the president starts his day in north carolina. >> keep in mind, one poll found that 63% of americans support the ideas in this jobs bill. but 100% of republicans in the senate voted against it. >> next stop, virginia. will the republican governor put out the welcome mat? we'll be asking him next. plus hillary clinton in libya today, a surprise trip. she says she hopes gadhafi will be captured or killed soon. and is one israeli soldier worth 1,000 palestinians? why is israel making today's swap? good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. he's riding high in the polls, but can he remain and can herman cain deliver? the former godfather pizza ceo is showing signs that he may not be able to stand up to front-runner scrutiny. msnbc contributor chris solisa joins us with the fix.

tonight's big debate in nevada, herman cain having to explain less than a year ago was quoted on the sales tax saying he was against the sales tax. so now -- he said it was the worst idea, the proposed national sales tax, it's like a v.a.t. like in europe. how does he explain why a 9-9-9 is not a sales tax when he's proposing one? >> i'm interested to hear that tonight, andrea. i think you rightly anticipate he will be asked about it. this is the boom/bust cycle we have seen happen for a lot of conservative campai conservative candidates, michele bachmann, rick perry and now herman cain. you rise on a sense that you are the conservative candidate, you represent the value system. but people don't know that much about you. when they find more out about you, there's doubts that creep

in. herman cain has admitted to nbc's david gregory that, yes, in fact the 9-9-9 plan would raise taxes on some individuals. my guest is his rivals will emphasize that tonight. the more you find out, no one is a perfect candidate. you have to choose between flawed. we are all flawed people. everybody is a flawed candidate. herman cain is being shown to be silent slightly less than the perfect person. >> still the front-runner going into the debate. last night he addressed the question that he's not a serious candidate, he's more doing a book tour because he was in tennessee, he had not hit any of the states, the early primary states. this is what he said last night in phoenix. >> one myth is that i'm not in this race to win it. that i'm just trying to get my profile up so i can get a tv show or a radio show.

if you know herman cain, you know that's -- nothing is further from the truth. if you don't believe me, i invite you to get a copy of my new book "this is herman cain" if you can find one. they're selling like hotcakes. >> they're selling like hotcakes, partly because he he and his campaign spent $36,511, which candidates do all the time, buying his own books. the campaign laid out the money buying the books so now it's creeping up on the "new york times" best seller's list. it's one hand helping the other. >> i want to cite a friend of mine, jonathan martin of politico who reminded me herman cain has not been to iowa or new hampshire since august. that's what's hard to reconcile. he says he is a serious candidate. i don't doubt him. people who worked in his 2004 senate campaign in georgia says he believes this tough. even mike huckabee who ran on a

shoestring campaign, he spent tons of time in iowa. you have to go to these states if you want to win them. herman cain is not doing that. >> to be continued. thanks so much, chris. >> thank you. now to new hampshire, one of the early states. jon huntsman is boycotting tonight's nevada debate to protest them raising dates. we are here in new hampshire, i'm not selling books. i'm not looking for a radio program. i'm just looking to save america, a country i love. >> you're looking to save america, but is there any proof that any nominee has ever won with a one-state strategy? you're not going to iowa, you're not going to any of the other states. even though you're in new hampshire, putting all your money in new hampshire, you're dead last in the polling in new hampshire. how will you make this happen? >> our numbers in new hampshire have moved up from zero.

i came in as a margin of error candidate. we have done 80 individual events in this state. we will do 80 more. and i can't call myself the margin of error candidate anymore. in a recent poll, we are at 10%. all the recent polls have had us moving up. that's the kind of movement i like, but what the people here in new hampshire want is a serious conversation about a candidate's vision for america. the specifics. what are you going to do, then are you going to stay behind so we can ask you 100 questions so we can get to know your heart and soul as a candidate. that's what makes new hampshire such a special place in our election process. that's why so many people are rightly outraged about the politics that are playing out in nevada. as they try to leapfrog new hampshire in the schedule, thereby lessening the impact that this great state has towards enhancing the understanding that our citizens have about the candidates and what it is they stand for. >> a number of the other candidates are not going to

