there may be nerves in the romney camp about illinois, because now it looks like the romney campaign will make a major investment there to beat rick santorum and newt gingrich. jackie coup sin itch is a political analyst as well as michael steele. michael, romney's line to his donors in new york city went something like this. it's going to be a long road, but we're winning the most delegates and we're going to be the nominee. kind of like what he said in an interview yesterday. >> right. >> by the way, last night i got more delegates than anybody else. so this is a process of becoming the nominee. we're pursuing that. some who are very conservative may not yet be in my camp, but they will be when i become the normal anemia and face barack obama. >> is that the right message? >> it is. they want to know, you know, how

sure are you about the footing you have ragt now? how are you doing in your delegate count? what's your burn rate so far? how much are you taking in? >> did you take that at all to say to those other people to mean the conservatives who have supported rick santorum or newt gingrich, you're not going to have a choice. you're going to have to come over to me in november. >> keep in mind, he's talking to people who are supporting him, so that's a different conversation than the one you're going to have when you're bringing people to your cause in a broader sense. but when you're sitting there with your donors, the donors want to know how is my investment coming and what are you doing with the investment i'm making. >> well let me tell you what he's doing. the chicago tribune says the romney campaign has spent $3.2 million on tv ads. no one else is even on tv there. jackie, we keep asking this this question, but it illinois a must-win for romney? >> i think it is. i definitely think it is. one of the things i read in "the

new york times." donors are shocked this is taking so long. that they have to keep donating money. that's part of what romney is saying. this is a long haul. i don't think anybody expected it to be this much of a slog for the romney campaign. he's going to illinois on friday, tomorrow. spending the weekend. all of them are spending the weekend campaigning. it's going to be a big state. we'll all be watching it on tuesday, that's for sure. >> mike murphy tweeted "delegate lock message is a mistake for romney. dump it. win illinois with voter-focused message." peter alexander is here. he's traveling with the romney campaign. is there talk about sort of making that turn? >> i proposed that question. i heard back from a senior advisor who said the delegates are not bad.

they are our reward for winning. but obviously the history now is not a lack of delegates. the challenge in this campaign, they have tried to boil down that message. they say specifically more jobs, less debt, smaller government. everywhere we go, we see that sign up. for a campaign focused on optics, they message was die luted. when you think about rbs rick santorum, it's obvious what he stands for. >> and warm and fuzzy with the voters. >> absolutely. new england 234g, the clearly $2.50 a gallon of gas guy. the core republicans is what really is mitt romney. even at this point we have traveled with him for the last three months, we rarely go into the deepest of red counties. we stay just outside the metro areas. but if he's going to represent the entire republican party, there are a lot of people who want to hear from him who

haven't had that interaction. >> michael, famously, at least in this newsroom, tom brokaw said, you can't make somebody something that they are not. he's not going to turn into 50 cent. so i can't even say it as well as tom does. that's sad. >> i want to be there for that transformation. >> what should his message be and do you have to tailor that to the person mitt romney is? he's not suddenly going to be rick santorum. >> and that's been the underlying problem so far. you know, a lot of us feel romney has been packaged in a way that is not natural to him. to see if he can appeal to a certain segment of the republican party as opposed to more broadly speaking about the republican principles in terms of his own leadership. he was the governor of a state.

he's a successful businessman. he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. people criticize him for an honest answer yesterday. but before they were saying, why don't you just say you're a wealthy guy. he has to stop trying to meet everybody else's expectations of hip. >> i think michael is right. what's bad about having been successful and making money? a lot of previous presidents were very rich and didn't have a problem with it. are we parsing it so much it's not even about what he says but how he says it? >> i think the good news of the romney campaign is there still seems to be time. my colleague wrote a story from illinois. voters are still saying i just don't know yet. there are 16% of people taken in a poll saying they are not sure about romney yet. so they still have time to

