>> here it is, 10:00 p.m. in the east. 7:00 p.m. in nevada. the doors to the final caucus are closed. mitt romney has won the nevada caucuses he wins by significant margin. newt gingrich and ron paul batting now for second place. rick santorum will finish fourth. let's bring in political director chuck todd. this was predicted, strong more

m mormon support. this race for second interesting. >> it is. half the votes going to come in, half the total vote is going to come in from clark county, las vegas. going to start coming in. you will see romney's numbers. we saw this in our exit poll. romney overperformed in our entrance polls, excuse me, in clark county. and, got some where close to -- even 60% of the vote. our estimation. in clark county. that's where he is going to get his win. get over the 50% mark. maybe do better than he did four years ago. as for paul, remember he did finish second four years ago. his numbers substantially higher. it is a close race between paul and gingrich. paul, very organized in the rural counties. where he has been looking good in early returns we have seen coming in. most coming in from rural counties. the question, what about clark county? does gingrich overperform there a little bit? according to our numbers. he has so we will see.

again the big dump of vote from the nevada republican party that we are waiting now that the special caucus that was created for gingrich backer sheldon addleson is opened and closed at 7:00 p.m. >> score the results here. if it turns out that -- newt gingrich does come in second here. or come in third. if he comes in third is that more important he would then lose some of the advantages of being second, the, the avis in the battle with hertz here if you will? >> don't think it will be good campaigning in nevada finishing third. he will say, hey, ron paul beat john mccain four years ago. john mccain went on to be the nominee. sure. john mccain didn't spend time campaigning in nevada. did see newt there, three, four days. a lot of fund-raising. what newt has got to worry about. he can explain this third place finish if he wants. we know how much time and effort paul has put in. but if he finishes third, in it, any of the caucuses.

second third place finish tuesday. colorado, minnesota. even the maine caucus. days long. how they run their event. makes nevada look some what organized there. as far as -- as far as the rules. how it works there. still -- another, you know he can't be putting, putting together back to back third place finishes. that would be -- deadly to, whatever lack, whatever momentum he think he's can get out of the press conference tonight. not a speech. frankly does play to gingrich's strength. because maybe he gets to attack the questioners. when they ask a specific question. and he gets to go in different places that maybe, maybe that rambling spechl of steve explained it earlier, pulled in florida didn't take him too. >> i expect they will do something on the catholic church and birth control tonight or a war that he supports with iran. something that will be quite dramatic tonight knowing newt. stay with us. more now from our entrance polling. from the caucuses on how mitt romney put it together. won his victory.

let's go to our correspondent for the first time tonight how did he do it hour, did romney one tonight? >> he did it sweeping across the boards so many groups where he struggled, chris. we are getting more information from our nbc entrance poll. how romney won to night. he did it across the board. first electability. ability to beat barack obama in november, a stronger factor for romney tonight than in any of the earlier contests. take a look. 44% said it was a quality that mattered most. and among them, 74%, went the way of mitt romney. also, some of the voter groups, romney got big support. chris mentioned this, mormons in nevada, mitt romney. 91%. nearly all mormon voters who participated. also 63% of those who said eat can me mattered most. and -- among families with incomes over $100,000, romney

won. you see it there, 62%. and here is where the big difference we saw tonight with mitt romney. romney did well with groups he has struggled with in earlier contests. take a look at some of the numbers. half republican caucus goers in nevada, describe themselves as very conservative. before today -- romney won, very conservative voters, only in new hampshire. well, today, mitt romney got 51% of the voters who say they're conservative. that is twice as much as newt gingrich, who won just 24%. also, take a look at this. the nevada caucuses also includes the largest share, yet this primary season, of people who describe themselves as tea party supporters. romney leads evening among those who strongly support the tea party a nother group, we have watched him struggle with over the last few weeks, muchths now. among strong tea party supporters, romney beat