compete in nevada, but they are going to the debate. wouldn't you have been better off having the exposure of appearing on that stage, making the point with your other fellow republicans to try and again move up in the polls? >> let me tell you what the people of new hampshire would expect to us do? they would expect us to be right here in this state, having a town hall meeting that will be packed tonight with people who want to hear a vision. they don't want to hear sound bytes. they want a candidate's vision. then they want a conversation with the candidate. we had many conversations about why we are boycotting nevada. i say you don't just pay lip service to a boycott, you make it real if you're going to boycott the caucus which we have already said and some candidates signed on, i say we'll make it real by not attending the debate which will be full of the predictable sound bytes. we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of new hampshire, do everything we can to make sure they don't lose that first in the nation primary status, which

is the window through which everyone in america can better understand candidates increasingly in an era, in a period of artificiality. you can't get by with that in new hampshire this is all about your vision, it's all about getting to know the candidates, and about the rest of america being able to better understand the process and who the players are through the prism of new hampshire. particularly during such an important moment as we face today with an economy that has hit the wall, with an uncertain position internationally. these are critically important issues that need to be discussed. this is where it starts. >> how will you get message across? your third quarter filing showed at least up to now only $1,000 has been contributed by new hampshire voters to you. $1,000. that's kind of embarrassing, and that you're $3 million in debt overall. >> well, those numbers are slightly wrong. >> those are the numbers with

the fec. that's where we get them from. >> the debt number there is a little bit off. but in any event, we have gone up 250% in fund-raising since we went from nothing to 10% in a recent poll here. how do you win new hampshire? you keep at it. there are town hall meetings, there's house parties, it's shaking hands with the citizens and sharing your vision for a better tomorrow, which starts first and foremost with how you will create jobs. here in this state you feel the effects of joblessness when you sit down with the mayor of -- the sheriff of hillsboro who wants to talk about how his deputies are handing out foreclosure notices. this is a human tragedy playing out and it deserves a serious conversation, not an artificial conversation, a serious conversation with the citizens and that start here's in new hampshire. i like where we're headed. i can feel the connection in every town hall meeting we had.

when we started, they were all house parties. you had a trickle of people coming in. now they're town hall meetings and they're all packed. they're people who have heard about us because of the buzz in the marketplace and they're people who once they hear our message are signing on. i like our chances in new hampshire. >> one of the things you try dodd is give a manjor foreign policy address last week. you said president obama's policies weakened america, we lost leverage in the international community. it's cultural arrogance to think we can make tribal leaders into democratic leaders. the question occurs why didn't you quit sooner as his ambassador to china? >> i love my country, andrea. when i'm asked to serve, particularly during a time of war and economic hardship, in a very specific and serious relationship. there is no relationship more important than the u.s./china relationship. i'm the kind of person who will

stand up in a bipartisan fashion and do my best for my country. that doesn't mean you resign yourself from your political party affiliation or your ability to participate in the great debates of the time. this is the most important election cycle of my lifetime. i have to say you have a choice after you serve your two years. you either stand on the sidelines and watch it all play out or given your experience as a twice-elected governor, someone who lived overseas four different times, three times as a u.s. ambassador, you choose to get in the arena as teddy roosevelt talked about. with all your experience, you have been twice elected governor, been the ambassador, you had experience before that in the bush administration. so the question is is herman cain who is the front-runner right now, is he qualified to be commander in chief? do you think it's 9-9-9 plan qualifies him to lead us out of an economic mess? >> we don't know yet who the next commander in chief will be.

i'm here to tell you it will be based on real experience. 9-9-9 is a good slogan but does not add up. beyond that it's a nonstarter when it hits capitol hill. unlike the economic plan we put forward, endorsed by the "wall street journal," which was taken out of the simpson-bowles work which had been done in a bipartisan fashion, it can pass muster and simplify our tax codes to make us a more competitive anything. >> if it's not herman kane, many feel it will be mitt romney potentially as the other leading candidate. is he a liberal? is he a conservative? what is mitt romney as far as you're concerned? >> these are early days, andrea. that's why i get back to new hampshire being such an important primary. wh >> what is mitt romney to the people of new hampshire? a liberal? a conservative?

