that. pinheads are limited. that is it for us tonight. check out our factor website. we want to spout out. any time you need to opine, do not be a bludder for writing to the factor. please remember that the spin stops right here. -- blooter. >> sean: we supported him in south carolina. >> i would vote for newt. >> sean: whether she do it again tonight? and former governor sarah palin is here with that answer. >> the momentum appears to be a gingrich's side as romney's lead has vanished.

dick morris as the latest details on the battleground florida. former presidential candidate fred thompson will anouns his 2012 endorsement, exclusively on hannity and the third state of the union address tomorrow night. karl rove previews the speech. our count down and hannity starts right here, right now. >> sean: it was big weekend for the former speaker of the house newt gingrich who won the primary by a double-digit and romney came in second place and santorum and ron paul. but the battle for the nomination is just getting started as the candidates now set their sights on florida. ahead of that critical primary contest the former speaker is no longer simply calling his top rival. he labeling romney as a liberal. take a look. >> i think south carolinians was the first stated to understand

how liberal governor romney he was as governor of massachusetts. he lost probably 15 to 20 points over the course of the two weeks as people realized he was pro-choice, pro gun control, pro tax increase and whole range of areas that despite his advertising and pretending, it's clear he was rough to south carolinians. >> sean: he is responding to his attacks that unleashes ad with newt's involvement with fraem fannie mae and freddie mac. >> newt gingrich was cashed in. gingrich was paid $1.6 million that helped create the crisis. >> a days advertise your tan. >> he resigned from congress in disgrace and then cashed in as a

d.c. snyder. if newt wins, this guy would be very sheap. >> sean: joining us is sarah palin. governor, welcome back. >> thank you so much. and fred thompson is going to endorse somebody tonight. give me a hint. that will bring be news. he brings a different demographic. >> sean: i know you haven't gotten to the point of endorsing tonight but maybe i'll go back when we started last week. if you were voting in florida. you saw the results in south carolina. how would you vote in florida? >> i still think my endorsement is worth a hill of beans but my advice to florida voters would be to ask themselves which candidate is able to recapture that american exceptionalism that we benefited under ronald

reagan. who wants to go back to those days of success under ronald reagan and who was supported and shaped by reagan's economic policies and who isn't? remember under reagan he was able to enact fiscal policies that invigorated growth and reinvestment in domestic markets. he decreased federal spending and tax rates and inflation. who is it that wants to recapture that? you don't have to listen to me as an advisor on who that would be. say one of reagan's economic gurus art laffer, laffer curve how government can pay its obligations by reducing tax rates what we see today with high tax rates. who was shaped by an art laffer and who wants to recapture and who doesn't. >> sean: laffer is supporting

gingrich, right? >> perhaps he is. i would ask though that voters pay close attention to that experience that one would have as a candidate having served in official capacities in the past. what shaped them? we know what shaped barack obama. bill ayers, jeremiah wright, others that had socialistic ideas, big government ideas that barack obama goes down our throat. we know what shaped him. on the gop side and who and want shaped our candidates, cast your vote what that shaping was. >> sean: but if i can go back, if i had to press you -- i'm not going to press you too hard -- if you had to decide, if you were in florida, now we've gone through the other three states, this election matters because the future of the direction of the country. we have two dramatically different visions between

conservative vision and that of obama's. you said last time you wanted the race and vetting to continue if you had to cast your vote, who would it be? >> i want that vetting to continue. it's the candidate that has to endorse. it's not going to do you a whole lot of good if you can't produce not only in the debates but according to your experience and according to what your core foundations are and according to the proof that you have that you're not flip-flopping around like a halibut ready to be clubbed. you have core convictions and the experience and record to prove it. that makes so much more of a difference than any endorsement. >> sean: in the next segment, how heated this has become. you took issue with the comments

by governor christie when he was on meet the press this weekend and he said newt was an embarrassment to the party. i interviewed him earlier, was i an embarrassment when i helped lead the gingrich revolution and help create a majority and welfare reform. he went through a whole litany of answers. you are critical of governor christie, too. why are you critical? >> because he played right into the leftist media's hands, the host of that showing. wanted him to say gop candidate was an embarrassment to the party. we're sick of the media cramming down our throats who a candidate who our candidate is going to be. we're independent voters. despite the filter of the media we're going to make up our own minds. a comment from chris christie,

who is one to throw stones? i and probably every other gop player, i guess, has no doubt embarrassed the party, including chris christie, some of his actions, staeg taking a state owned helicopter to kid's ballgame. i think it was just unfortunate that chris christy threw that out that because he produced an a ard for obama campaign come election time. >> sean: stay right there. we'll talk about the heated rhetoric on both sides. dick morris is tonight and karl rove will break down the latest developments from the campaign trail. in a hannity exclusive, fred thompson will unveil who he is thompson will unveil who he is endorsing [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i us my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt.

