the love between newt gingrich and rick santorum, we thought we would join forces but that verbal fist-a-cuffs has shown that it's not. >> they are being honest as they are good, good friends who respect each other a great deal. they are both right. they both lost a lot. and electability is a problem for both of them but it's also for mitt romney, of course their egos are saving mitt romney. >> the idea that they were going to have a stand down, where neither of them was going to attack the other, never made sense because they have to kill the other to get ahead. it's only works for stopping mitt romney if they can come together. right now they are splitting it. you are seeing newt gingrich with momentum, it's clear that the romney people think so also. if not, romney would not be attacking him. that suggests that they are

seeing movement. mitt romney needs to have a good debate performance tomorrow night and newt gingrich needs to have a bad one, my money would be on the reverse. >> mark, i want to bring you in here, i know the media conference call that maggie just menti mentioned, are the romney people scared are they seeing the angry attack muffin looming in the background? >> reporter: they are not scared. but they go after the target that could threaten him. newt gingrich could win the primary. and romney stumbled in the last day. the debate will be key, how much advertising can get on tv will be key and to the extent that gingrich can win this fight with santorum about who should go forward to go against romney. he is a better fit for this state and it's the greater possibility that romney leaves here as the possiblity than santorum. >> when we think about the

conservative vote, there a chance that santorum voters and gingrich voters will come anyway? are they attracted to two types of candidates? >> i think we have a split here. we have santorum saying i'm the conservative voter's candidate, but if you want to get people from different income levels, i'm the one that will lay at it and if it leaves blood on the floor for my party, i'm going to do it. he was smart to go out and say here is a critique of the economic system and let the chips fall. >> mark, romney is on top in the new poll and gingrich twilling at 21%. but among tea party voters, romney and gingrich are in a dead heat.

wh what do you make of that? >>. >> reporter: romney still has weaknesses, right now his goal is to get out of this primary. he doesn't much care about the national polls as long as he can emerge from south carolina. if he wins here it's over. somebody has to beat him and gingrich is a better fit for south carolina than santorum. and perry is not a factor. gingrich is, you know, he is from a neighboring state, this is where being hot and regional is helping him. santorum is trying to get traction by going after gingrich. but national polls are reflecting and there will be state polls that will show the same thing. that gingrich right now is the strongest. >> i like the phrase, newt gingrich, hot and regional. >> reporter: not unlike the

chocolate bread pudding i just had. >> i don't know how to move out of that. you were asked, romney about his income taxes and when he would release them. i want to ask everyone on the panel. how are we grading romney's handling of this? he seemed that he was caught off guard at the debate. >> there's no good way to handle it. it's like trying to defend how private equity works. nobody is going to understand how he pays a 15% tax rate. it's lodgical in a certain broader tax policy idea. >> i don't think the tax thing, to be fair to mitt romney, i don't think he handled it womel in the debate. but i don't think that voters care about the issue. the bigger issue was that he stumbled in volunteering in response to mark's questions and the thing about his speeches and how it was not that much money,

and to him, it's not. so he was making a factual statement compared to his income, but the problem is he is sounding politically tone deaf. >> if the overall income issue is not an issue, they are the same thing, he is making $300,000 from his speeches and millions dollars a years from his investments, it's part of the same picture. >> but i don't think that he would say i don't make that much money, he is, saying from the speeches that it's not that much, and for people in south carolina, it's a lot of money. >> and for people on this panel too. >> but i'm keeping it regional. >> the problem is not just his tone, it's his policy of course he opposes the debate of shifting the federal budget defici deficits, greater taxation for the risk, and he is against

capital gains taxes. it's a burden for people like him. >> he doesn't make that argument. >> it's stopping him -- >> that is not the argument -- >> okay, his paraphrasing would be it's bad for america businesses. as if -- >> not a burden. >> a burden for taxpayers, they are taxed so much, so it would be good for them to be taxed less. >> secretly, it's because -- >> the question is whether someone who pays 15% or less, probably less, who is worth $200 million or more as connect his policy position to his wealth. and that is where it starts to be difficult for him. it's not just the tone. >> let's talk about the guy in the room with the big super soaker in the room firing it at anybody he can. let's listen to sound from dr.

