we'll be right back with our of "press pass" conversation of americans elect.rying to get a third way in american politics he beyond the republican and democratic parties. >>> we're back as we continue the weekly "press pass" with the leaders of americans elect, an attempt to get a third way in the presidential nominating process rather than just a democratic and republican party, a third way option for a politician to run. help me understand from your point of view and people you talk to and people that come to your organization what makes this moment different from 1992 when ross perot had an impact as a third party? you're talking about a third way. i understand that. then you had ralph nader, who was a much more marginal player, but in florida had a real impact. michael bloomberg, the mayor of new york, a billionaire, has said ballot access is an issue. he has money to spend, but he doesn't think there's a real pathway to win. what makes you think that a third way is more viable now than before. >> a couple of statistics talked about that. 81% of the americ

candidate voted on by those who have signed up on line to be members or delegates to americans elect and that candidates name will be placed on the ballot right alongside barack obama and whoever the republican nominee is in next year's election as their website says american alive americans elect is the first nonpartisan nomination for using the internet to break the gridlock in washington open up the political process and give every single voter democrat republican or independent the power to nominate a presidential ticket in two thousand and twelve your voice matters you decide the issues you choose the candidates and in a secure on line convention next june you will be making history by putting the american likes americans elect ticket on the ballot in every state it all sounds reasonable the group operates as a nonprofit organization and talks like a grassroots movement yesterday americans elect was given a platform on meet the press where david gregory pretty much gave them an infomercial to sell their election scheme. this week americans elect an organization whose goal is to b

and he's here to talk about americans-elect and the whole third-party bid for the u.s. presidency as we begin the election year. well, for those who aren't familiar, give us the broad outline behalf you're trying to do with americans elect. guest: sure. americans elect has brought together the best lines in business, politics, and technology to get on the ballot in all 50 states with the simple idea that if we had a bipartisan or nonpartisan ticket on the ballot, that we might have better governing in washington. so what you're going to see is the first-ever online convention in june. americans elect will be on the ballot in all 50 states, and we will have a ticket that will have a republican and democrat or democrat and republican in 2012. host: what is your ultimate goal? guest: oh, i think right now, you look at the political environment, and you think we could have said opening up the process to competition for valid access, setting a technology benchmark and reimagining the way we do primaries were simple goals. but now, i think that this ticket can run the presiden

it's not americans elect.spend time and money polling new hampshire voters about jeb bush for president? it is enough to keep me awake at night. who is doing this polling and why? well, tonight, i can report exclusively that i expect to sleep tonight like i've been knocked out with a hammer. now i have the answer to my question. it's thanks to you, thanks to a viewer of this show. a policy wonk in georgia named james carter who found the answer by searches for it on twitter. why didn't i think of that? he sent us the link he found about it and happy hanukkah, up pops this poll from a firm called purple strategies. or political red plus political blue equals political purple. purple strategies is a bipartisan political consulting firm and they have been running this thing called the purple poll. the purple poll looks at the 12 swing states that they think could hold the key to the 2012 election including new hampshire and iowa. this month it was the purple poll that asked voters what they think about obama vers

we think americans elect can be a solution. that there'll be an open competition, where every american voter can participate in what is essentially a national primary, to put real leadership on the ballot in 2012. this hasn't happened before, and what i think you're seeing is that people are willing right now to reach across the aisle, go above themselves to pick a president, above their own party needs, so they can start to see some of the solutions that we've all been talking about placed forward and actually go into legislation next year. >> just about 30 seconds left. i want to push you on how you guys are going to build public awareness of this. because maybe you're just not ready to talk about it yet, but it seems to me it's a very tall order to get from where we are now around january 1 to have the kind of national sensation that it would take to get all the folks involved, flooding the website, to have millions of americans being involved in this process. so it's not just hijacked by what could potentially be, you know,

and to come on an american elect ticket he would have to have a democrat run with him.ve to have hundreds of thousands of people around him. >> donald trump if he runs will run as an independent and it will be a wild ride. >> he can't get on the ballot. it's insane. >> donald trump's hovering up there in this cloud. it's going over the entire primary. republicans have to find a way to ignore this guy. he's not part of the process. >> i think they did, though. i felt like they said we're not going to do this idiotic doe bait. >> speak of legitimate characters including one we have in office, the president has gotten his swagger back this week in my humble opinion. he didn't take kindly to republican candidates's view of his foreign policy record. >> internationally, president obama has adopted an apiecement strategy. >> apiecement. >> consistently engaged in appeasement. >> nothing but appeasement. >> ask osama bin laden and the 22 out of 30 top al qaeda leaders who have been taken off the field whether i engage in appeasement. or whoever is left out there. ask them abou

ken vogel, what about americans elect?'m convinced that we're going to have four candidates running in most states this year. that you'll have the "r." you'll have the "d," one of the factors they addressed. americans elect got on the ballot in california this week which i think makes the 12th state. that's a gargantuan task to get on that ballot and they have done it. what role might that play? >> that could play a major role, michael. when you talk about the hurdles that shira is mentioning in terms of ballot access and raising the amount of money, getting enough signatures to get on the ballot in 50 states, americans elect appears to be headed in that direction. california huge. they are also on the ballot in michigan, ohio, i think florida as well. those are huge states, and they are going to have an impact, depending on which candidate wins their rather byzantine nominating process that they sort of hold up as the height of democracy, internet-based nominating process but the white house is expressing some concern abo

