you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. is newt momentum for real? he's got the vote of aprooifl from sarah palin and he's going at it with rick santorum, but will that help him cut romney's lead down to size? websites going dark with wikipedia and other websites go off unvoluntarily for hours to protest a pair of antipiracy bills. and then an update on the cruise ship disaster, as crews prepare to blast more holes in the ship. shocking recordings are now raising more questions about the captain's cowardly actions as he watched his ship go down. great to have you with me. mitt romney has become a defensive front-runner with the

pressure mounting over his tax records and the 15% rate he pays each year. he's taking heat from both sides of the political spukt rum as rivals attack what he pays and when he'll release those figures. >> we ought to rename our flat tax. we have a 15% flat tax, so this will be a mitt romney flat tax that all americans would then pay the rate romney pays. >> then senator obama released his tax records going back six or seven years when he was a candidate for president in the 2008 election cycle. i think it was a tradition initiated by then candidate george romney, back in 1968. who released 12 years of tax records. >> and swrus when you thought she wasn't a 2012 factor, sarah palin tries to insert herself in the conversation by saying this. >> if i had to vote in south carolina in order to keep this thing going, i'd vote for newt and i would want this to continue. the mistake made in our country

four years ago was having a candidate that was not vetted to the degree he should have been. that vetting did not take place. i want to see that taking place this time because america is on that precipice. that's that important. >> we're going to be watching for governor romney in spartanburg, south carolina, minutes from now to see if he pours more fuel on the self-induced political fire. ron mott is live for us in columbia, south carolina, following the gingrich campaign. so, does newt gingrich think he can capitalize on this tax trouble that romney seems to have stepped? >> he certainly hopes so. the speaker said he will reelyse his own tax records tomorrow so the heat on governor romney might ramp up. he said he would release his tax records in april when it is traditional done for candidates. we'll see what mr. gingrich's taxes are like tomorrow, perhaps, but the focus here i think in the media and -- they

were more concerned in 2010, almost $375,000. i believe we have a sound bite again from the speaker talking about this tax issue. >> we can confirm -- and let me be clear, the 21st century contract of america's world has an optional 15% flat rate for every american. so mi goal is not -- my goal is not to raise mitt romney's taxes. it's to let everybody pay his rate. >> now, a lot of wealthy americans have investment that is taxed at a lower rate thap ordinary income. speaker gingrich is going to show that he reported more ordinary income, so this whole tax issue could be an issue saturday. going to be very interesting. >> we're seeing newt go against mitt, but also newt taking on

rick santorum, take a listen to this. >> any vote for santorum or perry in effect is a vote to allow romney to become the nominee. >> let me see, who won -- who finished ahead of who in iowa? that would be me. congressman gingrich finished, what was it? fourth? and in new hampshire, oh, i finished fourth ahead of congressman gingrich. >> so, they're in gingrich's backyard and newt has said, welcome to the south, so is there a sense that a gingrich camp could actually win? >> well, i think the speaker believes he can. he's been fired up ever since that debate sunday night, or monday rather, when he got that standing ovation. he thinks he connects with the people in the south. he says of all the candidates in this race, that he can draw the starkest contrast between president obama and a reagan conservative. he says while rick santorum is a

conservative, he is not able to not able to debate president obama. on the flip side, santorum says speaker beginning riff is all over the map and if voters are looking for someone who's going to go to washington and hit hard on those social issues, santorum says he's the guy for that. >> thank you. politico chief investigator ken vogue e eel joins me now. let's talk about romney's net worth. around 200 million bucks. he's saying his tax rate is less than so many americans. the issue isn't so much why he's paying that rate as how out of touch he seems when answering these questions. everybody knows this is a rich guy, but feel emp thetic towards what most americans are dealing. >> that's certainly been a major problem for mitt romney, thomas, and his joking about the

