news deputy political director. what else do voters care about most? >> in iowa, they care that the candidate shares their values and positions on the issues, much more than on electability or experience. that's a potential warning sign for mitt romney. he has been campaigning on his experience, on his electability. it shows that iowa republicans, and this is also true also for new hampshire republicans, cared more about the issues and values. >> perry or romney, which candidate fares better against president obama in a head to head match up? >> hypothetical head to head matchup, you end up with mitt romney doing better than president obama in new hampshire. romney leads obama by 9 percentage points, 49 to 40%. that finding, barack obama carried new hampshire by almost double digits in 2008.

perry doesn't fare as well in new hampshire. obama has a six point lead. iowa, it is neck and neck between obama and mitt romney. it is obama 43% to romney's 40%. obama has a bigger lead against rick perry in the hawkeye state. >> there are 21% undecided. what did that number tell us? >> there's still a long time, not only before primary season kicks off, but also before the general election. it is always important to keep in mind that undecided people haven't figured out what they're going to do. it is why we're having so many twists and turns in this presidential contest. >> what about herman cain in terms of these polls? what are voters saying about him? >> he is the new rock star, finishes second in iowa and tied for second in new hampshire.

he's had a great run of late. you will be able to see how he performs at tonight's debate. he is the person that caught all the tea party attention. in fact, he beats mitt romney among tea party supporters by a very wide margin in iowa. what we've seen is the tea party supporters have vast lated. first they were donald trump fans, then michele bachmann, then for rick perry, now for herman cain. what matters most is where the people go come january, february. as we know, they are potent voting blocks. >> mark, thank you. >> thanks, craig. to head up the debate, mitt romney picked up endorsements from former governor greg, and the first member of congress from new york also decided to back mitt romney. michael grimm joins me from capitol hill. good afternoon. thanks for joining me. what was the deciding factor for you in endorsing mitt romney?

>> it is the balance that governor romney brings to the table, and that's a balance between executive experience as a governor and extremely large amount of private sector experience. it is extensive. that's exactly what we need. we need someone that's going to come in and look through the optics of the private sector, recognizing big government isn't the answer, that the engine of our economy comes from main street and i think this is the man that can win ultimately. >> you're a gulf war veteran, u.s. marine, businessman, elected to congress last year. helped in large part by the tea party movement. many in that group are not backing mitt romney. how are you going to square your support with mr. romney? how are you going to square that support with that group? >> i think with honesty. at the end of the day, i need to remind my friends and my colleagues that what is the goal? we have one goal. we cannot afford four more years of president obama and this administration, period.

it will be irrepairable harm. if our goal is to make sure we win the presidential election in 2012, then we have to rally behind the candidate that can win. that candidate, the strongest candidate, is mitt romney. i need to focus them. >> sounds like what you're saying goes against some of the numbers we saw in the poll and mark was talking about electability. electability for you is paramount, more so than a candidate that shows your values and beliefs. >> absolutely. but that's because if you look at my history, you know my personality, i put my country first no matter what. it's not about my individual likes or dislikes, the country comes first. again, this country cannot absorb four more years of this presidency and the administration of obama, so therefore i have to go for the man that can win, and that's mitt romney. >> let's talk about the jobs bill while i have you here. >> sure. >> supposed to head to the senate floor for procedural vote today. friday, the congressional budget office said the revised version would decrease the deficit $6

billion in ts coming decade. foregone conclusion it won't pass in its entirety. are there parts of the bill you support? >> yeah. i think there's many things. that's what was disappointing when the president came out with this all or nothing approach. there are things in there like overall tax reform. both sides agree. so why don't we sit down and work on an encompassing tax reform that makes sense for the country. move forward on that. how about things like visa reform. we desperately need visa reform. >> how would that in any way dramatically reduce unemployment in this country? >> oh, i can tell you, give you a perfect example. someone was sitting in my office two weeks ago and explained it. he needs to hire two or three people that have a specialty to create a database. they don't have that talent here in the united states. he has to bring that talent in. but can't get the visas that he needs. what he did, he is going