. >> i'm looking at americans elect. unity group outside the republican party who would go right to independents and republicans and liberals and conservatives who put their country first. i plan on announcing as a candidate for that ticket. >> americans elect describes themselves as a second way of nominating a president rather than a third party. that's because they plan to do away with any primary voting in order to hold a political convention online that would treat registered voters like fans of "american idol," giving everyone a shot at picking a favorite candidate rather than just run as the americans elect party, they're welcoming democrats or republicans to compete in their process, but then they'd require the candidate to run a mixed party ticket. so requiring the presidential candidate to pick a running mate from the different party. there's more exciting third party news today. more exciting even than that. the former democratic mayor of salt lake city, utah, the fire brand rocky anderson, announced this week

a group called americans elect is on the path to getting a line on the ballot in all 50 states givingin 12 states already. they picked up california just today. they're working on the other 38 states. observers say there's no reason to think they will not make it to all 50. there will be an americans elect line item on the presidential ballot in all likelihood in every state next november. who will be the candidate listed on that line? the group says they will pick their candidate not through primaries but starting this spring through online voting and a virtual convention. by june they will have a candidate who can go on the ballot for real in all 50 states. say, for example, the republican establishment is worried a newt gingrich or fox forbid even a ron paul might successfully challenge mitt romney for the nomination. what's their safety valve if they're worried about that? may i present a figments of my tortured imagination. the new hampshire ballot in 2012 starring democrat barack obama, republican newt gingrich and americans elect party candidate jeb bush. we asked americans ele

americans elect -- who that's going to be? know. that is the "x factor" nobody is talking about. >> big people -- could have have huge role. you have niall ferguson on earlier. could see a third party, whether or not that's ron paul, michael bloomberg, who knows. >> it's going to be an exciting year. hope you spend time with us in 2012. >> as long as people wear red sweaters. >> it's christmas eve. merry christmas. >> halloween. he thinks he got a red sweater. it's orange. >> christmas, happy holidays, happy hanukkah, merry christmas. >> tune your tv sets. nothing says christmas like orange. >> also my halloween sweater. >> good to see you guys. happy new year. 2012 was a rough year to figure out investments. it is about to be a new year. we're going to help you figure out the right 2012 approach to "your $$$$$." next on "your $$$$$." you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york

you vote online that, is it americans elect is a privately-funded group and california is the 12th statehe party on its ballot. the last time california had a new political party was 1995, with reform party and natural law party. >> and a lot more to bring you tonight. in washington democrats and republicans cannot agree on how much in taxes we'll be paying next year. on capitol hill it's all or nothing. the house says no to a senate compromise. >> winter roars through southern plains and blizzard conditions in places that were sunny and warm just 24 hours earlyer. >> a journalist refuses to reveal his source, there is only one way he could have heard the message. another half hour of news is another half hour of news is in j i have copd. if you have it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and what that feels like. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms... ...by keeping my airways open... ...a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. and it's steroid

are republicans and democrats and independents coming at this time. >> chris: bird is ceo of american's elect. a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that came up with a new way to choose the next president. >> guest: washington is failing the american people. getting on the ball on thes. and reimagining the way we nominate the presidential ticket. >> chris: with more than 20 million from hedge funders and a atf of 150. >> are you a registered voters. >> oh, yes. >> chris: american's elect has got two million signature to put a third presidential ticket on the ballot. >> chris: what is wrongg with the two political parties. >> issues and ideas that will take the country to a better place are obvious to the american people. they don't seem to be obvious in the government we have. >> we the people tell the government what to do and it doesn't tell us. 92 next april. ae will start an on line process in which registered vores can sign up as delicates and choose a presidential candidate and the candidates will pick a running mate from the other party and on line convention will choose the ticket

now on the united states have some of the most flawed and corrupt elections in the developed world it ought to be embarrassing to americanses, it is embarrassing and we have voter fraud rampant running through the country. democrats are trying to manipulate the election. acorn did this. proven cases where they tried to him elections. >> voter fraud happened way before acorn. >> we'll continue more with our great american panel. you were bill bradley's campaign manager. i know what you can do. we'll be back with more. [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] if you're giving an amazing gift, shouldn't it be given in an amazing way? ♪ the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer. try bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. >>> and we continue now with our great american panel. this is incredible. the season of peace on earth, goodwill to all men and across the nation, people are rioting over a retro form of foot

americans elect, they are on 12 states ballots there's going to be probably all 50 states that say americans to be? i don't know. that is the "x factor" nobody is talking about. >> i agree. there are big people behind. the supreme court case could have a huge role. you have niall ferguson on earlier. if mitt romney is not the nominee you could see a third party candidate, whether that's ron paul, michael bloomberg, who knows. >> it's going to be an exciting year. hope you spend time with us in 2012. >> as long as pete will wear red sweaters for christmas. >> it's christmas eve. merry christmas. >> halloween. he thinks he got a red sweater. >> this is my christmas sweater i want to wish our viewers happy holidays, happy hanukkah, merry christmas. this is a chris may sweater. >> tune your sets to make sure it doesn't look orange. >> it's also my halloween sweater. >> good to see you guys. happy new year. 2011 was a rough year to figure out what to do with your investments. it's about to be a new year. the right approach to your money next on "your money." cushiony . uh oh. i gotta go. [ female