paul. >> he is a serial hypocrite that lobbied freddie mac. another, a counterfeit conservative, who opposes right to work. inceased spending and funded planned parent hood and finally a flip flopper that has been on all sides. >> mark, i'm not sure if that was the sequel to "independence day" and of course the other man in this race, rick perry, if he drops out after south carolina, does ron paul pick up his support? >> reporter: i don't know that ron paul is doing much to grow his support, we have talk besides this before. he has intense followers. less so in this state than in iowa and new hampshire, he will get a good percentage, there's a number of people that won't vote for romney that may go to ron paul. it won't matter in terms of threatening romney, i doubt you'll see a one on one romney

paul debate. i'm not sure if he will direct his negative ads at romney at some point. but for now, paul is helping romney instead of hurting because he is taking a percentage of vote that is not so much ideologycal than it is anti-romney. >> wouldn't we love to hear that debate. >> are we sure that rick perry has not dropped out of the race? >> we are sure as of right now. and we will talk more about rick perry and see if it is time to hang up his neon green laces and drop out of the race. [ male announcer ] is zero worth nothing? ♪ imagine zero pollutants in our environment. or zero dependency on foreign oil. ♪

this is why we at nissan built a car inspired by zero. because zero is worth everything. the zero gas, 100% electric nissan leaf. innovation for the planet. innovation for all. try bayer advanced aspirin. it's not the bayer aspirin you know. it's different. first, it's been re-engineered with micro-particles. second, it enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. the best part? it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. test how fast it works for you. love it, or get your money back.

>> my name is jane and i've got osteoporosis. but i'm an on-the-go woman; i've been active all my life. that's why i'm excited about reclast.

it's the once-a-year i.v. osteoporosis treatment. reclast helps to restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture. and with reclast, well, no other osteoporosis treatment is approved to help protect in more places-- hips, spine, even other bones. >> announcer: you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium or kidney problems, or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain, if you have dental problems-- as jaw bone problems have been reported-- or if you develop new or unusual pain in your hip, groin or thigh. the most common side effects include flu-like symptoms, fever, muscle or join pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. if you have questions about your current treatment, ask your doctor about reclast. .

it is time for us to realize that we are too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. >> i never quit a day in my life. i have never quit in the face of adversity and i'm not just about to quit to future of america, i'm going to stay in this race and stay in this fight, because our children and our ocountry i worth the fight. >> that is a rick perry ad showing the images of rocky and ba babe ruth and a nod to tim tebow. is rick perry's time to bow out gracefully now? >> you will see bowing out after south carolina,ly he does it. rick santorum has joined a bit

of the attacks but there's a lot of rancor between perry and romney. this has not been a great race for perry, i don't think that anyone thinks he will finish high, you will see him tdebaas e has not much money left and he has a day job. >> and the texans are not, i thought we had a ppp poll that said, that 39% of gop primary voters said that perry has negatively impacted perceptions of texas. >> and he would not win anymore the texas primary. which is, he had a 55 point slide in his own numbers in texas. the problem is that he may go for a run the morning after south carolina and decide he can stay with it. middle age men should not go jogging the day after losing a primary. >> the people that convinced him to stay in last time will be less likely to convince him to stay in.

if you are a southern governor and you lose a southern state, it's hard to take. florida will be easier. i think we are close to the end here. >> i like the ad i have to say, i prefer the ad over the scary negative oneses. it's kind of inspirational. >> in a weird way, an inspirational figure. >> and david brooks, his 12-year-old son came up and said, study hard and he can get what he wants out of life. >> mark, bringing you back in, where is the inside dope on where perry's vote rs will go now. >> reporter: i talked to gingrich and santorum people and i think they all have reason to be hopeful. there's a lot of texas money. to the extent there's money there it will be divided up evenly. romney is quietly sewing up a lot of the traditional

societiesocietier -- traditional voters. >> mitt romney will have -- go ahead. >> reporter: i was going to say, i don't have return video, was that rocky balboa or from rocky and bulwinkle? >> rocky balboa i think. that was a good sag way to turkey. and perry's comments on turkey. and richard wolfe, are you our resident expert on that. >> it's the accent. >> it is the accent. perry's comments on turkey in the debate earlier this week were remarkable and he doubled down on them yesterday. let's listen to that sound. >> i stand by my statement. you need to be putting protections in place for your citizens if you are seeing those types of attacks against,

particularly, well, not particularly females but that is particularly horrible from my perspecti perspective. >> we were talking about how the turkish government has porespond to this, those candidates expected to be more careful in their statements. i don't know if this tarnishes american's standing significantly but are there repercussions? >> there are, because people tune in to this kind of stuff from around the world. i was speaking to someone about it yesterday. the diplomats have to clean up this mess. nato is not just a muslim country, it's a natoally >> this is not a man that has that chance of being the president of the united states. so, it's like manasomething tha

