is a lot easier for someone who is more ideologically flexible to win. mitt romney has -- he is still the front-runner. he has the best organization al there. he has more money than the others. he has the experience of coming in at second. at the end of the day, he is going to be the nominee. host: a longtime republican strategist from new hampshire. he what makes me nervous is new

hampshire is history. somebody can always make you iran. -- you run. mitt romney is not in iowa this weekend, but in new hampshire. guest: my history would mitt romney goes back to 1994 when i was an assistant press secretary for kennedy. there was a point in time were most polls had senator kennedy down by two or three percentage points. once he began to -- debating, the rest is history. by the time the center kennedy own done, mitt romney's mother would not have recognized him. he has no value.

he is really too -- he is willing to bend to the land. -- the wind. if i was the obama campaign right now, i would be feeling pretty good about our chances. host: how important is that? guest: a really smart, very upcoming smart -- start in the republican party. this is her first term. she has some sway with new hampshire republicans. i think it is a good sign for mitt romney. the thing about mitt romney is that he was able to get within two points of ted kennedy in massachusetts. he was able to win the next election. he has shown an ability to win in blue states.

that will be a nice change of pace. host: a new poll showing that mitt romney would get 29% of new hampshire voters. newt gingrich would get 27%. is due to gingrich the comeback kid? guest: i have not quite figured it out. sure, he is the flavor of the month. he is bringing a lot of bags to the table. he was smart enough to recognize because he has put together a website to refute some of the questions. whether it has been on a personal level on some of the policies, such as the fact that he claimed to be and a story and

to freddie mac -- and a story into freddie mac. it turned out that it was a consulting agreement, a typical of the inside the beltway. i resist feel that he is a fatally flawed figure. he has an historical view that i find it very troubling. host: let me go back.

guest: the thing about newt gingrich, he is a brilliant idea of god. he comes up with great ideas. and some really bad ideas. managing newt is a full-time occupation. what is interesting is that there is no campaign structure. he has been able to shoot to the top of the polls. he has a lot of good ideas. does he have the staying power or is it the flavor of the month?

host: could the issue of his $1.6 million that he made from freddie mac an issue that came up for the former speaker. >> i wanted to explain the 300 babbitt -- $300,000 you said you gave freddie mac that they did not take your advice. you were not a lobbyist for them? >> i give never been a lobbyist for anybody. my contracts exclude meat from lobbying. -- me from lobbying. i offered strategic advice. >> you gave advice to freddie

mac and they did not take it? >> that is correct. there is a confidentiality agreement. i cannot go into detail. i did never -- i never did any lobbying for anyone. >> thank you for being with us. host: your reaction? guest: there is nothing wrong with being a lobbyist. the problem, you cannot attack on one hand -- it does not look kosher. that is the big problem. the problem with the new gingrich is that he has shown some flexibility himself. he did some campaign ads with nanticoke -- nancy pelosi. all of these things have given him some reason for people to

doubt or he is going. lobbyists are not very popular with the american public right now. the fact that he did not lobby is something. a lot of people are giving him a strategic advice. host: do may have seen this before. this is herman cain's interview in which a number of issues came up, including libya. some other foreign policy issues. >> you agreed with president obama on libya? >> libya. supported thema m

uprising, correct? president obama called for the removal of gaddafi. i want to make sure we're talking about the same thing. i do not agree with the way he handled it. that is a different line. -- one. i have to go back. i have all this stuff trolling around in my head. host: on thursday, herman cain was supposed to be at the union leader editorial section. they do not have an editorial board. campaign saidn's

no to c-span request to have cameras in the meeting. and then he canceled the meeting. guest: there is a small part of me that feel sorry for mr. cain. every time we went to an editorial boards, i found and intimidating environment. that just demonstrates how uniquely unqualified he is to be the next president, on so many levels. the fundamental issue, he is not willing to prepare for events like this. i just find staggering. obviously, it shows a gross lack of understanding of very important foreign-policy issues. he is still under the impression that he can manipulate the press, which in this day and

age, it cannot be done. the press is an important component of the political process. you need to engage every chance he gets. they have the nasty habit of dissing or manhandling reporters on the campaign trail. that is not a favored tactic. host: we are told that the endorsement will be coming in the next couple of weeks. how important is one newspaper endorsement? is the conservative newspaper in new hampshire. it speaks to a particular kind of voter. new hampshire is so important in this process. vacated very seriously up there.