speaking fees certainly gives republicans, but i think more so democrats something to hit him with in the general election if as expected, he continues his march to an inevitable nomination. this is going to be something we'll see president obama, the democrats hit him with, this idea that he's out of touch. we saw him do that so masterfully in 2008 with john mccain and his inability to say how many houses he and his wife, cindy, own. that was one of those moments, democrats kind of hoped this would be one of those moments. i don't necessarily see it as getting as much traction, but it's something they're going to continue to build on and look for other instances that play into that. >> so, one of the top attack dogs across the country would be chris christie. he backs mitt romney and has been a surrogate for him on this campaign, but here's what he had to say about the tax issue this morning on "morning joe." >> the way i've conducted myself

in my public life is i've released all of my tax returns. that's what i would tell governor romney to do. let's get all the facts out there. see what the tax returns say and i think everybody will know the story's much adieu about nothing. >> so, ken, is that the true fact? it seems if he buckles to the pressure now that's being put on him, it looks like they forced him to other than having the power to release on his own, but the longer he holds out, the more questions people ask, like what's he hiding? >> it's kind of become a process issue and i don't think that's that bad for him, but you have to ask the question, chris christie posed it almost as a defense of what's in there. and he's suggesting chris christie is that there's not going to be much in there and it will all blow over. but you have to think if that were the case, mitt romney's campaign, which is just been so diligent about preparation and so well prepared for everything, would have already had these tax returns ready to release.

this is a guy, let's forget mitt romney, who has basically been running for president since 2005, 2006. you have to think they knew this question would come up and their lack of prepardness is surprising. >> let's talk about maureen dowd in an op-ed. she writes poppy bush drinks marty anies. mitt drinks chocolate and coke zero. the hokey -- so, that question right there, is that the real question that so many people are left being to ask? who is this guy at his core? is he really going to be the person that's going to fight for every day americans or insula insulating the top 1%? >> that is more of the question rather than is mitt romney r in

touch with people. where is his core? where does he fall on these key issues. we've seen republicans and democrats hit him for his change on position on things that are fundamental issues, things like abortion rights, climate change, gay rights. this is where your going to see the most traction in the general election rather than questions about his wealth, taxes and process questions about transparency. >> ken, great to see you this morning. thank you. many of you have probably tried to logon to wikipedia today and if you have, you probably got a look at this. the site is in voluntary backout mode the next 24 hours. that's just the base of sites protesting a pair of antipiracy bills going through congress,

but the senate is saying a lot of these sites are in the dark for nothing. mark ericson is the executive director of the open internet coalition and skroins me now. we have this to talk about. a lot of people are probably noticing that a lot of websites, if they aren't dark, they're asking you to move on and complain to your congressman. we have google that has black tape. sites that did go black today aren't going to be affected by an inactment because they don't engage in infringing activities cht is that true? are these sites going dark for no reason? >> absolutely not. this is really an unprecedented step for internet companies in the united states to use their home page to protest a very bad public policy, proposal backed by hollywood studios and recording industry to for the first time, regulate the internet. 200 of the leading venture capitalists in the united states, 100 internet engineers, entrepreneur and innovators have

said these proposals will fundamentally change the way the internet works both in the united states and around the globe. it introduces cybersecurity threats for the first time in the united states that are unprecedented. it would put a chilling effect on innovation, hurt jobs and really take america into the slow lane in terms of its lead in creating new internet technologies and services around the globe. >> if this is so bad for how we understand the internet works currently, why aren't the bigs like google, facebook, twitter, getting involved? >> well, they are. they've been p very active in being opposed to these bills. >> but they didn't join in the protest today of going dark. google put black tape over the fact, the banner they have, but you can still use its. twitter, the ceo, saying this blackout is silly.

