>> mika, what did you learn? >> tomorrow, big stars, governor chris christie, i have tough talk for him. >> what ever. chris christie, with what who else do we have? >> jon huntsman, stevie van zandt. >> kirsten gillibrand. >> and a cast of thousands on morning joe. mike, if it is way tooerly, what time is it? >> time for "morning joe." but right now it is time for chuck todd and "the daily rundown." >> chuck? six days till the crucial primaries in michigan and arizona. we got new poll numbers. romney leads in both states, a large lead in arizona a small one in michigan. it is a battle between organization and momentum. and about that auto bailout, our poll shows it is very popular in michigan. today, a deep dive in the mitt romney history with the auto industry. he grew up around it. says he loves cars, but could his tough talk for detroit dash any hopes of putting the state in the november battleground?

plus, president obama gets set to roll out corporate tax reform today that would lower rates, but boy, does he sure seem upbeat these days? ♪ come on, baby don't you want to go ♪ ♪ airport no place, sweet home chicago ♪ >> did say, that was pretty impressive. good morning from washington, it is wednesday, february 22nd, 2012, this is the daily run down. get to my reads. a week until the make or break michigan primary. mitt romney and rick santorum locked in a statistical tie, 47% of likely voters for romney, rick santorum, 35. newt gingrich in single din yates 8. in arizona, romney on safer

ground, leads santorum by 16 points, 43-27. the two state does share something in common. both are a fight organization versus momentum. romney leads among those who ho have already voted absentee by 20 points in michigan. if you take away the early vote, it is a one-point reyes in santorum's favor. same is true in arizona. romney leads in early voting by 30 points in that state. that is incredibly significant because 53% of likely voters tell us they have already cast ballots. romney's organization and money advantages are clearly helping him but he still can't lock down that conservative vote. throw romney leads by double digits in michigan among nontea party types, santorum ahead 58-29 among tea party supporter, 59-20 among republicans who call themselves very conservative and 48-27 among evangelical.

50% of likely republican voters athe auto bailout was a bad idea but 42% say it was a good one. the bailout is popular overall, 63% of michigan voters support it 61% of them are independents, that maybe why the president now leads romney in michigan by 21 points. 51-33 and closest any republican comes to him. fun little nugget on the auto bailout, interestingly enough, among republicans who say it was a good idea, romney leads santorum. among republicans who said it was a bad idea, santorum leads. the last debate before super tuesday. can santorum get back on message in the fourth day in a row, santorum found himself on the defensive over statements he has made on social or religious issues. this time, an oppo hit on a comment santorum made at a

catholic university in 2008 when he said "satan has his sights on the united states of america." last night, santorum fired back on the drudge oppo research hit. >> person of faith. i believe in good and evil. i think if somehow or another you are a person of faith you believe in evil a disqualifier for president, you are going to have a very small pool of candidates. talking about america today, trying to get america growing. that is what my speeches are about, what we will talk about in this campaign, any want to dig up old speeches talking to a relynn joyce group, they can go ahead and do so but i will stay on message. >> yesterday, tried argue his hot rhetoric means he is not a prepack and candidate. >> they say, oh, he is really out there got to worry about everything he says. no you don't.

no you do i will defend everything i say, because it comes from here. >> romney has been unable to defend things he said on conservative hits. our embed with the are romney campaign got the scoop that donald trump is doing robocalls for the romney campaign in michigan, listened to the recording, trump said i'm tired of rick santorum pretending he is some type of outsider. finally, all right emerging breaux maps between ron paul and mitt romney provide backup for romney again tonight? romney and his super pac are outspending santorum 2-1 in minnesota, note number shrinks if you look at advertising this week but an ad that romney's not running against santorum that's getting some attention this morning. >> is this dude serious? fiscal conservative? really? >> it is an a that sounds an awful lot like this one. >> senator santorum hasn't been as carefully viewed by the