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>> sean: welcome back. later tonight i will be joined by dick mor arise and karl rove and fred thompson will be here. first, we'll continue with sarah palin. since then, governor romney has said about newt. he is a failed leader. he is a d.c. insider. he had to resign in disgrace. the ultimate d.c. insider. do you think tactically, strategically speaking going

that harsh against newt, is that going to work or does it have a chance of back firing? >> of course, it has a chance of back firing. in this actual multius on and rough and tumble contested primary, every candidate should expect those tough shots thrown their way. you know, i don't likes the negativity. a lot of people don't. yet we know that it's not a game our candidates would remain focused on the main thing. that is, of course, defeating obama and understanding the underemployment rate is nearly 20%. increase in energy prices, the closer we get to inflation and all the negative things going on in our nation, i believe, mostly continuation of obama's policies and let's talk positively what it is each candidate can bring to the table in terms of

solutions. >> sean: that doesn't sound particularly positive to me. as a result this week, mitt romney is going to release his tax returns tomorrow. gingrich will release contracts with fannie mae and freddie mac tomorrow. is this a good thing. get it out early? >> absolutely. absolutely. with those tax returns, i know that the minute i was called to run for vp with john mccain, congress called to start producing all of our financial records. all of those tax records. that is the name of the game, whether its law or not. it is tradition. it's an expectation, that transparency. mitt romney obviously now has taken kind of that pressure to heart and now he is going to release his tax returns. newt gingrich's contract also with working with bureaucracy. more transparency the better because that in itself allows that con trat what the gop

offers and how we want to benefit the electorate with as much information as possible with that lack of transparency in obama administration that has harmed our nation swnrees as we look at the results from the south carolina. they draw the kitchen sink newt prior to this. i look at the exit polls. rank and file republicans went gingrich. those who support the tea party or neutral toward the tea party, men and women, married women by ten points, conservatives very conservatives somewhat conservative, almost every income group, every age group except those under 30, the majority of those went to ron paul. he won the evangelical vote 44-22%. on the issue of electability, that was an area that i think surprised a lot of people where gingrich won there as well, 51-37%.

what does this mean? how do we interpret the results. south carolina is the latest primary. >> the latest primary and in south carolina there are a lot of independent tea party patriots who were reached by newt gingrich then who won in south carolina. mitt romney, a little advice what it's worth, to reach out to the tea party patriots that know we are taxed enough already and know the government has to get off our back. mitt romney needs to more effectively reach out to these independents and assume that the gop machine is going to carry his water and tell us who it is that we should vote for. no, we're much more independent than that. we'll do our own homework and we do expect a candidate to give some credence to that tea party movement that was so

instrumental i believe in the south carolina victory. >> sean: i know you said earlier you said your endorsement isn't important. at some point are you going to weigh and tell people who you are going to vote for? >> i probably will, but my endorsement acknowledging it's not worth a hill of beans because people like you keep bugging me about it. >> sean: you ood used to be a journalist. come on. give me a hard time. >> i would be doing the same thing. you are doing great. at some point, i'll let you know. >> sean: let me first, that is not a lot. good see you. thanks for being with us. governor romney 22-point lead in the sunshine state has evaporated. newt gingrich now surging in two separate polls. we'll check in with dick morris. he'll react as we head to the battle in florida. fred thompson will announce his

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>> sean: it's going to be a showdown in the great state of florida, sunshine state and impressive victory on saturday, newt gingrich is rolling in florida with a lot of momentum.

according to a new poll, gingrich has taken the lead in florida, 41%. royz has 32% followed by rick santorum and ron paul. joining me is reaction is dick mor it's. how are you? two polls and that the insider advantage poll, 9%. >> incredible. that you don't see a 30-point shift quickly that often. >> all political consultants need to change their playbook. money doesn't matter. manpower nor organization doesn't matter. what matters the main thing that matters is how you do in the debates. it's campaign financial reform gop style. you have romney criticizing gingrich over fannie mae and freddie mac and romney over flip-flopping. the question is how they will handle those negatives in the debate. how they able to adjust to it.