facebook obviously, they're not down and out today. why wouldn't they be a part of it if this were so important? >> each company has to determine how they want to interact with their users on a public policy debate. amazon.com on their home page has a link that takes you to the net coalition home page to explain why these bills are problematic. so every company has to determine how they want to use their home page to reach out to users and they make those individual decisions, but all of those companies are very engaged meeting with the white house and members in the house and senate to raise their serious objections to this bill. >> sir, thanks for join iing me today. >> thank you. let's go now to washington, d.c. dr. ron paul is back in d.c. taking some time out of south carolina on the house floor this morning talking about foreign policy. we're also going to be seeing some of the other campaigners that is rick santorum, mitt

romney on the stump today. we'll take you to their events in south carolina when they show up. not much activity in italy. look at this. it's that spot where the cruise ship sits off the tus can coast. rescue workers had to call off the search once again. plus, a real life hollywood murder mystery. a gruesome discovery found right near the hollywood sign. a severed head. that and more after this. what makes scottrade your smartphone's most powerful trading app ? total access - to everything. from idea to research to trade. including financials, indicators and real-time streaming quotes. whether you check your investments every day or every minute, our app can take them from thought to trade. at scottrade, seven-dollar trades are just the start. try our powerful mobile app. it's another reason more investors are saying... i'm with scottrade.

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really is a heartbreaking game of hurry up and wait as rough seas delay efforts to find more survives in the cruise ship disaster. 11 people are dead with 28 listed as missing. divers hope to blow more holes

in the side of the cruise liner to search for those who might be alive in side. the scale of this disaster clearly visible in this image from space. we have the latest from italy. bring us up to speed about the search efforts and where they stand. >> reporter: i think it's been a frustrating day for the rescue workers here. they had wanted to blow four holes into the costa concordia to gain access, but it's not been possible because it moved slightly overnight, meaning it's unsafe for divers. what we have seen in the last couple of hours is helicopters dropping off equipment to be used in the coming days to pump water from the ship. this is looking like a salvage operation rather than a rescue mission, hope fading fast of finding anyone alive. more than 20 missing. 11 confirmed dead. >> that's got to be disappointing news for the families hopeful their loved ones will be found.

thanks so much. i appreciate that. the most damning of what some are calling cowardly conduct by the captain is being heard around the world. in one angry change, the coast guard orders the captain to get back on his boat and help the passengers. he says, quote -- joining me now to talk about the legal reprecussions of this incident is attorney and maritime e pert, john hicky. as we listen to that exchange, which is just a small portion of

the audiotape, when you hear the captain basically ignoring these repeated orders to return to the ship, whining about how dark it was. his lawyer says he couldn't get back on to the ship given its condition. when you hear that, what is your reaction? should he have gotten back on as instructed? >> thomas, that's a good question. he number one, he should never, ever have left. it is a basic maritime law and one of the first principles you learn as a master when you go to school is that the master is in charge of everything. of all the personnel on the ship. he's in charge of rescue operations. and number one, the master is the last human being off that ship. he should never have gotten off that ship. this is not without precedent, unfortunately, there have been disasters on cruise ships actually, where masters have gotten off before all the passengers. there was the yarmouth castle,

1965, where the master did just that and the master of the rescuing ship as a matter of fact, ordered that master back on to his ship just as the coast guard officer in italy ordered captain stefano back on his ship. this is actually a disgusting and unforgivable lapse in responsibility and leadership. and if you talk to the passengers on this ship, what they say is there was nobody there supervising or acting as a leader. >> they were saying everybody, man for themselves. the old expression, captain goes down with the ship, how does that stand up in modern maritime law? >> well, you know, there's been a lot of talk about this. the captain does not go down with the ship. he is supposed to, he or she is supposed to live to fight another day, but the captain is

supposed to be the last person on the ship. now, where does this come from? this comes from hurricanes if not thousands of years of maritime standards. number one, number two, it's in every manual. it's in the merchant mariner's officers manual as the very first principle for a master and it's not in a strictly federal statute, but whether it's an italian statute, i don't know, but my sense of it is the prosecution is not just for leaving the vessel, so to speak, before all the passengers are off, but it's a collection of things that the captain did, you know, right from going, veering off course, heading into a shoal, not calling for may day, for something like an hour after the ship ran hard aground on those rocks off of the island.

