host: on the cover of the latest "weekly standard" is ben carson. taking ben carson seriously.uest: ben carson, as most people know, is a doctor. he has a fantastic life story. he comes from a difficult background, and rose to be one of the top neurosurgeons in the country. he has made a name for himself. i think in many urban school districts, he is taught alongside martin luther king as a real hero in the african_american community. a few years ago, it he gave a prayer __ he is a christian and is open about his faith __ and he scrutinized obama for not following christian principles. he burst on the political scene. he got on the cable news scene, on fox news. he has taken storm, conservatives. his critique of the obama administration has gotten conservatives and republicans excited. it remains to be seen. fred barnes wrote the cover story for us and got to know ben carson very well. he described ben carson as a long shot, and i think that is true. he is definitely an outsider in all aspects of the word. i think he is interesting and will have interesting things to say if he

for ben carson to compare american patriots to isis should disqualify him at every level. isis fighters are willing to die. is dr. carson forgetting how many american patriots we have lost in this age? they are every bit as patriotic as the ones who started this country. we all know if it was a democrat or liberal commenter who said this there would be an onslaught of pressure against them. just this week a republican congressman compared the president of the united states to hitler. now we have another republican candidate compares patriots to terrorists. the head of the rnc says he has no problem with ben carson. have a hell of a winter meeting boys. tonight's question are you sad the rnc is cutting the number of gop debates for 2016? we'll bring you the results of the poll later on in the show. for me let me bring in angela ride democratic strategist also the editor at large for the indian country, and someone from "the daily beast." i looked at this videotape because i wanted to consume it to make sure i actually understood what i was saying. there's no wiggle room here

ben carson. >> that is tough. >> ben carson. he is a retired world class neuro surgeon.says that obama care is the worst thing since slavery. he is dr. ben carson. >> you know, don't applaud that. there is no need to applaud that. the last time that republicans had this many people in their primary field, everyone got to run up and take a turn in the spotlight and i'm hoping that ben gets to do that too. >> he will run for president -- >> he will win a news cycle. >> are there any democrats on this board or --? >> yes, they just have not turned up. >> i'm going to go with my strategy that almost worked last time and go with number two. >> and adding to your roster will be ted cruz. >> ted cruz. he is the junior senator from texas. he will shut down your government on a boat, in a tree, or with a goat. >> would you like it in the house? would you like them with a mouse. >> he is texas senator ted cruz. >> cruz. >> for the record, they're saying cruz, not boo. >> now i have sarah palin and ted cruz, i'm really nailing it. >> i think that is quite a ticket. >> oh my god. >>

host: on the cover of the latest "weekly standard" is ben carson. taking ben carson seriously.: ben carson, as most people know, is a doctor. he has a fantastic life story. he comes from a difficult background, and rose to be one of the top neurosurgeons in the country. he has made a name for himself. i think in many urban school districts, he is taught alongside martin luther king as a real hero in the african_american community. a few years ago, it he gave a prayer __ he is a christian and is open about his faith __ and he scrutinized obama for not following christian principles. he burst on the political scene. he got on the cable news scene, on fox news. he has taken storm, conservatives. his critique of the obama administration has gotten conservatives and republicans excited. it remains to be seen. fred barnes wrote the cover story for us and got to know ben carson very well. he described ben carson as a long shot, and i think that is true. he is definitely an outsider in all aspects of the word. i think he is interesting and will have interesting things to say if he does

>> this is something i should consider very seriously zploo and how can ben carson compete against jeb bush and mitt romney. dr. carson will be here. >>> caution. you are about to enter the no-spin zone. factor begins right now. >>> hi. i'm bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us. barack obama and kareem abduhl-jabbar and islam. that is the point for tonight. many continue to be perplexed by the white house and the apparent apathy toward the threat that radical islam poses. to be fair, president obama and his advisers are trying to prevent the united states from attack and are confused about the true nature of the threat. a router's poll showing president obama taking a huge dip. just 37% of americans now approve the way mr. obama is doing his job. 55% disapprove. also in new york, a new fox news poll i should say, shows americans strongly disapprove of the way the president is waging the war on terror. enter basketball legend kareem abduhl-jabbar 40 years ago. he is a smart and honest man and his column in the time magazine this week well worth reading. he is appalled that his religion

