new hampshire, this is not a battle for the soul of america as much as it is for a battle for the soul of the american party. we do know that mitt romney has posited this is a battle for the soul of the americans, but i think it might be a gop in crisis. it is worth mentioning that just a few moments ago, michele bachmann announced her plans to exit the race. let's talk about last night, the bachmann news. where does this leave us in new hampshire going forward? >> a couple of things. for starters, if you consider that mitt romney spent millions and millions of dollars to come in where he was in 2008, he basically has been running in place for the last five years because republicans have been looking so hard to find somebody who isn't him. now, if you look at the one place that he won in iowa yesterday, it's with voters who make over $100,000 a year. >> right. >> which we're looking towards the general election he already has a problem with lower and middle income voters and i think that's something that's going to follow him all the way through november should he be the nominee. >> i agree. i think going back to your point

about the battle for the soul of the american party, i have never seen a primary that shows that to the extent that this one does. rick santorum surged too late for romney to start carpet bombing him like he did newt gingrich, but this shows the divide in the party. >> i think by the way, it's too easy to be tough on mitt romney. his victory speech last night was a disaster. he bumbled his way through it, he talked about iran for some unknown reason. but a party this fractured if you don't have the ability in and of yourself as many of the bushes did to unite all the different factions together, his flip-flops, he twists and turns, his flailing around, he's actually just reflecting what the party is saying. they're saying three or four different things. so if they can't decide who they are, why should he? >> megan, is your party in crisis? >> i think it's quite impressive that he came in a few votes ahead. >> romney?

>> romney. santorum essentially lived there for the last year and a half. he didn't spend as much money. i think this is great momentum going into new hampshire. i think all the things you're saying aren't exactly accurate. >> but megan, moneywise, santorum came in within eight votes of romney -- we have a stat spending under 22,000 dollars compared with millions -- >> my father did not become the nominee having anything to do with the iowa caucus. i find it completely irrelevant. rick santorum becomes the nominee of this party, i mean, it is going to be bedlam and hysteria like you have never seen. >> bedlam and hysteria. richard, you brought up an interesting point that was really telling watching the speeches of santorum and romney back-to-back. romney did start with the strange start of focus on iranian sanction, but i thought santorum was interesting because he did the blue collar working class, i'm a son of immigrants, he really played that point out.

>> the human thing. >> he did the human thing. on "morning joe" after santorum gave that speech, the teleprompters went down and romney went off the cuff. we have an excellent montage to show how not off the cuff romney was last night. >> america the beautiful, o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. corn counts, right? for amber waves of grain, if corn counts, if corn counts, does corn qualify as an amber wave of grain? >> i'm sorry, this is a politician stump speech. they have to make thousands. >> it wasn't the time to deliver the stump speech. go back four years -- >> i agree. >> comparisons with obama. you know, i covered him for about a year before we got to the iowa caucus. those big speeches that's when people say who is this guy, rehearsing a stump speech and doing it badly is no way to introduce yourself to a whole

new bunch of voters who are tuning. in -- -- why they wanted to quote verses written by someone else, i don't understand what he was trying to express there. for someone who has said economy, economy, economy, i'm the guy who can fix the economy, to go in on a -- run on sanctions, never mind there have been sanctions against iran, but -- >> you know, speaking about the economy, i think the real winner here was obama because the economic numbers are actually ticking up. i think romney is going to be the nominee. i think when the squareoff begins between obama and romney, it will be about jobs numbers and those are ticking up and that's going to work in obama's favor. >> and what the vision for the country is. and the reason why iowa is important is for two reasons. one is it shows that romney doesn't come out of here with a ton of enthusiasm. yes, he squeaked by a small victory, but the numbers are not that much impressive over 2008

except for ron paul who did draw a lot of votes. the second thing that romney had to do in order to bet the republican support by downing down on the ryan budget and the things that -- the way that would eviscerate medicare is something going to follow him throughout the general election. >> let's talk about what bachmann's exit does to the race then. i can see her sum porters flocking to santorum. they're the conservative wing of the republican party. does that help rick santorum going forward? how does it not? >> i think actually that rick santorum has only a few more days left. >> i'm you. >> i'm going out on limb. the price per vote is incredible. but the truth is that his showing really reflects how much so many people in the republican party just really don't care for mitt romney. they can't get behind him. so the tea party folks have hitched their wagon to --