>> will you have to ask whoever tracks him. >> as his opponent who do you think he is? >> i've seen three different mitt romneys a liberal mitt romney, a moderate mitt romney and a liberal mitt romney. and people here are a bit confused as others are. but that, again, is why the primary process here in new hampshire is so important. because you can't escape the reality of citizens coming after you wanting answers to their questions and wanting to know what's in your head if you're always coming up with a different answer or avoiding the important issues of the day, you don't pass muster with the people of new hampshire. there's no artificiality about it whatsoever. i'm here standing with the people of new hampshire, working with them to protect the first primary in the nation status. as that is thrown into jeopardy with the political shen thaniga playing out, it's not good for the people of new hampshire or the people of this great huntry. >> thank you very much. pleasure to have you today.

>> thank you, andrea. up next, democratic party chairwoman debbie wasserman schultz with the democratic point of view and why are virginia democrats giving the president the cold shoulder. [ engine revving ] [ spectator ] gun it, bro! what's this guy doing? dude. [ laughs ] whoa! whoo! no way! go, go, go, go! are you kidding? [ cheering ] oh, my god. did you guys see that? maniac. [ male announcer ] the midsize nissan frontier with full size horsepower and torque. innovation for doers. innovation for all.

♪ i go to e-trade and tap into the power of revolutionary mobile apps to trade wherever. whenever. life isn't fully experienced sitting idly by. neither is investing. [ birds chirping ] clorox disinfecting wipes and...a digital recorder. i'm finally feeling better. good honey, you turn into such a little whiner when you're sick. no i don't. [ bawk! ] honey, i'm sick. i can't reach the remote. that sounds nothing like me. [ beep ] honey, i'm sick. i can't reach the remote. that kind of does. [ male announcer ] get low prices every day on everything to prepare for cold and flu season. we're so confident in our low prices, we back 'em with our ad match guarantee. save money. live better. walmart. ♪ [ female announcer ] mini™ meets berries. kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats cereal

with a touch of fruit in the middle. helloooooo fruit in the middle. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

today, but republicans say this is a campaign trip in disguise. congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz joins us now. great to see you. first of all what is your response to john mccain and mitch mcconnell and all the others who say the campaign should be paying for this bus trip through north carolina and

virginia, not the taxpayer? >> president obama has been using his role as president of the united states to stump across the country to press the congress, the united states senate and the united states house of representatives to pass the american jobs act now. emphasizing how critical it is that the congress pass his legislation to ensure that we can get people back to work, that we can provide a payroll tax cut to small business owners and extend the payroll tax cut that would put $1,500 in the average middle class family's pocket, keep teachers on the job, firefighters, other first responders, put construction workers back to work. that's the role of the president of the united states to make sure the person people understand what he's proposed, what's at stake, and who the obstacles in the path of that progress really are. the republicans have to answer for that. >> the president's polling among independents in virginia has completely flipped since he ran back in 2008. it's 62/29 among independents

according to latest poll. you have the democrats, like the top democratic in the house of delegates, ward armstrong. this is what he has to say in a campaign ad about running away from barack obama. >> i'm ward armstrong, and now charles poindexter is comparing me to barack obama. that's stretch, charles. i'm pro-life, pro-gun and i always put virginia first. that's why i opposed the cap and trade bill. >> what do you say to democrats in states like virginia, north carolina, must-win states for the president that are really drifting away from him? >> what i say to independent voters is that the demonization of our leaders like president obama, like the republicans did to nancy pelosi in the 2010 campaign, is absolutely unacceptable, and i think they will reject it across the board. people know that each of us that runs for office stands on our