american public as have the others. i think a tea party would find it very interesting that rick santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling five times without getting compensating reductions in spending. i don't think rick santorum's track record is that of a fiscal conservative. >> and it is just the latest attack at ron paul aired against whoever was romney's chief rival at a key moment in the campaign. take a look at all of these examples. >> al gore found a cheerleader in texas named rick perry. now, america must decide who to trust, al gore's texas cheerleader or the one who stood with reagan? >> newt gingrich was a career politician. >> he went the other way when he got paid to go the other way. >> he is demonstrating himself to be the very essence of the washington insider. >> is about serial hip pock chris i is. >> one serial hypocrite exposed,

now another has emerged. rick santorum, a corporate lobbyist and washington politician, a record of betrayal. >> rick santorum, a fiscal conservative? fake. >> just what has romney promised ron paul? at every moment in this campaign, when romney has had a conservative challenger when he needed a wing man, ron paul has been there with attack ads, not just ret torically, but actually puts money behind attacks on whoever mitt romney's chief opponent is at the time. by the way, paul has yet to attack romney pretty much on anything with any serious paid advertising. now back to our new poll showing rick santorum's bid to upset mitt romney in michigan. lee marringhoff is here with us. the more things change the more they stay the same, mitt romney advantages, when it comes to organization or in this case elect ability, santorum or whoever the conservative

challenger is at the moment, advantages among the base of the party. >> yeah, and i think you hit it right on the head, you talked about the people who have already voted in the poll, those are the people that romney's already put in the bank n a sense, he goes into primary day with a built-in advantage and also avoids any late surges because half the folks, at least in arizona, have already spoken and a sizable number in michigan have as well. so really speaks to the organizational strength and the resources and the ability of the romney campaign to target their supporters while these other campaigns, whoever was the flavor of the week, sort of rise and falls on their own, based on the kaung cuss or some other primary. so, that's really been the dynamic and romney driving the electability theme we see in all these numbers and all the polls we have done and is true today in michigan and arizona as well. >> but i want to pop up that, because it is fascinating to me, who can beat president obama?

51% pick romney, 24% in michigan, in arizona, 57-17. you sit there and you say, okay, romney has been pushing this electability argument for lamb year now. it is actually not working, make that argument not working, look at the numbers, doesn't matter, you still have sizable chunks saying, well, i still want somebody else. >> yeah i mean, romney's strong suit. you know, he has always been a tough fit in terms of the tea party and the evangelical christians and the very conservative base of the gop. so the romney numbers are a tight pit, the electability argument, those have been romney's strong suits and helps him for the primary process but when you turn to the general, yeah, look at a place like michigan the auto bail -- the bailout of the auto industry is very popular among michigan voters and that means that romney hopes michigan in play

for the general election are a little bit of a stretch because obama is running up the score against him, electability, inevitability you the primary process, a different story you start matching him up against president obama, particularly in a place like michigan, not so much arizona. >> we have who is the true conservative? 40% call santorum the true conservative, romney 16%. in arizona a state romney has a healthy lead in, still a bigger conservative, 37%, only 18% identify romney as a true conservative. again, the splits are very similar, every poll we have done, just the names change, at least one name changes. >> the nonromney name changes, but we are seeing also that this -- this notion here of electability trumping conservativism. yes, arizona, santorum is ahead among those who think he is the true conservative but they are more interested in someone

is more electable to beat president obama. the names against romney changed, anybody but romney. electorate different, more mormons in arizona. >> right. >> but in terms of his conservativism, it looks loo a lot like florida, see the same kind of pattern emerging and romney a double-digit lead like he ended up with in florida. >> we should also point out that on advertising, basically the only people advertising are folks on behalf of romney in arizona, a much more even split in michigan. also might explain the poll numbers. finally, let's talk about satisfaction with the field. i still think it's pretty striking that 41% of republicans in michigan and 48% of republicans in arizona are not satisfied with this field. that's not good this late in the process. >> no. no. this reflect the division that's been going on since day one on the republican side, as there's been this weak front-runner in mitt romney and somebody else every week sort of emerging as

the challenger. and the republican reasons, the big names stayed on the sidelines, they weren't into this. and at one point or another, as many as ten republicans have been ahead in the national poll, candida candidates or not for the nomination it speaks to a concern republicans have to have give that president obama is doing better now in terms of the economy and in terms of his approval rating, looking ahead to november it becomes more of a challenge, look, right now, in these state, more than 40% of the two primary states we are looking at now are dissatisfied with their choices within the republican field. you know, buyer's remorse may set in a little early this time, presumably if romney starts to lock up the nomination, people are going to start still that kind of itchy quality, maybe we got to look somewhere else. >> and the concern, of course, is going to be an enthusiasm gap potentially they have to worry about, which republicans have had as an advantage, starting to see some evidence that that might be eroding.