hammer out this message. he's actually said this. i've done very well and i'm not going to apologize for that. he's said that before. but for whatever reason. it hasn't connected. he hasn't figured out how to fix that, but there's still time in illinois. >> and peter, there have been some missteps obviously on the campaign. ford field when they were in the big situation where they only had a handful of people. that's bad. he said he could win alabama. he didn't win alabama. he took a lot of hits for it. and i was talking to one of his supporters at one of the fundraisers yesterday who said i'm debating to say to him it's time you need to shake up your staff. there's been a lot written about that. is there any indication they are ready to do that? >> there appeared to be some cracks in recent weeks, but it would be safe to say from the

conversations we're having for a conversation that's focused on continuity of message for them to shake up the staff, would be an admission of doing something wr wr wrong. i don't think that's going to happen right now. advisors traveled with romney, all the events we go to. a different advisor in missouri. then was with him just a few days earlier. there's another advisor in puerto rico. so it seems clear they are going to continue to go forward the way they have done it. the focus is the focus that we're so caught up in the detail. the math is obvious. we have won it. why are you still talking about everybody else? president point of talking too much and the gaffes, we have told you he's rich. the problem exists when he admits he's rich and later says things, jeff foxworthy is there.

the same day they are on the trail today, he makes a point he's friends with the owners of the dolphins and jets. it's that mix message. >> let's talk about going forward. you have missouri and puerto rico and the big one is illinois on tuesday. a couple potential wild cards here. first you have an open primary so anybody can vote. and you still have newt gingrich in the race. let me have a clip of santorum talking about illinois specifically. >> illinois is not necessarily tailor made for me. it's a big urban population. that may be a state where delegate wise we could do well and maybe not as well in the popular vote. >> what do you think rick santorum does now, michael, if he's going to kaptd liez on his momentum? >> i think they are going to push and make an effort in illinois. we're talking proportional voting. it's not necessarily about

winning the state. you're going to get a piece of the pie. you put that in your cache and move on. i think a lot of people missed what he said the other night. i intend to compete in tampa for the nomination. that means he's looking to drive this thing all the way through the spring and into the summer. those 60 day he keeps talking about where they want to negotiate what tampa wants to look like. romney better get used to it. santorum is used to. he needs to take advantage of the status he has now as the legitimate anti-romney candidate for the conservatives in the party. >> michael, can i ask you a question? you had a lot to do with the proportionality we're witnessing. as you look at the campaign and where it stands now in a weakened front runner, is proportionalty a good thing? >> it has nothing to do with the

player. if i give you an access ramp to get on a high-speed highway, if you don't know how to drive, is it the ramp's problem or the driver? that's the situation here. the process has been extended to get all the states involved so they can have a say in picking the nominee. what the nominee does with his campaign and raises his money has nothing to do with how long the process goes on. >> can we go dpr the important topic of logistics to omtices? i like to end on an interesting note. jackie, i saw some things written today in "the new york times" among other papers, about shedding its sweater vest, rick santorum, for a suit. there he is on the right. there he is on the right. is he trying to look more presidential? or maybe it's hot in puerto rico? >> it's hard to say. but you have to admit, he looks

more presidential in a suit than in a santorum southern vest. >> i'm joking, michael, partly because does this stuff matter? >> it it does to a certain degree. certainly for a lot of folks who fixate on that. but i think for rick, you know, he's trying to project the image of the potential president. so you're going to see him probably a lot more in suits than sweaters. >> it's great to see you michael steele. >> it's mitt romney who is trying to get out of the suit. >> thank you all very much. something very much on the minds of everyone on the campaign is what's going on on in afghanistan. the american soldier accused of gunning down 16 afghan civilians has now been flown into afghanistan and into kuwait. u.s. officials say that doesn't mean he won't be tried in afghanistan. lawmakers are threatening not to sign a strategic partnership agreement with the u.s. unless that soldier faces justice in

afghanistan. in the meantime, there's news out of the meeting between leon panetta and president karzai. he released a statement saying afghan troops should take the lead for country-wide security in 2013. that would be a year ahead of the current target date. ongoing security concerns were highlighted yesterday when an afghan man crashed a stolen truck as secretary panetta's plane was landing. now washington, they're looking at shutting down post offices coast to coast. closing plants is not the answer. they want to cut 100,000 jobs. it's gonna cost us more, and the service is gonna be less. we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times. the ripple effect is going to be devastating. congress created the problem. and if our legislators get on the ball, they can make the right decisions.