the editorial -- they take it very seriously up there. the editorial writers take it very seriously. herman cain will tell you that he was trying to collect his thoughts. the problem, when you have a camera on you, you do not have the opportunity to spend too much time collecting your thoughts. these things run over and over again. they become very damaging to a campaign. host: he is the editor and publisher of the "union leader." he will be joining us on "washington journal." good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to ask a question to the democratic strategist. there is only 400 rich people in

the country versus the small- business owners. when the democrats are talking about middle class, they're really only talking about union members. in the restaurants are closing because we are not to franchising. 33 kinds of taxes, 20 kinds of fees, employees' social security, i have to make a million dollars gross for my business to function and pay 60 employees. at only -- my husband and i only make $100,000. we are required to pay the million dollar tax, not the $100,000 tax. explain that when to all of

these people do talk about the wreckage and that -- rich and the millionaires and billionaires. call the small businesses are going to get dragged into this. host: i want to make sure i am cleared. there are over 400 wealthy americans? caller: when they talk about it on the news, they are talking about the 400 people that are millionaires and billionaires that should pay more taxes. host: thank you. guest: thank you. the 400 figure is not quite right. that number comes from the wealthiest of the wealthy.

we're talking be extremely rich, the billionaires'. democrats understand the concerns of working-class americans. we understand the need to promote business. we have done everything we can to try to help small businesses over the country. the house and senate republicans are standing up for the wealthiest and the country and the democrats are fighting for working class. host: cutting taxes, a look ahead at the iowa caucuses. phoenix, ariz., good morning. caller: hello?

host: bling come back to you. next to massachusetts. caller: good morning. how are you? if mitt romney -- i am a republican. if mitt romney becomes the republican nominee, i would never vote for him. half of massachusetts would not. he was hated up here. we did not care for him at all. i would go with the speaker of the house, newt gingrich. guest: this explains that mitt romney has some work to do. a lot of conservatives just do

not trust him. we have to find a way to reestablish that trust. on taxes and regulations, a couple of years ago i started my own small business. it was a nightmare dealing with the regulations. if you are working on a very thin margin, you have to deal with state, local, federal regulations. it is a disaster. just keeping up with all the regulations, you deal with the local governments. it is really hard out there. the odds are stacked against small-business owners.

host: will go back to phoenix. the television set is turned down. caller: this is for the republican strategist. right now, i do not know what is

wrong with the democrats right now. host: we will get a response. guest: if you are talking about the current tax structure, it keeps a lot of money overseas. if we can repatriate that money, lower the taxes so that companies have been set up to bring a trillion dollars back in from overseas, it will create a lot of jobs. the war should have been paid for, i accept that point. the real cost driver in mwai are dead has steadily increased from $5 trillion -- and why our debt has steadily increased is because of health-care costs.

if we do not get a handle on what is going to happen to entitlements over the next 20 or 30 years, the social security trust fund is already upside- down, medicare, we are almost bankrupt. if we do not deal with that, we will not have enough money to pay for the pentagon. we're already seeing that with the super committee. we have some real challenges to deal with and i am not sure if our political system right now is up to the challenge. >> let me ask you whether or not is broken. we had the negotiations this past summer. an inability to reach any agreement on where to cut the spending. we now have a debt of $15 trillion. you used to work with senator harry reid. the deadline is tomorrow. but, it is on wednesday.

-- technically, it is on wednesday. guest: regarding the super committee process, the discussion of the process can lead quickly to debate whether the political process is broken. all you need to look -- all need to do is look at what happened. the super committee was given the unusual of 40. -- of 40. -- unusual authority. i spent 21 years in the senate, a place that i love and respect very much. a chance to work for 11.5 years for senator kennedy. six years for senator harry reid. i have the greatest respect for every member of that body. the political process is broken.

what's it will take to fix it, i do not know. i do not think it will be the elections next year. something has to give. just to be fair, the process is broken in large part because republicans have demonstrated an unwillingness to deal with democrats. mcconnell has been very transparent in public about his views. he told "the new york times last year that they would do everything they can not to cooperate with the president. obviously, many people know, he gave a statement to the national journal where he said that is number one goal is to make sure obama is a one-term president. if you look at it like that, it is difficult to imagine anything getting data. that has been the case. something has to give.