gingrich, 40% to 31%. also, white evangelical voters. another group. romney struggled with. made up 23% of caucus goers today. and among them, mitt romney won 48% of the vote there. chris, you ask how he did it. almost with a clean sweep across categories where he struggled. >> thanks. let's get reaction from steve schmidt in nevada. steve, let me ask you -- if you are newt gingrich, down on the 3 yard line. your own 3 yard line. got to go 97 yards. do amazing field running here. do you throw a bomb and do what kelly and, not sure, three yards and cloud of dust, to use football terminology here. this idea that he, he is going to nail mitt romney with the massachusetts record. seems a little tired. or do you throw the ball with something, issue of forcing the catholic church to pay for health care which ivncludes birh

control. important to a third of the vote. take the issue of the iranian situation, getting agresi ating and with them talking pretty tough. what do you do if you are newt to get back in the game? >> i think the fundamental problem, chris, newt gingrich has is the walls are starting to collapse in on him now. the message that kelly was very articulate, in previewing before, it is a message that there is no audience for. you look at the conservative element, victory for romney in nevada. what they decided is the person who is electable in this race against the president, is mitt romney, not newt gingrich. so, all of these attacks against romney that he is a massachusetts moderate or a massachusetts liberal people have heard them, they discounted them, and it's moving on. and it's tough to win the football game, when you are on your 3 yard line. third down. and you got to throw, a pass for 30 yard to get to first down.

>> what about the long ball, going on something like a rant, catholic church issue that is getting heated up now. does he have to find an issue if you will. something that says if you vote for me you are showing your anger on the issue or something. or just gone? >> i think, i think he is pretty much gone, chris. i think like ebbed nd of the da. i'm not a believer in campaigns and the silver bullet. i think it is rare that it is effective and it works. i think it is tough for newt gingrich to get around mitt romney's right flank on the question of isle raran. so i think he is in a tough situation. his patron and supporter today starting to hedge his bets. pointed out earlier. so i think it is a tough night for newt gingrich. he talked about the fact it is a two person race between him and romney. if he finishes in third place. as chuck pointed out. he finishes in third place again. it is tough to make the case you are in a two person race finishing in third place.

>> you know, the reason i do this. i'm calling back history here. ronald reagan was finished against jerry ford. he found the panama canal. found jesse helms. found it in north carolina. everything happened. almost won the thing in the 11th hour. your basing conclusion there. this point in early fevenlt bru. it's gone for newt. >> i think the difference, chris between 1976 and today is that primaries took place in a localized manner back in 1976. now everything that happens locally is national. you can't hide anything. everybody sees everything on the national news. on the internet. can't go to one state, say another. the issue to the extent that it exists, i don't think there is a newish to that will propel newt gingrich forward. so i think that his chance was to follow up on south carolina with victory in florida.

i suspect that florida will be what it was four years ago which was the state that broke the momentum of the other candidates. they stayed in the race for a while. it will, ultimately it was the determinative state. >> steve, in the last couple days we have seen newt's press shot, come up with an attack message against romney that actually harkened become to what tim pawlenty was trying to do campaigning in the summer. he started going after obamney. obama/romney, the same guy. had he started two months ago would he be uin a different place? >> he could be. if >> is that how you would have go after romney? >> the way to go after mitt romney. he has a record of saying

anything to any one for the purposes of getting elected. run an ideological contest. there was room on mitt romney's right. what exit polls showed tonight that room has collapsed. in fact in the electorate in nevada. we'll see how it translates into super tuesday. mitt romney has become the conservative candidate in the race. at least by, by the exit polls and actual voters in the state of nevada. >> you know, i always called it rather loosely the white boys club or boys club, group of governors used to decide whose your nominee should be. i don't think democrats have an equivalent. used to include, haley barber, tom ridge, around the country, certainly jeb bush. is there such a group left that has to give it to mitt romney? or will it be voters in caucus states like nevada tonight making the desix wicision with