that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. 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. i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i got heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw!

fuelled by his sweep on tuesday, rick santorum is going farther south to push trying to maintain his momentum and capture more delegates in the race. >> i was called by some of my

colleagues in the senate. it doesn't make any sense to be in america to have full rights as a united states citizen. >> i'm joined by jose diaz ballard and by msnbc political analyst karen finney. good to see both of you. jose, is that going to help him with puerto ricans? i remember he talked about his close relationship with puerto rico. >> i mean look. it's interesting to see that in the past, mitt romney has attacked senator santorum for son sonia. i think that's what he's trying to bring up that he is the person who supported her when romney blasted him for it.

i'm not sure exactly what it means, but we'll find out. >> santorum also told a local paper if puerto rico wants to be a state, it's going to have to adopt english as its main language. what about that, jose? >> that's an interesting point because, you know, i think that they are expecting maybe 00,000 or more people to come out to vote one way or another this sunday. i think for the prison m that they are dealing with these candidates is how they have spoken about the issues most important to puerto rico. and obviously, their positions on statehood versus it staying a territory or becoming independent are relative. and i think that the fact that the current governor of the

island has supported romney and romney has spoken for it becoming a state but hasn't talking about english becoming the requirement, that may help romney. but the differences is subtle. >> i don't remember an election where we paid so much election to puerto rico and guam and american samoa. but is it about there's so much talk about will anyone go to the convention with 1,144 gel dates and literally every single one counts? >> we had this conversation in 2008 when the contest between then senator clinton and then senator obama went all the way out. so many states that had never had the opportunity to weigh in on the nomination of our candidate or had the benefit of having the campaigns come and campaign in their states and areas were getting that attention.

so you know, i just like to remind people that both from the perspective of the rnc and dnc, this was supposed to be a good thing. it was supposed to be more people from different parts of the country and different parts of whether it's the republican or democratic party dpet to weigh in and have their say. i don't e see the republicans doing as much in terms of voter registration, but again, it should be a good thing for more people to participate. not necessarily a bad thing. >> i'm sorry. were you trying to get in here jose? >> there's an interesting aspect. karen is spot on on this. it's not just important for puerto rico on sunday. but for these candidates, we have to remember that in the november elections, puerto ricans living on the island can't vote. but puerto ricos who are on the mainland and registered to vote can vote. what's important for puerto rico this sunday is also important for puerto ricans in places like

florida and in other states and new york, that in the november 6th lests, they will be looking at what the candidates have said and done. so happening this sunday is also important to other states that have a large puerto rican voting community. >> let me ask a big picture question. 20 delegates up for grabs. mitt romney has more delegates than rick santorum, newt gingrich, and ron paul combined. so what is rick santorum's delegate path going forward? >> he thinks he just has to hang in there. mitt romney has about two times as many as rick santorum. i believe puerto rico is a winner take all. so if you think about that in terms of momentum, if santorum were to win, that goes to momentum.

i think at had this point, santorum's play is if he can just continue to gain delegates, and remember the second part of his argument is, gee, if newt gingrich would get out of the way, i'd have a clearer shot. he's going to continue with that argument. i think illinois, though, we're probably going to see a mitt romney win there and that's going to hurt that argument to some degree. but it's important to remember that the math actually does matter. there's such a thing as the emotion and the spin and momentum that we like to talk about. but at the end of the day, same thing in 2008. same thing in this contest. the numbers matter. and you know, you see mitt romney kind of playing the long game because he knows i just got to get to the right number. >> karen, it's good to see you. thank you. jose, in washington, d.c., where you take your sunday show. and by the way, if i'm not mistaken, has been on the fire in the ratings recently. >> thank you. you can also catch jose

diaz-balart at 6:30. thank you to both of you. early this morning, former governor rod blagojevich left his wife and two daughters behind in chicago and headed to prison. blagojevich was literally crushed by reporters as soon as he walked down the steps. never shy from a microphone, he made a brief statement. >> saying good-bye is the hardest thing i have ever had i am leaving with a heavy heart, a clear conscious, but i have high hopes for the future. >> blagojevich flew to colorado where he'll serve 14 years for corruption. anna barber opened scribble press. it's a place where kids can turn art and writing into books. the success prompted her to open another location in new york

city managing from 3,000 miles away has been a challenge, but she's helped with a group of moms who have invested in the stores. watch sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. [ female announcer ] water was meant to be perfect. crisp, clear, untouched. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita.

happened to come across quicken loans online.