ben carson from john hopkins school of medicine. directed pediatric surgery there for 29 years at john hopkins children's center, author of half books. let's go to georgia, democrat line. caller: dr. carson, good morning. i am also from detroit. i remember back in the 1960's, i think i was about 13, when it were passing the civil rights law, hearing people say, buy them a ticket and send them back to africa. today, this country is full of people buying guns are just killing young black kids. have you been back to detroit recently? guest: yes, have. caller: have you supported and try to build up detroit like they're trying to do? what you really need to do doctor, by that home in florida on the golf course. thank you. guest: i don't see any threat there. i don't know what he is talking about. host: mark, pennsylvania, republican line. caller: yes, dr. carson, i saw you on fox and i often tell people that you should have been the first black president. you are very intelligent. your analytic. you wait things out and think before you s

ben carson who is our guest now and is written up by the conservative website and ben shapiro as a rock. >> they love it. rick santorum, mike huckabee, anyone else who wants to go back to iowa and have conservatives fall in love with them again, they're swooning for ben carson. because the guy has the message. and when he gets off talking points, when he was talking to republican party brass last week in san diego, he was a little silted, when he got out in front of the grass roots in iowa, he nailed it. >> thanks, chris. good to see you. >> you bet. >> stay away from the sea bass. i don't like seafood in general. if it swims i don't eat it. no comment on romney. it's about the fish. up next, the man who had the crowd on their feet in iowa, dr. ben carson, joins us live on the unofficial kickoff to the republican race for 2016. if he doesn't get it who does he think should get that nomination? i'll ask him. and coming up someone crashed a drone on the grounds of the white house today. and now we're hearing the investigation may point to an employee of a federal agency. >>> the next time

ben carson former pediatric neurosurgeon at johns hopkins. for being here. >> thank you. >> already those who love you say you were a rock star. and those who don't love you are harping on one comment that you made about what now is a famous case where the gay couple wanted a baker to make a cake for the wedding. the baker said, no we don't believe in gay marriage. the lawsuit came and you made this point for which you're now getting hit. watch. >> they could go right down the street and buy a cake, but no, let's bring a suit because i want them to make my cake even though they don't believe in it. which is really not all that smart because they might put poison in your cake. >> now some are claiming you're suggesting gays who complain about ha they view as discrimination risk getting poisoned. >> you know, that would be a very immature interpretation of what is a common thing, never make your waiter or your chef angry because you don't know what they're going to put in your food. people who look for something like that to make an issue out o

ben carson who is our guest now and is written up by the conservative website and ben shapiro as a rock they love it. rick santorum, mike huckabee, anyone else who wants to go back to iowa and have conservatives fall in love with them again, they're swooning for ben carson. because the guy has the message. and when he gets off talking points, when he was talking to republican party brass last week in san diego, he was a little silted, when he got out in front of the grass roots in iowa, he nailed it. >> thanks, chris. good to see you. >> you bet. >> stay away from the sea bass. i don't like seafood in general. if it swims i don't eat it. no comment on romney. it's about the fish. up next, the man who had the crowd on their feet in iowa, dr. ben carson, joins us live on the unofficial kickoff to the republican race for 2016. if he doesn't get it who does he think should get that nomination? i'll ask him. and coming up someone crashed a drone on the grounds of the white house today. and now we're hearing the investigation may point to an employee of a federal agency. - so you can charge m

people like her and ben carson who is also crazy, but at least is a medical doctor. but she's been pushed off the stage by people who appeal more to the republican base at this particular moment. >> so what is it that the republican dna that they're drawn to people that you just described? >> that's a really excellent question. i think part of it is the martyr status. that think think by supporting people who are criticized in the mainstream media, even if they're legitimately criticized for saying stupid things wrong things, that this is somehow