essentially that will determine the outcome here. it's a very performance based measurement. there has never been a scenario since reagan in 1980 when you didn't have a republican that won iowa and new hampshire and going on to win the nomination. so all bets are off. this is different campaign cycle. what do you think, obviously mitt romney has decided to double down. i went over this with governor palin that newt is a washington insider. >> what i would do if i were running those romney's campaign, i wouldn't do the attacks. i would say when you came after bain capital and came of a have a me more for the tax rate. you are xheog obama's words and you are playing in the animosity that plays in people that create jobs. i would reach back to gingrich's

rhetoric pre-south carolina and have mitt romney be the poster boy for capitalism as answering the charges that gingrich has made and characterizing and painting them with the same brush as obama. >> sean: his charges ran deeper than that. he is trying to push this narrative that governor romney is moderate literal. he talks about abortion and dancing himself from reagan. so it's not -- distancing but they doubled down we are going to fight. is that mitt romney's style? >> he should fight but from the defense and not the offense. it shouldn't be, look at this i just discovered this thing about newt gingrich and look at the other thing. he looks desperate and undermines his image as a winner. what you it should be is taking advantage of the big mistake newt made which was to attack

him on bug bain capital and taxes and use that to rally the free enterprise capitalist republicans to vote for him which was his base going in. that smost he has to make. instead, is the kitchen sink, just negatives and hope some hit -- that is mistake on his part. >> sean: if the debates continue what the likelihood that newt will continue to win them? >> i think he will do well in the debates. who can make a prediction in this environment but to the extent you can, i think it's likely gingrich wins florida but then everybody talks about how he has nomination, romney is dead and gingrich is the guy. then everybody start saying -- oh, my god can gingrich beat obama? then you go into nevada with the high mormon population and go

into michigan where his father was governor. those are good states for romney. so a little bit like 1980 and kennedy and carter. people that would vote for carter -- oh, my god he is such a failure and then they vote for kennedy and they would vote for either of them. it was like musical chairs. who was standing when the music stopped. >> sean: the advance still romney? >> no, i don't think he can play it out. i'm not sure there is front-runner right now. this will not be a quick knockout. >> sean: santorum stays in? >> santorum stays in and grows, he becomes more viable, the more mitt and newt dump on each other the more rick is going to look good. i have been around the country for national school choice week. it's transforming the education system in america. it's the most important

revolution since at the state level. in the last two or three years. i just wanted to mention it. >> sean: good to see you. fred thompson is here and he will announce who he is endorsing for president. also karl rove will join with us the preview of the state of the union address. union address. all this and more c i refer to her as "that woman with the great gums."

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>> sean: fred thompson spent much of his life in washington as a lawyer and then as senator. following 2008 he endorsed john mccain but he is here in a hannity exclusive who he is supporting for the republican nomination. welcome back. >> fred: thank you sean, good to be with you. >> sean: i read your statement. i think it's really important. i'll let you lay it out.

you go into specific details why this race is so important. what is at stake and who you decided to endorse. >> fred: sean, for me the way i view the strength of these candidates had to do with the way i view the status and direction of our government. i think we're in deep trouble. i probably think greater trouble than most people do. even these numbers that are coming out of washington that look so bleak are understated. they are false projections of growth and that nature. we have historically low interest rates and when they start to come up as the largest debt they are the world, we're going to be in an additional fix that we can't bail ourselves out of. i think we're at a tipping point in this country. i think there are going to be more people in the wagons soon

than are pulling the wagon. i think we're there. almost half the people are on some federal program. almost half the people pay no federal income tax. i think this president is taking us down the road of a genuine welfare state full-fledged. even when we have the example of europe to teach us and guide us. the american people see what is going on there, see what zbio on in their own country. that is why they are organizing in hemlets and towns across the nation. some of them are call tea parties. i have come to the growing realization that newt gingrich is the guy who can articulate what america is all about. american exceptionalism, can make the case and not just read the talking points or do it off

the teleprompter. can make the case for free markets and our basic case that lower taxes can be good for everybody. bring about growth, it's good for everybody. he is not afraid. he is tough. he is experienced. i don't think any more it's an advantage to be able to say i know nothing about the operation of the federal government. i know something about it. newt knows something about it. its colossal mess. i came to washington in 1995 in part because of what was going on in the country that had generated in large part by the leadership of newt gingrich. he conceived and carried out really a revolution in american politics at that time. we were able to balance the budget for about four years in a

