him well to overlook the gutsy facts of what he's got done only now approaching two years in office. someone needs to say. that's "hardball" for now. "countdown" with keith olbermann starts right now. which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? the plot to buy america. the chamber of commerce, campaign ads for republicans, the federal election commission and contributions from foreign companies. >> many of these groups are going to start paying their membership dues in what appears to be the same 501 account. >> and rupert murdoch, upset about news corp's donation to the chamber of commerce because he was told it would be a secret.

running on, not running from. >> i represent central and southern virginia. >> the new ypolling. he is neck and neck despite being proud he voted for health care and other reforms. the shocking news from detroit. american-built car sales up. even though sales incentives are down. foreign-built car sales, flat. even though sales incentives are up. who's shot? the people who would have killed the auto industry just to see the union jobs die. people like christine o'donnell. >> i don't think that any company is too big to fail. this mad thinks has to stop. >> fire, day four. gene craddick's son joins us on the family's decision of accepting your help on the culpability of the spray and pay system and the firefighters themselves. >> do you blame them in any way? >> i sure do. gutless. absolutely gutless. >> and hipocracy now.

the quote from the nation. i looked after dobbs' horses while i was illegal. all the news and commentary now on "countdown." >> mother of god, what kind of country are we? good evening from new york. with tens of millions of dollars pouring into the 2010 elections from secret sources, the charge is on to find out which foreign companies and which u.s. companies operating overseas are secretly funding the campaigns of the u.s. political party that supports sending american jobs overseas. our fifth story. the u.s. chamber of commerce firing back at the progressive think tank that ripped off its veil and how rupert murdoch let slip that he is funding the effort to elect republicans to congress next month. presently, we begin with senator al franken. he was pressing his attack on the chamber of commerce, following up on his request for an investigation into the

chamber. saying he might file a formal complaint to trigger such an investigation. federal laugh forbidding the use of money from foreign nationals in u.s. election activity. the chamber, run by republican donor tom don he, has reportedly spent more than $10 million this week alone. this is part of the campaign supporting the races of two house democrats, nine season republicans and 22 house republicans. according to "the new york times," however, quoting, under tax rules, it must funnel its donations into a general fund, political and nonpolitical align. its donors are not permitted to direct funds for specific political uses. senator franken said it does not much matter whether it keeps the money separate that comes from

overseas that are affiliated with the chamber. >> the biggest problem is that many are paying their memberships into the same account that the chamber uses for attack ads against progressive candidates like jack conway, barbara boxer. technically, what the chamber has done may not be illegal, but you know, let's be honest here. money is money. it's fungible. and when the bahrain petroleum company sends the chamber $10,000, it's money the chamber is going to use for office furniture can now go to a new attack ad for barbara boxer on clean energy. >> the white house weighed in on the issue, calling for the chamber to identify donors. but president obama upped t

the ante. >> just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign corporations. groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence american elections. and they won't tell you where the money for their ads come from. so this isn't just a threat to democrats. all republicans should be concerned. independents should be concerned. this is a threat to our democracy. the american people deserve to know who's trying to sway their elections. and if we just stand by and allow the special interests to silence anybody who's got the guts to stand up it to them, our country will be a very different place. >> the ballots comes after republicans fought a new law

that will reward companies for bringing outsourced jobs back to the u.s. saying, these accusations by an anti-business blog are clearly to take business and its representative organizations out of the advocacy process. a plaguing field that is not exactly level when you consider that labor unions and their allies far outspend business on election efforts. joining us now, one of those bullies, helping to take on those helpless corporations, president of the united steelworkers of america. thank you for your time and please don't beat me up. >> no, i won't beat you up. i'm astonished, keith, that the corporate special interests are outspending the rest of us 20 to one. and the chamber -- i agree with senator franken -- the chamber issued issue alerts. they send them to chinese companies, russian companies,

asian companies, middle east companies and tell them, democrats are trying to create local employment. it could jeopardize your company. they solicit money with that. i'm stunned that america would tolerate this. this is something that is unbelievable, that only in america would a chamber of commerce try to do this. keith, they should change their name to the chinese chamber of commerce or russian chamber of commerce. >> they are soliciting campaign donations to help the foreign corporations that are supposedly in competition or american companies that are in competition with them. it is a complete reversal of what you think the u.s. chamber of commerce should be doing. >> it's a sham. they don't speak for the local mom and pop. they're speaking for middle east oil companies and chinese companies and indian companies.

