why wouldn't they support chris christie? substantively when you look at the things they support, there's not much daylight between chris christie and mitt romney. they're offering the same things roughly speaking on the most important policy issues. maybe it's not a matter of substance. maybe it's a matter of style. >> you don't send your children to public schools. you send them to private schools. so i was wondering why you think it's fair to be cutting school funding to public schools? >> what's her name? >> what's her name, guys? real quick. the governor's talking. what is it? >> gale, first off, it's none of your business. i don't ask you where you send your kids to school. don't bother me about where i send mine. i as governor am responsible for every child in this state, not just my own. the decisions i make is to try to improve the educational opportunities of every child in this state. so with all due respect, gale, it's none of your business. >> you're not compensating me for my education and you're not compensatin

jump in the race. >> first you wanted bachmann, then perry, now christie. >> this is christie's shot. >> calling that speech real american exceptionalism. >> his chance is not going to come again. >> is chris christie smarter than his party? >> christie continues to say a 2012 run, though, is not in his heart. >> i simply do not have the desire to do it nor do i think i'm ready. >> i don't see him running. >> what do i have to do short of suicide to convince people i'm not running? >> i don't think he's going to run. he's a great guy. >> what does all of the focus on chris christie mean for the republican field? >> every week we add some other idiot. >> rick perry is in trouble. >> no question rick perry had a rough week. >> number ten, lost support from both the whack jobs and nut jobs. >> it's a ponzi scheme. >> the number one sign rick perry campaign is trouble, even michelle o'bachmann thinks he's nuts. >> all due respect, he's not up to primetime. >> it's like the republican primary is a season of "american idol" in reverse. >> i believe in science, revolution and climate change

governor christie... he can have certain stands on certain things, if he takes barack obama to the wood shedd in a passionate direct way, he has an opportunity in this. i'm not saying he's gng to win the nomination. i ink this field is so open and so fluid that a governor christie could come in this race and win and this window may not exist four years from now. >> rose: does the tea party and that sort of wing of the republican party... can they... do they have to be satisfied before somody can get the nomination? do you have to meet their seal of approval? anybody? >> i think you have to be satisfactory to the tea party. i don't know if there's a real test, a specific test. you obviously have to be fiscally conservative and all that. but if you're not satisfactory to the tea party in this election, as we found out in the delaware races in 2010 and in the nevada races in 2010, the tea party or the people that the tea party movement symbolizes have a huge power in this race. >> rose: okay. jack wanted to

and now you want chris christie. sure you do. >> the folks who criticize my department are ignorant. absolutely ignorant of that and they're criticizing him because he's a muslim american. this sharia law business is crap, it's just crazy. and i'm tired of dealing with the crazies. >> he's talking about you. >> i would love christie to get into this race. the big east deserves a shot in this tournament. that's what i say. >>> up next, president obama's pushing his jobs plan in colorado today. and now he wants to stop a new trend among employers who say in one ad, believe it or not, that the unemployed need not apply. what a great ad that is. predictably, republicans don't like it. should employers be able to bar the jobless from seeking jobs? that's our question coming up next, right ahead. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. sun life financialrating should be famous.d bad, we're working on it. so you're seriously proposing we change our name to sun life valley. do we still get to go skiing? sooner or later, y

now you want chris christie. sure you do. >> the folks who criticized my policy are ignorant, absolutely ignorant of that and criticize him because he's a muslim-american. this sharia law business is crap. it's just crazy. and i'm tired of dealing with the crazies. >> he's talking about you. >> joining me now, editorial director for aol, "huffington post" and msnbc analyst howard fineman. howard, thanks for joining me tonight. >> hey, lawrence. >> howard, you at "the huffington post" have done this fascinaing poll of what you call the 160 republican power outsiders. you've gotten their attitudes about these potential nominees. tell us about that. >> well, in iowa, new hampshire and south carolina, the big three, first three primary caucus states, we are having our patch.com local editors and reporters go out and talk to dozens and dozens and dozens of local influential republicans in those states. elected officials. party leaders. businesspeople and so on. so we have close to 200 of them we talk to every week. an

it is a buildup now to get chris christie in the race. why shouldn't this be seen as a rejection of sorts by a large chunk of republicans of mitt romney? >> well, look, with respect to chris christie, he is a fine fellow, a good governor. i can't predict what he's going to do, whether he gets in or stays out won't change the fact that mitt romney is the only major candidate in this race who's had a career in the private economy. and we think that private sector experience is essential to getting this country back on track. just electing another career politician isn't going to do the job. >> are you seeinging some -- are you concerned that fund raising is is going to take a hit, for instance, this month? and eric, this is for you. because of this continued flirtation? do you worry, for instance, it's going to slow down momentum for the entire republican party? >> well, with respect to fundraising, you know, the governor's first quarter, first reporting period in the race, he raised $18 million. we're not going to do that for this second s