own record. it's irresponsible for a political party to engage in that kind of demonization, particularly of the president of the united states. we all have to run on our own records, and that ad is a reflection of that member of the delegation is doing. >> at the same time, you've got to be concerned, as democratic national chairman, when you have places like virginia and north carolina, that the president did win, not handedly, but he won these previously red states, they turned purple, now they are really running back in the other direction. >> we're months out from election day, and the number one issue is jobs and the economy that will remain the number one issue through election day. i think there will be a stark contrast, like there is now, between the direction that republicans want to take this country and that's backwards, to allow corporate america to write their own rules again to take us back to the policies that keep the wind at the backs of the

most fortunate americans, which brought us to the precipice of economic disaster and the direction that president obama has taken us which has begun to get this economy turned around, which has -- he has a jobs proposal that would put people back to work right now and give the economy the shot in the arm it needs. this is -- i agree with one thing that governor huntsman said this is the most important election of his or my lifetime. and it's going to be absolutely critical that the people understand the difference between any of the republican candidates for president, who are wrong on all the issues that matter to middle class americans right now and have no interest or no proposals to put people back to work, and president obama who has been out there swinging for the economy, swinging for americans. the republicans seem only interested in one job, his. and he's interested, like congressional democrats are, in american jobs. >> debbie wasserman schultz, thank you. >> thank you. calendar chaos. are you ready for new year's eve

in iowa? the politico briefing is next right here on "andrea mitchell reports." time for the "your business" small business advice. here are tips to optimize your small business video content. choose the right place to host your content. third party sites will maximize total views, keep it less than three minutes and include a text transcript of your video. it lets search engines get a better read of your video. the best approach to food is to keep it whole for better nutrition. that's what they do with great grains cereal. they steam and bake the actual whole grain while the other guy's flake is more processed. mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. is best absorbed in small continuous amounts.

only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.

matter which position i am in i wake up feeling good. it fits you so peectly... it fits you. you wake up and you're revived and rejuvenated. it's just like wow! tempur-pedic the most highly recommended bed in america. tempur-pedic is rated #1 in comfort. sleep satisfaction. and back support. it fits the curvature of your body but you don't sink in and it is firm. proprietary tempur material suppresses motion transfer. this means that when you get in or out of bed, you won't disturb your partner. that's amazing. that's amazing. tempur-pedic, the most highly recommended bed in america. call the number on your screen.

with iowa setting its caucus for january 3rd, the race to be first is coming down to a contest between new hampshire and nevada. we have the politico briefing. david, this showdown, nearly new hampshire will be back, or do we think nevada will try to squeak in? >> if i had to bet, i would bet on new hampshire this debate always seems to pop up every four years. nevada is pushing this faceoff. they are trying to stand their ground, but so is new hampshire. i have to think when the front-running candidate is mitt

romney, that new hampshire is going to end up winning out on this faceoff. >> at the same time this calendar chaos, really, could shove new hampshire into december. is anyone going to take seriously the new hampshire primary if it is in december? >> i think they will. again, just because of mitt romney and his, you know, tenable front-runner status. but it will be interesting to see what he says in the coming days, even if he's asked about it at tonight's debate, because both states are very, very important to him and is he going to have to draw the line and say, look, new hampshire needs to keep its first in the nation status. and what will other candidates say? will there be solidarity to keep new hampshire first? it's hard to see a primary season without new hampshire retaining its first in the nation status. but, you know, this is still yet to be determined. >> we're not going to have that, new hampshire does have to be first in the nation. and there's the whole tradition.

first, nevada is a caucus, new hampshire is a primary. there's the tradition of the door to door voting. the fact that jon huntsman is staying in new hampshire, even though he has not been able to get traction there yet, he said he is building. the other candidates will be put on the spot tonight in nevada. >> it's a little gamble for jon huntsman, he's missing the media attention tonight but is probably hoping to get some respect from those voters that basically he staked his candidacy on and those are the people of new hampshire. we'll see if it works for him. >> thank you very much for ju jumping in there, david. coming up, hillary clinton's surprise trip to tripoli with millions of dollars of u.s. aid and a threat to gadhafi. or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses

have on communities. that's why we extended $7.8 billion to small businesses across the country so far this year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible.

