margaret carlson, columnist for "bloomberg news" and "washington" editor of the week. the media scrambling back from a collective assumption, washington wisdom, that gingrich didn't have -- what's the technical term? a snowball's chance in hell. >> right. well, i think that's true. and that did indeed reflect what the apparent reality back when we were writing those obituaries, it's not a common thing for the entire -- candidate's entire staff to quit, as newt gingrich's did in june. saying that they don't think he's prepared -- >> it was an implosion. >> a genuine implosion. i think a lot of are surprised -- i know i am -- the durability of his candidacy. and i do think it reflects something that we have written accurately, that this party is not enthusiastic about mitt romney. and that anti-romney energy is going to go somewhere. the fact that it's settled on newt gingrich is a surprise to me. life's full of surprises. that's why in game is fun. that's why i love covering it. >> bachmann and -- and on trump and cain. but do journal swhoifts have been through -- journ

gresham carlson and margaret hoover. what say you hoover? >> you will hate this bill, you will say because i'm not a catholic. i'm catholic light i'm episcopalian. i thought this was funny. we can take a joke at the holidays. this was meant to be irreverent. 2.1 million canadians tuned in to watch pamela anderson as the virgin mary. we all get the joke. clearly she is no virgin mary. that's apparent. that's the joke. >> bill: hoover, you thought this was hysterical, funny? >> i thought it was good humor. it was ironic humor. take a joke. it's the holidays. >> bill: i didn't think it was funny. >> the whole thing was hysterical. >> bill: let me point out that 2 million viewers is nothing. it is not a good rating. hockey night in canada gets five times that. >> thank goodness we don't live in canada because we didn't have to be bored to tears with this over the top tongue in cheek stupidity. the only people reason why people were laughing with this it was a laugh track. this was the stupidest thing i have ever seen. as far as being offended fr

. >> later, gresham carlson and margaret hoover tackle. >> my grocery bill isn't wasteful spending heart med medication isn't. >> our retirement isn't a simple budget line item. >> i worked hard. >> i paid moo my medicare. >> i earned my social security. >> now, instead of cutting waste and loopholes, washington wants to cut our benefits? that wasn't the agreement. >> join the members of aarp and tell washington to stop cuts to our medicare and social security benefits. >> bill: all right, carlson, i'm not aware of any attempt to cut the benefits of senior citizens. are you? >> no. but was that ad put out by the aarp or the dnc? >> bill: aarp. >> more and more the aarp seems to be an arm of the democratic party. >> bill: there is absolutely no doubt about it? >> disingenuous on its face. because even any republic plan to talk about cutting entitlements or medicare does not talk about it for current senior citizens or people each approaching that age. i think in our generation we pretty much have been programmed to believe that we may never see social security. so we're pretty open to the

margaret hoover, here in the studio, gretchen carlson.s says she does not have an obligation to tell kids how to act and she was hannah montana in the disney cycle and a lot of young girls know her. i think she's on a down side of her fame now. but her point is very -- look, parents are supposed to tell them. it's not my job. you and say? >> i say that's a disappointment. she could touch millions of young people in this nation if she so chose to do. the exact opposite of what taylor swift is doing. guess what she's quoted as saying? i wake up in the morning and think about millions of people i might affect based on my actions. >> bill: we'll get to her in a moment. but cyrus says, look, i'm still trying to figure this out myself. so don't put me in a position where i'm going to have to tell america's children how to behave because i guess she doesn't really know how to behave. >> that's what she said. she's still trying to figure out. that's honest. >> her parents are still trying to figure it out. billy ray cyrus has gone on record that