>> run on the funky wagon. >> if romney wins by an entirely small margin, you get to play this card. it's iowa. it's the iowa caucus. the people that elected -- or who made mike huckabee a household name -- >> or barack obama. >> exactly. >> this is man who's against birth control. i mean, we are not talk ago someone who lives in the mainstream united states. >> let's listen to rick santorum night. i think he -- we are going to see a pivot from the abortion stuff and the social conservative stuff to the working class blue collar reagan democrat pennsylvania, you know, white working class voter that's elusive and will play a big role in this election. >> if we have someone who can go out to western pennsylvania and ohio and michigan and indiana and wisconsin and iowa and missouri and appeal to the voters that have been left behind by a democratic party that wants to make them dependent, we will win this

election. those are the same people that president obama talked about who cling to their guns and their bibles. thank god they do. >> that is not what we have -- that is not -- that kind of rhetoric is not what most people associate with rick santorum. you have to think, bill burton, white house, are you at all concerned about that kind of -- someone who can run strong with those folks? >> not that recommend cans care what i think about the field, but santorum did do a smart thing, by introducing himself to the voters in a way that he wants people to know him. and that blue collar message is especially tough on romney because romney has problems with lower and middle class voter to begin with. if santorum can make the argument he can go into a state where he's from pennsylvania, and wisconsin and frankly south carolina where the primary is going to end up in a couple of weeks, then it could be a real

problem for mitt romney. >> and the truth is though, the president never really connected with those voters either. you know, that was true in the primary, true in the general too. the comparison is different. if it's romney, and obama fighting for those voters, that looks different because romney is a guy who's worth $200 million and won't release his tax returns, doesn't want to see taxes going up on the super wealthy. there's an opening there for the president. but if it's santorum, if santorum can even survive this long and let's face it, your father didn't know or couldn't put together a coalition on the organization in 2000 to capitalize on the win in new hampshire, you know, getting out of one early state is not that easy. but if santorum can do it, then he has a pitch. >> it's on to south carolina. we'll be talking more about megan's father and perhaps the endorsements he may be making today later. will santorum and gingrich unite against romney? that's next on "now." so, this is delicious

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we'll have one other great debate, and that is whether this party wants a reagan conservative or we want a massachusetts moderate who in fact will be pretty good at managing the decay, but has given no evidence in his years at massachusetts of any ability to change the culture or change the political structure or change the government. >> newt gingrich used his concession speech in iowa to praise rick santorum and also as you just heard sort of punch mitt romney between the eyes. newt gingrich always a graceful loser. >> didn't he say the steaming carcass and i'm like, what does this have to do with anything? you're so cranky. >> the steaming carcass of

america presided over by mitt romney. there's a contention in the pundit class that hillary clinton's kapcandidacy helped sharp sharpen president obama and this basically leaves -- this reinforces all the negative stereotypes about mitt romney and leaves him bruised and battered. this is just a bad -- >> i don't know though. i think an angry newt provides a real juxtaposition. a zany newt, i thought that was one of the best words that mitt romney came up to describe newt. he'll be angry. and he'll sacrifice his reputation for attention. >> i think newt has already sacrificed his reputation, but running the worst campaign. santorum having newt out there pounding mitt romney every day is that something that newt

gingrich didn't have in iowa to the tune of $3 million, and as a result, he plummeted in the polls. now in new hampshire and in south carolina, where newt gingrich is just going to be pounding romney every day there's an opportunity to have a contrast with some of the candidates as opposed to everybody just attacking one guy. by meghan said. >> and rick santorum doesn't have a super pac, but he has newt gingrich to do his dirty work. >> which is what huckabee did last time around. it certainly helps everyone else in the field which may explain why rick perry thinks he can string this out longer, who by the way is the worst campaigner in the field. it's not actually newt gingrich. one thing to add, 2008, oh, yeah, clinton made a better candidate, that's true, but there weren't any real differences between what we are seeing here is a very fractured republican party.