without? >> there are people in washington who over the course of the last couple weeks have been deeply worried about the prospect of a gingrich nomination after he won south care care. the impact that that would potentially have for republicans and holding the house. being able to be competitive and getting the senate back. but, i think this is in the hands of the voters. i thinking that the terrain going forward is very favorable to mitt romney. i do think if you look at the florida returns, you look what happened, in the panhandle of florida. newt gingrich has a path into the southern states. that could be problematic for romney. as we talked about that's where the cultural heart of the republican party is in the south. tough for massachusetts. you know, to be the head of a party. that, you know is some what detached culturally from it. that being said. i think he is in a commanding poe somethi

position after tonight's win, the florida win. if he is not going to be the nominee. then other candidates will have to step up some where to beat mitt romney. you just don't see immediate opening anywhere on the horizon. >> so woody harrelson, good. steve smichmidt, how does he lo in the trailers? >> i feel bad for him. i feel bad for him. >> a great actor. >> did a good job with the head shaving. brilliant actor. >> of john mccain said it was going to be a cold day in you know where, arizona, before he was going to watch the movie. do you blame him? >> i think that he is going to come across pretty well unthat movie. he is a -- a terrific guy. an honor to work for him. he is an am cadge original. and i look back on the race. we had a disappointing outcome. but you know it was a lot of fun getting to be with him over that, that year. we had a lot of ups. we had a lot of downs. a lot of in between. he is a great american.

and he is a true american hero. an honor to have an association with him. >> i think we honestly envy your experience with him. thank you, steve schmidt, played with woody harrelson. real guy here. mitt romney's victory speech coming up soon. peter alexander at romney headquarters at the spot where he will speak in las vegas. peter. >> chris, good to see you. we anticipate that could happen 15 minutes from now. awaiting word. spoke to one of the members of romney's team. he would be out here. we saw his son a short time ago. having a chance to speak to individuals in the crowd here. you get a sense as the the race cups o comes out to the west. he is not going to be easily defined by the media or newt ging richl rich or the super pa. people here think of mitt romney the guy that saved winter olympics in salt lake city, a guy they're familiar with, feel good about, large mormon

population, many behind us, one of the guys around the corner said not a lot of alcohol sales to night but a pretty good party upstairs. >> let me ask you about rumor floating around. maybe surmise that -- that he has the an interesting relationship with two of the other candidates that are very peaceful. almost like a nonaggression pact with dr. ron paul for example. that's going on now for weeks now. and also, santorum, though the disagreement. hit him on romney care in massachusetts. very polite. these two guys are not taking the gloves off. newt gng riingrich is. how do you see those developingn now and tampa. >> newt gingrich has not called romney on either of the past victories for mitt romney. anticipating to see if that will happen. in terms of rick santorum. mentioning. one thing clear, we are not

going to talk about mitt romney's private sector experience in any negative terms whatsoever. we appreciate and celebrate successes he had. biggest difference. distinction we draw is about obama care, romney care. that's the number one thing that the republicans have on the table going into general election. his argument throughout has been if you take that off the table you take off the number one asset. and the relationship with ron paul, the two have been friendly in recent days. hearing some cheers. flags, signs are going back up again. think they're anticipating. no mitt romney yet. >> thank you for that analysis and reporting. romney big winner in nevada. awaiting his victory speech in a few minutes. newt gingrich, ron paul, still battling it out for second place which is very important. we'll get reaction from a gingrich supporter when we get back here. coming up our continued coverage of the nevada republican caucuses on msnbc.

welcome back.

mitt romney the big winner. newt gingrich and ron paul battling for second place. we are joined by sue loudon supporting gingrich in the race. sue loudon thank you for joining us. i have a cast of mind. i wonder why santorum will stay in the race. if he can't win tuesday in nearby colorado what is high doing in the race except spoiling it for your candidate newt gingrich? >> i wish i had a definitive answer to that. i don't know. except perhaps he is thinking of something -- for the future for himself. that's all i can think of. >> do you think he is running for second place. winning the charm, good will of romney by staying in the race he has a better not. >> it's possible. because he sure hasn't taken any shots at governor romney who by the way i would look to congratulate tonight. this is a big victory for him. of course we are still neck and neck, for second place, with