overseas, he will hire the two. but behind those two, will hire 75 to 80 more people. that could have been 75 to 80 people in the united states, but because we couldn't get the talent brought in with that visa, we lose out on that and that business goes overseas. we are forcing outsourcing with our own policies and it doesn't make sense. >> congressman grimm, appreciate your time. >> you're very welcome. to our strategist, analyst joe watkins, former aid to george hw bush white house. bill, what needs to come out of the debate for mitt romney and rick perry? >> i think this will be the most exciting debate of all the republican debates so far. i expect to see some fireworks tonight. you can't just limit it to those two. rick santorum is going to try to get in the game, michele

bachmann will try to get back in the game, and herman cain has to stay in the game and keep the momentum going. for rick perry, i heard the announce error maybe you earlier, i do think it is do or die. everybody is looking. he had a nap. they have given him time to get some rest. he has been practicing. he needs a good performance tonight. all mitt romney needs to do is survive. >> just show up. >> joe, you said not quite. does he have to do that much more? you look at the poll numbers, you look at the history of the nominating contests for the republican party. mitt romney is the guy. >> yeah. mitt romney has strong numbers, especially in new hampshire, that will be a friendly audience. he was the governor of the state next door. polling that we have shows him way ahead. but at this point, you can't take anything for granted. he has done so well because he stays focused no matter what the polling data says. he stayed in touch with his game

and not shifted focus. this ought to be a great night for him. he'll be talking about the economy and what he can do to put people back to work. there are still 14 million americans that don't have jobs. >> michele bachmann, rick santorum, newt gingrich, ron paul, i am sure i have now six e-mails wait are foe me. second and third tier candidates. any chance they manage to cut through the clutter tonight? >> let me jump on that first. i really think ron paul, jon huntsman, newt gingrich, they're never going to break through. herman cain is going to be the pinata tonight. people have to go after him. he is starting to surge a bit. one i think could break through after cain is rick santorum, the others, i don't think so. rick santorum is a good debater, he has shown that and shown little momentum.

>> i know many of the candidates personally, a lot of them are very smart people. i know newt gingrich, rick santorum. herman cain really has a chance to shine. he is surging because he is so smart and he has been so on point throughout this whole process. he's had less money to spend than some of the other candidates. >> joe, is that why he's surging? >> absolutely. think about who he is. he is a turnaround specialist, guy that turned around family franchises and did it getting them to take a second look at his product. he is doing the same with the voters. >> joe, i respectfully disagree. i think herman cain is the latest play. it was donald trump, then michele bachmann, now herman cain. sooner or later, people are going to accept the fact it is going to be mitt romney. you better deal with it. >> it is months and months of hard work for herman cain, his message is getting through and resonating with voters. >> he has no organization, no campaign. he has the 999. >> we're going to talk more

about the 999 plan a little later. mitt romney yesterday, joe, even mitt romney said if you really like herman cain, perhaps you should take a really close look at herman cain. do you think folks really start looking at herman cain and his plan that his support is going to remain where it is? >> yes. he has a great story. he is the son of a chauffeur and cleaning lady that worked his way up from nothing. he had no advantage. yet still he made a fortune by his brains, and he has run several companies. he has done a great job running those companies. he is very skilled on his feet, as a motivational speaker and talk show host. he is a very tough competitor. he is somebody people can get behind. >> bill? >> that's what they said about donald trump, what they said about michele bachmann. herman cain has a 9% federal sales tax. the tea party isn't going to go for that. closer they look at herman cain,

see. here. least. competitiveness. inmont. president. make president's competitiveness. occupy wall street movement are heading uptown for what they call a millionaire's march. the group plans on paying a