just talked about a bit. come on. >> people are sensitive to this stuff, when you have a crowd of thousands of supporters live on american tv in mainstream debate. there are others not saying it's not a terrorist government. no matter how many problems turkey has, it's not a terrorist government. it's ridiculous, he did not do his home work and nobody to stage would stand up and say anything. >> it's unclear, mark, thank you for zo for joining us, and bring us some of that bread pudding. we are hungry. >> reporter: hot and regional. >> hot and regional. >> steve colbert and -- that is next. this is $100,000.

we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates.

and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, stop taking vesicare and get emergency help. tell your doctor right away if you have severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so use caution while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, and indigestion. i've worked hard to get to where i am... and i've got better places to go than always going to the bathroom. so take charge of your symptoms by talking to your doctor and go to vesicare.com for a free trial offer.

the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. so whatever you feel like, the sleep number bed's going to provide it for you. and now, the company that redefined sleep is redefining memory foam. save $400 on our all-new memory foam bed. and at our white sale, stock up and save on our exclusive bedding collection. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday.

i am calling on the super pac and i'm calling on them not to run vicious character assassination ads that slander any candidate if any any way those ads can be traced back to me. >> fwogod, what is he saying? i wish we could communicate directly and clearly. >> it may be a spoof but steven colbert's super pac has been able to raise serious questions about what role the super pacs play. is he performing a service to the american public? >> absolutely. we will have a decision this saturday on american's united and this is, i believe, is the sleeper issue in this election and it is going to take people

like colbert and stewart who are not needing to raise money from the new interests that can suddenly give unlimited money to raise the issue. it's been brilliant. i would like to say colbert, or now stewart, put a spotlight on the issue of where the money can come from for is super pacs, which is unlimited amounts of money from corporations and going and saying, cocoa coal a, give me $4 million for my subpoena pac because they could. >> there's a group trying to get a constitutional amendment to repeal the act. if that happens that still remains to be seen. what is amazing to me, is guys are saying, the super pacs are terrible. rick was advocating for unlimited donations for my

presidential campaign so there's more transparency. does anybody have any interest in cutting off their own legs? the answer is no. so it the job of steven colbert and jon stewart to lead us into the light tina, fe brought us to who sarah palin was. >> the only pole i care about is the north pole and that is melting. what? the real one? bye. [ applause ] >> i feel like that was a game changing moment when the sarah palin impression was done. >> yes, look, the satire has an important power. to come back to the super pac, when gingrich talks about it, it

sounds like it's whining and nobody is paying attention. but the comedian ks s can do ita way that makes it seem direct and important and easy to get your arms around. i think that with sarah palin, it's slightly different t killer element for tina, fe was repeating her words verbatim. you could not make it up. this stuff requires sophisticated hu morsew fift ks indica indicated. hu -- sophisticated humor. >> what are the chances of them coming together? >> the super pacs have been benefitting mitt romney. he has the establishment money and in general, it's been effectively run. those ads, that newt complaining

constantly about process is lost on everyone and voters because this is politics, but those ads killed him in iowa because they were like the only ones on the air. >> but the super pacs are sustaining santorum and gingrich's campaigns. >> and there's a question of have they done more harm than good in this race? it allows them to keep bloodying themselves. >> i have been enjoying them. i saw your post about the new romney debate. it's funny. >> the thing that i think that colbert is doing most effecti effective effectively, he is not talking about where the money comes from, but he is talking about the absurd saying that they are not coordinating. there was a fundraiser that romney spoke at, when he says things like we go to the big house if we coordinator, that is

absurd, that is what colbert is highlighting. i don't think that you'll see anyone join hands and say, let's stop this. >> because, in part, that is the big lie, they are coordinated, of course, look who is running them and the associations, and that is something that the c candidates can never come together and say, we broke the law and coordinated them. >> but when the laws are so full of pours, that they can just say they did not coordinator. >> the call for change has to be about a fundamental issue, no one will get off the couch and say, i care about the winning our future back and the romney campaign. they care because people are saying because they have unlimited amounts of money, they have unlimited power. that is a core principals issue and that has to come from tea party and occupy wall street. >> money equals power, equals

democracy. target mitt s the democratic party preparing for a rominee. we will ask debra wasserman-schultz. every new year comes with a few stories waiting to be built. it's when our brand-new to-do lists become "you did that yourself?" so when we can save more on the projects that let us fix, make, and do more, that just makes the stories even better. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get this glacier bay vanity for the new lower price of just 39 bucks. yeah. it's his thing. i don't even participate. boom! here it comes! bring it back! bring it home! [ male announcer ] when you combine creamy velveeta with zesty rotel tomatoes and green chilies, you get a bowl of queso that makes even this get-together better.