ben carson as vice president. i have watched mike huckabee for years. i've watched his show. he doesn't change his opinions. his plans for the country are just as right on with the republican audience. he wants to close the borders. he wants to strengthen our security, especially when it comes to supporting israel. i'm in favor of supporting israel much more than our president obama has done. host: thanks very much for the call. fergus cullen. my cup of the another candidate who has run before, coming back essentially in 2016. guest: he did well. in new hampshire, he only got 11% of the vote. he was almost an also-ran. he finished third in that race well behind john mccain and mitt romney. his particular brand that year being evangelical conservative strong on social issues, did not sell nearly as well in new hampshire as it did in iowa. it remains to be seen what kind of campaign he is going to run this time around. as for dr. carson, he obviously has a great biography and very interesting story. whether this prevents him well as a national candidate for federal office is an

ben carson taking the stage. he's among many potential candidates at this event . carl, good to see you. tell us what's happening. >> the first big cattle call of the year and at least eight on the stage. scott walker is one of the big draws here. because of his record as governor of which isisconsin having been elected three times in his first term and then a third time recently he has the ability to unite the tea party and got collective bargaining reform in his state and had his establishment because he's a chief executive. he could be a really big player and perhaps even split the difference between jeb bush and mitt romney. a graphic of the people who said they are seriously pursuing it. some repeat candidates and we heard from donald trump. dr. ben carson the neurosurgeon who says he's looking into running now brought the crowd to its feet a number of times. today he emphasized immigration reform. anything that would grant amnesty should be abandoned by conservatives. >> you have to apply for it from outside of america. because you shouldn't get an advantage

first ben carson, now mike huckabee, conservatives stepping down from fox positions to explore running for president in 2016, a dozen, maybe 15 or 16 republicans now giving the race an active look and the pressure is higher because jeb bush is geting aggressive so early. so as we welcome 015, let's refresh our memories about where the 2016 field stands. here's some of the candidates and potential candidates. governor huckabee we mentioned if we look at our polling over the years he's dropped a little bit in the last year, this goes back to last january 2014. he's dropped a little bit but remember he won the iowa caucuses two campaigns ago. rand paul how'd he do last year, down a little bit. governor chris christie of new jersey, waiting for his decision about the same over the past year. if the republicans have a front-runner it's the former governor of florida jeb bush. he started to actively explore running for president so you see that spike. let's look at the democrats. liberal would love massachusetts senator elizabeth warren to run. she's flat line down here. the vice president h

ben carson from john hopkins school of medicine. he directed pediatric surgery there for 29 years at john hopkins children's center, author of half books. let's go to georgia, democrat line. caller: dr. carson, good morning. i am also from detroit. i remember back in the 1960's, i think i was about 13, when it were passing the civil rights law, hearing people say, buy them a ticket and send them back to africa. today, this country is full of people buying guns are just killing young black kids. have you been back to detroit recently? guest: yes, have. caller: have you supported and try to build up detroit like they're trying to do? what you really need to do doctor, by that home in florida on the golf course. thank you. guest: i don't see any threat there. i don't know what he is talking about. host: mark, pennsylvania, republican line. caller: yes, dr. carson, i saw you on fox and i often tell people that you should have been the first black president. you are very intelligent. your analytic. you wait things out and think before you

my first point is, ben carson -- he is a leader within his own. al and jesse are leaders within their own. the problem is not about being -- is not about his legacy. his legacy should be standing up . if those people like newspapers and all those people who want to tell the people were out marching what to do and realize they need to listen sometimes and let other people tell them. they let people be free and do what they need to do because everybody that is for right is a leader. that is what i see when it comes to legacy and people leaving. -- people leading. you have those on the side that are causing a problem areas in 2015, martin luther king's legacy should be everybody in happy but you have haters sitting on the side of doing the same thing against what he was marching for. they did not like him then and they do not like him now. when they show love, this world will change. we will have to keep on marching until we get rid of the heathens. host: let's go to our waiting in saint roberts, missouri. caller: good morning. i want to tell the who

ben carson, the story of the cover of "the weekly standard." fred barnes writes most interesting longshot. how do like that title? guest: my whole life has been composed of long shots. people saying what couldn't be done and what hasn't been done. using the talent god has given you, faith and hard work, i do not believe those things. host: geri is up next. ontario, oregon, you are up next. caller: it has been refreshing to hear dr. carson's comments. i believe people need to be accountable for their own actions. as long as people worship obama and al sharpton as idols instead of jesus christ, and with the purpose was, everybody was created equal, we need to take a good strong look at dr. carson because he is not afraid to stand up to the truth. i really appreciate his comments. guest: courage is something that is severely lacking in our society. a lot of people believe the same things i believe, but they are afraid to say it because somebody will ostracize them or call them a name. this is the land of the free supposedly. supposedly, the home o