and a healthy choice for the planet? [ female announcer ] try pantene nature fusion shampoo. its pro-v formula captures the potential of cassia to make weak, brittle hair up to 10x stronger. and now it comes in pantene's new bottle. made from up to 59% plant-based material. ♪ healthier hair... healthier planet. one small step at a time. [ female announcer ] nature fusion from pantene. hair so healthy it shines. topping the headlines now on "andrea mitchell reports," secretary of state hillary clinton issued a blunt message to libya's rebel leaders while visiting tripoli today.

the u.s. wants to see moammar gadhafi captured or killed, she said. >> reporter: good afternoon, andrea. secretary of state clinton arrived in tripoli two months after the fall of the city and the ouster of moammar gadhafi. though he's still on the loose, many people here suspect he is holed up in sirte where there is intense fighting. the secretary is more concerned about the militias that are operating here, the militias that came together to overthrow the gadhafi regime but are now under the danger of revenge and vigilanteism, taking revenge on those forces that were loyal to gadhafi. but not only that, they are warning here, the secretary and top officials, of factionalism, of the malitias not following one central governing authority, that's the theme she's come back to time and time again. she talked about the rights of women in libya. we're here at the university

close by in tripoli where the first three questions were about the rights of women in emerging democracy in libya. so, the secretary arriving here only on the ground for a few hours before heading on. andrea? >> thanks, mike. that surpri israeli soldier gilad shalit has been reunited with his family today after five years being held in palestinian captivity. it was part of a swap. occupy boston protesters are out in force today. they didn't have far to go. their makeshift camp happens to be across the street from the boston federal reserve building where ben bernanke is speaking today. and they are protesting. i'm joined by a member of the "financial times." let's talk about the occupy movement and the impact it's having. is it going to have an impact on policymakers in both parties? >> it seems like one of the

principle complaints that you hear coming from downtown new york is that they feel like the banks represent two powerful forces within politics, that though there are regulatory and kind of reform things going on, that the banks are sort of controlling that process. certainly to an extent they've been influential in that process. i think certainly they've given a lot of leeway to politicians, especially democrats to say we actually don't like some of what's going on. we don't like the direction that some things are heading. so i think what they have done is sort of allowed some of these issues to be talked about, to be raised in a way that maybe they weren't in the past. whether or not that translates into change, we'll see. but it certainly is kind of allowing some people to sort of shape the narrative in their favor. >> in fact, the latest "usa today" gallup polling shows 64% of those polled blame the federal government for what's going on, only 30% blame

financial institutions. i think you could infer from that that it could be, again, the result of the really negative reaction to what happened here in august in washington with the debt ceiling debate. >> yeah. like i was saying, i think the anger so much -- there's a lot of rhetoric about bankers, things like that. there's a sense that it's the people -- that it's members of congress, the administration who are sort of letting financial interests sort of overrun them in this process. i think that there's a sense that it's washington that bears responsibility to say we're going to do it this way. you know, we don't like the direction that this or that is heading in. i do think that obviously in august, with the debt ceiling, where they saw congress unable to sort of take a policy, stick with it, be bold in how they will tackle some bigger problems. so i think it is that. it is that anti-washington anger similar to what you saw in the tea party. >> in terms of the real economy, are we at risk here with what's

happening in europe, with angela merkel pulling back from a long-term solution. will we continue to have increasing volatility as europe rocks back and forth and doesn't reach a solution and france is heading into an election cycle with the socialists challenging sarkozy. is it possible we will not have a real solution to not only greece but the rest of what's happening in europe? >> yeah. i don't think there really will be a -- this is finally it, this is the thing that will fix everything type of issue. there are structures they're trying to put in place in europe that will be there in case there is a crisis. but people will still be wondering will there really be a precipitating crisis? will the structures hold? a lot of people would like to, you know, buy stocks. they're looking to corporate profits which have not been great so far but are still pretty good. they would like to be in the market. because they're worried of tail risks, the sense that any moment there might be something that happens in europe, a greek default or a big european bank, you know, saying that they can't