can anyone pull it together? >> you would talk to some who would say that it wasn't that easy to unite. meghan, you have many who are coalescing around mr. romney as the most electable candidate, but electability is a slippery concept, especially ten months from november. what will it take to rally around romney? for the weeks leading up to iowa, it's a wrap and yet everybody is talking about rick santorum. >> it will take him winning new hampshire is what it's going to take him. him getting that momentum and going on to south carolina. i was originally -- i mean in twu 2008, i was no fan of mitt romney. i almost got arrested stealing his signs outside -- >> that is going to be on the internet now. >> it's in my book. when i met him, i actually liked him a lot and i actually think he's a statesman, he's strong on the economy. he has a wonderful family. >> your father apparently

believes this as well because john mccain endorsement is expected within the next hour in new hampshire, is that correct? >> yes. my parents are on their way right now. >> would you say your feelings of romney are shared by your folks? >> yes. i do find him appealing. i think people are being extra hard on him. it's ease -- he's easy to lampoon, he's a millionaire, but obama wasn't exactly living on the streets before he came into office. >> well, but obama didn't have a grandfather polygamist -- we won't go into that. >> what? >>we go into the lineage, we could go on for days -- >> i don't know about polygamy. >> i'm speaking in tongues right now. >> the one thing about the mccain endorsement today, it might underscore concerns that conservatives have about mitt romney, he's not a conservative who can be trusted in the field. instead, he's a person who, you know, as meghan's dad would say,

he's the moderate. >> when you're talking about electability, think of rick santorum after he's all vetted, his history as a corrupt politician. you think he'll fly on the national stage? >> i think they're talking about a person -- >> as a republican, this pious, oh, i would rather nominee huckabee than santorum to make my statement about who's the most right wing is not going to win this elections. >> i do think you bring um an important part, rick santorum's record has not been delved deep. we have not examined it upper the the magnifying glass. here's one of the four most elder statesman of the senate endorsing mitt romney. are they going to come to -- if not rescue, are they going to stand behind him in all of this? there's the question of endorsement from michele bachmann and rick perry of course still in the race. we know that he's tweeting out he will be in the palmetto state where he e-- he'll be making a

great effort. but i wonder how calculating they will be in terms of endorsements, knowing that -- or if we're going by the logic that we have that mitt romney may be the eventual nominee. >> this could become an establishment versus an anti-establishment type race. if rick santorum, you know, who's the united states senator for 18 years i think, 12 years -- >> 12 years. >> can make the case that he's the outsider even though he was a part of the club, it might be helpful for him. >> i think it will come down to new hampshire because statistically you have to go back to 1972 to find a canada who didn't win both iowa and new hampshire. >> oh, new hampshire, we'll be talking about you after the break and be discussing ron paul and his claim to victory in third place. that does that mean for his campaign? that's coming up next on "now."

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if you look to bringing new people in, the frustrated young

people that obama had, you have to look at my campaign. i mean, that's where the enthusiasm is. so i would say the republicans are going to be very neglectful if they say, oh, you don't need independents or you don't need the young people. >> that's ron paul on "today" show this morning. he came in a strong third night and is now taking his third to new hampshire. ron paul does not look like he's going anywhere. this guy stayed in the race in 2008 until june and how long do we expect him to be in the race and what does he -- is he a spoiler? does he take away momentum and enthusiasm from santorum and romney? >> i don't think he's a spoiler, but what i think he does do is in an interesting way ask the important question. eccentric as ron paul is, he does bring to the floor the really important questions about the welfare state, how much government is enough. i think it's interesting he's gotten so much youth support. i think politically there's a

coming square off between the boomers and the younger people for the shrunning piece of the pie. >> paul got 48% of the vote, 43% of the independent vote and 43% of the first caucus vote. what do you make of that? >> to the extent that the republican numbers in iowa were even marginally higher than four years ago, you have to thank ron paul for that. he brought in the nontra igs theal voters and they'll follow him whatever he does. so that's why the republican party has to be so careful that he doesn't splinter off. he does represent another ideological base for the party. libertarians are not wholly aligned with the other groups, particularly the social conservative piece of it, although he does touch on it when he gets into areas like abortion. he's skewed the debate to mean there's a competition among these republican candidates about how many government departments will you shut down.