-- bobby jindal, ben carson. >> i understand it is wide open, but who are the two or three front runners>> center ted cruz has really -- senator ted cruz has really got a foothold and i what. people like him. he is not playing politics as usual. however, there is a caveat to that and the caveat is mike huckabee. if huckabee gets in i think he will be a clear front runner in the hawkeye state. i think ted cruz has a good organization here and rand paul does as well. >> you left out rick perry and rick santorum. do you not put them in the top tier with ted cruz and paul and huckabee? >> what is interesting, huckabee has been here 33 times and what people like is a comeback kid. he has a great story to tell. he is going to have to prove himself a little bit. i am not sure if he is up with mike huckabee and rick santorum -- mike huckabee. rick santorum is point to be one of those guys who hangs around and looks for his opportunity. when he does, i would not underestimate him. >> it's very early in the republican polls and i know it is early and probably meaningless, but tell us about jeb bus

you have jeb bush joe biden, and ben carson. >> this is tough for me.en should be vice president for life. it doesn't matter the party you get joe. >> i'm looking at this board, i see lindsey graham, ted cruz, jeb bush, bernie sanders, bingo. number eight. >> carly fiorina. she was the ceo of a company that makes printers and now she is ready to take on the paper jam in washington dc. don't sleep on the demon sheep it is carli fiorina. >> i said in the break they was hoping for carly fiorina. >> that is an mna joke for you out there. joy reid? >> i'm a little jealous of jess. i'm a little down, i want the lowest number on the board to explain my sadness. three. will it deliver for joy? rick perry. >> rick perry. he has three good reasons to run, but he can only remember two. >> the former governor of the lone star state is pack, and now he has four eyes. he is former texas governor rick perry. >> you know -- >> that is -- >> i'll tell you what if cool glasses could make you president, chris hayes would be president all of the way. he has a huge job prov

what about ben carson? carson came across in iowa very well, very smart, very articulate.nobody can question that. honest i don't think anybody can question that. what do you see in dr. carson, kirsten? >> he's extremely accomplished. there's no question he's one of the best surgeons in the world. i'm always skeptical with nonpoliticians running for president. >> it's tough it's an intense process. if you haven't been through it before, it usually doesn't go very well wes clark is an example of that. >> i see ben carson as a v.p. he's a v.p. candidate. what about chris christie? >> i grew up in new jersey so i know chris christie very well. he's among the candidates along with romney and bush. i think he's lost a little bit of establishment among the donor class. >> why? >> the bridgegate. this is why it made his iowa appearance this weekend so necessary and important because he's got to move sort of beyond the establishment to the conservative base, and i think he -- >> he's a very good campaigner. >> but he doesn't translate to other parts of the country. >> finally the

someone like ben carson who have some unorthodox bush might surprise him. gwen: we'd like to send our condolences to the family of mario cuomo. our remembrance comes by way of a fourth documentary "the italian americans." the story of the speech that vaulted him on to the national stage. >> at the 1984 democratic national convention, cuomo delivered a keynote address that catapulted him into the national spotlight and marked him as the next great hope of the democratic party. >> please allow me to zip poetry and the temptation to deal with nice rhetoric. >> usually in the conventions when there are people speaking at the podium people are walking around and talking and not paying attention. >> but they help lift up generations to the middle-class and higher. >> little by little as he continued to speak the crowd got quieter and quieter. >> and before that to reach heights that our own parents would not have dared dream of. until all of a sunday everybody was sitting down listen to the speech. i learned about our obligation from each other from him and my mo