get funding, that that is just this outsized risk that they say they don't feel comfortable, you know, buying and being in the market when there's this giant risk out there. i think that worry will be with us for quite some time. >> that's quite a lot of drag on the economy here and there. thanks so much. thanks for joining us today. >> thank you. the economy, of course, will be a big issue tonight in las vegas when the republican candidates gather for the eighth debate. can rick perry find his mojo? we have a columnist from the las vegas sun who interviewed him. you have foreclosures, record foreclosures. nevada has terrible unemployment, 13.4%, and the foreclosure rate, i think 1 out of 118 homes what is the -- >> yeah. >> what is the foreclosure rate there? correct me if i'm wrong. that is the background, the back

dr backdrop for this debate upon the. >> you are right with those figures. 1 in every 118 homes last month received a foreclosure notice. this is an issue that has not gotten a lot of attention so far on the campaign trail, even in the obama administration. when republican candidates come to nevada today, nevada moments will be deciding this caucus on january 14th, hopefully, they will want to hear solutions. so far they talked about getting business regulations settled, out of the way, simplifying the tax code, letting government get out of the way of businesses to start creating jobs. nevada has a low tax rate. we have a business friendly regulatory environment. and we still suffer from the highest unemployment rate so voters will be looking to these candidates to come up with interesting, creative ideas that might have traction in the state. >> what kind of reception will herman cain get for his electric fence comments in a state where immigration is a big issue? >> you know, that was a clip by

herman cain, i think that's what makes him somewhat popular with republican voters who are looking for something different. immigration can be a fiery issue in nevada. i think that comment may play to that republican base. you look ground the primary, nevada has a quickly growing hispanic population, they tend to vote democratic, if he makes it general election, i don't think that will be seen so nicely. >> let's bring in democratic strategy tad devine and republican strategist and former campaign manager for michele bachmann, ed rollins. ed, first of all rick perry and mitt romney, they have big stakes tonight. but romney, the latest comment that romney made on the whole question of foreclosures this is romney's latest advice on how to

deal with the foreclosure crisis in a state, nevada, who has seen high foreclosure rate. >> don't try and stop the foreclosure process, let it run its course and hit the bottom, allow investors to buy the homes, put the renters in them, fix the homes up and turn around and come back up. >> technically he may be correct, but how will that play. >> probably won't play well to those living in those homes. it's nice say throw them out, foreclose and let them rent them. it's an intellectual exercise as opposed to something emotional to these people and it may backfire in nevada. >> ted, that sets the stage for a tape that will follow him to the general election if he ends up being the nominee. mitt romney and other republicans, rick perry, are beating the president head to head in early match-ups in virginia where the president will be on the bus trip. the president has lost so much

ground with independent voters. how does he fix that problem? >> well, i think he fixes it by doing what he's doing this week, going out and talking to voters, drawing clear lines. he's got a jobs plan to put people back to work. the republicans, romney, perry and others are saying let's go back to what failed in the bush administration in terms of policy. i think if romney makes comments like that, he sounds like let them eat cake. it will hurt him if he keeps it up. >> this is the problems that republicans face when they move towards the middle and then back again for the general election. how would you assess the latest phenomenon in the republican race, which is herman cain? >> there's a great curiosity about him. he's done well in the debates. he has a catchy economic policy. i don't know whether it's anything to be tested out by real economists, the 9-9-9 program. but i think he basically has filled a void or a vacuum that

the tea party is looking for someone. michele bachmann had it for a while. perry had it for a while. it's now sort of his to hold. at the end of the day, the two people with the resources to make a real race out of this are perry and romney. romney for whatever reason has not turned on a lot of republican voters. he's led in polls but not expanded that base. and i think perry has not done well in debates. i think cain fills that void. is it organization there, the resources go in and win in iowa and new hampshire? not at this point in time. >> tad, ed, let me pay more of herman cain. this was herman cain, i think this was in tennessee. his regional electric fence comments and then the apology. >> part of it will have a real fence. 20 feet high with barbed wire. electrified.