as you said a moment ago, just in the last ten days, they campaigned against a bill that would have brought jobs home. they said it wouldn't create enough new jobs. at the same time, they were issuing issue alerts to companies in china, many of which we know are state owned. they're asking state-owned companies to give them money to put into their general fund so they can fund attack ads out of the other money. money is fungible. this ought to be investigated. every american ought to be outrainlgd. i'm stunned they could do this. it's an attack on democracy and i'm outraged and everybody else should be. >> surprisingly enough, there aren't a lot of republicans speaking out against it. it might seem obvious, but perhaps you can give us more deep of an answer. why would foreign countries want

to elect republicans rather than democrats? >> democrats have been talking about green jobs at home and economic renewal. i'm proud this is happening, they've been talking about strengthening the trade laws. nancy pelosi, who they're vilifying -- you can understand where they're vilifying her. she's decided to have a made in america strategy. they're soliciting money from russia and bahrain and egypt. and the hipocracy is they know they're issuing what they call the issue alerts. issuing alerts and soliciting funds. they're soliciting these funds. they're not just memberships. >> what do we do about all this. >> like senator franken said, i don't know if it's illegal. it certainly is immoral and unethical. they ought to change their name to the chinese chamber of commerce or the indian chamber

of commerce. we ought to have an vfgz a investigation and find out what they're doing. i don't accept you can take money out of one hand and put it in the other pocket and buy furniture when the other will be used to have an attack ad. they did 8,000 attack ads against democrats by the 15th of september. they're ramping that up against democrats. they're not running any attack ads against republicans. this is america being put up you for sale by foreign interests. everyone ought to be sure that every democrat that's running gets elected. >> settle on the anti-u.s. chamber of commerce. that's the easiest. >> thank you. i'll try to calm down. >> good luck. i won't. the smoking gun demonstrating how you billionai billionaires allow them to by

pass campaign donations. rupert murdoch telling politico his $1 million to the chamber, he didn't expect its existence to be revealed. he said, i just thought i was being a good member. inviting trouble, claiming his gift had nothing to do with fox news and saying, it had nothing to do with fox news. john kasich, the republican candidate for the governor of ohio was on the fox payroll for nine years, everyone when he announced in 2008 he was laying the groundwork for his campaign back home. he was put on the air 128 times until he formally kicked off his campaign last year. the democratic association that fox put the url for his website while he solicited donations from fox viewers, presumably

including rupert murdoch. friendship as a cause for a campaign donation might violate rules. members must not use this to further their own interests. senator james clyburn. and joining us as well, congressman john bocherry of ohio. >> a million of the rga and to the u.s. chamber of commerce. what is the democratic strategy for dealing with a media outlet that put its money where everybody has known its mouth has always been? >> this is the same. i think we know the definition of fair and balanced. fair to the republican governors

association. and balance that out with the united states chamber of commerce. that's what's going on here. it is absolutely a shame. i would hope that the american people looking in on this kind of activity will begin to focus on the fact that we now know why we can't get this economy moving as fast as people would like. we have created legislation to make it in america. and the other side that's been fighting that legislation, i think they voted against it 11 different times. that is an outrage. we now in south carolina, where i'm from, we see jobs going overseas. we see what has happened to our text tiile mills. it's all because there was this plan to export jobs. and the chamber, donahue, a guy i know very well -- and i can't understand him saying that it

enhances competition to get rid of jobs in local communities. we're trying to create jobs in the communities where people go to the polls to vote. where people really need to uplift themselves, do good for their families. here we see them being denigrated and every attempt that's made to uplift these people now being outsourced. outsourcing jobs like this is absolutely the worst thing you can do to local communities throughout this country. and i really believe that people are beginning to focus this. they're going to rise up by november two2nd. they are going to show this is what it's all about. >> is there a legislative response to the fact that there is a national news network that goes beyond political causes and actually donates to partisan groups of one party? >> i don't know that there's one yet.