gingrich and paul. i would look to congratulations romney tonight. >> are you getting any signal from your candidate what theme he will run on from here on out. there is talk we heard from the pollster for your candidate who said it is going to be the governor's record as governor. no more focus on bane capital, olympics, dead center he was a moderate to lub riberal governo. >> i listened to the interview. that's where he is going. look at the states he is going. focusing on ohio, swing state. talking about the differences. certainly in the south. going to play well. texas going to play well. so, i believe that that its, that's where he is going. and you know, chris, everybody is talking about, oh, this as it nother romney win. all over. five states. five states. such a long way to go yet. >> yes, five states. look at the winnowing process.

one real opponent left in the race. that's yours. look. dr. paul, ron paul is not running for the nomination. running to establish his, credentials as the the libertarian in the country. i don't know what rick santorum's speech was about tonight. looked like he lost the theme. he had good speeches like the one at iowa. a powerful speech about his roots as italian american in pennsylvania. growing up there with his hard working grandparents. and father. and then, tonight he didn't seem to have that theme at all. that i could pick up. >> i preduct tonight when newt gingrich gives his speech, press conference of sorts, that it will be a very moving -- speech. as he -- he has a tendency to do. i think it will be a lasting one. >> let me ask you about evangelle cal evangel -- about the evangelicals. it looks like they went for romney. >> yes, that's what your polling says. those that came out of the

woodwork for gingrich are grassroots people stepped up last minute. got themselves to the caucus. not an easy thing to do. stayed around for an hour or two. and voted. that's very powerful thing to have just organized that in the last couple of weeks. so i think that that's a very strong representation on behalf of newt gingrich. >> i see. you did get the second place. evangelicals. much stronger than may have p predicted over paul. i am joined by howard fineman, msnbc political analyst and all wise in such things. tonight, howard, here we are again once again together. my view is that romney will be able to brag coming out of nevada something new. strength among evangelicals. >> crucial. that's absolutely crucial. it is a nab to neighbor thing. the mormons are not evangelle cals. they share visions of how life should be lived in, in nevada. that was part of it.

the atmosphere there. i think he won four years ago. he won here. he did get traction among evangelicals. what strikes me about romney is what has been the case from the beginning chris. his strategy from the beginning is to be last man standing. he tried to divide and, a lot of success, in doing so. in iowa. the opposition. he tried to outlast the others. he has run less on, on the notion of what his grand sweeping and stirring vision is. of conservatism or the country. then it is on his electability. his survive ability. and the quality of his machine. and depth of his financing. ability to take on president obama who is going to have a lot of money of his own. i think what is happening is, voters are reconciling themselves. state-by-state. vote by vote. precinct by precinct. to mitt romney. whom they didn't know. didn't particularly like in the beginning. but who are warming to if for no other reason.

increasingly looking like the guy who will be the nominee. they want to believe in. willing themselves to believe in the guy who is going to take on barack obama. that is the psychology of the republican voters i talked to in florida. who were saying, ah, you know i don't love mitt romney. i will be for him. he is going to be the guy who can beat barack obama. and if you look at the entrance polls, if you look at the entrance polls. electability. who can take on the president. is key to why -- even, evangelical christians are rallying behind romney at this point. >> you got to believe, howard, to put it in other words. he is our deliverance. our way of not voting for the president. looks to me look they're, like you said project forward. what you said about nominating process is their general election strategy. last man standing on election day, november 6. the people will reject the president because they think he doesn't have the right ideas about the economy. therefore they will go to romney. its that the basic strategy? >> yes, process of elimination candidacy. and it has been the process of

elimination candidacy from the very beginning. not to take anything away from mitt romney. got to run the way you got to run. that's how he is running. i defy you to tell me in stirring terms what his vision is. what his new idea is. what his brand of conservatism is. what his personal calling card is. it isn't about any of that. it is about he is not anybody else that you don't like. he is the guy who you will accept, even if you don't really luke h like him that much. >> he is the hope for restoration. thank you. not just deliverance. hope for restoration. the great irony is restoration to most republicans when they say that. it is back to the clintons of the 90s. not back to w. what a great irony. that's the way nay look at it economically. we are waiting, mitt romney's victory speech in nevada. watching it from las vegas. where he is expected to speak. msnbc's live coverage of the nevada caucuses continues after this.