with a sign on the other side that says it can kill you. it'll be in english and spanish. let me first say it was a joke and some people don't think it was a good joke. it's probably not a joke that you're supposed to make if you're a presidential candidate. i apologize if it offended anyone. >> tad, is this the retooling of herman cain? >> well, you know, i think the problem is, you know, he then went on to say afterwards, after he told david gregory and others that it was joke, he went on to say i'm not backing down from that policy. you know, he's -- this fence issue is becoming, i think, a problem for him because he's taken both sides of the fence on it. he's sounding like romney. herman cain is an attractive candidate right now because republican primary voters are looking for an alternative to mitt romney. that's why they had three or four that have come up to be

that alternative. he has to pass the threshold of credibility for president of the united states. that's a very high threshold. so far, whether it's this issue or other issues, i don't think he's come anywhere near to passing it. >> ed, if you were advising a fictional candidate tonight, would you advise them to go after herman cain tonight? >> i think i would try to promote myself than i would try to tear down herman cain. i'm sure several will take them apart, but he's now an alleged front-runner, according to polls, people will look at him and see if he's a serious guy or an entertainer. he has interesting sound bites, he's articulate, a great debater, but does he have the style and temperament to be a good president. that's what people will look at. he has to do that himself. others attacking him or not attacking him won't make a difference. these are a chance for others to move themselves forward. if they don't do that, they fail.

>> very briefly what does rick perry have to do tonight? >> he has to prove the last couple debates were practice, the real retail seller he is effective at doing is what he does tonight. he needs to not have set answers bus have a conversation with republicans to show how he has won every race he's been in for 25 years. >> thank you both very much. good to see you guys. while the republicans gather in las vegas, president obama is heading to virginia. we'll be talking to virginia republican governor bob mcdonald coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports." hat would work. actually we do -- the kids would just be like, "no way, awesome!" we -- we do! all that! layaway baby! [ male announcer ] layaway's back for christmas in our toys, electronics, and jewelry departments.

that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. ♪ ♪ co-signed her credit card -- "buy books, not beer!" ♪ from campbell's. but the second that she shut the door ♪ ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for her whole dorm floor ♪

♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪ ♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks didn't go ♪ ♪ to free-credit-score-dot-com hard times for daddy and mom. ♪ offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. whether you're an allstate customer or not. all you have to do is call. [ female announcer ] call allstate now and you'll get a free lifetime membership in good hands roadside assistance.

[ dennis ] shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. coming up on "news nation" at 2:00 p.m., should it be a crime to lie about serving in the military? the u.s. supreme court is about to hear a case that hinges on first amendment rights. you have to hear this one. plus first lady michelle obama's

role in the president's re-election campaign. new details on how the obama administration plans on using the first lady. she's incredibly popular but still a target of conservatives. that's coming up on "news nation." president obama's bus tour arrives in virginia later today where he and the first lady will be joined by the state's republican governor, bob mcdonell tomorrow and virginia's first lady at a jobs event tomorrow for returning veterans. and governor bob mcdonell is joining us now. thank you very much for joining us. the president is upside down in the poll numbers in virginia, and john mccain and others are accusing him of running a glorified campaign by using this bus for political purposes. by you showing up with him at a military event, does that justify the expense and get the president off the hook here? >> listen, we're always glad to welcome the commander in chief here to the commonwealth of virginia. jobs is my top priority, and now

that he's talking about it finally, i'm glad to be there. this is an event to talk about how to get veterans particularly veterans that are service disabled back to work. i'm a veteran, i'm a father, i'm an iraq war veteran, i'm glad to be there to listen to his ideas and what he has to say. we're 14 months away from an election. everything the president does now will be looked at as something that might further his re-election chances. he's under water in virginia, but i understand that criticism. >> at the same time he is losing ground rapidly with independents, more so than the rest of the country. >> yes. >> you have almost 70% approval rating. what can you tell him about the problem? why do you think he has lost so much with independent voters? >> well, andrea, what the independents want is somebody who will solve problems, tone down the political rhetoric, focus on getting results, and then basically keep government out of their way so they can just enjoy their lives and have access to the american dream.