row. pass welfare reform and begin to rebuild a depleted military. these things can be done but we can't be apologetic about it or timid about it. we can't look surprised if we get off of our talking points. we have to stand up to the establishment on both sides of the aisle and to the news media and carry this thing through. these times are different in america, sean. the old rules don't apply. people are concerned. people are frightened. people see their country going in a direction that is different from the first principles that made us the envy of the world. that is why you're seeing people react the way they did in south carolina. >> sean: you released a report, you mention this in your statement. you put this when you were chairman of government affairs committee. government on the brink, far

worse now than it was then. you see the debt, the deficits, what do you make of -- even tonight governor romney is coming down hard on newt. washington insider, attack after another after another. i don't think this the path towards aspiring people on either side, what any of these guys are attacking each other. they spent 20 minutes earlier in the debate. >> fred: i'm not really surprised. i guess i am surprised that newt is doing his own, shall we say tough and gritty work. usually he leaves that to his surrogates and the super pacs to put those television ads and spent millions on attacks like that. mitt stands up there, in the last debate, he said something

negative toward one of the candidates. now, she coming out with an array of accusations that everyone can be addressed at the proper time. if these candidates want to spend their time talking about what happened 10, 15, 20 years ago and mistakes that were made in their personal lives or business lives or political lives, i'm sure that each candidate is going to have plenty to talk about. the american people are fed up with all of that. they are asking the question -- who is going to be bold enough, smart enough, articulate enough to carry the mail? to beat barack obama and start the difficult task of writing this american ship. >> sean: will you head out the campaign trail with newt gingrich? >> fred: i'll do some things. i'm sure.

it's not a full-time job. i'm not going to be spokesman for the campaign or anything like that. i have the same concern that every father and grandfather has. same thing that got me in politics to start with. that is, try to leave the place a little better than you found it. i above all else know, you can born in modest circumstances in this country, but you are blessed in ways that kings of old could not even begin to contemplate. you are born with a legacy of freedom and independence and free choice. the founding fathers of this country understood human nature. they understood the wisdom of the ages and the lessons of civilizations that have come and gone. these things have come together to give us the kind of life we had.

i'm ashamed kind of what our generation is in the process of leading the next one. >> sean: i just turned 50 senator, you think about life different. you are about to turn 50. >> it won't be long. [ laughter ] >> sean: senator, it's good to see you. i think this is worth reading u.s. on your website? >> fred: i don't know. i'm sure it will object somebody's. >> sean: fred thompson, thank you very much. karl rove is coming up. karl rove is coming up. and we have our great [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens,

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we're he will be hard for him to get stuff done this year now in the midst of a heated season. gop points out we've been without a budget from the u.s. senate. democrats are for a bill will be over a thousand days. >> sean: joining me is a preview korl karl rove.

sir, how are you? first, let's talk about thompson endorsing gingrich, we have some page polls, 9 points. he was down 20. your reaction over all these developments. >> one reaction rollercoaster of the ride. sounds to me you had your second endorsement tonight in the segment you just did. >> sean: you mean with, who? >> with fred. >> sean: that is other endorsement. >> first one was governor palin sounding to me that was endorsement too. >> sean: she wouldn't say though. she kept stretching it out, stretching it out. sure sounded like it. >> sean: my job is dig down deep and get answers from people.

are you endorsing anybody? >> no, once you failed to get that i wouldn't endorse somebody. >> sean: i'm sure you get second place on the ticket and that will guarantee a loss. that wouldn't be too good. the president has his record. this is a big problem. thousand days without a budget in the senate. five trillion in debt. he said about your oen old boss on july 3rd or 4th in 2008 he was irresponsible and unpatriotic because george bush acquired $4 trillion in debt. he is over $5 trillion in three years. how does he explain this to the public and a credible way? >> he doesn't. look that is not the purpose of the state of the union. let's be clear. what he is going to do? he is going to say the middle-class, in fact, please let's not having drinking games based around the phrase

middle-class or we're going to have a lot of drunk people in america tomorrow night. second of all, wealthy are not pairing their fair taxes and how they need do a little bit more. third he is going talking about things he is going to do to solve the economic problem and he is going to be saying congress needs to pass these things. there are things he knows he can't get passed the democratic senate let alone a republican house. we saw one that pre-staged this. the year before you gave a political state of the union you are not serious about policy you are all about politics and why should he change this year if started it last year. remember the subject of last year in three big things he was going to do? high speed rail, high-speed internet and green jobs. none of those worked. last one, solyndra went bankrupt. >> sean: billions of taxpayer