i am voting for ben carson. i plan on supporting him to the fullest.t is just sad to see what it has turned into. host: congresswoman, your thoughts on what martin luther king jr. with think about our system today and the democratic party today? guest: i think martin luther king would continue to respect the rights of all. i respect the opinion of the caller. it is certainly not mine. host: we will stay in texas. houston, texas. reginald calling in on a line. good morning. caller: dr. king said that america was the biggest purveyor of violence in the world. that sticks to my core that he feel that we do terrorist acts and i believe that we do and we would definitely disagree with that in 1967. there's a book out now called "the death of a cane" in which dr. king was ostracized by johnson, black churches, the naacp, and urban leaders when he stood up and said that america was in favor of violence. he said also that these dollars needed to come back and hold our people accountable in america. john lewis said he would never vote for another house appropri

caller: unfortunately, it is ben carson. i feel that way because of listening to him. think the romney had it right on. but, he missed it because he did not articulate and get past some of these blocks that were thrown. he did not get past some of these lies. there are people out there. host: thank you for your call. guest: i respectfully disagree. i say he raises a good point. certainly, what the constitution envisions is a government that is much smaller. i think there is a great opportunity for candidate to run on that __ i will make the government less intrusive in your life, and provide your state more opportunity to meet your needs. host: ronald is on the phone. caller: good morning. c_span is the greatest show going. number one, vote for your own self, do not worry about whoever. we just got 5000 soldiers killed, bankruptcy __ what country will they and __ invade this time. guest: back to the former comment __ i do not know if the ben carson led party is really the third party that could win around the country. there certainly is __ we see negativity towards bot

ben carson maybe not on the radar with mp what did he do. carly fiorina. fewer people there knew her but she gave a well received speech about hillary clinton. that's what you're trying to look for, who is pushing the ball forward for their own political future. >> chuck todd had a sick burn on meet the press. he said nobody is going to mistake donnell trump for president except donald trump. he's the the best example promoting it for his commercial business. >> he runs this scam every year. >> it's a scam. >> it's a total scam running for president. i think this time around fewer people will fall for it. i think he's getting the ignoring the disdain that he so richly deserves. >> really interesting intention we're talking about that on the one hand and you're saying robert on the other hand to keep editorializing out of it, report what people are saying and let people decide in iowa a year from now. >> i think, for example, donald trump, does he do this perennially and tease the press and voters? of course he does. that's just a fact. however, when you li

>> well the two guys that we heard were ben carson, and they -- and scott walker, they did find that -- fine but they did not set the room on fire. they were talking about isis and their willingness to die, but the speech did not blow people away, it did not continue the hot streak he has been on with a lot of activists. walker last night at dinner was fine, but did not have an overall national message, but i think that his low-key style plays well to a lot of settings and the room last night, there were a lot of national media outlets, but i don't think anybody left the room upgrading walker's chances. had he been magical and set the room on fire, i think that would have been great, but he did not do it. >> scott walker always reminds me of tim valenti from two years -- four years ago. when you get in the room with him, it is not that he is not a good guy or a decent performer, but he is like a aaa baseball player and republicans need someone who is an all start to -- all-star to get hillary clinton, and i can't imagine they are going to get scott walker with their hopes and dreams.

my head is spinning casey, from the ben carson comment. how did those comments play in the room? we heard scattered applause but how did it play when he said it? >> reporter: there was some scatter add plause -- scattered applause in this group. this isn't entirely his crowd. this represent the party establishment. and while carson polls fairly well, he gets more support from grassroots conservatives, people who don't necessarily show up here. so his speech over all was mixed. and in addition to making the comments tipped through a list of other things he said have caused consternation on various subject and defended himself point by point which is something i don't think rnc members here thought was productive. >> that is called repeating the things that got you in trouble and getting into more trouble. >>> and let's go on to mitt romney. not the first choice for the movement, but what are we anticipating hearing from him tonight. or he is considering it. >> reporter: he is considering it. and we're going to hear his first comments on the uss midway docked off the coast here in

ben carson and texas next senator ted cruz. spoke to hundreds gathered at a seaside resort in south carolina. they focused on how conservatives can maximize their influence ahead of the 2016 presidential election. senator cruz says it begins with republicans standing up to the president on issues like immigration. watch. >> three months ago, a bunch of republicans were talking about executive amnesty, before the election. let me tell you what i'm urging every republican in washington let's answer the questions the same in january as we would have in october. >> south carolina's first in the south primary is set for february 20, 2016 after the iowa caucuses and new hampshire primary. >>> two kentucky teenagers suspected in a two-week crime spree across the south are now in police custody. officers say they found 18-year-old dalton hayes and 13-year-old cheyenne phillips asleep in a stolen car. it was parked behind an ihop in panama beach. we are joined live in new york in our newsroom. how did authorities finally get them? >> re