[ british accent ] i host a book club. so sexy... vaga had no tolerance for such dastardly deeds. finally... [ male announcer ] when you combine creamy velveeta with zesty rotel tomatoes and green chilies, you get a bowl of queso that makes even this get-together better.

one golden crown. come on frank how long have we known each other? go to e-trade. they got killer tools man. they'll help you nail a retirement plan that's fierce. two golden crowns.

you realize the odds of winning are the same as being mauled by a polar bear and a regular bear in the same day? frank! oh wow, you didn't win? i wanna show you something... it's my shocked face. [ gasps ] ♪ [ male announcer ] get a retirement plan that works at e-trade. and a new book out this week tears down the curtain in front of mitt romney finding a man with more curtains we have the authors of the book. thank you for joining the program. i want to begin with a little piece from the book which i thought was interesting if not at thing. a wall, a shell, a mask, there are many names for it but many that known or worked with romney say the same thing, he carries himself as a man apart who seems to be not looking into your eyes but past them even some of his

closest friends to not always recognize the man they see from afar. people don't seem to see who he is? >> we have seen it on the campaign trail, he can be wooden and detached. and what is fascinating to us is there's a gap of how people perceive him that are close to him and by the public. i think his central challenge is to show that warm human funny guy that he shows to his wife and kids to everyone else. so far, you've seen a bit of it. >> what i've seen of mitt romney trying to be funny has been unfunny. you are talking about him as a merry prankster. i don't know where that guy is. >> it's not natural mitt.

you go deep in his background, his father's presidential campaign exploded when he said he was brain washed by generals in vietnam, mitt is trying succeed where his father failed. and his sister said in the book, he is more scripted and careful in what he says. you see that, he is very on message all the time and that can lead to a bit of a disconnect. it's not totally free throwing. he is on a message, and it sounds prepared from a script. >> for all of you that are at the table, you have seen him in person. we have these stories about his relationship with ann and how tender and intimate their relationship is, from going around and talking to voters and hearing their pain, is that piercing the bubble that mitt romney has around himself? >> i think his wife helps them.

when i saw them on the trail, she humanizes him and that is no question. at a couple of events i have seen, he is a warm-up act for her. that is not you belieusually ho. she sells him well and in fairness to him, he has been better on the stump than he was in his last campaign. even when he is tightly on his mental, he is able to be human and react. this is not his specialty, to expect him to be better than he is makes no sense. >> candidates that need to be human have a problem. you see them playing a role with their families. the similarity for me, is john kerry, eight years ago, and so, he brought out his kids and the kids were attractive and everything else and they tried to make up for the candidates lackluster performance on the

stump. i would be interested to know what you think the similaritiie are there. do they have overlap for you? >> they are different men, kerry's father was a civil servant while romney's was a governor and running for president. regarding ann, a story, it's 1965, he is at stanford university. it not a period of time that he talks about or writes about, it's this one event, he is so determined to see ann, mitt he's father was concerned about his studies. he was determined to get to michigan he auctioned off his coat so he could get enough money to get a ticket to see ann. that story humanizes a little bit of mitt romney. another side of him. it's not a story i heard him tell. it's a story i heard from classmates. >> and so he had to work to sell

that because that was before ebay. we talked about the dad question a little bit. and, romney, and i think in the book, rommy was the first executive to have a set of pins baring his likeness. and one said, hey, mitt, we love you. we talk about his father and father's legacy, how much is proving his self worth and getting the brass ring and bringing it home to the family a part of the drive to be president is this -- president? >> i think it's a huge part of it. they are all huge lly ambitious us. romney is trying establish himself very much of the carrier of the romney flame, the latest in the long line of romneys who have done great things. at the olympics as governor he has often got in trouble for