[ chris ] quicken loans constantly kept us updated and got us through the process twice now. quicken loans is definitely engineered to amaze. they were just really there for us. to politics now where the connected and lucky spent the evening at the white house. the british state dinner was full of glit z and glamour. the theme was america's backyard

and the dinner highlighted the special relationship between the two countries. a dateless george clooney was among the honored guests. other celeb rities included the star of "homeland", john legend performed, harvey whine stooen, and hew bonville. about 20 minutes from now, vice president joe biden will give a campaign speech in toledo, ohio. he's expected to tout the auto bailout saying he knew the president knew it wasn't popular, but he believed. and we can't forget the politics of his lunches. shelley pin gree is livid about the pink slime being served to students. . she wants the obama administration to ban it.

in a letter to the agriculture secretary, she writes "it's wrong to feed children a slurry that was formally only used for dog food." how do you argue with that? this is delicious okay... is this where we're at now? we just eat whatever tastes good? like these sweet honey clusters... actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber one.

[ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering.

yeah, you -- you know, everything can cost upwards of...[ whistles ] i did not want to think about that. relax, relax, relax. look at me, look at me. three words, dad -- e-trade financial consultants. so i can just go talk to 'em? just walk right in and talk to 'em.

dude, those guys are pros. they'll hook you up with a solid plan. they'll -- wa-- wa-- wait a minute. bobby? bobby! what are you doing, man? i'm speed dating! [ male announcer ] get investing advice for your family at e-trade. stories people are talking about now. stock at goldman sachs took a huge hit after that op-ed by greg smith. the firm saw more than $2 billion of its market value wiped out yesterday, although the stock is up $1.60 this morning. and still up 33% for the year. smith accused goldman by being overtaken by grooe greed. a suspect is in custody after a deadly shootout at a texas courthouse. the man opened fire while on trial. a 79-year-old woman died.

granger escaped and was holed up in a nearby office. hbo announce d it it will cancel a drama after a third horse died during production. the show about horse racing already under intense pressure from peta and other animal rights groups for the deaths of two horses last year. the latest incident happened tuesday. in a statement hbo said "while we maintain the highest safety standards possible, accidents happen and it's impossible to guarantee they won't in the future." the battle for the hearts and minds of the republican party are at a new level as the pry may clock ticks down. rick santorum says forget about the delegate numbers. mitt romney is in trouble with the republican base. >> if we keep winning races, eventually the people are going to figure out that governor romney isn't going to be the nominee.

when you keep getting outspent ten to one and win races, there has to be something fundamentally right with what we're doing and something flawed about the candidate that they were running against. >> garrett haake is with the romney campaign. this is your third night you spent home in 2012. we're glad you spent a little time with us instead of home in your apartment. what's the romney campaign's argument when they hear this is a guy who absolutely has no enthusiasm in the base? >> they will say look at the states he won that are going to matter in november and the way the conservative vote and the base broke there. they point to new hampshire to a less eer degree. but florida is a place where it's going to matter. >> i want to bring in erika pike. and this race has gone on, as you know, but the divisions are pretty stark. so the question becomes do you

stay with the pure conservative, rick santorum, obviously. or do you go with the eligibility argument? is there any indication after all these months and contests and votes that one is going to win out over the other any time soon? >> no, but the thing i would point out about these two races, that was because of social conservatives. and rick santorum is not known as particularly fiscally conservative and that is the argument that mitt romney can make to conservatives generally speaking as he goes forward. >> so we're in for a long slog here, you think? >> i'm sorry? >> are we in for a long slog as they battle it out? >> i think we are. when the larger states start voting later in the season like new york and california, and maybe even texas, we'll have to see how that one plays out. that's when mitt romney might be able to shut it down. >> let's bring in richard land. he's president of the ethics and