visit to some of new york's richest tycoons as they march outside their lavish homes. >> reporter: you know, for most of this movement, occupy wall street protesters have been at the park behind me which is in a business district a few blocks from wall street. today they are moving uptown where you find some of the priceyest residential properties. they are stopping at the homes of several of the city's richest businessmen like rupert murdoch and jamie diamond. they are doing it, they want to present large oversized checks with the amount of money these individuals will save when a tax on millionaires expires in december. they are doing it to highlight what they consider tax inequality and wealth inequality in general here in the united states. they're not expected to get any face time with the people in cases where they go to fancy apartment buildings, probably won't get past the doorman, but

are doing it to make a point about what their goals are here. one thing that's interesting to note, they are not stopping at the home of michael bloomberg, one of the richest men in the city. he may have earned fans yesterday when he announced the protesters here at the park can stay indefinitely. he said people have something they want to protest, he wants to let them do that. the city won't be making them leave he says until they are ready to go on their own. that's not what we have seen in other cities around the country. yesterday in boston, up to 100 people were arrested as part of their occupy wall street movement. when police try to consolidate two camps, police went to one camp, had to clear it out because there was no permit, told people to leave and move to the other camp. all of those that didn't heed the warning were arrested. they tore down tents and the like. that's what we've seen around the country. the focus is uptown at the residences of a lot of rich people in manhattan. >> mara, seems like the movement is getting high profile support

as well. >> yes, absolutely. yesterday kanye west came down and caused quite a commotion. he is not the first celebrity to come through. michael moore has been here several times. russell simmons was with kanye west when he was here yesterday. he has been down here more than once. dill and rat began has been here. russell simmons brought kanye west here. he has been a big supporter, russell simmons, saying he himself would like to pay more taxes for the good of the community. >> come down, hang out and talk to folks or what? >> he walked around. he spent some time here. he did get a lot of attention. what's interesting, he seems to be doing a lot of what we're seeing in general which is tourism. this has become a big tourist attraction. about a third of the people here are spectators. his presence implies some support of the people and what

they're doing. >> thank you. jurors will hear more from dr. conrad murray today in his own words. >> and at that time he said i'd like to have some milk. >> hot milk or warm -- >> no, it's just a medicine. >> up next. dr. murray's interview after michael jackson's death and the other doctor he is pointing blame toward today. and also, from marathon to the maternity ward. hear from a chicago mom that had quite the big day after she crossed the finish line. those stories straight ahead. first, a quick look at the markets now. all arrows pointing up. dow, s&p 500, up slightly. hey, t these were electric? uh, it is, yeah, it's a chevy volt. so what are you doing at a gas station? well it still takes gas to go farther.

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after monday's recess, the michael jackson death trial resumes today. jurors right now listen to go more of dr. conrad murray's interview with police. friday, they heard murray tell investigators about the singer needing propofol to help him sleep. john burress is a criminal defense attorney. john, let me ask you first of all how damaging was this tape to the defense? >> it is hurtful to the defense because it goes to the admission. he basically admits he gave the drug and gave it to michael under circumstances that were not ideal. he wasn't in a hospital and more importantly, also goes to the fact that he's basically negligent that he didn't engage in the kind of care and oversight that one would expect, given that it wasn't even in a hospital. so very hurtful to him. >> i know you've been following the trial closer than most. did you learn anything new from those tapes that you did not already know? >> well, i think what you get is

the doctor actually has a nice demeanor, which -- he has a nice demeanor, he is very clear in his thinking, has kind of an engaging, soft spoken personality, it was helpful in that extent, humanizes him than we otherwise would have known. >> it sounded at times like dr. murray really was torn. it sounded like again that he was really frustrated that he couldn't get michael jackson to sleep without this. it sounded like michael jackson really had to talk him into this. >> well, that's certainly how it sounds. you know, at the end of the day, i think the doctor obviously didn't want anything bad to happen to michael. he also probably knew this was not -- he could have a bad outcome with this. i think a jury could see that he was torn. but that doesn't go to the question of whether he was negligent. >> right. >> he still, in fact, gave it to him, then didn't take care of