lee merring hoff, have to leave it there our partner in the marist poll, more work do next week, man. super tuesday polls. >> we will be here. >> we will keep cranking them out. >> thanks. talk soon. jew just heard it, it is neck in neck in michigan, santorum, momentum, organization, romney. the fights about to get nasty again? we will see. j mart and the fix, chris cillizza and jay martin will be here next. and preview what romney's week is like. and the deep dive in the on again/off again affair with the auto industry. how will romney's shifting gears play in a state where cars are king? first, i will look ahead at the president's schedule. big deal today. huge groundbreaking. national museum of african-american history and cultural construction site. the president will be there. deliver some remarks. new smith sownian museum. big, big day. you are watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. i look at her, and i just want to give her everything.

yeah, you -- you know, everything can cost upwards of...[ whistles ] i did not want to think about that. relax, relax, relax. look at me, look at me. three words, dad -- e-trade financial consultants. so i can just go talk to 'em? just walk right in and talk to 'em. dude, those guys are pros. they'll hook you up with a solid plan. they'll -- wa-- wa-- wait a minute. bobby? bobby! what are you doing, man? i'm speed dating! [ male announcer ] get investing advice for your family at e-trade.

[ male announcer ] get investing advice i'm al ways 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.

mitt romney looking for a surge of momentum to carry him out of arizona and michigan on tuesday with michigan uncomfortably tight for him, romney trying to refocus his campaign, speech to the detroit economic club on friday. the town hall meeting yesterday in michigan, romney hinted at what's to come. >> i want to see taxes flatter and fairer and simpler, i want our tax poll cities to encourage growth. i'm going to be elaborating on that more in the next couple of days. >> with us now the "washington post" chris cillizza and politico's jonathan martin. gentlemen, we all know this morning, larry lud qud low last night, the romney campaign is leaking their new tax plan, what is funny, jonathan martin, he

could have been talking about his own plan, flatter, fairer, simpler, no more 59-point economic plan coming on friday. >> yeah exwhat happened to that. >> a press release saying we are going to cut taxes 20%. >> he was hearing the unmistakable groans from a lot of conservative elites, you country just do biograph find the fact you are a business guy. they are going to try to make it bolder, more supply side, friendly, lower marginal rates, i assume. more on capital gains and dividends. >> interesting coming out of this they are eliminating some deductions as they lower their corporate tax rate. oh, by the way, the president

unveiled his corporate tax plan, sway political release not a policy one. you don't do it without individual tax rates you can't do it individually. we know what the obama folks are up to a political release. they are announcing a lowering of the corporate tax rate. eye always on the ball when it comes to romney. >> all three of us talk about this despite what rick santorum has done, even when newt gingrich surged 99.9% of the obama team's attention remains focussed on mitt romney. they figure if romney is the nominee, we got a head start and if we can damage romney and he is not the nominee, all the better a win/win for them but does show you, i think they can still believe romney is going tonight nominee. i don't think we should overlook it is a remarkable thing that the guy, mitt romney put out a literally 59-point plan, 100-plus page. made a huge deal of it huge deal of it in vegas. now he has got another plan. >> the fact they have to do it again shows that you have find

message here the first time. not like he didn't get an airing for the debate, accident >> like president obama redoing his health care plan in 2008 to do a mandate in the middle of that. >> right. >> i want to play something ann romney said, fun little preview in tonight's debate. here is what she said yesterday. >> i decide it had would be just much better if i could do the debating from this point forward. we have heard enough from mitt. it is just enough. >> she might be right. probably be better on the debate stage sometimes. you know, she -- she is staying in michigan to first time they have used her by herself surrogate in a way, maybe because michigan is comfortable with her. tonight, rick santorum, can he get off the social conservative message? >> here is the deal. we knower he is going to be