religious liberty convention. always good to see you. good morning. >> good morning. >> you haven't officially endorsed anyone yet, but give us insight on efforts to convince newt gingrich to drop out so there can be this clear choice between mitt romney and the conservative. >> there have been efforts going on since january. even before the south carolina primary and certainly since rick santorum started winning primaries and newt has only been able to win georgia since south carolina. for newt to get out, people figure conservatively that 60% of newt's vote would go to santorum, which would give him a clear advantage. that would have made the difference in michigan. it would have made the difference in ohio. and would give rick a one to one shot at romney. i frankly think that would help

the party. >> you do? >> yes, i do. i think if the conservatives have a one on one shot and they have their shot and they lose, then they'll feel they lost fair and square. and they will unite around romney, particularly if romney does things to encourage them to unite around him in a way they might not if they feel they didn't get a clear shot. >> and i was just reading this morning that tony perkins of the family research council says there does seem to be a consensus building towards santorum. are there phone calls being made to newt gingrich now? >> yes. it started at the ranch in texas where surprisingly to me and many others that were there, this strong consensus formed around rick santorum. 79% of the people that were there, these were catholic

evangelical organizations, that we ought to try to unite around rick santorum. and i was stunned frankly. i didn't think you could get that kind of consensus. we had to debate it and have a vote. we voted that it was a strong consensus. that's what the grass roots organizations went back and started fertilizing the soil and planting the seed. that's when rick won those three caucuses. >> wisdom is the romney campaign would like newt gingrich to stay in the race because, you know, obviously, they keep battling it out. then it gives him a clearer shot to win some of these primaries. on the other hand, let him get out. let us go head to head with santorum and we'll beat him. >> they can make the change either way, but the wisdom on this appears to be right that i

speak to. they like newt gingrich in the race. he needles at rick santorum. he does divide that vote. as long as he's still there muddying up the field, they can win with 30-40%. it raises the bar significantly. they are happy to eke out the de delegates as long as the math works in their favor. >> what would it take to get gingrich to drop out? do you see a path to that right now? >> no. and i've been hearing from his advisors for the last couple of days. they have been upset with some of the media coverage that they see that they think is unfair to him. they say the elite media is trying to make this into a two-man race. but he's saying he's not getting out. he's going all the way to tampa. at this point, we have to take him on his word. >> we heard rick perry was asked to make a phone call. he appreciated it when some of his supporters sort of let him make his own decision in his own

time. do you think that's the right way to go? or should people be pushing newt at this point? given the fact you think it would be good for the party if he dropped out. >> look. i haven't contacted newt. don't plan to. i don't think he's going to get out. i believe an economy of effort. i know newt. i don't think newt is going to get out. i think he's like a bulldog with a bone. he has an mouse against mitt romney because he feels like mitt romney ran a dirty campaign against him. he's 68 years old. this is his last horray. i think he's going e to go all the way to tampa. >> this is a bit personal between them. gingrich wanted to run a positive campaign. but mitt romney got under his skin. he's not going to keep anyone's counsel but his own it seems

like. >> the only thing i think, he's had a couple events there was such a small number of people who showed up. and i don't know how much longer a sheldon adelson is going to write checks for him. if the money starts to dwindle, do you think that the good of the overall party might push him at that point? >> it might. it might. but look. >> but if you were a betting man, you'd say no? >> i'm not a betting man, but if i were, i wouldn't waste betting newt will get out of the campaign. >> thank you all very much for being with us. i want to tell you about a new poll released a short time ago. it has surprising insights on the impact of unemployment and the recession on the so-called

boom rang generation. young adults who moved out only to go home a short time later. jackie delaware angiolouse is joining us. >> believe it or not, most of them are actually okay with moving back home. things are changing. there's less of a stigma atta attached. the report showed that three in ten young adults age 25 to 34, they are back at home. more than two-thirds of them say they are satisfied with their living arrangement and upbeat about their future finances. bu but the question is the economy. it's unemployment. nearly half of the adults ages 18 to 34 who are unemployed choose this as an option. it's still tough out there. >> but there's still food in the refrigerator and they don't have to buy it. >> absolutely. >> moving back in with your