that's one of the reasons i have always been a little bit upset about us getting rid of the fairness doctrine. i do believe there needs to be a very critical look taken, at fox news and what they're doing. they are absolutely undermining democracy in this country. they are drowning out the voices of what i would call the ordinary person in this society. that is not what our country is all about. we should be about encouraging people to be a part of the governmental process, rather than going out, targeting the folks that they are voting for and using foreign money to do it. that is absolutely incredible. >> to that point and to the chamber, congressman, the plum line reported that you had a

personal response to this news about where the chamber puts its money. >> i you never dreamed i would see the day when the united states chamber of commerce is using foreign attacks on the united states of america. the community i represent in northeast ohio has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been shipped overseas. now the very same multinational corporations that took our jobs overseas are using foreign governments and foreign entities and the united states chamber of commerce to launch attacks against the member of commerce who's trying to bring those jobs back. it is unbelievably unprecedented. i believe they have handed the electrical keys of government over to big corporations. it's as if the supreme court allowed the chamber of commerce to roll up to the drive-thru wind and super size the campaign contributions. the most i can get from one

individual is $2,400. the chamber can turn to a foreign entity and say we need $240,000 to take out this member of congress who thinks you should be playing by the same rules as americans do. >> mr. boccieri, what do you need to push back some of the tidal wave? >> keith, i put my life on the line for this country. i never dreamed i would have a foreign government launching attacks against me because i believe america should grow it, build it and assemble it in our own country. there should be investigations. there should be reports given. and the chamber of commerce needle to own up and answer to the american people. to suggest that they shouldn't open their books, they shouldn't disclose this and be transparent while they're purportedly spending millions of dollars is outrageo

outrageous. >> mr. clyburn, can congress do what heegs suggesting? >> sure. but not between now and november 2nd. that's the problem. all of this damage will be done over the next four weeks. then we'll come back in january with a new congress. there will be some kind of investigation. i think senator franken talked about filing a formal complaint. then it will be too late for people like john boccieri on behalf of this country. joe sestak, this is absolutely incredible. and the american people should reject this on november 2nd. >> the house whip, jim clyburn. congressman, thank you both for your time. one of their colleagues is running for re-election in conservative territory against the supposed playbook on his own record, including health care reform.

new polls show it's working for him. gene craddick's son, todd, that family's decision to accept help after their home burned down and how you can help. john is a ford and lincoln mercury service technician. very smart. we were just discussing the circumstances by which a person can find himself in four separate places at one time. i didn't really say that. but people come in here for tires, brakes, batteries and oil changes. so it's possible? yes. oh that's brilliant. buy with confidence. thanks to our low price tire guarantee. so, with everything you need in one convenient place why would you go to four separate places?

now that's a good question. well, there you go.

the virginia democratic congressman bucking the trend on running on his record, not away from it, joins us next as polls show him in a tie. bad time to say the auto bailout was a mistake after the auto industry is alive and thriving. america's foremost hypocrite on undocumented immigrants. not only are they working with his daughter's horses but on his house. and todd craddick and how you can help ahead.

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despite the conventional wisdom about this year's med term elections, a freshman democrat who voted for health care reform and the stimulus could not beat a wad of chewed bubble gum for the house. but democratic congressman perillo isn't running away from his record, he's running with it. he is a point behind his republican challenger. he has 44% and hurt, 45%. the margin of error is 15 points. the hurt campaign released new campaigning figures, $900,000. evidence that national republicans want this seat badly. there are the special interest dollars coming in, the family

research council, each running ads to unseat periello. joining me now is the freshman congressman. thanks for your time tonight. >> thanks for having me, keith. >> the washington post wrote something interesting about your campaign of actually admitting to and sort of being proud of your voting record on things like health care reform and the stimulus and the rest. he described it as a test case for populism surviving in a deeply conservative territory. i take it you agree with him? >> well, i still think we can outcompete, outwork and outinvent any country in the world. the elites have given up you on this country. i think we need to get back to fighting for the working and middle class and not be afraid to stand up for an agenda of making things in america.