>> right. >> how many trillions of dollars will you cut, as if any of that is feasible or desirable for the main electorate. >> he's going to get out in due time, because he has a soon that in due course will run for president. >> the legacy of rand. >> so i don't think he'll stay in for an incredibly long amount of time. >> in 2008 we got some clues about what kind of coalition president obama was going to be able to put together in order to win in november of that year, to become president. this time around, what you see is the only excitement and enthusiasm is behind ron paul. and the fact that 48% of caucusgoers under the age of 30 all went for him i think should be a real concern to republicans because it's not like that geesing to translate to the -- that's going to translate to the republican nominee. >> how do you court that vote by saying i'm not going to war anymore, i want to legalize drugs. i can't see santorum or romney -- >> romney has to get out there with social media. i think that's a big deal going forward in the next three

states. he has to galvanize the youth vote that way. >> but kelly clarkson endorsed ron paul over twitter. she said was massacred on twitter for bringing up things that she was unaware of, about his alleged racist comments that he made and she was -- >> they were in fact racist comments whether or not he had anything to do with them. >> whatever. and she came under fire for it. i think that's the example. i think young people haven't done their research. i talked to someone on a plane who said he was a ron paul supporter. i said, why, and he sounds good on paper, but people aren't doing their research. >> it seemed at the very end of the race, it was sort of beginning to make some traction, i wonder to what degree that stuff, that debt rye us the takes away from the democrats and the independents and the young people who were fallowing him to the caucuses in iowa. >> you have to think that the reason that romney started off with iran in his speech last night was to go for the people who didn't know about ron paul's

position or might be alienated by the idea that ron paul is reluctant to go to war with iran. which may be a reasonable thing but is on the edges of this republican field where everyone wants to go to war over a drone. >> right. that is very good tea leaf reading, richard wolf. i've been scratching my head, why lead with iran, but maybe to get the ron paul folks. >> there's nothing that mitt romney doesn't pull, so you can guess it was something -- >> amber waves of grain and corn. when we come back, michele bachmann is out, but is rick perry really back in? we'll talk about that after the break. i'm trading everywhere... on one of the most powerful mobile apps out there. i'm trading here every day. and i'm customizing everything. everything. from thought, to trade. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. and seven dollar trades are just the start. ♪ [ rodger ] with innovations like our powerful mobile app

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last night, the people of iowa spoke with a very clear voice. and so i have decided to stand aside. >> that was michele bachmann saying that she is stepping aside and is out of the race. and rick perry has tweeted that

the next leg of his marathon is south carolina and this is the picture that went along with that tweet. nothing says commitment like full-length spandex and neon green running shoelaces. >> as they say. >> a curious development i will say, given last night. i think there was the expectation that maybe michele bachmann would stay in the race and rick perry would leave. steve kornacki from salon had an interesting point that rick perry is the only person in this race who is just trying to win the office of presidency. he's not trying to sell a book. he's not trying to, you know, raise his national political profile. michele bachmann however is out, and rick perry remains in. despite the fact -- >> i think romney isn't trying to sell a book, he already has a big national profile. >> fair enough, fair enough. i think mitt romney wants to grasp the brass ring of presidency. let's talk about michele bachmann's exit. one of my favorite things she stalked about in the exit speech, she does not want to be

a politician. let's listen to that sound for a litt little bit. >> i'm a real person, i'm not a politician, nor do i ever hope or aspire to be a politician. i saw what the government was doing to all of us, to our children and doing to our liberties and so i decided to stand up. >> that was actually her speech from last night. she mentioned not wanting to be a politician again this morning along with a long litany of complaints about obamacare. where do we think michele bachmann's endorsement is going to go and is the obamacare stuff just a lead-in to her returning to the house to try and dismantled funding for the affordable care act? >> i don't think that's any doubt that michele bachmann has been angling for a position in the romney position ever since she thought she wasn't going to win the nomination. ames was a great day for her, but it fell apart for her. she helped romney in some of the debates and i would be shocked if she did not endorse romney

some time soon. already has the deal, just a matter of timing. >> there's no -- her endorsement doesn't bring anything other than a pitch for a future job, right? i heard herman cain talk last night about he talked about his base. there is no base. right, the base has moved around from one to the other. the reason rick perry is staying in there is because he thinks santorum isn't going to make it. there's no single loyalty that these people can bring with them, since they only had a -- a natural life cycle of three weeks. there's no sustaining power to them. so her endorsement will be a news event. for some reason. but the voters will move on. the debates are far more interesting in terms of what influence these people can have. >> richard wolf to michele bachmann, there is no there there. john ward, he just made the trip from iowa to new hampshire on air romney, i hear.