caller: unfortunately, it is ben carson. i feel that way because of listening to him. i think the romney had it right on. but, he missed it because he did not articulate and get past some of these blocks that were thrown. he did not get past some of these lies. there are people out there. host: thank you for your call. guest: i respectfully disagree. i say he raises a good point. certainly, what the constitution envisions is a government that is much smaller. i think there is a great opportunity for candidate to run on that __ i will make the government less intrusive in your life, and provide your state more opportunity to meet your needs. host: ronald is on the phone. caller: good morning. c_span is the greatest show going. number one, vote for your own self, do not worry about whoever. we just got 5000 soldiers killed, bankruptcy __ what country will they and __ invade this time. guest: back to the former comment __ i do not know if the ben carson led party is really the third party that could win around the country. there certainly is __ we see negativity towards b

. >> if ben carson is polling higher than rand paul ben carson a civilian, right?rs on the fox news channel once in a while. if he is polling higher than a sitting senator come on,. >> on the one poll that you cherry picked, the cnn poll. >> that's latest poll. >> real clear politics average. >> those were old polls. those were old polls. this is new year, new polls. >> well ben carson speaks beautifully. but once people hear the message of limited government from rand paul. >> are you putting your money on senator rand paul as being the nominee? >> jeb bush leading at 30 cents. >> 11 cents? >> is he second. >> is he with the polls in vegas second? >> up there with romney and rubio. not vegas because american politicians banned it, it's british. bet fair. americans bet there. >> rand paul 11 cents on the dollar. so if you bet $10 you would win what i can't do math. >> $100. >> $110? >> $110. ha ha ha i baited him. >> he would 11 cents he would win $90? >> are you going to vote for rand paul. >> probably, yeah. >> you would? >> if it were held today absolutely. >> t

ben carson has done that. and the lack of shame around that sort of history also brings us to today's news in indiana. today was supposed to be a big day for the governor of indiana. mike pence, very ambitious guy, wants to have a national profile. the mike pence administration said today would be his big breakout day for getting a big, positive national news story. about mike pence the conservative leader. today they thought he was really going to make it on to the map. today is the day they were going to announce a deal about how obama care will be implemented in that state. they thought it would be a great news story for mike pence. he has been looking for one of those as he tries to establish a national profile. presumably to try to build some mow people item for him as a 2016 presidential candidate. unfortunately for mike pence, all of the news that he wanted to make today was overshadowed by his own armstrong williams problem. this was the headline in the indianapolis star yesterday. governor mike pence'

>>> plus why is ben carson comparing our founding fathers to isis? >>> and the 2016 campaign unofficially kicks off this week. and so did the campaign to destroy hillary. big show ahead. stay with us. >> the nominees are to white that just became the front-runner for the 2016 republican nomination. audible safety beeping audible safety beeping audible safety beeping the nissan rogue with safety shield technologies. the only thing left to fear is you imagination. nissan. innovation that excites. at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like mute buttons equal danger. ...that sound good? not being on this phone call sounds good. it's not muted. was that you jason? it was geoffrey! it was jason. it could've been brenda. [cheering] everything okay? we're here because you're about to have a heart attack. pete's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin re

on a program note, doctor ben carson will be on this program tomorrow. he is featured on the cover of the weekly standard __ taking ben carson seriously. he will be here on this program tomorrow at 7:45 am eastern time to take your calls. one other story and want to point out, it is about an item coming up in the house this week. it says that gop women object to great cause and 20 week abortion bill. they are now trying to put pressure on the bill that is set to be voted on this week. lawmakers are processing language that requires a rape victim to formally report her rape to police in order to qualify for an exemption. this concern was raised at the closed_door meeting at the gop report. we will see it on the house floor __ i believe during the middle of the week. jermaine is our last call. what do you make of the present __ presidents tax proposal? caller: it says in the bible that we should pay our taxes. i wish more people would read the word of god and see that he is in control of everything that is going on in america and in the world. we need the