and then you know, delaying the evacuation of the ship and then he gets off the ship. all of this contributing to its thought now, all of this contributed to the 11 deaths. >> it is such a tragedy, comedy of errors and the captain is charged with manslaughter, causing a ship wreck and abandoning ship. he is on house arrest roughly facing 15 years behind bars. thanks. an army of one million wisconsin voters sign on and effort to recall wisconsin's governor, scott walker. are his days off in office really numbered? we're going to speak with one state lawmaker who may run to replace him. plus, real wives of the campaign trial. it might be our last chance to look at some of the women behind the candidates in the gop nomination fight. first up, karen santorum, mother of seven and staunch defender of her husband's conservative

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welcome back, officials don't know how long it's going to take to gather signatures in the -- scott walker. democratic organizers submitted what they estimated was more than a million yesterday as crowds cheered them on. joining us this morning, a possible challenger to scott walker, wisconsin state senator who led the group of senators who went a wall to protest the actions. you estimate that you got over one million signatures, well over the amount needed to do this. walker got 1.1 million votes in 2010. if or when there's a recall election, do you think he's going to be defeated? >> i think it's going to be very close. i think what we saw, the

threshold, just so we're clear is very high. only 60 days. we are completely divided down the middle. it's almost 50-50. in 120. i can tell you right now, the momentum is clearly there to remove him from office and i expect the election some time this summer and i really expect the enthusiasm to carry through to that. right now, you can flip a coin. it's going to be difficult, but he's certainly beatable. >> a lot of people say a recall election is going to cost 9 million bucks at a money mim. is it really the right time to do this in wisconsin? >> over a million people think so. this is very much a grass roots driven thing. this is what the people of wisconsin want. i've got to believe they're willing to pay money for it.

the $9 million is an estimated cost. it could be a little higher, lower, but again, a million people says a lot, thomas. it says an awful lot. that is about 46% of everybody who voted in the gubernatorial election last time so if they want that, that's what they'll get. >> this is happening against the backdrop of the 2012 presidential race. how do you think this is going to affect president obama trying to take wisconsin in his re-election bid? >> i think president obama right now is still pretty strong in wisconsin. i think what it says nationally is that if you're a republican governor, you better take notice as to what's going on in wisconsin. it happened in ohio, too, but again, this is more so a message for the republican governors throughout the coup tri who want to take away worker's rights, that if you do, you do so at your own peril. >> people are going to wonder how this is not self-serving and

you are considering running yourself to take his place. >> good question, but i haven't spearheaded the campaign. >> so, you're actively involved. >> there you go. that's good. that's fair. i'm actively involved. and i am thinking about running, but there's other good people in wisconsin thinking about running as well. tim cullen, a state senator. kathleen faulk announced this morning she's running. milwaukee mayor. so there's several people. i actually think a primary might be a good thing. i haven't decided whether i am or am not running. my biggest concern is who's in the best position right now to defeat scott walker. >> sir, great to see you. thanks for your time. >> thanks, thomas. lawmakers back on capitol hill this morning squabbling over the same problems they faced in 2011. the debt is taking center stage with democrats calling the proposal to disapprove the president's increase charade.

are republicans leaders discussed the year ahead and the priority they're putting on the keystone pipeline this morning. take a listen. >> the president wants to put this off until it's convenient for him to make a decision. that means after the next election. the fact is the american people are asking the question right now. where are the jobs? president's got an opportunity to create 100,000 new jobs almost immediately. president should say yes. >> president obama must decide on the pipeline by february 21st, the resolution of disapproval vote on the debt increase is expected in the house this afternoon. the white house was put on lockdown tuesday night after a smoke bomb made it over the fence. take a look. here's what was going on at the time because the likely culprit might have been a member of the occupy d.c. movement. the president and first lady were not at the resident dense