him as he should have. >> jurors heard the tape friday, will hear more of it today. will dr. conrad murray need to take the stand after the tapes are played in open court? >> that's going to be the most important question of all. i probably would say no. on the other hand, because everything he does has already been said, he is going to try to explain it. there are too many things that would be hurtful. his defense is maybe it is malpractice, but it is not criminal negligence. i don't know if he testifies if he helps himself at all. >> john burris, thank you. >> thank you. he is a man with a plan. now some tax experts are raising cain over the 999 plan. is it fair for poor americans. this was actually my eighth marathon. my third marathon pregnant. >> wow. baby's first marathon. a pregnant chicago woman finishes, then races to the hospital.

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underwear bomber started today. he attempted to blow in a plane christmas day, 2009. he is representing himself in court, but he has to have another attorney deliver opening statement to the jury today. if convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. new york city police are investigating the latest in a string of sex assaults in brooklyn. 13 women have been attacked, all groped. but the new assault is not believed to be related to a dozen other attacks that have happened since march. police have had few clues in the attacks other than visual descriptions. and she did not end the chicago marathon in first place, but amber miller did end the day with something a lot perfect. a few hours after crossing the

finish line, the 38 weeks pregnant miller gave birth to a baby girl. fellow marathon participants may have done a few double-takes, amber miller says she felt great. >> i have been running marathons for many years, so coming into pregnancy, it was very normal for me to be running this many miles a week. >> amber and baby june are both doing just fine. big night for the republican presidential candidates. what mitt romney has to do to stay on top, and what rick perry has to do to regain momentum. and what about herman cain? and the search for baby lisa, a major new development in the past 30 minutes. we'll tell you about that on the other side of this break. woman: saving for our child's college fund was getting expensive.

man: yes it was. so to save some money, we taught our 5 year old how to dunk. woman: scholarship! woman: honey go get him. anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. i want you to look at this video. just got this here. this is new video from washington, d.c. this is inside the senate hart office building.

police there hauling off protesters from the occupy d.c. group. officers moved in as soon as they dropped down some banners that said end war now and the other banner apparently said the people, for the people. protesters from the atrium, that's the atrium of the hart building. being hauled off by police. there was a shot of the banner before they managed to get to them. welcome back. craig melvin. nba commissioner david stern officially cancelled the first two weeks of the season. players, owners and the league say they made no progress in negotiations. a huge pot bust in mexico. officials got more than four tons of marijuana, arrested 36 cartel members during five days of raids. and closing arguments begin in the trial of the suspect in

the petit murders in 2007. and steve jobs, official cause of death, respiratory arrest as a result of pancreatic cancer. campaign season has proven anything, it is that the debates in the early going do matter. tonight, new hampshire voters have a chance to see a lot of developing story lines. can mitt romney, can he hold this lead? will rick perry be able to reverse two months of gas with stumbles he made? >> we rarely see two of you standing together there. good afternoon to you both. >> good afternoon. >> let's start with you, perry camp, on commercial yesterday, got a lot of buzz where president obama looks into the mirror and turns into mitt romney. let's take a clip, talk about it on the other side. >> i am a conservative business man. >> time and again, the white

house has pointed to the massachusetts law as the model for obama care. >> has camp romney responded to that ad just yet? >> they haven't discussed it directly. romney mentioned yesterday he hadn't seen the ad yet. in his first town hall yesterday, he said what's going to happen, you will see his opponents trying to object physical indicate on his healthcare record so you would see people trying to as he says distort the facts by his record. he didn't get into the ad specifically. >> karen, the onus really on rick perry tonight. he stumbled badly in the past debates' performances. what does he need to do to get the campaign back on track, and secondly, is he preparing for this debate any differently? there's a couple of things perry needs to do. run is to address in a coherent way answers to some of the questions voters have specifically on the issue of in

state tuition for illegal immigran immigrants. something that voters are asking about. you heard his responses to the questions, being much more direct, much more concise. they're going to want to see that on a national stage today. another thing he really has to do, this is a debate that's focused on the economy and the perry presidency would be premised on the idea of him being a job creator. he has to come off the stage looking like he can stand tall with herman cains and mitt romneys of the world as an adequate job creator. >> some of the numbers he uses to promote his record have been questioned the past few days by his opponents and the press as well. jobs numbers in texas. let's talk about herman cain. all eyes are on him. he will undoubtedly tout the 999 plan which we'll talk about in a few moments. second in the poll, that plan has gotten unfavorable reviews, even from some conservatives.