folks, we have the outgoing ceo of johnson & johnson and absolutely mind blow iing parachute. how much? >> it's a staggering amount. the reports are saying that williamwell don stands to gain kbfts at $143 million. he started in 1971. he's going to begin collecting benefits once he steps down next month. he's going to remain on as chairman. it hasn't been doing as well as it could be. we've been seeing the market move up high er. so that raises the question of are these payouts commiserate to how the companies are performing? >> thank you very much. speaking of madness, march madness turns into office madness. according to statistics compiled by "usa today," 86% of employees plan to devote some work time

today to following games. $175 million paid will be paid to unproductive workers during the first two days of the tournament. 55% of hr professionals say office pools are good for morale. also worth noting. big brother is watching. 42% of i.t. professionals will monitor employees trying to access game streams online. so beware. [ male announcer ] the draw of the past is a powerful thing. but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display. [ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. i'm michael bazinet,

president of creative digital imaging of bangor, maine. we have customers all over the united states. we rely on the postal service for everything that we do. the eastern maine processing facility is vital to our operation and our success. if we lose this processing facility we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times. we would have to consider layoffs as a result of that. closure of this plant will affect all of us. ♪ i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic

or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix

wheeeeeeeeeeeee! whee! whee! wheeeeeeeee! ah heads up. wheeeeeeeeeeee! everything you love about geico, now mobile. download the new geico app today. i'm thomas roberts. joe biden back in the saddle giving the first of four major speeches in a key battleground state while the president speaks in maryland and the campaign releases the obama documentary. the power panel will be here to weigh in on this. then the human trafficking of women for the sex trade. the numbers in the u.s., staggering. homeland security secretary janet napolitano will join me. then working women are

overtaking their husbands as the breadwinners in the household. the richer sex and how that's changing the dynamics of american families. chris? >> yet we still make 84 cents on the dollar. thank you so much. president obama speaking of numbers is up in the polls. or maybe down? take a look at the latest numbers. they show the president's approval rating trending up about 50%. two other polls show something very different. "the new york times" and "washington post" polls have president's approval numbers on the decline. why are the polls so different? let's get answers from frank newport. good to see you. i'm sure you've been reading all the articles out there. what's going on? without getting too insider on me, why is there such a big

disparity? >> we're trying to take a sample to estimate what the population is thinking and feeling. we want to know what all americans are thinking about obama and whether that's going up or down. this is a number that has some fluctuation built into it. it's by design. not everybody is going to be constant shs but that's one of the reasons we track this continuously and we think estimates can be more reliable. we certainly saw last week his approval numbers up and actually rising some. now in addition to that poll, there's three others by reuters and bloomberg showing his approval ratings have been up or staying constant 47 to 50%. it looks like as happens sometimes, that one poll in particular, showed the rate down to 41%. the approval rating at 41%. it seems to be an outliar, which

happens from time to time. it's staying pretty robust. >> we have looked at that key number. you as a pollster, and we don't know what's going to happen between now and november, but when you look at the strength of the candidate at any given time, what are the other numbers that you look at particularly? what questions are key to looking at the underguy lying strength of any given kapd? >> that's a great question. we have a situation now with one of the candidates being an incumbent president, that's obama. we can look at the approval rating. that's a key indicator of being reelected. we look at the economic numbers. that's a key that we can measure that through economic confidence. and that's a real key.

we look at the ballot. we simply ask voters, and we'll be asking daily once a nominee is known, who are you going to vote for? that in september and october, because a real key indicator and we look at the way things are going. the right track and wrong track. that's at 26% now in our latest numbers. that's not great, but that's up. that's also a key indicator about an incumbent president's probability of being reelected. >> up is always a good direction. let me ask you finally. i'm fascinated by this. i was talking to a former governor and looking at the upcoming big states. particularly industrial midwest states. illinois and pennsylvania. here's the suggestion made to me. even though mitt romney seems to be leading, for example, by a little bit in illinois, in a state like that, someone is less likely to say i'm going to vote for a cultural conservative than someone in a mississippi or an