at the time. so, not much snow in the rest of the country to talk about, but the northwestern part of the u.s. is under the gun today, preparing for a winter whallop. eight states are under advisory. seattle, known for its rainy days could get a half a foot of snow. although the forecast originally had people bracing for an epic storm, jim cantore is in seattle for us. >> good morning, so rush hour here in seattle on what would normally be a very busy action going on here on these streets, especially queen anne hill. the one car behind this poll, it's taken about 25 minutes to come down from the top. very steep hills out of seattle. seattle's been prepared for this. they were actually prepared for a bigger storm. the city shut down as best they can for a city that only gets about half a foot of snow per year. the battle for the nation's top job could come down to jobs,

jobs, jobs. we take a look at president obama's and mitt romney's records. 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. riding the dog like it's a small horse is frowned upon in this establishment! luckily though, ya know, i conceal this bad boy underneath my blanket just so i can get on e-trade. check my investment portfolio, research stocks... wait, why are you taking... oh, i see...solitary. just a man and his thoughts. and a smartphone... with an e-trade app. ♪ nobody knows... [ male announcer ] e-trade. investing unleashed.

so, president obama will travel to disney world tomorrow to unveil a new strategy to boost tourism and travel and create jobs, but "washington post" abc news poll finds 54% of americans don't think the economy has recovered at all during obama's term in office. 9% say it's strong and 36% say it's week. 30% of people say they are worse off financially. 54% say they're the same and only 15% said they were better off. joining me now u is jen saki and republican strategist, lawrence epstein. jen, more than half in that poll think that president obama has accomplished little or ng while in office. is the president's re-election bid in trouble if that is the sentiment? >> well, here are the facts.

the president inherited the worst economic crisis in a generation. there have been more than 20 straight months of private sector job growth and he feels we need to do a lot more to continue on that positive path, but this election is about who you're figtsing for and we were reminded yesterday that mitt romney is fighting for people in his own tax bracket. people like himself. that's something i think that people across the country is probably giving them some pause today. >> we want to talk about newsweek's cover story. it's getting slammed on the right. it has some solid facts about president obama's jobs record and i think newsweek is getting slammed, if you can see it, the title "why are obama's critics so dumb." when we look at the record the president has, he's created 2.4 million jobs. in 2011, 1.9 million private sector jobs created. 280,000 government jobs were lost. romney's saying more americans

have lost their jobs under president obama than any president in modern history. is he bending the truth and also benning the truth when he talks about bain capital and the fact he was able to create jobs when the fact was that was just a by-product? >> he's not bending the truth on either. >> so bain capital was out to create jobs not make money -- >> bain was out to make money, but it also created jobs along with making money. mitt romney does not need to or should not run away from his record at bain capital. also a successful in the public seg tor. those numbers he has put o oout -- romney left bain capital, so what you're looking at here is obama can't see that their job numbers are not standing up to the test of the american public. that's why you're seeing 54 saying they're not better off. only 10%, only leaves 10% saying

yes, we're in better shape. that's what speaks to the truth. unemployment is higher and the message of this is president bush's fault. simply does not play anymore. it has been too long and that's why president obama approval rating on the economy is so low. >> the number is is trending down. the unemployment rate at 8.5%, so one battleground state president obama needs is ohio. and in a new quinnipiac poll out today, the president and romney basically neck and neck in the general election match-up. ohio right now has this unemployment rate with the national average of 8.5%. so goes ohio, the nation, jen? >> well, ohio's a very important state and my husband's even from there, so i have a personal connection, but let me tell you what would be concerning to the people of ohio once they learn more about romney's record. one, teachers in ohio. my mother-in-law's been a

teacher there for 40 years. she's paying a higher tax rate than romney is paying. two, he wants to cut programs like early childhood education, like head start programs that are vital to people continuing to struggle as the economy recovers in a state like ohio. so this is about a choice and we have barely begun to scratch the surface and i expect that will be a choice. >> the choice has been clear since president obama starting running and now, he will have three and a half years to show the american people the choice. he has not gotten the job done. it's time for somebody else and his success in the private and public sector will be the reason he is president in 2013. >> we talk about the economy being the number one thing for americans right now. obviously, mitt romney has an affiliation for money. he's good at being wealthy, but is he good at being able to connect with the average american in this country when he's going around making speaking fees of $400,000 last year saying it's not very much