will herman cain find himself the pinata that one of the analysts mentioned he probably would be? >> he won't be the pinata campaign. romney was asked about herman cain at a town hall, he was singing his praises, didn't want to contrast the two business records. romney continues to believe his private sector experience and government experience is something that sets him apart, but he's had only good things to say about herman cain thus far. >> will rick perry pay attention to herman cain, go on the attack at some point? >> i think it will be a different story than what gary said on mitt romney. they're competing for similar voters, people that want somebody that's not a person of washington. i think you'll see him go a bit on the offensive on the issue of herman cain's experience and rick perry's decade in gubernatorial office, creating jobs in that respect. >> two of the busiest.

thank you both. appreciate your time. >> thanks. could the growing popularity of herman cain's 999 tax plan be behind the surging poll numbers in the race for the republican presidential nomination? his tax equality calls for 9% income tax, national sales tax and corporate income tax across the board. the plan has been criticized, but cain defends that plan. >> some people attack it saying it won't do this and won't do that. they don't know what the assumptions are. if they know what the assumptions are and how we arrived at it, they wouldn't have the erroneous claims. >> we don't want to attack. jackie fitzsimmons joins me. you wrote about this this morning. what would cain's plan mean for low income americans and what

would it mean for the wealthiest as well? >> it is hard to think it wouldn't hurt low income americans because he put a 9% tax on all income, particularly on goods. particularly someone that makes a low income will spend more on consumption. a 9% tax won't effect him as much. same with the income tax issue. a lot of people, 46% of people aren't even paying an income tax at this point because they don't make enough money. they'll get a 9% tax with cain's plan, whereas someone that makes a lot, somebody that makes a million dollars pays about 18% of their income. 9%, that's a great deal, you know. you're not going to be paying as much taxes. >> sure. earned income. earned income tax credit, child tax credit, two tax credits that

are wildly popular with middle class america, especially under the cain plan, what happens to the tax credits? >> they're gone. his plan doesn't have a lot, any exemptions that we know about at this point. so any payroll offset he said it would also eliminate the payroll tax. a lot of these exemptions offset that anyway. so the middle income americans would end up paying more taxes. >> would the plan generate enough revenue for the federal government, the 999 plan? >> that's under debate now. because there aren't a lot of very specific details about that plan, i am supposed to get some later today, but there aren't concrete details out there. hard to say whether it would be revenue neutral. depends who you talk to. some conservatives say it would, others say not really. it is hard to say because there aren't a lot of details on what some of the assumptions he talked about were made. >> did the campaign provide you

with details? >> sometimes you just miss each other. >> yes. happens to me sometimes as well, jackie kucinich, thank you. appreciate that. >> thank you. fresh off the debate, candidate herman cain joins chuck todd on "the daily rundown" tomorrow, 9 eastern on msnbc. developing now, investigators conducting a brand new search for baby lisa. the ten month old reported missing a week ago in kansas city. they are gathered there at a deep well near a vacant house. this is video we got in moments ago. want to get to nbc's peter alexander in kansas city, following the story several days. pete, what do we know about this search? >> reporter: we want to give you the latest on this breaking news. we're about three blocks from where this is happening. i ran over here to share it with you. right now, firefighters from kansas city, police and fbi agents as you can see have