alabama. do you find that to be true? do you think in these kinds of situations the numbers are a little softer than they would be in some places? >> well, that's a very interesting question. i'm not sure we have impure call evidence to document. rick santorum, the cultural conservative candidate, has done better than some of the polling has predicted in states like tennessee and then on tuesday night in mississippi and alabama, for a number of reasons. whether or not we're going to see the flip perhaps in the midwest states, as you argument, where the social conservative would score higher in the polls. i don't think we have enough evidence to suggest that the polls are going to be off one way or the other, but we'll wait and see what happens. >> we can't wait to see. always good to see you, frank. thank you. and today's tweet of the day is a bit of history. and a pretty ominous question from our friend amanda drury.

julia cesar was assassinated. what about 2012? [ female announcer ] if whole grain isn't the first ingredient in your breakfast cereal, what is? now, in every box of general mills big g cereal, there's more whole grain than any other ingredient. that's why it's listed first. get more whole grain than any other ingredient... just look for the white check. i want to fix up old houses. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. thanks, mom. i just want to get my car back. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. two.

three. one. two. and, three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn more cash back for the things you buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% cash back on groceries. 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. it's as easy as one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. discover visine® tired eye relief with hydroblend™, only from visine®. just one drop instantly soothes and revives tired, overworked eyes. and comforts them for up to ten hours. visine® tired eye relief. try now and save $3.

we have a developing story to tell you about. firefighters are working to rescue stranded residents. several hours of rain left about two-thirds of that town under water. look at these pictures. a lot of schools in the area are closed and at the same time, fire crews have been working to contain a gas leak. that's a very bad situation in ohio. we'll keep you posted on that. we're also waiting for a couple big political events. president obama is going to speak about american energy in largo, maryland. obviously, the white house has been trying to get ahead of the gas prices concern.

there's some conflicting evidence about how much it's been affecting his approval ratings. but at least for now, they want to make sure that the president is out there talking about energy, talking about gas prices. and the vice president, joe biden, is going to be speaking at a uaw rally in ohio. he will be praising the president's decision to obviously bail out the auto companies. something he has a disagreement with about the republican candidates and his argument will be, look, it worked. so we're keeping an eye on both of those events. the president and vice president speaking simultaneously. for now, that wraps up this hour of "jansing and co." thomas roberts is up next. i'll see you right back here tomorrow. ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] hunger getting to you? grab a ritz crackerfuls. made with real cheese and whole grain, it'll help keep you satisfied until your next meal. get hunger before it gets you. it'll help keep you satisfied until your next meal. [ dog ] it's our favorite. yours and mine.itar: upbeat ] because we found it. together. on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. a long walk. a walk with you. a walk i smelled squirrels on, but i stayed by your side because i could tell, could feel, that you had a bad day... and me being bad wouldn't make it any better. but being there was already helping a little anyway. and then we found that wonderful thing. waiting there. waiting for you and me. and you smiled.

and threw it. and i decided right when i picked it up, i would never, ever leave it anywhere. ever. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play. and that had made you smile. [ announcer ] put more play in your day. beneful. play. it's good for you. ♪ oh, my maltipoo's depressed. but my affordable prius c means i can pay for his acupuncture. whew. i love my pooch. oh no! my homemade sushi... turned p-ushi! use estimated 53 mpg to find a gluten-free alternative. look, this means i'm a chef. [ male announcer ] be a winner with the all-new prius c from toyota. ♪

but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. developing now, full campaign press. this hour president obama talks energy in maryland at the same time vice president joe biden giving the first of four major campaign speeches.

we'll have all of it for you this morning. the campaign releasing the entire documentary today. then anger continuing 234 afghanistan. hundreds take to the streets to demand the role of the soldier be prosecuted on afghan soil. and the disgraced exgovernor all styles as he boards a plane bound for colorado. and the richer sex. by 2030, it's predicted most working wives will outearn the men they are married to. what it means? we'll explore that. hi, everybody. i'm thomas roberts. here's what's on the agenda today. so what gives? can the president really do anything about this? we want to take you there now live to largo, maryland, for what we expect to be a major policy speech from the president on energy. the campaign