and that's not what the president is doing. i think he's blaming other people, whether it's the tea party, house republicans, wall street for problems, and he's not producing results. we have a $14 trillion debt growing dramatically with the debt ceiling increase, people want to see results there. they want to see spending come down and focus on economic development. i don't see that we have a realistic job-creating plan that promotes entrepreneurship that focuses on a comprehensive energy policy. so i think we have more spending and more stimulus, and i think people are frustrated with that. it didn't work the first time and i don't think independent voters will think it will work now. >> do you think the solution is herman cain going into a debate tonight in nevada, think peopl want to see a 9% state tax, a

local tax, that would add up to more taxes on virginia if you went herman cain? >> there's broad agreement among the republican candidates that tax >> the tax reform that stimulates business to create new jobs and that reduces the burden on wealth creators is the way to go. >> is herman cain the way to go? why do you think herman cain is? aren't they saying they are not satisfied with mitt romney? >> i think it's a wide open field. herman cain is a great business guy and two former governor who is had great results. they are the top three. i think it's wide open. whoever wins this race, they are going to be a unified republican team that is motivated to help us win next year. they see the difference in any of the republican platforms and what we have coming out of this

administration that has not been helpful to get the economy back on track. >> bob mcdonald in virginia, thank you very much for joining us on a busy day here today. >> always great to be on with you. >> what are story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours? that's next here on "andrea mitchell reports." with intuit w. with intuit w. choose a style, customize, publish and get found... from just $7.99 a month. get a 30-day free trial... at intuit.com. or a can of paint... you came together to vote, to share... to volunteer. and now, thanks to you, 10 communities have more to smile about. what's next? tell us on facebook. riding the dog like it's a small horse is frowned upon in this establishment! luckily though, ya know, i conceal this bad boy underneath my blanket just so i can get on e-trade and check my investment portfolio, research stocks, and set conditional orders.

wait, why are you taking... oh, i see. hey max, would it kill you to throw a guy a warning bark? [ dog barks ] you know i wanted a bird. [ male announcer ] e-trade. investing unleashed.

the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years.

what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ when americans look at 9-9-9 and really understand what it's going to do to their pocket books, then i don't think herman cain will be the nominee. this thing has the potential to drive up home prices by 9% in nevada. you think about the states that don't have sales tax and you are fixing to give them one. >> rick pero herman cain's 9-9-9 plan.

what story will make headlines in the next 24? it's going to be the debate and whether they pile on herman cain and when rick perry comes to play. >> that clip is what we should watch for. he was left alone in the debate. that suggests he is not going to do so great knowing he has to appeal to conservatives to jump from perry to cain and get them back to perry. that's the most important narrative of the night. >> the strategy of just pretending he is not a serious player is not working as he rises in the polls. they have to take him seriously. we will be watching. that does it for us on "andrea mitchell reports." follow the show online and on tw twitter. >> we are a few hours away from the republican debate and all eyes on this man, herman cain. cain tried to apologize and

double down at the same time. that's on comments about an electric border fence. will he push further tonight on immigration in an attempt to get more conservatives to take him seriously and support him. horrifying details about a woman accused of holding four mentally disabled people in her basement chain and starving them all to collect their social security. now police believe this woman may have more victims. as many as 50 possible people. news nation is minutes away.

>> right now on "news nation," all eyes on herman cain, especially after these comments on immigration. >> i don't apologize for using a combination of offense. it might be. i am not walk away from that. >> cain said he