>> as you can see, mitt romney the big winner in nevada tonight. expecting his victory speech momentarily. newt gingrich is battling with ron paul for second place in nevada. the sc the sc and now "the new york times" is reporting as we speak, that addleson sent word to mitt romney he will support hip, perhaps more generously should romney win the nomination. let's bring in nbc's national investigative coordinator, michael, you ran the story. >> as significant as the nevada returns. and the romney scam p campaign,e previously reported adelson sent the word that he would back the

republican dom nominnominee. despite $10 mu illion to newt h would be there at a greater level. an associate said that is five times as much. $50 million. >> hawkish on the middle east. pro-israeli. his argument. wonder how he picked two candidat candidates. romney has been so hawkish. remember the statement if president obama is re-elected iran will have a nuclear weapon. if i'm elected they won't. talk about commitment. >> hard to find day light between romney, gingrich, iran and israel. adelson had a long relationship with gingrich, pumping money in, five, six years. the way this has been described, loyalty to a friend. that super pac filing that came in -- the same night as the primary showing that romney superpac raised $30 million.

they're on track to bring in $100 million in this election. and you put adelson's money on top of that which will probably go to the operation -- >> did he match president obama? >> we are in a giant arms race. >> a billion versus a billion? >> what you are looking at when you looked at the numbers. romney super pac numbers. seven figure checks from 11 people if you add it up. astounding money. >> a new point. >> almost all inning tiff anega. >> three quarters, three quarters of them said they believe the power of advertising had an effect on them. they don't pretend not to believe. ads pound slogans in your head almost all negative. >> romney super pac spent $17 million. attack ads on newt. they don't make a pretense of doing positive ads. that shows what super pacs. >> put it together with what we

are hearing. what chuck todd told me last man standing strategy. if everything is negative. everything is negative. they must figure come november 6. general election. voter will go in the booth. independent voter will go, 6%. will go, yeah, don't think obama has it figured out. vote the other way. not vote for romney. vote against obama. >> look, plenty of attack ads on the democratic side as well. they have already begun the -- the attack ad campaign against romney. >> chuck todd, put the together for us. a great report from mike about power of money here. if you put, $1 billion in negative advertising on both sides. the voter, 6%, 10% in the middle. go in and say not obama. not romney. but the strategy of the republicans tonight is going to say not obama. >> it is. we saw this attempt -- not by the same amount of money. by a lot. by the democrats in 2004. i will say strategically it is

difficult. i think most of the spending that you are going to see. most of the super pac influence will come in the senate and house races. i just don't think they will have influence in the presidential race in the general in the way they had in the primary. i can tell you, all the money. a.c.t. it was so, you couldn't, in the coordination, between the kerry campaign and lathe labor funded groups. wasn't good. stepped on each other. very hard to do that. they tried to go back and forth. and they tried by the way. nothing but anti-bush vote. all that it was. if romney re-runs the campaign. he will lose it more times than thee will win it. all the super pac money, is going to be overly influential in senate and house races. where it will have it. >> 3:00 until we hear from the governor. >> once they start spending money. obama went against federal

money. took private money. once they know they can raise it don't they do it? >> of course. i have to disagree. look what happened in iowa. gingrich was 28%. start of december. then the romney super pac came in with three weeks, pounding away. and they took them down, cut his support in half. >> obama is going to have the money. >> obama will have it back. just saying that is an example how negative advertising can work. and has worked. >> here he comes. ann romney heading towards the stage. wife of the candidate. she is, the pattern has been for her to speak first, the warm-up if you will for her husband. here she is about to speak. >> hello. i guess we got -- it looks like we are missing a few of our kids. thank you, nevada! once again, i am here to -- to