john ward, tell us, the latest from the on the ground in new hampshire. i would like you to specifically address the question of jon huntsman and whether the results of last night are a good thing or bad thing for his candidacy? >> well, you know, i think jon huntsman is going to eat into romney's support a little bit, but i don't think that the results in iowa impact jon huntsman a whole lot. i thought from the beginning that the huntsman's message was not in tune with where a lot in the republican party are. just not the right cycle for him. and it's -- i mean, he's at 10% or so, so he's campaigned hard here in new hampshire. if gingrich weakens romney by tearing into him, if santorum weakens romney, then maybe huntsman's number goes up among moderates. but i just don't see a lot of upward momentum for him. >> john, you flew over on air

romney. were there many bottles of champagne being popped, is it cautious optimism? what's the general vibe over there? >> well, you know, i was at the romney campaign event last night until 1:30 or 2:00 in the morning, at the point they realized they had won by 14 votes and it became eight later, there was about a dozen aides and volunteers that rushed into the room where they had the rally, that was empty, they were jumping around and yelling. i think for some of them, the win in iowa was a big win. but i think, you know, the brain trust around romney realizes that it's good that they won, but it's also a demonstration that their support is still far from strong. so the mood on the plane was, you know, they were happy, but i don't think they're jubilant. >> eight votes was not enough to cause leaping in the aisles. we talk about the romney campaign, i think they had their sights set on perhaps rightfully so newt gingrich and rick perry,

given the fact that rick perry is staying in the race and will give him presumably some kind of run for his money or at least make life a little bit more difficult in south carolina, how worried does the romney campaign need to be? i mean, depending on what happens in new hampshire, could rick perry be a troublemaker? >> i mean, i feel like -- yeah, somebody want to ask me a question? >> no, john, take it away, man. look into the future for us a little bit. >> well, i think at this point i think we're kind of looking at three or four different scenarios. you could make a strong argument if perry gets out it allows santorum to have more room to conso consolidate the right and to move into south carolina stronger. the other argument is that santorum either fades here or comes to a certain level and then we move to -- but if you go to south carolina, santorum has some strength, perry has some strength, i think that's to romney's benefit because you're splintering the right and the conservative voters.

>> it's divide and conquer. >> i agree with that. i think at this point you have to look at the size of the romney machine, the money, the organizational power. it's much more about that. as we move away from iowa it is less about extreme politics and about appealing to a broader base. >> rick perry still has something like $15 million in the bank that's a lot of running spandex and shoes to buy. what -- >> depends where you buy it. >> he has some resources to hang on, but whether he -- >> you have to look at where he's competing. it's not just south carolina, but florida too. florida may be as a state kind of represents sort of the whole country. but in the republican voters, rick perry, santorum, gingrich will do well there. they have a natural base that mitt romney frankly doesn't. there's a long way between now and super tuesday for the early voting states to do some damage to mitt romney. >> there's the marathon gear. after the break, how is the

white house reacting to the iowa results? president obama delivers an economic speech today in ohio. that's coming up next on "now." great guest experience. that makes my day. and during the four course feast, there's so much to choose from. [ male announcer ] the four course seafood feast is back at red lobster. still just $15. get soup, salad, unlimited cheddar bay biscuits, dessert, and your choice of 7 entrées, like new honey bbq shrimp skewers or shrimp and scallops alfredo. all four courses, just $15. [ jody ] it's really good value. all my guests love it. i'm jody gonzalez, red lobster general manager. and i sea food differently.