ben carson is already out there and he does better in the opinion surveys almost better than any other republican than jeb bush. this does set up the contest between the evangelical boatvote or the more moderate vote. i think it's fascinating that jeb bush may want to skip iowa altogether. >> i wonder in a way is there good news here for jeb bush because huckabee showed in 2008 incredibly loyalty to him among evangelicals. other groups outside of -- >> the more the merrier on the far right or the evangelical side from the jeb bush point of view, but, look lots of reasons to run for president short of thinking you can win. i think this is a career extender for mike huckabee. he's doing his show and doing well. what have you done for me lately? now he's going to be back in the headline headlines. we're talking about him and other people are talking about him. he has humor and he'll make an impact but i don't think we're going to be talking about nominee huckabee. >> do you think he can win iowa again? >> he can win iowa. if he puts together the right campaign. it's early here now and he

among them rick perry, scott walker, ben carson and mitt romney. another strong sign he's serious about making another run. campaign call campaign carl is keeping tabs. he's in california. >> reporter: all political conventions for every party should at least be in southern california or some place where there is lots of sun. >> what is the mood there? is anybody still celebrating the midterm elections or have they moved on to 2016 nail biting? >> reporter: both. they are looking forward to 2016 and with a lot of the presidential race under way they know mitt romney comes tomorrow night. we heard dr. ben carson a while ago. tomorrow, rick perry and scott walker will be speaking later this evening. you hear them talking about and looking forward to the debate and what will be a battle in the gop. >> bob, do you have a question? >> two things struck me about this. one was, cleveland, are you kidding? the second thing was, limiting the number of debates, which was a smart thing to do. 27 last time and they got it down to 6 or 8. the other thing is, mo

you also have ben carson in the mix as well as senator ted cruz. this could surely divide the evangelical christian vote. those votes matter particularly in the earlier states. once you hit florida california texas those evangelical christians, not so much of a strong base in those states. neil: i always argue even though mitt romney ran a good candidacy for the nomination, he could have been tripped up if he had known he had not won that rick santorum had won. the momentum would have carried santorum a little longer. we'll never know. but it's out there. i'm wondering if republicans have to sort through who their evangelical candidate is. >> it could be. maybe governor huckabee coming out so early in the game. really two candidates. governor jeb bush and governor huckabee. those are the two that are the most vocal. the ones that announce earlier in the race have a better chance of really coordinating those donors. with that being said he's been spending his time under the radar meeting with the religious types in several states. as we know, he'll

your thoughts on ben carson. guest: i sat down with ben carson's top advisers this past week. the sense i got is that he is moving quickly towards 2016. he has raised a lot of money. they believe that, just like the last caller, there is an appetite in the republican electorate for an outsider who does not have a famous family name. who has not been around in republican politics for years. you have a maryland neurosurgeon who makes frequent appearances on fox news. he is a very popular public speaker. has been for years a motivational speaker. this entire package is appealing to those frustrated with washington. when you are on the ground in iowa, you since momentum or carson. i am not saying he will win the straw poll or caucus, not in terms of enthusiasm, carson has it. host: the caucus on february 1. a year from now. carson said he would make a decision whether or not to run by may 1. you think it will be sooner? guest: he may not formally declare until may, but he is doing everything possible to get ready. he has activists on the ground, people in other early states. he wi

don't leave out ben carson. they're all going to be there. steve king is no stranger to controversy. this comment a few years back caused major headaches for the republican party. >> there are kids that were brought into this country by their parents unknowing that they were breaking the law. they will say to me and others who defend the rule of law we have to do something about the 11 million. some of them are valedictorians. their parents brought them in. it wasn't their fault. it's true in some cases. they're not all valedictorians. for every one that is a valedictorian, there's another one out there. they have calves the size of cantaloupes because they're bringing marijuana across the desert. >> he continues to use disturb disturbing rhetoric when it comes to immigration. obama invites a deportable to sit in place of honor at the state of the union with the first lady. i should sit with aledo, he tweeted. his distinguished guests have their own set of issues. chris christie, has he really gotten rid of the controversy? christie can barel