i think we've made health care more affordable and easier for businesses to afford it and compete. we've tried to get ahead of china and india on the new energy economy where the other side seems want to to hand the keys over to the petro dictator and china. for those who have to look in the eyes of families that are struggling and businesses that are trying to outcompete, we understand how urgent this is. we've got to stand up for an agenda and fight back for this ability to make things in america again. >> you mentioned the chamber. they endorsed your opponent yesterday and are running ads that said your vote on health care is hurting virginia families. what's your response to that? >> i think they have a few problems. the money coming in from ba han and china and russia is a huge, huge breach in terms of what's good for american democracy. i came from a local chamber event. i think the disconnect from small business owners on main street who like that 35% tax

credit on premiums that we gave them, they like the more than $1 billion that have gone out in the last two weeks to our small business jobs act. they like the fact that small businesses will get to negotiate the same kind of rates big businesses get. i think when it comes to this agenda, whether it's outsourcing or tax credits, you see the chamber going not just off the rails but way to off to china. >> if you're in a tie with mr. hurt, why aren't more democrats doing it your way no matter what their district looks like? >> it has to come back to what called you to this in the first place. i felt people weren't getting a fair shake and we were getting outcompeted as a country. and the elites in particular in both parties were behind that. when we stand up for the people instead of protecting the powerful, we unleash an innovation that is second to none. i see it happening with the

dairy farmers and poultry farmers and people inventing the next great car. an inventor in my district that won the x prize for the 100 mile hear gallon car. a race to the top. we can still do this better. i think we should do that better. to have a mandate to come in in january and start to rebuild america's competitive advantage. >> the enthusiasm race. there is evidence from that hill poll, there is an enthusiasm gap between the two parties in your district. it's not overwhelming but it's there. what can any incumbent democrat do about it? >> we have the enthusiasm gap in my district. people don't trust mr. hurt. our side is very excited because i have stood up and fought back. i think independents are looking for someone with a plan to turn this around and not just hiding

behind cheap slogans. i think we see that enthusiasm gap in reverse. >> thanks for your time. >> thank you. >> something else democrats are not running on, the bailout in detroit worked. new sales numbers showing american-brand cars surging. import brands flat lining to the dismay of anti-bailout republicans like christine o'donnell. nationwide insurance, let me hear it.

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the auto industry and the auto on industry jobs the republicans wanted to watch die. new stats, it's alive, it's

alive. and the anti-bailout crowd looks pretty foolish. the tweet of the day, christine o'donnell was time magazine person of the year in 2006. see. she was. she is you. dennis craig ferguson pointed out, if she's you, she can become another person, which means she is a witch. let's play "oddball." we begin on the internet. your daily science lesson. the concept of inertia. many asleep on subway car. friction between man and sleep keeps him from sliding. he might have needed more air resistance. down goes frazier. yea, science. frankfurt, germany. what do you do when a coffee table book isn't enough? yes, it's the daning table book. measuring in at 6 x 9, the

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had it been allowed to happen, it would have crippled the midwest. a million jobs lost, domestic and foreign car manufacturing plants forced to close. in our third story, despite the crim near miss, the republican party continues to campaign against the bailout of the auto industry, even though new sales industry proving its success. delaware senate nominee christine o'donnell, the latest republican to rail against the government measures taken to

save american automakers and a million american jobs. >> our leaders in washington have lost their way and no longer follow the constitutional principles, otherwise we wouldn't have obama-care and these massive bailouts and be taking over gm. >> like asking a kindergartner to explain einstein. the taking over of general motors has worked. the company has been turning a profit. this afternoon, gm announced plans to manufacture a new compact car, thus planning to restore more than 1,500 plans at a mitch plant. once the plant is up and running, it is expected to employ workers on two shifts. the first round of bailout funds dispensed under the liberal union sympathizer george bush as a way to help the unions. even though congressman barney frank noted the single-most effective thing that the federal

government has done to preserve and set the basis for manufacturing in america was to intervene with general motors and chrysler. ford never received government funds but arguably was saved by the government's action. it has been boasting healthy profits. while ford's ability to generate revenue has been severely underestimated. true.com shows sales are up for american cars. foreign car sales remain flat despite an increase in incentives. joining me is counselor to the secretary to the treasurer, author of "overhaul." steven rattner. what kind of credibility it do those who deride the bailout have? >> i think they have less and less credibility. you laid out the case clearly

and effectively. sales are doing well and are up for the detroit three. profits are back. the companies are healthy. they're beginning small car production in michigan. i think you said it very clearly. >> one thing we didn't talk about, cash for clunkers. that was an utter failure too? >> quite the opposite. not only created a huge surge in demand for cars when our economy needed stimulus but sales didn't drop off after ward nearly as much as the pesz mists said it would. >> this knee jerk automatic reaction that said this was done to benefit the unions and the unions have ruined the industry, depending which decade you're in, how would they explain the success of ford? ford did not go bankrupt. doesn't it still have unions?