asked about it by the debate he has made a big deal. the question, can he transition to talk about the economy? i continue to think he does have a path in places like michigan, tennessee, with an economic populist message. gosh knows there is somebody the exact opposite of an economic populist in this place it is willard mitt romney. rom think? not the populist. santorum with the coal mine, pittsburgh background, all those things can work, the question does he go down that cul-de-sac too far? he is going to have to anticipate the question. >> the romney golden night to is to get under santorum's skin, make him look a little bit defensive and angry when he starts talking about these issues, that always seems to be his pattern. >> past debates, always his problem, he was always sort of huff fit. >> santorum? >> santorum. absolutely. santorum's challenge is he able to respond to the questions without lit getting a the questions. the curse of santorum and newt, a lot of these debates, they

think that they are so smart that they can sort of talk their way out of every question instead of just giving a ten-second response and pivoting back to a safer message. no. they want to prove i'm gonna tell you exactly what i did or didn't say and i'm gonna be proven right here. that is not politically helpful. >> santorum's case, talk about what he did in the senate, i'm always like don't say cloture. people don't know what that means. by the way, is this another one of these debates the front runner, i guess is still romney. >> still front runner, i think. >> but it is another one of those debates the focus, a pile on santorum? ron paul made that clear and according to anthony term, our embed with the campaign, says he wants to pile on the >> i think romney has benefitted from that repeatedly. go all the way back, bachmann, perry, herman cain, newt gingrich, he is standing there, watching it go by. one quick thing to note, chuck, watch this debate, haven't had a debate in a month, rick santorum

has not ever been, the 20th debate, rick santorum in the previous 19 never this relevant, never will be anywhere close to the center he is tonight. how does he do? a different thing being on the side lune and lobbing rhetorical grenades versus being in the focus. >> very fast, what do you expect out of romney? >> i think you will see him go aggressive on santorum as a washington insider, pairing him with newt as the pair of guys who went to washington and never left and i think it is going to be interesting to see if santorum can draw out a tough message on romney without getting so consumed by the questions, cultural issues he is going to face from the moderate? >> he has to be able to take the cultural issue and move it fast. >> romney country. >> large mormon population, we expect the crowd to be -- >> very pro romney. cillizza, martin, thank you both. the dow cracks 13,000 for the first time since 2008 and the financial crisis, does the rally continue in the market run down is next. plus, the white house unveils a plan to overhaul the tax code cutting the corporate

tax rate. is this just wishful thinking in an election year? but first, today's trivia question. what do george washington, ted kennedy, bill frist and david axelrod all share? tweet met answer at chuck todd at daily run down. the first correct answer will get a follow wednesday from us. the anticipate and more will not come from chris cillizza yelling or jay martin, coming up on "the daily rundown." be right back. shazi: seven years ago, i had this idea.

to make baby food the way moms would. happybaby strives to make the best organic baby food. in a business like ours, personal connections are so important. we use our american express open gold card to further those connections. last year we took dozens of trips using membership rewards points to meet with farmers that grow our sweet potatoes and merchants that sell our product. vo: get the card built for business spending. call 1-800-now-open to find out how the gold card can serve your business. online dating services can get kind of expensive. so to save-money, i found a new way to get my profile out there. check me out. everybody says i've got a friendly disposition and they love my spinach dip. 5 foot ten. still doing a little exploring... on it. my sign is sagittarius, i'm into spanish cheese, my hairline is receding but i'm getting a weave. (falsetto chorus) getting a weave. who wants some ronald tonight!? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

until the end of the quarter to think about your money... ♪ ...that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight, a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor, so you can make better decisions and live achievement.