make sure that you listen to me this time and obey when i tell you don't clap until i'm finished. nobody listened to me last time. but i do have to give special thanks to all of the people that made this happen. by the way, the most people i need to thank are all the volunteers. a big thank you. >> you are watching this right now. this has got to be, this wife, this spouse, who seems very regular and very loose, actually compared to her husband, must be a big asset in this race. steve schmidt? >> yeah, i was just thinking that. she is an enormous asset in this race. she comes across as down to earth, she is very good, big smile on her face. totally warms up her husband. and i, think the campaign obviously understand that. that's why she is out there right now. she is going to be -- she is going to be a person i think front and center for a lot of this campaign.

particularly as he moves forward becoming the nominee of the party. >> i was thinking working on the kennedy book all these years. i was watching how in places in front of a large polish american audience in milwaukee, jack kennedy would send jackie out beforehand, warm up, speak the polish language. just introduce him, add, in this case, charm. i think in the other case it was class. but here she introduces with niceless and regularness to a guy who is a bit aloof, is that the right word would you say, steve? >> yeah. there is no question that, you know people could look at him and say he is aloof. the other aspect. a person, ann romney has dealt with issues. has, whether it's her ms, whether she is a breast cancer survivor. she, she has endured real challenges, real crises in her life. i think she just utterly humanizes him in a way probably

that nobody else can do in the race. i think that she is probably the most important asset that the romney campaign has going forward looking ahead to a general election. >> yeah, i know. one of the great challenges for women in politics is to identify with women who work outside the home and women who don't. i would imagine she faces no problems in either direction. that might bea striength. reach all the women who got to vote. majority voters in the country. when you put together a national campaign is that something you think of every day. more women voters than male? >> before you answer that question. here we go. here is the candidate. steve take a shot at that. do you think about women voters more? >> absolutely. you think about the women voters, particularly because republican candidates have suffered from a gender gap over the recent history of the republican party. particularly in the swing suburban areas in key states like ohio, like pennsylvania.

where republicans can perform well. >> steve, thank you, buddy. the candidate who won tonight big in nevada. >> thank you. >> thank you, you guys. wow. what a great show. thank you, nef. thank you, nevada. you know, this is not the first time you gave me your vote of confidence. this time i am going to take it to the white house! four years ago, candidate obama came to nevada promising to help. but after he was elected, his help was telling people to skip come hearing for conventions and meetings. today, nevada unemployment is over 12%, home values have plummeted, and nevada's foreclosure rate is the highest in the nation. i have walked in nevada

neighborhoods. blighted by abandoned homes. where people wonder why barack obama failed them? well, mr. president, nevada has had enough of your kind of help. three years ago -- a newly elected president obama told america that if congress approved his plan to borrow nearly a trillion dollars he would hold unemployment below 8%. it has thenn' this week he has been trying to take a bow for 8.3%, unemployment. not so fast, mr. president, this is the 36th straight month with unemployment above the red line your own administration drew. if you take into account all the people who are struggling, for work, or just stopped looking, the real unemployment rate is over 15%.

mr. president, america has also had enough of your kind of help. >> mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! >> let me ask you -- let me ask you here a question. did obama-care encourage businesses to hire more people? >> no! >> did dodd frank get banks to renegotiate more loans? did the national labor relation as take on boeing south carolina encourage employers to expand here? did efforts to block domestic production of energy and keystone pipeline speed job creation? >> no! >> did the billions of dollars the president sent to his green green energy buddies give any

one here a job? >> mr. president, we welcome any the good news on the job front. it is thanks to the innovation of the american people in the private sector and not to you, mr. president! >> romney! romney! romn romney! romney! romney! romney! >> this president's misguided policies made these tough times last longer. earlier in the week he spoke with a woman from texas during an online event. she told him that her husband has been out of work for three years. president obama said that he found that interesting. interesting. really? i have got a better word -- tragic. america needs a president who can fix the economy because he