money when in south carolina, the average median home income is about $33,000 a year? and this guy is getting that in a speech. $33,000. upwards of 66,000 or 61,000 for a speech. so where is this connectible mitt romney going to come from? here we are in january, voters are looking for that. they're worried he's going to be the person that insulated the top 1%, not reaching down. >> the narrative of if someone is wealthy or well off, they should be ostracized or cannot are represent the rest of the country is a false narrative. numbers show the country empathizes with those because we are a capitalist country. so there's no point to start talking about 1% or 99%. mitt romney has severed the public. done well, been successful

doesn't mean he can't connect to american public. first of all, if you're successful in the private sector and public, that means you'll be successful. this candidate is not ready to be president, well you can make the argument the left is making the false narrative. obama is not part of the 99%. he's far off from it and when he's -- above 60,000 -- >> pulling up to the event he has in south carolina this morning. it's a grass roots rally being held to discuss jobs in the economy. wofford college in spartanburg, south carolina. thank you both for joining me. here is a look at some other stories topping the news for you now. america's largest cities are still having trouble regaining all the jobs they lost. a report by the united states conference of mayors. only 26 of the nation's 263

metro areas have recovered their lost jobs in 2011. the national alliance to end homelessness has a new report showing a small dip in a problem that's still widespread. it dropped a mere 1% and there are still more than 6 36,000 people living on streets. it sounds like a scene straight from a horror movie. two women walking along when they find a human head stuffed in a plastic bag. this happened yesterday afternoon. the victim has not been identified, but appears to be from -- a male and was left there recently. super bucks being poured into the super pacs and this is just the beginning, folks. plus, real wives of the campaign trial. the republican women who have a chabs at becoming first lady. a look at karen santorum, next. ♪[music plays]

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besides the commonly associated health risks, obese older adults are up to 50% more likely to suffer a potentially disabling fall than those not obese. however, the most severely obese older adults are one-third less likely to be injured from such a fall. all right, so live pictures from spartanburg, south carolina, mitt romney just arri arriving. let's listen in for a second. >> and you know, i saw her in elementary school. she was in the second grade. i was in fourth grade. i don't particularly remember that moment, but i'm sure we saw each other passing in the hall at von school, but when she

turned 16, i did take a notice. she went to a party at a friend's house and i was there, too. i went up to a fella and said, i live closer to ann than you do. how about a give her a ride home. >> introducing his wife who is on the campaign trail with him and this leads nicely into a series we're starting today called the real wives o the campaign trial. each day this week, we're going to feature the wife of a hopeful and today, karen santorum, who faced a direct question this week from a supporter with a gay sun. joining us from "the washington post," nia henderson. most observers know where mr. santorum stands and his stance against lgbt quality in this country, however, while they were in south carolina, this supporter said she felt guilty because she supports the former senator but because of his outspoken position on gay rights, she was conflicted.

here is karen santorum's response. take a listen. >> very sad the gay activists have done out there. they vilify him him. rick does not hate anyone. he loves them. what he has simply said is marriage shouldn't happen, but as far as hating, it's very unfortunate that that has happened. a lot of it is backyard bullying. >> so karen santorum saying all he said marriage should be off the table. that's not really true when we talk about the fact that he has equated homosexuality to polygamy. can karen santorum be helpful in deflecting some of that criticism from those who would like to support him, but just can't? >> it's hard to see that she's going to be able to deflect that criticism because he has used up some very strident language.