at 11:30 this morning, treasury secretary tim geithner will roll out the president's latest tax reform and lower 35 to 28% for manufacturing and the rate cut 25%, something corporate america has repeatedly been asked for, arguing the current rates stifle their ability to compete globalism the lost tax revenue would be paid

for by eliminating the loopholes and subsidies that corporations now use to bring down their tax bill. the white house claims that the new tax plan will not add to the deficit. be interesting to see what the markets think of this. we are now minutes away from the opening bell. let's get to the market run down. becky quick is here. so, becky, now have competing tax -- corporate tax reform plans, one from obama, one coming from romney. what's wall street? do they care? will they react to it? >> they do very much. i don't know um see a reaction today, but this is a huge issue in corporate board rooms and frankly small businesses around the country, too. i would say what you are going to hear from most of them this is a good step in the right direction, at least in terms of flattening that corporate tax rate but getting rid of a lot of those loopholes and deduction, chuck, when you look at the loopholes and deductions it is the big businesses that benefits, they have lobbyists, armies of accountants that can go and take advantage of these things. the department companies that

end up paying 31, 32, 33%, those are the small businesses that can't fight back and get their own special interest put back into that. the idea of flattening that corporate tax rate i think is a great idea. what you will hear people a you is 28% the right number? should it be lower than that? because 28% is not just neutral to the deficit it is something -- it is a number that is higher taxes than we are take pip tip and that is where you will hear the push back. i think it is a great thing to have everybody equalized on the same playing field. that is what wall street is watching closely. real quickly, looks like we will open down by about eight points this morning. we are within striking distance once again of 13,000, crossed above it yesterday but ended up pulling back at the close, right now, 12,6 -- or 965 which by my points is 35 points. >> i hope you got the numbers right, you got to be the numbers person, becky. >> trust me, good luck. our deep dive into mitt romney's personal and political drive is next.

"the daily rundown" will be back in 30 seconds. when you think michigan, country help think about cars and the home state kid wants to remind everyone he is just like them. >> i love cars. i grew up totally in love with cars. i used to be in the '50s and '60s if you showed me one square foot of almost any part of a

car, could i tell you the brand it was, model, so forth. drive a mustang. i love cars, i love cars and long may they rule the world, let me tell you. >> on the campaign trail, romney often tries to remind michigan voters of his family's ties cars, the industry that helped build the romney name has been the lifeblood of the state. >> i grew up in michigan, it was exciting to be here, remember going to the detroit auto show with my dad, that was a big deal. >> came out with that pairs. the 2008 election when the auto industry was dying, romney was out front demanding washington help, pushing it so save the industry that created rottenny brand 50 years earlier when romney's dad, george, saved american motors at the time that helped put george romney into the governor's mansion three times. >> when i say washington is broken what has have they done? how have they helped? >> that was january 2008, weeks after the election in december,

after the industry was hitting rock bottom and washington about to come to the rescue, romney changed his tune a bit and he blasted that move in an op ed that the new york time, not romney, "new york times" headlined let detroit go bankrupt, something michigan voters not happy to hear and become a position romney has defended over and over again ever since. >> i want to restruck sure the companies, get them cost competitive to stay around forever. >> best if the companies had done that directly, gone to the bankruptcy process without having taken $17 billion from government. would have been best not to have the president and government put their hands on the bankruptcy process. >> i care about this state and about the auto industry. >> as the michigan primary nears, he is back in his home state playing defense on autos. new nbc/marist poll shows he has an uphill battle in the auto bailout where a majority of voters favored it 63%, including as i told you earlier, 61%

oichbd pen accidents, even 42% of republicans. with me now, long-time political analyst jeff green field, host of pbs's need to know and author of the book, then everything changed. jeff, i wanted to bring you on during this week because you provide a sense of history, you have covered more campaigns than i have. >> the taft campaign we will talk b. >> we can. taft, of course, had to deal with his own family ties, run in his father's shadow. his father's shadow that hangs over his head can't seem to shake it. >> what's weird about that i think for most voters, it is i recall vancy. talking about a man governor 40-something years ago, between 40 and 50 years ago and while george romney plays a role, kind of a -- the defeated role, it is

of no particular reference to most people in michigan. he has this awkwardness when he tries say hose. he goes back to michigan and says the trees are the right height or the simple statement, i love cars. >> i'm sure he goes idaho and tells us how many potatoes he airport. his connection to the auto industry is tenuous. have had the headline, romney to auto industry, drop dead. while most michiganers favor it, the word bailout is a -- is a red light. it is more of a question of the