>> it does. the same unions. the same competition from japan. the same gasoline prices. the same credit crisis. ford got through it. while i think there's a lot of responsibility for this problem and a lot of shoulders and hands, including some with the unions, i don't think that was by any means the largest part of the problem. i would also say that i was in the white house when these decisions were made. and these decisions were not made on behalf of the unions. just as president bush, as you pointed out, didn't make them on behalf of the unions. they were made on behalf of the country as a whole at a critical time in our economy. >> do you think the white house either politicalally or for the sake of this intervention is doing enough in terms of talking this up at this point and reminding people or underscoring for people that it worked such because the perception from many political quarters that we don't necessarily have to elucidate about is that it was a failure and socialist this and disaster that. >> it's very frustrating to all

of us who were involved in any of these rescue operations i think is a nicer word than bailouts actually. but the president has tried. he went out this summer and visited a ford plant and chrysler plant and gm plant as well as many ancillary auto companies. i think the problem is that there's so much noise around this and so much brow beating of this issue it's been hard to break through perform i think he's been trying. certainly he wants this to be perceived as a success because it was a success. >> steven rattner, lead auto adviser on -- and we'll use your term -- the rescue. the craddicks have made their decision to accept help after their shocking loss of home to fire. the republican misstep in west virginia. the actors cast to play disgruntled voters in their commercial, from the memo, we're going for a hickey, blue collar look. when rachel joins you, the

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todd craddick, controversy over the decision to let his parents' home in tennessee burn and their decision about accepting your offers of help. that's next. but time for the worst person in the world. the americans united for life have put out attack ads on democratic congressman. this blasts congressman ken salazar. it's john salazar. ken is the secretary of the interior. you might have heard about him after the bp disaster. that's our main defense against them, stupidity. john walsh, defending a commercial for its west virginia candidate in which an e-mail leaked with acting and wardrobe suggestions. down filled vest, june deer

hats, not brand new, we are looking for a hickey, blue collar look. these characters are from west virginia so think coal miners, trucker looks. they did not deign to shoot the commercial in winner but in philadelphia. lou dobbs lingering on radio. we told you as early as 2007 that despite the kind of don't tread on me immigration bombast that led him to say that the illegal employer is the central figure in this mess. the equestrian sport is considered the second largest employer of undocumented workers behind the food industry. somebody cleans out the stables. whether directly lou dobbs and

people like him pay them. the nation reported it's worse than that. saying dobbs has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multi-million dollar states and the horses he keeps for his daughter. it cited five men from mexico, one who stated flatly, i looked after dobbs' horses while i was illegal. dobbs responded, i have never, nor has the dobbs group at any time hired any illegal immigrant. i was going to take the day off but sometimes circumstances overwhelm those plans. this is one of those days. he called the article a fairly typical hit piece, a smear piece. you understand my sensitivity going after my 22-year-old daughter. that doesn't sit well with me. nobody went after your daughter, lou. you're the do as i say, not as i do phony, not her. stop hiding behind your

daughter's skirts. as the illegal employer i am behind this this mess dobbs, today's "worst person in the world." being a leader means moving fast. across the country when the economy tumbled, jpmorgan chase set up new offices to work one-on-one with homeowners. since 2009, we've helped over 200,000 americans keep their homes. and we're reaching out to small businesses too, increasing our lending commitment this year to $10 billion... and giving businesses the opportunity to ask for a second review if they feel their loan should have been approved. this is how recoveries happen.