isn't that he just draws the line at marriage. he has talked about homo ssexua in pretty disparaging ways. but typically, that's what wives are out there to do. all of these candidates you saw mitt romney up there talking about his wife. he tell us that story almost at every stop and kcalistlista gi h gingrich, oftentimes, she is standing beside him as he speaks, looking up lovingly at him. that is something wives have tended to do on the campaign trial, but they often is in this instance gets scrutiny themselves. >> they've been a staunchly pro-life public couple, however, "newsweek" did an article on karen santorum, profiling a relationship she had before the senator. when she lived with a doctor 40 years her senior. is it fair to dig into her background or is the right

justified in saying this is malicious and unnecessary? >> well, i think you know, when you're on the campaign trial, you're opening up your whole life to this scrutiny and whole life to this skrcrutiny and you open up your life when you present yourself with such strong morale views that some people see as judgmental. when you have things that is contradictory to what you say as a candidate or candidate's wife, it's fair game. this is the type of modern era of politics and media where everything is fair game. >> thank you foresgreat for, se you. we want to take everybody back to spartanburg, south carolina and here is mitt romney. >> he is out of ideas and now you is running out of excuses, at 2012, he is going to run at a time, we are going to get rid of

him. he has failed on almost every dimension, when he ran for president, he said that he was going to get this economy going. he went on the "today" show and said if i cannot not turn the economy around in three years, i'll be looking at a one-term proposition, we are here to collect. you have 125 million people that are out of work, or stopped looking for work and are needing full time employment and are working part time. you had median incomes thats have dropp eped 10% in the last fouri years. you have college students that expected to have great jobs waiting for them and they cannot find work and if they do, it's well less than what they were prepared for. these have been tough times.

so the american people want to see something different. they want a turn around. i spent my life by the way, learning how the turn things around and make them better. i have had the chance to run four different enterprises. i turned a business around and saved about 4,000 jobs there. and once i started a business of my own and it was a success and now a world leader. i helped the olympic games. together our team turned it around. made it a success. i came in to massachusetts, we had a $3 billion short fall in our budget and people wondered if we can turn it around and that is what i do. we did it. if there was a time that the nation needs a leader that knows how to turn things around, it's now. [ applause ] >> this is a time for choice for america, decide which path we will go down.

president obama, fundamentally believes that government is the source of our strength, i believe the strength of america is the people. president boobama looks to the capital for strength and inspiration, i look for american towns. he wants to see government that is larger and larger and larger and i want to see government that is smaller and simpler and smarter. he is comfortable with trillion dollars deficits over the coming conne decade. that will take us to a course to be greece or italy. and there's no one big enough to bail us out. i'll cut spending, cap spending, and to finally balance our budget. [ applause ] >> the president thinks the right course for healthcare is to have government run it. i think the right course is for government is to repeal obama

care. the president thinks the right course for america is to insist that we have unions, even where employees don't want them. his people said that boeing can't build a factory in south carolina, because they are not a union factory, well they are wrong, we believe in free enterprise. >> mitt romney talking about jobs and the economy. we want to get breaking news to you now that we are learning concerning the keystone xl pipeline. it not independently verified but politico is reporting that the white house will reject the pipeline today. we are working to independently confirm this report. the pipeline will run from canada to texas, and environmentalists are opposed to the pipeline because of environmental conditioncerns, republicans are saying it's a

missed opportunity to create jobs and improve energy security. the president was given to february 21st to decide but it looks like he is pulling the trigger on this issue one month early. that will do it for me today, i thank you for your time, i'll be back tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern, you can follow me on twitter, don't go anywhere, "now" with alex wagner is coming up next. >> newt gingrich calling his one-time friend santorum to step out of the race, and true mitt, we will be talking with the authors of a biography, a and t blending of poll tibitics and c.

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he is just not that into you. the brmance between rick

santorum and newt gingrich is over. >> rick is a good friend of mine and he is a nice man. he lost his state by re-election by the largest marriagin in the history of pennsylvania. >> he is a good man. but the idea that i am 0-2 in the races. that i'm hurting him. yeah, i'm hurting him, i'm beating him. >> msnbc, richard the wolfe, wolf. and we have maggie of politico and hugo of the "new york times" and joining us from columbia, south carolina, mark, thanks for joining the program, mark. >> reporter: great to be with you alex. >> i want to open this u