ben carson may rise and fall.others will rise and fall while the establishment gets its sea legs. >> 20 seconds to find out what's going to happen to warshington in 2015. >> it's all about whether john boehner and mitch mcconnell want to do something. that gives president obama the opportunity to sign big bipartisan legislation. maybe taxes, maybe something else. for president obama he doesn't control it. it's up to mitch mcconnell and john boehner. >> who is your dream guest for "meet the press"? >> i want the joint sit-down with bill and hillary. >> okay. >> we all want it. >> we do. >> i will take them first. billary. >> let's start the new year on a good foot. back over to matt. >>> savannah thank you very much. when it comes to medical news nothing was bigger in 2014 than the ebola crisis. what will we talk about this year? dr. natalie azar is an nbc contributor and assistant clinical professor at new york university medical center. good morning. >> hi matt. >> ebola was the story medically in 2014 the end of

then -- ben carson was a very retinal man. these people who had never been elected run in both parties and then they do not win. they are symbolic candidates and they get the vote taken a lot of votes. mccain, pat buchanan in the past. i kind of assume that is what happens with ben carson, that he does not actually when the nomination, but an offense back in august of last year, our readers and mostly republicans and primary voters, i would not expect. we did a formal poll, very formal, so it does not prove anything but jeb bush, marco rubio, ted cruz, a lot of them loved and respected and liked in person. he is an impressive man. it is such an unusual moment. so many people are so sick of washington. i would not be totally surprised if someone gets up there and gives terrific speeches and people say, you know what, if you are a fantastic neurosurgeon who has saved a lot of lives and has lived an exemplary life and is come up with a tough background, maybe it is not the craziest thing in the world. ultimately it does not happe

ben carson out in san diego looking like is he gearing up for a presidential run.ncluding wisconsin governor scott walker, also looking at it saying, quote: i think the best way to counter something from the past is with something new. americans don't want the worn-out tired views of the past. i wonder what he is talking about. we're back with the panel. juan, it's interesting to see how these dynamics are changing in 2016 2 as republicans meet in san diego with mitt romney looking like he is running and jeb bush looking like you he is running and how that changes the dynamics in the field. >> start your engines gentlemen. start those early brit. this is what is shocking everybody. it's so early and you have these two establishment titans in conflict. i must tell you that among the donor class, people are still in shock over the romney thing. they don't get it. romney is, in fact, a better and more successful fundraiser than jeb bush has ever been. romney's people will remind you that, you know, jeb bush hasn't run a race in more than a dozen years. but, the fact t

they created the hour long campaign video that purports to be art ben carson who will apparently run for president this year. and you know maybe armstrong williams is an incredibly talented story teller. the department of education thought so once bon a time. maybe there is a good reason to hire him to tell purportedly factual and adjourn isjournalistic stories about you. it is embarrassing right? to associate yourself with the government paying for good news coverage, but ben carson has done that and the lack of shame brings us to this news today from indiana. it was to be a big day for big press. mike pence, as i say a very ambitious guy that wants to have a national profile. the mike pence administration said today would be his big breakout day for getting a big, positive national news story. today they thought he was really going to make it on to the map. today is the day they were going to announce a deal about how obama care will be implemented in that state. they thought it would be a great news story for mike pence. he has been looking for one of those as he tries to establis

, ben carson is a doctor, tea party favorite who's going to run for president this year. and you know, maybe armstrong williams is an incredibly talented storyteller. the department of education thought so once upon a time, maybe there's good reason to hire armstrong williams to tell factual journalistic stories about you that are actually paid for propaganda. if you did so, there's a reason you would not put the name armstrong williams on something like that, it's embarrassing, right? and the lack of shame around that sort of history also brings us to today's news in indiana. today was supposed to be a big day for the governor of indiana. mike pence, very ambitious guy, wants to have a national profile. the mike pence administration said today would be his big breakout day for getting a big, positive national news story. about mike pence the conservative leader. today they thought he was really going to make it on to the map. today is the day they were going to announce a deal about how obama care will be implemented in that state. they thought it would be a great news s