broader effort to tie himself to something of importance for michigan that he doesn't seem to know how to do. can you give me an example of a time the potential nominee had this much trouble with the base of their own party and went on to become president? >> went on to become president? no. >> isn't that the dilemma -- >> give you a couple other examples a nominee can have trouble with the base and stagger to the nomination because there is no alternative. dole is not overwhelmingly popular. hubert humphrey -- >> same thing in '68. >> mccain was no favorite of the republican base, none of them got to be president. the other thing is, you know, tonight, i would like to see -- i would like to see john king ask mitt one question. can you think of a great or near great president who came out of a business background? >> you think that that biography actually is not working with voters in >> saying historically, you got me on here like newt gingrich, i'm the historian, i haven't got paid as much as he did, there is

no example. i mean, hoover was the last president who -- >> official business. >> business background. gw bush to some extend. i don't think mitt romney wants to cite either of them as examples of why you want a businessman-turned-president. the auto industry, who won the 1916 michigan public primary, chuck? henry ford. always had this notion that they would be good. >> the lost the senate race because he was an anti-semite. >> so, i don't -- my degree is not in psychology, i can't give you an oedipal explanation of what -- >> put him on the couch? don't want to put him on the couch >>. >> more important thing, it is just not a cutting fact that his dad was governor of michigan,en us you are of the lawrence welk generation. >> does may help on the doper front if anything. >> the one problem mitt romney has not had is accumulating large sums of money.

>> some point could run into a wall if he does lose michigan. everything changes. my favorite stuff you have written has been your novels on politics. they are weird, you know what i don't know that i can compete with reality. >> anymore, that's true. >> william goldman, great screenwriter, wrote about the movies, nobody knows anything about what makes a good move voir hit move stlarks is the mantra for this campaign and every time you guys talk about poll numbers, all i say is could you wait 72 hours? it is an un -- >> isn't it because the front runner doesn't have ties to this? >> more than that. >> if you had front winners are ties in a base, these numbers wouldn't be shifting. not. alternative that anybody can -- is it is like trying to on hat, running through a department store and anybody who is applying the rules of old bomb ticks to this campaign is going to have more egg on his face than a guy trying to make an omelette. >> jeff green field, thank you for coming in studio, in washington, d.c., you stay away from this place dncht i live in the heartland, manhattan. >> fair enough. our hump day political panel

will be here next. first, of course it is the white house soup of the day, a fancy one, one that sounds interesting, i wouldn't eat it sounds interesting, ginger butter nut squash. you are watching the daily rundown, only on msnbc.

one chance to hunt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. ready, aim, save! grrr! ooh, i forgot my phone! the "name your price" tool. now available on your phone. get a free quote today. [ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets...

♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪ ...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

daily flashback to 1997, scotland announced the first successful cloning of a mammal. dolly the sheep was hailed as a significant milestone and the birth triggered a heated worldwide debate over the ethics of cloning, the debate continues to this day. legislation in many state legislature and congress itself. will rick santorum get

sucked into a debate on social issues? last night, santorum was forced to respond to these comments he made in 2008 at a lieutenant lick university in florida after the audio was somehow given to the drudge report by some campaign not named santorum. here it s. >> the father of liesaudio was drudge report by some campaign not named santorum. here it s. >> the father of lies would have his eyes on, a good, decent, powerful, influential country, the united states of america. he attacks all of us and he attacks all of our institutions. we look at the state of mainline protestantism in this country and is in shambles it is gone from the world of christianity. >> bring in our panel, row testimony mall know is former aide to harry reed, ann kornblut, the "washington post" and david leon hart, "new york times." welcome all, some how the drudge report gets that, ann kornblut,

no idea how they could have gotten that audio, we know matt drum was combing through the archives here. >> this is a well-worn path to exposure is getting -- leaking it to drudge, now we all know about it. what has been interesting is to see santorum talking about religion. his go-to place, in a way, coming to define his candidacy. everybody else is completely godness, candidate of god and changed the debate to social issues on a matter of days. david it is my understanding, the romney campaign, they believe this is the way to defeat santorum but they know it is a risky strategy because it only exposes his own problems and social conservative issue, here is chris christie this morning already deciding to weigh in, we know's romney surrogate. here is what he said this morning. >> listen, i think anything you say as a presidential candidate is relevant. i mean, it's by def nist knit relevant, you are asking to be president of the united states york think he is right about that. >> david, romney surrogate says