i do not know what it is. i also do not think that the super committee will work something out in the next couple of days. host: there is a freshman republican on the committee. here is what he had to say. >> our work on this committee must be completed this week. i remain hopeful that we can meet our goal. i urge my democratic colleagues to join us in this effort. we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pass legislation that would generate millions of jobs, create a fairer tax system with lower rates for everyone, and put our government on a path to fiscal sanity. we do not have to follow the path that europe has taken. we can learn from their mistakes. we can continue to be the land

of unparalleled opportunity and prosperity. host: it does not look as if this committee is going to meet the deadline. guest: it is not looking good. i was a super committee optimist early on. i was hopeful that it would get done. a couple of things have conspired to make this not happen. first of all, the deadline has proven to be a false deadline. the automatic spending cuts to not go into effect until 2013. a lot of these legislative leaders -- there is really no down side. we can fix this later on. the financial markets are not going to react negatively. they have discounted this. they are so focused on what is going on in europe, the u.s. looks like a better bet. the political leadership on both sides large you believe that

precipitous cuts in spending or increases in taxes at this juncture would not be that good for economic growth. they are punting. host: led me show you what senator tom coburn had to say. >> was the super committee a good idea or a mistake? toit was washington's answer kicking the can down the road. it was a tactic. guest: it seems to have been an exercise much like -- it was an effort to continue the process of getting ideas out there on how to deal with this.

it would be too tempting to not take. obviously, there was a little bit of a lot of political courage. i would make the point early on, president obama really was not anywhere near the scene. he had no interest in participating in the super committee. as a matter of fact, he is in bali right now. he is not -- his administration has been nowhere on this. you need to have presidential leadership. the president early on gave a speech to congress about his jobs bill. three days later, it appeared in a campaign commercial. he has already started the campaign. he is going to do a do nothing strategy and blame republicans. that is his campaign strategy. getting something done is not in his game plan.

host: you are right about the president being in indonesia. best pal i want -- guest: i will take the second point first. president obama made its very clear, the administration made it very clear to the super committee participants, to the democratic and republican leadership that the president would get engaged. the president was politely told that they could handle it. they would take care of things. i will disagree with him. i do not think this process was a mistake. did we have to figure out where this came from. this came from the inability of

the house republicans to sit down and negotiate the debt limit. from that can process to try and and the deal with the deficit issue. not to get too partisan, it appears to be that the entire exercise was designed to spare the wealthy while making sure that the middle class made -- paid more than their fair share. unless it turned around quickly, i do not think the super committee will be able to act. we will have to bigger what the next deaths are. host: independent line. caller: it concerns social

security and medicare. both of those programs are now solvent. wire you cutting them? -- why are you cutting them? why are you putting more on seniors rather than the programs that are running the deficit up? "republic, lost: how money corrupts congress - and a plan to stop that is a great questio. they did agree to cut the health care program. it was largely taken from the side with no impact on seniors. it appears to be that republicans whose whole goal was to make sure the writ -- the

ritz -- rich were spare accommodate the cuts. the democrats have resisted the cuts. i expect all continue to be the case. host: we welcome our viewers overseas. simon is joining us from london. caller: how are you? a quick question in relation to u.s. debt deficit. this is from a european perspective. it did not shoot me. and you relation to basic commodities like vaseline were there. i was looking online. the average price per gallon is

about $3.70 in new york city. in the u.k., we're paying close to $9. one of the best things you can do is sustain higher gasoline prices to get the taxes into the coffers of er treasury. you have to look at other pricings. people have the money. consumers will have to spend more. they will not be heard of that. they did not have the money to spend now. we need to see a more equitable field price. it is not fair for the rest of us to pick up the global price

and pay the bill for you. that is the way we see it in europe. vasari. -- sari. guest: we cannot raise gas prices a nickel much less $9 a gallon. we drive further in the u.s. the we do in the u.k. we drive more than the brits and europeans. that is our culture. my drum business. it does not affect the world market. this is a thomas friedman idea. that is the surest way to be a one-term member of congress.

that is not going to happen. host: even without any immediate help. the 89 seconds he had in the cbs debate. >> this is fantastic. i love the guy. at least he has a core conviction. he knows what he stands for. there is less than zero chance that he will be the next president. how he has the ability to connect with people on a sort level. the odds are stacked against him. the views are far outside the mainstream. nce.e is no chai

guest: i think he has in many ways already won. he shaped the primary debate. he was the first one to have this incredible hostility to the federal reserve. he has been an isolationist when it comes to get it out of foreign wars. that is a growing popularity of marks the republican base voters. he has shaped the way people look at drug laws and other laws the federal government put on people. he has been a voice for freedom. he is not going to get the nomination. his plan to profoundly impact it today.