understands the economy. and i do. and i will. this president began his presidency by apologizing for america, he should now be apologizing to america. we're not going to settle, we're not going to settle for a president who tells us it could be worse. what defines us as americans is our conviction that things must be better. that conviction guides this campaign. it's rallied millions of americans to our cause including tens of thousands of nevadan whose gave me their support here today. and i thank them. nevadans know that our future is brighter and better than these troubled times. it's better than 15% real

unemployment. it's better than 15 trillion dollars in debt. it's better than the misguided policies and broken promises of the last three years. and the failed leadership of one man. our campaign is about -- is about more than just replacing the president, however. this is really a campaign about saving the soul of america. president obama says he wants to fundamentally transform america. we want to restore to america the founding principles that made this country great. our, our vision for the future could not be more different than his. president obama will grow government and amass more trillion dollar deficits. i will not just slow the growth of government. i will cut it. i will not just freeze -- i wilt

not just freeze government's share of the total economy, i will reduce it. without raising taxes i will finally balance the american budget. president obama's brand of capitalism sends your money to his friend's companies. my vision for free enterprise is to return entrepreneurship to the genius of consumer markets and to the creativity of the american people. now, like his colleagues and the fact they think they know better, president obama demonizes and denigrates every sector of our economy. i will make america the most attractive place for entrepreneurs and job creators.

and by the way, i would look the other people running for president, i know just how to do that. -- and by the way, unlike the other people running for president, i know just how to do that. if i am elected president, my priority will be about your job, not saving my own. now as you know one of the most important and personal matters of our lives are, our health care. our health care. president obama would turn the decision making over to government bureaucrats. he forced through obama-care. i will repeal obama-care. just this week, president obama orders religious organizations to violate their conscience. i will defend religious liberty and overturn any regulation that tramples on our first freedom, our right to worship as we choose.

mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! >> president obama is shrinking our military, and hollowing out our national defense. i will insist on a military so powerful that no one in the world would ever think of challenging it. president obama seems to believe that america's role as leader in the world is a thing of the past. i believe the 21st century will be and must be an american century. >> romney! romney! romney! romney! >> our mission -- our mission is to increase the freedom and opportunity of the american people.

and our blueprint is the constitution of the united states. we're going to -- we're going to build an america where hope is a new job with a paycheck. not a faded word on an old bumper sticker. and i will not attempt to bribe the voters with promises of new programs and new subsidies and ever increasing checks from government. if this election is a bidding war -- who can prom igs tise th benefits. i am not your president. you have that president. if you want to make this electtion abut restoring american greatness. then i hope you will join with us. if you believe the disappointments of the last few years are a detour and not our destiny, then i'm asking for your vote. i'm asking -- i'm asking each of you -- i'm asking each of you to remember how special it ties be an american. i want you to remember why it was you or your ancestor whose

sacrificed to come to america and to overcome the challenges of life in a new country why they came here. it was not for a free tuck it. -- it was not for a free ticket. it was for freedom. it was not for the pursuit of government benefits. it was for the pursuit of happiness. we still believe in that america. we still believe in the america that is a land of opportunity and a beacon of freedom. we believe in the america that challenges each of us to be bigger and better than ourselves. this election we must fight for the america we love. we believe in america. thank you so much. and god bless you! thank you! thank you! thank you! you're the best! thank you. >> he started off by --

apologizing for america, end up by apologizing to america. strong, tough line. is that the new mitt we are looking at. >> it was an added line to what is a standard stump speech about this restoration of greatness. it is -- i think continue to fine tune it as they go. go along to try to get sort of -- a normal stump speech. that has been interesting watching romney. if the has been an evolving stump speech. he tried to put this together. i think tonight was the first night in a while that we have heard, heard him give a general election stump speech. in some time. that's what he did most of 2011. as the he was trying to stay above the fray. he got rid of it. giving a republican stump speech. the first time i have seen him. he is for cucused on obama, messaging, doing so to fur ire the crowd.