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a home caught fire today in weakly county, tennessee. according to the sheriff's office, its fire department got assistance from the south fulton fire department. their help was gruaranteed as a mutual aid contract between the county and the town. last wednesday, it did not work very well when the local government refused to act when the craddick home burned to the ground as the fire department

stood by and watched. first we're happy to announce how you can help. you can donate in one of two ways. by regular mail to gene or mildred paulette cran ickor go o the pay pal website. click send money and enter the cranick e-mail address. they say their insurance will indeed cover most of what was lost in last week's fire. these funds will help them cover the balance. last week we brought you footage from a news conference outside the obion county courthouse. among the reporters covering the event was the son of the

cranicks, unmoved by the chief's defense. >> are you aware my neighbor was standing there with a checkbook asking them to put it out, no matter what it cost? >> yes, sir. i'm aware. >> $75 versus $5,000 or $10,000. >> i understand that. >> here is todd cranick, whose parents' home burned because they forgot to pay the fire surcharge. how are you and how are your parents doing? >> i'm fine. how are you? mom and dad are fine. >> glad to hear that. >> since this happened, there's been a lot of anger directed toward firefighters themselves. do you think that's entirely fair or is this more the politicians s 'fault? >> first off, we don't condone violence. what little brother did was not right and he knows it. i'm not -- what they did was wrong.

to stand and watch a man's house burn is morally and ethically wrong. i couldn't do it myself. i don't know where to put the blame. >> does it look from what you've seen in the last couple of days around there that anybody around there has gotten the message about this? that it is ultimately unfair to put firefighters or family owners in this situation? that no matter what the rule might be, when the rubber hits the road like if did at your folks' house, you've got to do the right thing. if this happened tomorrow a mile from where you're sitting, would they still let the house burn down or have people gotten the message? >> i personally think they'd let it burn. it's a hard call, but i do. the little fire chief made the statement today on -- i believe it was fox -- you've got to draw the line somewhere. yeah, i'm pretty positive they'd

let one burn. >> you know -- and obviously from what you just said -- it you know how big a story this has become around the country. some people seem to think that what happened to that house that we're looking at behind you, what's left of it, was a good thing, a lesson. i want to play a clip of one of those people and get your reaction to what he says. listen to this. >> if you don't pay your $75, then that hurts the fire department. they can't use those resources. and you would be sponging off your neighbor's $75 if they put out your neighbor's house and you didn't pay for it. i mean, if your neighbor didn't pain for it, you did, and they put out their house, your neighbor is sponging off of your $75. a >> as soon as they put out the fire of somebody who didn't pay the 75 bucks, no one will pay the $75.

>> that was glenn beck, the commentator who called what happened to your parents equal justice. what do you make of that? where would you point out where he might be wrong in this? >> i'm glad you played that. i'm been wanting to hear that for a couple of days now. my response to that is that would you rather have $75 yesterday or $5,000 or $10,000 in your hand right then such the money was there. thank god for my neighbors and my friends. bless their heart. i love them to death. the money was there. more than the $75. if that man thinks that it was all about the $75, he's lost his mind. personally, if you offered me $75 yesterday or $5,000 it today, i'm going to take the $5,000 today. it goes a whole lot farther i think.

>> do you think we stumbled on to the solution to this thing? maybe this system would work if you had part where if there was a fire you could pay it on the spot? exactly that situation happened with your parents and the firefighters were authorized to say, okay, we'll take your io on and as soon as the flames are out, we'll take the cash? >> no. that's not going to work. people will tell you, yeah, i've got the money. when it comes time to pay up you, they don't have it. i understand that. that's understandsable. however, i do think there is a solution to all the problems. it's going to take somebody with more of a brain than me to figure it out. >> me too. the good side of the reaction around the country. we have been swamped with people who want to help. while we show this mailing address and the pay pal address, tell me the monetary situation your parents are in right now and regarding the house and what the donations will go for. >> well, right now everything's

fine. the preacher talked to dad the other night and i talked to dad. what money he's got is not going to last forever. we don't know for sure when this insurance adjustor is going to come through. and i told him there are people out there, thousands of people that want to help and want to do. go ahead and accept it. what you don't need or don't want, send off to a children's hospital, red cross, you know, whatever. do good with it. don't just sit on it and do good with it. >> that's why it's not called sponging off your neighbor. it's called being a neighbor. you answered my next question. >> exactly. >> exactly. todd cranick, we thank you for your time again and all the best to your family. we'll keep touch. >> can i say one more thing? >> please.