>> his aa shaping the race in iowa. he took aim at his republican challengers. >> our economy on the brink of collapse. >> it jumped 20%. >> 7 million. >> he is surging. change has come to america. >> i was willing to go along with it. i think there is need for economic stimulus. >> act. >> what are the people that say all of this stuff is socialism? >> it is too big. it ought to be for the protection of liberty. >> he's been too much. we borrow too much. we're bankrupting this country.

>> i have been talking about these problems for a long time. >> all of this material and the evidence recovered are available on our website at c-span.org /campaign2012. good morning. caller: i have a couple of quick comments. last night i was watching c- span. i had seen the democratic speech where rahm emanuel was having a dinner. cain came on tv. i turned the station.

the approval ratings, mitt romney and herman cain, those people are a big joke. there is in there protecting and defending him. as they feel like he's defending a bunch of clowns. he has to have been inside of him guest. guest: i like all of our candidates. the offer a variety of visions. i think mitt romney would be a great president. we need someone who can help us. jon huntsman, had not started off on the wrong foot would be a serious candidates. they offer important viewpoints. and herman cain is a very important the viewpoint.

we will see how the primary process works. it has been fun to watch. i am not embarrassed. the congress is at 9%. the democratic and republican party are even when it comes to popularity. neither are very popular. things are not going as smoothly and in america as anyone would like. host: we will go to the dinner we had last night. let me go back to the issue of the super committee. i rarely agree with a democrat but he was right. is something has to get in this country. with the ideology so far apart, i am afraid there will be a lot of pain with some amount of bloodshed. it will either stay the same are just flip-flop with the same problems. god help us. that essentially explains the

sentiments. they're frustrated with washington. guest: i am frustrated. i know that members of the house and senatthe senate as well are frustrated. i try to find the greater good. most of those sites and in both parties are honestly reflecting their own personal views and opinions. they are trying to represent their constituents. there is a great debate going on. there is a great debate about where this country is and where they are going for instance, i find it in a sense that republicans are going to discuss income inequality. it symbolizes that they're beginning to figure out that there is some angst out there. as an aside, when newt gingrich

tells the crowd "get a job and then take a shower," he is missing it by a mile. there is great debate in conflicting opinions. folks are struggling to work it out. a lot of the people are trying to work behind the scenes. i do not see a change anytime soon. host: let's go to massachusetts. good morning. caller: thank you. i like the subject of media bias and what they think of that. i am interested in john's response. this seems like their sole purpose is to tear down the republican party. it shows lamb basing any

frontrunner. jon appears on a show where the moderator has a 3 minute question and tenor 15 seconds into a response, rebuting him or what ever. in general, if either of these guys has a bias, it is toward a liberal point of view. >> do you want to assure that the net worth you are referring to? caller: the news by communists. host: i have not heard that one before. guest: i go on msnbc because someone has to bring the republican view across. i can speak freely. a member of congress will have

trouble back home. i love doing the show. we get into it a lot. it can be a lot of fun. there's a difference between bias in journalism and this world we live in where they tried to create fights and spark discussions. there has always been a suspicion that the washington post and "new york times" leans to the left. and there are lots of good reporters who are very fair. the wall street journal means right. people understand that. there is a bias out there. people understand where the biases are. they are not impacted. i go on those shows.

i watch all the networks. i try to understand or they are coming from. this is useful. i do not think anyone necessarily is going to be swayed by the chris matthews show. they do bfor entertainment. host: the republican president has been cautiously calibrating his chances. guest: fascinating developments. he decided to spend as little time and iowa as possible. having said that, i their recent ones has made a concerted decision as spending more time, energy and beginning to build up

a staff. what is interesting is the caucuses are a by christians. i have a certain sensitivity to this. i spent six years working for senator reid to is a mormon. mayor romney is a one as well. it is probably more important. i can go on and on. i will play a hard time. it sure looks like this. host: this gives you a sense of what we look like in 2008. he was winning in most of the 99 counties. piquancy the strength of mitt romney that translates to about