when you talk about restoration, or restoring, you are, automatically looking backward. you don necessarily want to cede the future. >> the 90s under clinton looks pretty good right now. let me ask you about this america's candidate. i don't know how the dallas cowboys got to be america's team way back when. >> green bay. >> hue did this guy get the title of america's candidate. all through the speechize am the american candidate. who is obama in this fight? >> some people that read, going to read into that in different ways. i have had some republicans tell me they think he does that because -- he is worried that some evangelical christians who are not crazy about his mormon faith, you know, this is why he overdoes the patriotism card. >> i would give you an alternative, the american candidate claim, is because he believes there is an opening because obama has been, in

fairness, too global. too international. not the ethnic piece. not the. >> exactly what clinton did to bush 41. you worry about overseas. you forgot what was going on here. i think there is going to be some, some, obama supporters who are going to read that and say -- >> let's go. >> a racial element. >> chuck, thank you a lot for joining me. back in a minute. back to steve schmidt. republican, covering for them. steve, that question, the american thing he does all the time. how do you argue that in objective case that he is the american candidate. how is obama not the american candidate? >> i think the speech, chris, is aimed entirely to the 47% of the electorate that for certain is going to vote for the republican nominee. in the general election. he is not going to let newt gingrich get back up off the mat again. he is talking to republicans to night. focused squarely on the

republican electorate. in the states yet to come. i don't think that is a message you will see hum uim using. where they're battling for 4% to 6% undecided portion of the electorate. determined over the outcome. a speech for republicans. that tough, red meat language. resonates with republican primary voters. but, it, you, you, haven't seen him make the turn yet. where he is offering a positive, proactive vision for the future. bill clinton talked about the bridge to the 21st tcentury. no bridge, affirmative vision, no big bold reform proposals. karl rove talked about that this week. he is going to need to have a positive, affirmative, powerful agenda on energy, tax reform. i don't think you will see those things until he is confident heap has goment thhe

has got this wrapped up. stewart stephens, matt rhode. i think they're focused on making sure they put down the competition. don't let any guys get on their feet. that's what that speech is about tonight. >> let's talk professionalism. nia mallika henderson. you have been covering professionalism. not many candidates. just newt. >> newt sees something of an opening with, making speeches over the, february, since he is not going to have a lot of room to run and a lot of the contests. debate, february 22nd. newt gingrich does not have a very professional campaign. showing up at a lot of his events. he is very, very often late. speakers stalling for time. on the one hand saying he is a disciplined candidate. but not quite here. >> this is going to look like the last year of the civil war. with the north with all of the technology, money. extra troops. and the south battling it out. newt playing southern rebel if you will. >> i think that is right.

going up against ape battleship. like the inflatable dinghy. and throwing rocks amount this huge tank. he talks about his candidacy. >> he talks about his candidacy. >> what is he? he has to go now to the south. to survive until march 6. >> yes, yes. march 6. 400 delegates on the ballots march 6. states like georgia. which is of course his home state. he is going to be in ohio. i will be with him couple days in ohio. march 6. he has got to. >> looking at it. super tuesday. super state. super night. march 6, last stand for newt gingrich. next tuesday. next tuesday looks like the last stop on the train ride for santorum. if he doesn't win. >> for kolle k colorado. putting money on the no delegate contest in missouri. seems like a waste of time. waste of energy.

i get why they are doing it. no newt. they beat romney. colorado, that should be where santorum should, pull this off. and if he doesn't do it. >> thank you, chuck. for boeing my partner. steve schmidt, again, great asset for this network. don't know how we got you. must have been a high bid for you. get you. any way. hope it was. you deserve it. thank you. steve schmidt for helping us put this together. and nia mallika henderson. so glad to have you. "the washington post." and the republican race, tuesday night, colorado, minnesota, and missouri, or missouri, depending where you live the right now stay tuned for "lock up." 40 years ago he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future, but fortunately, somebody else

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