over stating his accomplishments and puffing himself up too much. in a lot of things he deserves a good amount of credit and takes a bit more than he deserves. and the pins were sort of an example of that. he clearly has a -- >> i have a whole set of mugs that say, hey, alex we love you. i'm waiting for the first year. >> absolutely, he has a strong sense of self and he always has. >> and he was a favorite. there was talk, he is the miracle baby in the romney family. it was not so much the george bush situation where he was a black sheep and jeb was the favorite. he was always the golden boy. >> it did stem from the fact that they did not think they could have him. so he was a gift that they didn't expect. by all accounts from birth on, he had a close relationship with his dad and that left, of

course, a huge imprint in his life and he is trying pay tribute to him. >> i wonder how much romney's attention to detail and precision and obsession to precision, you mentioned that he has in the office, a bain office, he had tape on the store where people were opposed to stand, the elevator did not go to his floor. so there was protocol. running for president is a messy affair. gingrich said i would not want to debate the dog on the roof of the car, with that in my background. >> that dog story is unfair to be brought up 100 times a day, but it's a creepy story. he will get asked about it. your point about being nimble is right. what we have seen in the debates is that he does well when things

are going as expected. he does not do as well when they are not. and i think you saw that in the monday night debate. i think that he got very flustered and there was a strange moment where santorum led him to a rope a dope for felons voting rights. >> can we look forward to a bo versus shamus, that is romney's dog. if you did not know. we will be carrying around this book in taxis everywhere. after the break, fight focus, a closer look at president obama's focus, next on "now." on my jou,

i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a b like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

like splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweeteners. this bowl of strawberries is loaded with vitamin c. and now, b vitamins to boot. coffee doesn't have fiber. unless you want it to. splenda® essentials™ are the first and only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. mmm. same great taste with an added "way to go, me" feeling. splenda® essentials™.

get more out of what you put in. we have to thank you for the advice on phillips' caplets. magnesium, right? you bet! phillips' caplets use magnesium. works more naturally than stimulant laxatives... for gentle relief of occasional constipation. can i get an autograph? [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. to those americans whose

support i have yet to earn, i may not have won your vote tonight but i hear your voices. i need your help. and i will be your president too. >> when president obama gave his victory speech in 2008, he called for unitys with congress divided more than ever has he given up on that idea? congress woman thank you for joinings us. >> thank you. >> we are talking about where the presidency is at right now. that was a striking thing for me as a viewer, he acknowledged that he would not have the whole country with him but that they would fight for them. have we seen a turn in the rhetoric, do you think the president is still the president for those that didn't vote for

him? had -- >> absolutely and americans have seen the effort that the president has made to reach out across the aisle, get republicans to try to sit down around the table and hammer things out even though we don't agree on everything, he has been rebuffed, there's not any issue that the republicans have been willing to work with him on, because at thei, you outset of the congress, mitch mcconnell made clear the number one goal was defeating president obama, if they work with him and allow him to be the president for everyone as he so badly wants to be, than en he will likely get re-elected. it's cynical and sad actually. >> it sounds like the president still bares responsibility in

this. the new news poll shows his approval rating is below 50%, what is more telling, what has the president accomplished and 47% say a great deal or a good amount but 52% say not much or little or nothing. why does the country still believe that president obama hasn't done anything? >> if you ask individually folks how they are doing compared to three years ago, they would say that the economy has begun to improve. their outlook is better. they believe that things are going to be better in the future than they were recently and i think they see clearly that president obama is in there fighting for the middle class and for working families. and when you see other polling stations, they are there trying to make sure that people doing well are doing better. that is the message that the president will continue the

press for, it's an agenda like the tax breaks for 95% of americans that he has successfully accomplished. 17 tax breaks for small business owners. and countless examples. we will just need to talk about his accomplishments and also continue to acknowledge that although we have had 22 straight months of job growth in the private sector, almost 3 million jobs created as opposed to when he was taking office, we have to acknowledge as he has, that we have a ways to go. we have been making slow and steady progress and we have to keep pushing. >> i wonder though, nbc news has confirmed that the president will be commenting on the keystone pipeline later today to give it the no-go. is there a concern that as he pushes a job message, that this

looks like a counter intuitive act? >> no, if the republicans forced this massively shortened timetable on a decision about keystone, that was not enough time for the department of state to review all of the ramifications for the keystone pipeline and they would likely not be able to approve it in a two-month timeframe, that they needed a year. the republicans insisted on that. if ultimately the decision is not to approve it that blame rests to republicans who insi insisted on a decision when they were told that two months was not enough time. >> i want to open this up to the panel, the messages, democrats versus republicans, each party is finding their corner. what do you think that the president needs to do to make it a compelling message through the end of the year? >> keystone is a good example. they have been fighting on the