, the first iranian-american elected to office in san francisco. said there is a great affinity between our communities and one that i have not lost sight of since taking office when we were the first city hall in the united states and opening our doors for the persian new years. many in our community have celebrated together. this is not an occasion i would miss. very proud to be here. [speaks for the language] >> thank you, mayor lee and supervisor mirkarimi. next i would like to introduce the ceo of art.com which has sponsored a moderate iraqi art exhibit. he will give a few words about this amazing collection. >> thank you. thank you, nearly peter i am and and a grid myself, a french- american. i became american in the beautiful city of san francisco three years ago, so i can relate a lot to what you said earlier. i am here today because we are presenting a collection, an important collection of original art from iraq, and i wanted to share a very brief story about how i came across this article and why we are sharing i

. >>> california has a new political party called americans elect. saying the goal is to americans elect is a privately financed group and supporters say the party is the ultimate fompl of democracy allowing members to vote online and it's now on the ballot for 2012 in 12 states. >> michael finney shows us holiday toys you might like as much as kids do. they're not expensive. >> and the dolls who underwent a makeover before a toy give away. >> and at 5:00 four san francisco schools get half a million dollars. how it's designed to help lives of kids and parents in and out of school. ososososososos you can see >>> jason? where is jason? >> right here, here. >> and some folks in san francisco say santa's helper sounded like police chief greg sur today. sources told me nobody saw the chief and the santa together at the same time. and notice the likeness and similarities there. operation dream provides toys and goodies for children living in public housing project across san francisco. and if you're looking at hohoho, there is news for you michael finney

now on the united states have some of the most flawed and corrupt elections in the developed world it ought to be embarrassing to americans, it is embarrassing and we have voter fraud rampant running through the country. democrats are trying to manipulate the election. acorn did this. proven cases where they tried to him elections. >> voter fraud happened way before acorn. >> we'll continue more with our great american panel. you were bill bradley's campaign manager. i know what you can do. we'll be back with more. [ laughter ] ♪ [ male announcer ] how could a luminous protein in jellyfish, impact life expectancy in the u.s., real estate in hong kong, and the optics industry in germany? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. >>> and we continue now with our great american panel. this is incredible. the season of peace

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the highest ranking and only filipino-american elected official in the city and county of san francisco, president of the board of education and education adviser to mayor edwin lee, honorable hydra mendoza. [applause] thank you. it still saddens me when you saw the only in the first filipino ever elected in san francisco, but it is always such an honor to be here with my community, and i want to thank you all for this celebration. we really have so much to celebrate, and i wanted to make sure we acknowledge this month alone and some of the things we have been able to accomplish. as the council general mentioned, ab 199 finally acknowledges the work and the tremendous bravery of our soldiers in world war ii, who will be written into our history books. we're going to make sure that happens. the dream act that was signed by governor brown, which will enable our immigrant students to go on to college and applied for the funding they need to move forward. we had a wonderful celebration with the filipino women's network, he brought forward 100

joining us now is the coo of americans elect elliott ackerman. good to see you.hat guy we saw there, chris christie, he could theoretically end up on a ballot, right? >> yes, he absolutely could, and i think what we're doing in america is opening up political process but i get on the ballot in all 50 states and i'm talking to you from california we are with are certified and over 1.6 million people in the state of california have signed petitions to get a third choice on the ballot in november 2012. >> you mentioned california and that was a big one, and you also got on the ballot in rhode island, i believe, today. so how many states are you in? >> that is right. >> and do you think it is reasonable that you would be in the ballot in all 50? >> we are going to be on the ballot in all 50, and we have been at this for over a year now, and by new year's, we will have 2.5 million of the 2.9 million signatures that we need to get on the ballot in all 50 states so we are removing that barrier to entry and now the question becomes who are the american people going to ch

joining us now is the coo of americans elect elliott ackerman. good to see you.hat guy we saw there, chris christie, he could theoretically end up on a ballot, right? >> yes, he absolutely could, and i think what we're doing in america is opening up political process but i get on the ballot in all 50 states and i'm talking to you from california we are with are certified and over 1.6 million people in the state of california have signed petitions to get a third choice on the ballot in november 2012. >> you mentioned california and that was a big one, and you also got on the ballot in rhode island, i believe, today. so how many states are you in? >> that is right. >> and do you think it is reasonable that you would be in the ballot in all 50? >> we are going to be on the ballot in all 50, and we have been at this for over a year now, and by new year's, we will have 2.5 million of the 2.9 million signatures that we need to get on the ballot in all 50 states so we are removing that barrier to entry and now the question becomes who are the american people going to ch