it is a fair hit. of course a romney surrogate would say that. >> it is when you are running for president, completely fair point, anything you have said previously is fair game for discussion. the question it being an prived any a way unfair or twisted in a way that is unsnare -- unfair? he goes from being the conservative not romney to being something else that other people can define and that's probably tougher place for him to be. >> you know, row dell, your group that you work with specializes in finding thesing innets of audio and video, that's what you guys do on the democratic side. are you impressed with the romney operation? >> i am.

look at conservatives, romney and santorum on economic issues, i don't see that much of a difference. where santorum can make his park is the social issues, a risky strategy for him should he make it to the general. where he is now, he is talking to a part of that electorate that wants to hear it not hear it from santorum. >> interesting, anne, clear the romney campaign would like tonight's debate and the next week to be a minireferendum on santorum. here is romney himself yesterday about this idea. >> senator santorum hasn't been as carefully viewed by the american public as others. we had donald trump for a while and herman cain and rick per rained newt gingrich, all vetted carefully. rick santorum is being seen for the first time. >> do you think he meant a to mention donald trump in that since donald trump is his number one surrogate? >> to be talking about that in

the car in michigan driving around together. yeah. i mean, he is not wrong. there hasn't been as much scrutiny to santorum, not as much time for it and driving the romney campaign a little bit crazy that some of santorum's past record and loss in pennsylvania have not been scrutinized. too bad, rick santorum's moment and romney campaign having to scramble to find them. i think you are right. tonight's debate, the first time we have seen santorum center stage in any of these debates, how he performs well, do as well as he did last time off, to the side. >> david, before you jump in here, i want to play, a preview of how santorum is going to defend himself tonight. here's what he said. >> i get a kick out of the media saying -- they complain so much about all of these structured candidates, all of these commodotized candidates, how they are robotic and do things acording to their consultants, they have a candidate that doesn't do any of those things, they say oh, wow, he is

really -- he is really out there, you got worry about everything he says. no you don't, because i will defend everything i will say. because i it comes from here. >> goes to row deals point, santorum is appealing to the heart of the party. >> yeah, i think santorum has been best in the debates when he has been attacking romney from the right. ways, he has done that more than any other candidate, way back in the pack. he is stuck on this whole notion of romney care and hit romney hard on it. so the phrase, the best defense a good offense seems to me that santorum needs spend a little bit of time talking about it tonight but basically good in the debate wednesday he says, hey, me, you are not a conservative and i am. my guess is we will see some tonight, but the question is how much. >> what is fascinating dealing with romney, he always seems to be worried that people like your group is gonna find some piece of sound that's gonna make him somehow unelectable to end pep dent voters, almost always nervous about that you see that in debates. >> i think romney also bring it

is upon himself. the gift that keeps on giving every single day. goes back to what david said, santorum, a mistake in this debate to not go after romney. think romney will be on his game today. seen him do it to gingrich, rick perry, his back is up against the wall, he comes out swinging, i think that santorum needs to be on point. >> stick around. talk obama. what do george washington, ted kennedy, bill frist and david axelrod share? is a birthday, they were all born today, february 22nd. how school that to be born on george washington's birthday? george washington would have been 280 today, ted kennedy would have been 80, former senate majority leader bill frist 60 and senior strategist for the obama campaign, david axelrod is 57. happy birthday to all the mustache, we believe is 50. you are watching "the daily rundown." only on msnbc. [ female announcer ] want to spend less and retire with more?

then don't get nickle and dimed by high cost investments and annoying account fees. at e-trade, our free easy-to-use online tools and experienced retirement specialists can help you build a personalized plan. and with our no annual fee iras and a wide range of low cost investments, you can execute the plan you want at a low cost. so meet with us, or go to etrade.com for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. ♪ for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. what do you get when you combine the home depot with this weekend? the cure for cabin fever. because with get-it-done savings on everything we need... we can turn this weekend into a fresh floor... or an updated bathroom... or a brand-new look. so let's hit those orange aisles, and make today the day, we make a big difference, no matter how big our budget.

more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot maximize your budget with great buys, like mosaic tile, just $4.98 per square foot. fantastic! [ man ] pro-gresso they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less.