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don't wait. call now for free information about the additional coverage you may need. ♪ president obama is due to speak in ohio in the next hour. night he tried to steal some of the spotlight from the republicans. is the obama campaign banking or four more years? i asked our resident expert, bill burton, what is the mood over at priority usa action and from your former colleagues in the white house regarding the current race? >> well, watching the republican field, you can't help but feel good about how things have gone so far. especially watching the right ward shift of romney through the whole process. you have to think he'll be the nominee at this point. you don't know. but things what's done especially on immigration an on the ryan budget will be long-term problems for him. when i left the white house,

nobody was taking anything for granted over there. if you look at just from news reports the mechanics they're putting together in iowa and field offices all over the country, it's an impressive machine, but the overall context in a tough economy, where unemployment is at a very high rate, we're moving in the right direction, but not as fast as the president would like to. it's still going to be very tough. there's very stiff head winds against him. >> i dare say there was a little bit of swagger last night, and i want to read the axelrod tweet. the sound that they're hearing is the sound of romney's super pac preparing to carpet bomb him. >> and he has access to tens of millions of dollars and they have the where with all to put it on the tv. it destroyed newt gingrich. he took out rick perry. and if you look at what they're

doing right now, compared to what they're going to do in the general election against president obama, this is just like playing board games with folks. and the general election is going to be blisteringly negative from that super pac. >> it's probably -- if we're talk ago swagger tweets, talking ago iowa night, gop turnout about the same of 2008. where's the enthusiasm? i guess a ground game does matter, and if we talk about president obama's ground game, what was interesting to me is the republican iowa -- republican party said we think it will be a record year of turnout. it was on par with 2008. >> except for ron paul, right. >> and president obama who addressed supporters yesterday night via video conference cut 25,000 out to support him. >> mitt romney only got 30,000 votes, so he got almost on a cold night as the quote/unquote winner on the republican side.

there's a flash back here you should bear in mind to 2004. john kerry believed that he could count on the anti-bush sentiment to carry him over the finishing line and by the way, there was plenty of it. and he got more votes than any other presidential candidate in history. but he got beaten by one guy who had a better ground game, better organization. that was george w. bush. the obama folks are building this ground game early and if iowa can be replicated it looks like it's effective. >> that was another race where outside groups made a huge impact. the swift boat veterans for truth with an ad buy in august really had a huge impact on what people think of senator kerry. >> but you're heading up an outside group and it's a race to the bottom or to the top depending on where you put your m metrics. >> the whole reason that we started this group is because we thought that if karl rove and

the coke brothers and the republican candidate are all putting tens of millions in the race, there ought to be a countervailing force to with what they're doing with the money. we don't think there should be groups like the pacs. >> like murder suicide -- >> we hope it doesn't get that bad. but we feel like we may not like the speed limit at 70 miles an hour, but we won't drive at 55 and let karl rove zoom past us. >> and worth mentioning, obama's campaign has called 440,000 supporters in iowa and held 441 meetings. >> it's a formidable machine and it has the economic head winds in its favor. i think that the economy is improving. i do think it will come down to how the economy performs the next year. there's not that much difference between the policies of romney

and obama. so it's going to be, you know, romney is going to come in strong. he's go to say you'll failed america, but if the jobless claims are ticking down, if consumer confidence is ticking up, if businesses are hiring, then i think obama will be in a strong position. >> i completely agree. you are underestimating the disenfranchisement in this country. he's not the same economy as he was four years ago, no offense to you and your organization. that's much more jaded, cynical tone to the republicans and the democrats going on right now. i think when it comes right down to it, when you said joblessness, the unemployment rates, i think it will come down to someone who has real economic experience. >> even though this is a tougher time than the context -- and the context is more negative, it's not like young folks are flocking to the republican primary field. >> but where's the hope and where's the change is going to be something that will be, you know, quite adamant. people are pissed, not to be vulgar.

>> but it's worth mentioning that the democratic registration in iowa is down 8.2% since 2008. and so i think what you're seeing is more folks in the middle and when you have as you said two candidates who are maybe offering similar economic pack anna packa packages, i think the vote splits on different lines. >> you're bound to see that on the democrat exside where democratic campaigns are getting more people registered. and also coming out of 2010, everyone knew this was a tough political time for the president. you know, folks that he -- richard earlier spoke of sort of lower income voters not exactly flocking to president obama. he lost them by 58% in 2008. and democrats lost them by 63% in the 2010 midterm elections. so if you've got a candidate like mitt romney who can't take advantage of that vulnerability that the president has showed on

the ballot, then you're not putting the coalition to beat obama. >> we'll be talking about president obama's activities later this afternoon, specifically regarding richard cordray and the consumer protection financial bureau. we have to take a break and when we come back we'll bring in more wisdom and wit from john ward in new hampshire. all of that is next on "now." i'm andrea mitchell, coming up next, we are in manchester. bachmann's out, santorum surged to the photo finish. and plus mark halperin, kevin madden, they're with us and full analysis. all that, plus president obama's speech live from ohio. that's in less than 15 minutes. major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do.