dollars thrown down the drain and he went against the keystone oil project. which i think is the biggest blunder. what about the senate not passing a budget for thousand days? >> this is not how you ought to run a government. it's the democrats running from resolution to resolution. there is something else that happened today. president announced he will not meet his statutory requirement of submitting a budget has required under the 1974 budget act on the first monday in february. say, we'll get around a week or two later -- it's in the law. the president has to do it. generally a president in the first year will issue a place holder but he didn't issue a place holder in 2009, didn't do it in 10 and now he has to do it. three out of last four years, he didn't get the job done. this is ridiculous. president has a responsibility to meet the statutes and he is not doing it. the thing that is combination

both of them are democrats. >> sean: if you were to advise gingrich in terms of maintaining the lead with the bump out of south carolina. what would you say to him? what would you say to governor romney? he has heavily in the attack area. he is really going the things he said earlier today and over the weekend. you think that is a good idea or good strategy? >> first, if you are newt, if you think you are going to win, don't be calling your principle opponent a liberal. step back and become the front-runner by giving us your vision. what is the three big things you are going to do. it better not be we're going to help kids in any majority schools get jobs as janitors. don't make it processed. i'm going to challenge obama to seven debates. tell us what you are going to do. you have a unique moment.

you are in totally in the process and saying things about your opponent that weren't believable and what happened is you went into the tank. now, he's got a moment. let's see if he takes advantage of it. what does romney need to do? criticism is fine but he needs to put insider frame. the frame is what is it, what conservative issue, what issue that republicans care about does this relate to? if he goes after newt on the issue of freddy, then he ought to put inside the frame, this san issue. president obama is bailing out fannie mae and freddie mac to the tune of nearly $150 billion with no end in sight. he can't make it an issue because he was freddy's payroll. you have to put it inside a frame. >> sean: can you predict anything will happen? >> we're not going to know until

after it happens. think about this. we had a guy lost by 30 points in new hampshire, win south carolina by 12. he won south carolina by a bigger margin at the end of the week he was losing at the beginning of the week. it's been happening like that every which way. we have three guys each has a gold medal. one has a guy silvers and one guy has a bronze. this going to go on and on as long as we pay attention to it. >> sean: it's getting interesting every day. karl rove. great, great, great a

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>> sean: tonight on our great american panel. quick introductions, trippi, pat i got you all. i'm so in love with you ♪ i wanted to do that. >> big win for newt? >> i am a democrat. i don't know if it's, trippi and i were talking. let me tell you something, he struck a lot of nerves with the cold words and buzz words. >> sean: what cold words?

>> welfare. that is a code word. >> food stamp president. >> do you know how many more people or food stamps since barack obama? >> bush agricultural departments 14.7 and 14.2 under obama. >> sean: we have 12 million more americans. >> i'm not going to argue with you. >> you don't call it welfare. that is a keyed word? everything is a code word. [ laughter ] >> i've been saying it from the beginning, mitt romney is the weakest front-runner i've ever seen of either party. i actually was surprised how long it took for somebody else to sort of catch. >> mitt romney, gingrich is john

belushi. >> i thought today was interesting because romney was finally after all these months have come out swinging but he is swinging at the republicans. for so long the republicans have been waiting to see if romney has it in him to attack obama. to go after newt, to go after his own guy is unnatural. back in 1992 which actually i remember when george h.w. bush called clinton and gore a couple of bozos. it was so unnatural. it was the very end. >> it didn't work out very well. >> sean: when the debate started tonight it was literally a litany. it was nonstop. >> and the governor is out to attack gingrich and the other republicans. >> gingrich is riding the momentum. it's going to take a while to

bring him down. it's not going to be because romney stands at debate and spills the whole opera book out on him in the first five minutes. >> sean: how did obama win when 85% of the people think thinks the economy stinks? >> romney, according to him, it's getting better. that is your own candidate. he said four days ago, he said the economy gotten better. >> i don't think he said that. >> he made a whole thing about it today. >> it's out of context. >> it's not out of context. >> sean: strategy wise, strategically, i think it's better to go after obama. go after his record, show you can take him on. >> i agree. we all know mitt, right. i've been to his house. i kind of like him. but he has turned into a robot

in this campaign. the olympics guy. >> sean: what happens if you play it safe versus playing to win? that is what i see, gingrich is playing hard to win and romney is playing it safe. >> romney is being the 3,000. you want to talk about it. >> sean: president obama he can't read a sentence without a teleprompter. he sleeps with the thing. >> that, gingrich is taking off. because he has attacked obama. his policies is continuing to do that. gingrich played right into obama's hands with the whole bain and all that. >> that is all coming. >> you know what sells coming, the other states are coming. obama has list of solyndras coming. >> primaries is getting this stuff out there. you are going to make romney