issue of the jobs. which is the republican and corporate interest framing of it. it's really a question of profit force a few people over the next quarter over people over the next generation and a question of democracy, you have people in all of the states, where their water will be effected and their environment is effected and where some of the local industries will be effected doing an amazing amount of grassroots activism around this issue and it's saying, you know what? no, it should not benefit one corporation over habitat. >> do you feel the voices are as strong now, you had the demonstrations in front of the white house and so on, now it seems to move to the republican's favor, there's the discussion, how many jobs would be created for keystone? >> if you went to nebraska and to some of the states you would find the same amount of energy. it's a question or where the media is paying attention. fundamentally, if someone is

going to run a pipeline that will explode the greenhouse gases in the environment, shouldn't the people who would be effected have just as much say if not more than the company that would profit? that is what this is about. >> congress woman, i want to bring you back in here as we talk about 2012. there's a mountain of negative ads that have been on the air, and i have to ask you as chair of the dnc, what is your favorite line of attack that has been lobbied at mitt romney so far? >> well, i think that mitt romney has done a fantastic job exposing himself for what he really is, and that is someone who is only interested in making sure that people who are already doing well do better. extending tax breaks for the wealthiest most fortunate americans and particularly the exposure that he has gotten where he has not come clean and just acknowledged that he was a corporate buy-out specialist at bain and his job was to

dismanthe widisman dismantel companies and cut pension and benefits. he has not released his tax returns and we come to learn that yesterday, he acknowledged that he pays a tax rate approaching 15%. dramatically different from the middle class. >> that sounds like a vulture capitalist may be your favorite phrase. in opening up romney's record at bain, are you concerned that president obama has named as acting director of the omd, a former grand pooba at bain, as we look at what bain did, that someone in the administration was in fact employed there? >> mitt romney is running for president of the united states and hanging his record at bain as the reason that voters should a electricity him. so, his record, his role as the ceo of bain capital even his partner acknowledged that he never looked at their role as

job creation rather to create wealth for their investors. that is what mitt romney as exposed as his record he will be held accountable for it as he will try to run from it at the same time. >> i don't know if you are expressing support for king of bain or vulture capitalist. thank you for joining us, >> thank you. >> always a pleasure to have you, ron paul may have more explaining to do. doesn't he always?

welcome back, time for what now, the new republic has released ron paul letters, the

mentality created by the black movement where every black failure is a white crime. it's a reason why every honest american should be armed. and we tonight think a child of 13 should be held as responsible as a adult. but those that have grown up on the streets are as big, strong and scary as any adult and should be treated ee eed as su do you make of it? >> it sounds fringe, but at the time, it was our policy. that is how you had the crack cocaine disparity. the inner city gang members that should be tried as attitudults, is why we have mass incarceration. >> and that is the impact of ron paul even in this debate. a lot of his ideas, his ideas

become mainstream, everyone says he is a cute old guy that doesn't fill out his suit. >> you are alone to cute thing. >> people think he is harmless and actually he has taken the whole debate over the extreme and made it more mainstream to say, three government departments, five, it doesn't matter, a trillion dollars, who cares, it's not real anymore. >> i don't understand why this rhetoric has not stopped with him. you go to the ron paul rallies and it's young people and i was in new hampshire, it's as if there's a gulf. they have blinders on to this stuff and they see the drug policy and foreign policy and the rest of it is just details. >> that is true with every candidate they are seeing the candidate they want to see. and i think that over time it will stick with him and i think that you know, you won't see ron paul being elected president.

>> thanks g s again to my panel. that is all for "now," we will see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern. ben smith, rana, and steve cornaki, and until then, follow us on yee 'ole twitter. "andrea mitchell reports" is next. ching a role. today's special... the capital one venture card. you earn double miles on every purchase. impressive. chalk is a lost medium. if you're not earning double miles... you're settling for half. was that really necessary? [ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition.

i had[ designer ]eeling enough of just covering up? my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred.

before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel. breaking now on "andrea mitchell reports," the obama white house caught between environmentalists and union supporters wanting construction jobs is going to reject the keystone pipeline, what is the affect on energy policy. the president has still not won over the public. the latest poll hoe shows that americans are sharply divided on the