converged in the backyard of a vacant home about three blocks, a quarter mile from where we are at the home of lisa irwin. she's the 11 month old missing baby, now missing eight full days. she will turn 11 months old today. investigators are still trying to find her. at that location in the last 15 minutes, a firefighter in a harness repelled into the deep well with a camera in tow. investigators on the ground were watching what the camera could see for any evidence of the missing girl. in the last two minutes, just hung up with the producer standing a short distance from there, we saw the man come up from the well with the camera, appeared to be empty handed. at this point, it appears they didn't find any significant evidence in that well. but there is a lot going on even today as we speak to you. a short time ago, i got back from a nearby grocery store and saw for myself some surveillance tape that shows lisa irwin's mom

debra at this grocery store roughly 5:00 p.m. on monday. roughly five hours before she says she put her daughter to bed a full week ago. she is seen with an unidentified man. she's buying a box of wine, baby food and baby wipes. it is information that police have now examined as well. they would want to know who the unidentified man is. while they wouldn't share it with us, it was the clue they were onto and at this point they say they have ruled out that either one of the individuals in that tape is involved. that came from a receipt they found at the home. and finally back at the house in the last 15 minutes, we saw investigators as well following a new tip. this tip came from debra bradley herself saying she suggested officers pick up some cigarettes that were inside her home. she said she saved these cigarettes. they had fingerprints on them from a break-in into her car about a month ago. craig, that's the latest at this time. >> peter, real quickly, was

there a specific tip today that led to the search of the well, do we know? >> reporter: it is a good question. we asked that very thing. it didn't come from a tip. it was just good police work. they saw a vacant home with windows boarded and holes in the roof and a well in the backyard and said we should check. >> peter alexander, thank you. polls show that some americans are not happy with democrats or republicans now. so is it time for a third party candidate? we're going to talk about that. plus, we've all heard the flight attendant to tell us to shut off the blackberry, shut off the iphone, the ipad, shut off the electronic device. we'll tell you whether they really effect the plane's navigation systems. capital one's new cash rewards card

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many older women are not getting the information they need about their sexual health. that's according to a new study that finds women over 50 are sexually active and know about the risks of stds but aren't comfortable talking to doctors and partners about them. researchers say most educational campaigns are aimed as younger women. live pictures from midtown manhattan where occupy wall street protesters are gathering. they are getting ready to head uptown. they are calling it the new york city billionaires' walking tour. they're going to see how the 1% live. they will march from house to house reportedly, including the homes of news corp. ceo, rupert murdock, jamie diamond, and

david koch. they occupy manhattan. they are gathered and getting ready to head uptown we're told. air travelers know the drill. turn off all electronic devices during takeoff and landing. no cell phone use during the flight as well. but it is hard not to wonder, could one more phone call really mess with the plane that badly? tom costello is in washington, d.c. looking for answers. hey, tom. >> hi, craig, good day to you. we all have these devices, carry them with us all the time, carry them on planes, of course. the potential for them to cause interference is why we aren't allowed to turn them on when the plane is below 10,000 feet and the cell transmitter must remain off. we all have them. blackberrys, cell phones, iphones, ipads, laptops. >> all cellular phones need to be in off position and properly

stowed. >> can they really upset a modern aircraft radios and flight instrumentation? >> i don't have any idea whether it would or not. >> to find out, we came to seattle. a special boeing test center where engineers laid out a variety of mobile devices, and scandinavia the room for interference or noise. within seconds, that noise was showing up in red. >> there is a potential for these signals to cause interference to the radio. >> the radio on the plane. >> the radio on the plane. >> and that's serious? >> that may or may not be. >> may or may not be. turns out, this is a very tricky problem. that interference is coming from the video screens and internal computer chips, not cell transmitters. turning on the cell phone creates even more noise. investigators in new zealand believe this crash that killed eight people may have been caused by the pilot's own cell phone interfering with the

avionics. but they haven't been able to find a concrete lipg between the pilot complaints of instrument trouble and passenger use of mobile devices. while an aircraft may have been designed and tested to tolerate a few hand held devices left on intakeoff and landing, what happens if several dozen are left on or several hundred? >> one device in the right spot at the right time could cause interference and disruption. but when you have multiple devices, it does add up. >> there are certain electronic devices. >> that's why airlines require those devices be in the office position during takeoff and landing, the most critical moments of flight, on the off chance that somehow that interference might prove to be a problem at just the wrong moment. so we know the devices probably will not cause interference on a modern aircraft, but the potential for the devices coming out next year or five or ten years from now is also a concern because keep in mind, a modern aircraft will be flying the next