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in a matter of minutes, maybe 30 minute, 40 minutes,

president obama will be announcing that he's making a recess appointment of richard cordray to head up the consumer protection bureau. i think only increasing the partisan brinkmanship that now exists between the white house and capitol hill. we have been talking a lot about what's going on in iowa. we have not talked so much about what's going on in washington for obvious reasons, the recess and all. but i wonder what you guys think something like this does to the president's chances to be above it all and also the national dialogue that we have currently in play. >> well, first of all, with all due respect to my fellow now-ers, nowists, but there are real differences between republicans, between the whole republican field including mitt romney and the president when it comes to regulation that's what this appointment shows. you know, the republican narrative is that there's too much regulation. it's squishing business. as if too much regulation was in fact the reason there was a

financial melt down or deep water horizon as opposed to too little regulation. there's big difference of opinion and a big difference on opinion as to whether you should bring the deficit down by spending cuts and whether that lowers demand or if you should do anything about demand as a government or should rely on tax cuts. so i think there is a big difference on what does this show apart from the, you know, the president says he can't wait and he's being presidential is that republicans have never bought into the idea that consumers need protecting in this way at all. and that's a fundamental difference. that's a big ideological conflict. >> john in new hampshire, we are sorry we didn't talk to you earlier about this, but now seems the appropriate time. to what degree do you think the republican presidential field will be responding to the actions of the president today? >> well, i think it's predictable how they'll respond. they'll say he's going past the congress, that he's acting unilaterally and that that's arrogant.

i think if obama is going to take the hit on doing this this way, i think it's probably likely that he feels like this is an issue that will help him in the upcoming year. it's an asset. there's not a lot of things he can run on -- i'm sorry, that he can actually do over the next year besides the payroll tax cut. and so i think he feels like, you know, the consumer protection agency is something that puts him on the side of the little guy, he can point to. and say to the american people, look, i'm looking out for you. >> it is interesting when we hear about the white house strategy going into 2012. the only must pass piece of legtion is the -- legislation is the payroll tax cut. the president is operating by recess appointments. >> i think the administration fought with its hands tied behind its back throughout the financial crisis, because they didn't have the people that they needed particularly in treasury.

they see finance post 2008 is a bigger part of the economy, wall street bonuses are bigger this year than they have been. and they're throwing up their hands and thinking what gives. >> and when you talk of the president's message of being a champion for the working class, protecting those most at risk, this would seem to fit in with that narrative. >> and if the question is who's on europe side in this election, it is hard for mitt romney to say he's on your side when he's against things like the consumer protection bureau, and against financial regulation and against the sort of things that protect consumers that the president has been fighting for with a great deal of success. now, he doesn't have great partners in congress to work with as a result of the republican intransigence in the house. you have eric cantor who is trying to upend his own speaker and it makes it difficult to make progress in the house. if the president can by executive order make some progress on behalf of american people, i think they're happy

it's happening. >> presuming that the american people are paying attention. >> that's what i was about to say. everyone with no disrespect to my fellow now-ers, nowists, paying as much attention on this panel, they're just not. the poll numbers with president obama, people are disenfranchised with this too much. he promised too much, hope and change and he got shocked to washington and it wasn't completely changed when he go i don't care all the policy stuff, i want won't make that much of a difference. >> well, we must thank again warmly and with great gratitude jon ward up in new hampshire and on the set, meghan, richard and us on the tweeter machine.

andrea mitchell is live in the granite state. hello, andrea. hi, alex, sort of live after an overnight flight. bachmann's out, perry stays in for now. we're live in manchester, new hampshire, with the latest on the ground game, six days out from the next primary. we'll talk to kevin madden, conservative republican steve forbes and live coverage of president obama's speech in battleground ohio. [ female announcer ] splenda® no calorie sweetener is sweet... and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda®,

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last night, the people of iowa spoke with a very clear voice and so i have decided to stand aside. and i believe that if we are going to repeal obamacare, turn our country around and take back our country, we must do so united. and i believe that we must rally around the person that our country and our party and our people select to be that standard-bearer. >> right now on