♪ come on, baby don't you wanna go ♪ ♪ same old place ♪ sweet home chicago >> i have to say, you know, the al green was sort of felt a little, that was hard, no falsetto, he sounded pretty good. >> he's a better singer than a baseball pitcher. >> that's true. and we should talk about this sw swagert. every little incremental thing does give them an air of confidence. oh, wow, but he could have been doing this at a time when his polls were low and we'd say, hey, he's out of touch. there's this feel that they feel pretty good. >> who knew he could do this?

>> it's become his thing. >> the second time in a couple of weeks. it's like that "new yorker" cover a few weeks ago of him watching them cover the republican debates. everyone is paying close attention to mitt romney and rick santorum, they take the race seriously, but they can't help but feel good. gas prices and iran. there are big world events they have to worry about, but on the political front, they haven't made any major missteps. >> and i'm sure you've seen in your own polling, it's not as if the president's so improved on some key -- it's that the republicans have done damage to themselves, more so than the president's approved. >> every day is christmas. just watching them. i think they finally got smart on the payroll tax, but watching republicans in congress, or whether it's on the stump and watching santorum bring romney to the right every single day, i think obama's got to be sitting there loving what a general election looks like. >> there's been a small fund

raising issue, including democratic super pacs. does the president changing his tune help all of you guys? >> i think it will. i'm not going to get into how much it will. i think it does. i think it sends a signal to donors across -- >> were you struggling because the perception was -- >> we're set up a little bit different than other super pacs. we do research. we do opposition tracking, not as much money involved in that as say ads running in 20 some odd states. we're about half way to the way we need to be, and we'll continue to work, and we're going to meet your goals. >> it's interesting to watch the obama campaign fund raising. it's good, not great. a lot of people expecting it to be better than it is. and the obama campaign always was a little nervous about the expectation they thought they got out of whack. but they seem to be good, not great. >> well, they don't have the inspiring story to tell they did four years ago, right? now you have his record with its good points and bad points and

people don't quite get inspired about that the way they do about the idea of a whole new day, right? everything that george w. bush wasn't, obama was going to be. so it's a harder thing. but on the other hand, they actually can go out there and tell a story basically trying to frighten donors, and i think that's going to work somewhat. >> and the one thing, though, they're looking for that bumper sticker slogan. there's nothing that is ever going to top hope for them. and they admit, and they always say, well, hey, politics -- it's not a bumper sticker. yes, it is, sometimes. >> there are governing in pros. we haven't come up with it yet, but it's going to be more continuation of what they've been trying to do. into the next term. >> frankly why the bumper stickers simply say 2012. frankly i think there is something to be said in there. shameless plugs. rodell, what do you got? >> it's a good friend of mine

birthday, allison, what a better way because i can't spend it with her. >> george washington's birthday too. >> happy birthday. >> the shadow patrol, by a former times reporter set in afghanistan and they're great reads. >> i love it. modern day fiction. >> i'm going to send you to the "washington post," a very small number of big donors donating to the republican super pacs. >> i love it. everybody has a million dollar donor. >> everybody. >> that's it for this edition of the "daily rundown." tomorrow on the show, a former u.s. senator joins me to explain why he switched from romney to santorum. up next, chris jansing and company. have a great day. bye-bye. ahh, one.

two. three. one. two. and, three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn more cash back for the things you buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% cash back on groceries. 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. it's as easy as one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display. [ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back.

♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪ ♪ at free-credit-score-dot-com now let's go. ♪ vo: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™.

can you enjoy vegetables with sauce and still reach your weight loss goals? you can with green giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. good morning, i'm chris jansing, and it is going to go down to the wire in michigan where our brand new nbc news marrist poll shows the race ne