10, 20, 30 years. craig, back to you. >> tom costello from d.c. for us. thank you, sir. quick quiz. how many people have declared they're running for president? give up? about 240. and that number is actually growing. the smart politics blog reports 240 is the number of folks who filed paperwork with the federal election commission to run for president. a plurality are republicans. about a fifth democrats. among the third filers, representatives of i kid you not, the dictator party and jedi party as well. and yep. there it is right there. venezuela president dancing. the guy in the black, he's dancing. appeared on television as part of a launch of his 2012 election

campaign. that's kind of dancing. political observers there and abroad believe president chavez dancing may be part of attempt to quiet rumors about his health problems. perhaps not rumors about problems with rhythm. jimmy fallon taking a shot at kathy lee and hoda. >> new study found global warming to cause a shortage of wine. explains why they installed solar panels on the roof. >> using a hammer and getting hammered! yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears.

a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. new natureluxe mousse mascara! we took out a heavy synthetic and put in a light touch of beeswax. up with the volume, down with the weight. new natureluxe mousse mascara. easy breezy beautiful covergirl.

every four years a few voters look at major party candidates and wonder who else you got? third party candidates, always popular in theory. but in practice, it is a

different story. since the civil war, the most successful has been theodore roosevelt. he won more than a quarter of the popular vote, just 88 electoral votes. ross perot didn't even get one electoral vote. the next guest hopes to change the misfortune in this country, elliott ackerman. welcome to you, good sir. >> thanks for having me. >> what is americans elect and how does your nominating process work? >> sure. we're basically inviting every american to participate in a convention where bipartisan ticket will come through. we're not a third party, a republican, democrat or independent can run on this. what we're doing is giving 50 states ballot access for another competition to have more choices for the american voter and it is all hosted at americans elect.org. >> folks go to the website. say michael bloomberg or let's say they decide that we have fallen back in love with ross

perot, whoever. they go to the website, a grass roots movement can drive this candidate? >> exactly. it is an opportunity for folks to leverage social media and the internet so we can go about picking a president instead of having to pick a party like we do and everyone funneled through the republican party or democratic party. >> what about a platform? >> the platform that people are going to have in americans select is a set of questions derived by the individuals, the delegates who participate in american select. any registered voter in the united states can be a delegate. >> how are you going to get the candidate or candidates on the ballots of various states? >> i heard on the break we were talking about the jedi party. that's what makes us different than other folks. it is real. we gathered 2 million signatures, 2.9 we need to get on the ballot in all 50 states. that's people on the streets asking voters do they want more choice and a voice in that choice. >> it is called americans elect.

keep us posted on this. we're all fascinated with this. >> check us out. >> i'm craig melvin. see you back here tomorrow, noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. out west. up next, andrea mitchell reports. mushroom smothered beef burgers. hearty chicken and noodle casserole. so easy, you just need campbell's cream of mushroom soup to make them and a hungry family to love them. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

right now on andrea mitchell reports, will debate night be fight night in hanover? polls show mitt romney has a commanding lead in his own backyard. but with herman cain surging, is tonight do or die for rick perry? and the president goes to pennsylvania trying to sell his jobs plan. not all senate democrats are buying it. democratic leaders expect defeat tonight on the floor. they have a fallback plan already ready. >> piece by piece. each of these pieces have broad support among the american people. as we draw the line on specific issues, you may find the kind of coming together that we're not going to