30,000 actual votes. mitt romney was essentially on each side of the states. guest: what he has decided is that he has to show that he wants to whein. you cannot ignore us. it to be really bad for you. people are saying we probably will not win. second or third place will be better. coming in fifth would be worse. then he tried to sit out new hampshire.

this is a media generated one. some much of the cables are covering this. it is important to be where the media is. host: [unintelligible] 1960. c-span radio will be carrying it at 10:00 p.m.. rahm emanuel and the mayor of chicago will be in iowa for a democratic party fund-raiser and taking aim at this republican. >> away to look at the top. pick mitt romney. he said he would be in iowa tonight. we should have done he would change his mind.

he had to run back to his most important people, the salespeople at tiffany's. cain and rick perry were a little late. they were in their tutorial class "where is libya?" >> is out there giving speeches. he has a pretty huge job to do and take care of chicago which is going bankrupt. i was born the south side chicago. an illinois is a complete disaster. chicago is a complete disaster. you have to get back to work. host: here is rahm emanuel last night in iowa. >> the republicans are having a

debate across town. i watched a couple of those debates. i have to be honest. and never thought i would say this. i'm beginning to miss the wisdom of sarah palin. their debate was the thanksgiving family forum. it was fitting. i never saw a greater collection of turkeys. guest: i am a political junkie at heart. i spent time watching the debate. i was dumbfounded. if i do anything this morning, i want to urge every american to watch more and more of the american debate.

the more they watch these republicans debate, of the more they will be turned off by the extreme rhetoric. the more the merrier. the campaign will be sitting back. host: they have a long series of questions. this one question i have a question for both. what happens to donations? it contributes to the failed campaigns of the candidates. they're eyeing the remains of the disaster. what happened? guest: they use them to probably pay off debts. if there's money left over, and

they use them to influence other campaigns. sometimes they hold on to their own ideas are get their web site is up -- website up. they do this so that they can take their money and give it to campaigns. sometimes they give them to charity. host: robert is joining us from missouri. welcome. caller: i would like for the guest to compare and contrast the green and red bill made way back then and compare it to what is going on with the super committee. i think that would be beneficial for everyone to know what

happens when we really do try to balance the budget are get the budget back under control. thank you a host:. thank you for the call. guest: a couple of different ways to respond to the viewer. it did not work as projected. they found a way to get around. it is indicative of congress finding a way to get around the different requirements. this established these discretionary caps.

that dick compel congress in 1990 budget deals. the cannot do anything without it unless you increase taxes. it is a decade of deficit- reduction. by the end, we have a surplus because of the combined efforts. it was partisan. they came to agreement. could have an impact. bill will have to be built on by future congresses. host: we are spending billions

each week, would it be a huge help in reducing the deficit? guest: it to a basin of the can help. we do not deal with the entitlement programs and you will go bankrupt. host: if they failed to come up with an agreement, what will happen? guest: there are so a handful of issues that need to be addressed by the end of the year. president obama is going to new hampshire on tuesday to continue his push for a cut of the payroll tax. congress needs to address unemployment insurance. there are a host of other tax that need to be addressed.

there are other issues that need to be addressed, some as the spenders. then the extension of the best tax cuts. that also needs to be addressed by the end of the year. these can be done next year appear. guest: to deal with the retroactively, short-term i think congress is going to be consumed again by debate in early december about the extension of unemployment insurance and cutting the payroll tax. host: what share with the one moment from last night. >> and newt gingrich has gained ground and is now past mr. romney. it if there's one thing i assume he would be bad that it is

catching up with people. if those reported predict it was reported that he received up to $8 million from freddie mac, many conservatives blame for the crash of the economy. a republican has as much chance of getting elected as a kept guantanamo open. i'm not going to counted yet. host: you have to think that is fantastic. you're in a heap of trouble. these are some of the business ties.

they have the health care foundation. he made $36 million. i do not see it happening. >> both are veterans of the offices on capitol hill. he worked with the speaker of the house. kennedytfor senators and read. thank you. >> tomorrow, the chief economist discusses the joint datasets committee and the lack of the planet that have on the u.s. economy. paul talks about the practice of private groups paying for trips. the executor rector of the coalition discusses two federal programs. live at