this is chris christie's shot. it's a shot. >> just go over today on "morning joe" commenting on chris christie tossing his hat into the presidential ring. christie insisting that he's not considering it. >> i'm governor. i want to be governor. i'm not running for president. what do i have to do short of suicide to convince people i'm not running. >> i simply do not have the desire to do it, nor do i think i'm ready. >> but according to his longtime friend and adviser former governor tom cain christie is thinking about it and this week smacks of a campaign swing, visits to louisiana, california including a speech today at the reagan presidential library. the title, real american exceptionalism. mark murray is nbc news deputy political director. mark, christie's words don't seem to jive with his schedule. >> well, right. he is taking -- one of the things he's doing is raising a lot of money both for the new jersey republican party, but also other key republicans. look, even if he doesn't run for president, he is a s

this is chris christie's shot. and yet he may not have the experience to do it. >> but herman cain's success shows people want an outsider and he still acts like an outsider. >> herman cain is not going to win anything. >> i actually think about a mint ago we were talking about his lack of experience and what i would like to say in response to that is i haven't seen someone on the political landscape with the ability to cut through the bs and answer questions and take on opponents with the kind of almost tactfulness of an experienced politician. he has this sort of raw potential that i don't think obama ever brought to the table. lack of experience yes. ability to cut through it and get to people, he may have it. i feel bad for him. i don't think he wants it. >> also unlike this president he is an extremely strong leader. whether you agree with him or not. he is a guy that has bent the arc of history in new jersey. he has shaped events himself. he certainly doesn't defer to speakers of the house for his most import

they're all looking for christie. here's the latest cnn opinion research poll, it has rick perry leading, but in a narrow way, he's dropped two points from earlier this month, he's still ahead of mitt romney who has gained three points. one person who's dropped a lot, sarah palin, who's down to three points since early september. why are we not hearing anything right now about palin? my hunch is quitting the governorship halfway through her term disqualified her as a presidential candidate -- not as a popular figure, but a presidential candidate. >> i think there's some legitimacy to that and i've heard that from some of the activists in the party, who thought that that -- fulfilling that responsibility and that role would have notched it up a bit. cutting out halfway through, you know, brought her down. and i think you're right. she remains popular, but when they look at the office of the presidency, that is a -- >> and ronald reagan couldn't have been elected president as a tv commentator, radio commentator. he didn

chris christie. first a look ahead at the president's schedule. you're watching the daily rundown on msnbc. we'll hear from him at 11:00. perhaps he talks about the al awlaki death. that is still to be determined i am told. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. her morning begins with arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2

christie isn't zo that. what you don't have in the cuomo model from the past is a series of statements by governor cuomo saying i absolutely won't do it. christie has solid statements and referred to them at the reagan library, he said that's my answer. he said, look at those -- >> then he played with that woman who said, please do it for us, do it for your trip -- >> he tried -- the first version was typical christie dismissed and forget about it. then a woman comes along very emotional. in the swoon of christie mania, as if a beatle was on the stage. he had to meet her emotionally or he would have been regarded as a kind of too cold and crude guy. so he kind of met her emotionally and said i understand why you feel about this and tried to say or i don't, pointed to his heart and in effect it's not in me right now. >> if this were the script of west wing and jimmy schmit's character is getting up there, he's going to say in two weeks or so when the deadlines are real, that he's not going. >> once you get to

it led to the home of christy passion.was the odometer reading. >> it was a black volkswagen rabbit returned with 40 miles on it. >> reporter: the detective had a hunch. drove from enterprise to christy's house to the murder scene. it was 40 miles. >> i know the route. i know she did it. >> reporter: this time he looked for a black vw. he watched the video more than 50 times and located what looked like the vw passing by less than an hour before the murder and speeding through just after the murder. there was a rental phone new. marni bought a disposable phone before the murder. she made a few calls on it. that was enough. >> there was one call that placed her in deerfield on the day of the murder. >> reporter: more strong evidence, but not enough. >> it was aggravating. they pushed one more thing, one more thing. >> reporter: they worried the suspect would not be brought to justice. they thought they could convince someone to get marni yang to confess on tape. police were about to get her own best friend to turn against h

new jersey governor chris christie said for months he will not run for president. susan mcginnis in washington getting us started. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. he is still ducking questions about it, but it is possible that all of the prodding and pleading really does have governor christie thinking twice. new jersey governor chris christie steered clear of any presidential talk at a rally for louisiana governor bobby jindal. >> we want there to be more and more successful people in louisiana and america. >> reporter: republican insiders tell cbs news christie is seriously considering jumping into the gop race, putting the odds at 50/50. >> i've had a slow week, very low key. you haven't seen me around at all. >> reporter: the first-term governor repeatedly rejected growing calls for him to run. but this week supporters unhappy

christie, like perry, would have explaining to do. so, again, i say, take him at his word. >> what do you want me to say? like i'll jump off a building if they'll nominate me? i can't say this any other way. i am not a candidate for president. >> so why then all this buzz? well, rich galen and gloria borger have a few thoughts about that. rich, i want to start with you. i bumped into you a few times with fred thompson in 2008. why do people say this is late? iowa doesn't vote for 130 more days, there is plenty of time to get in, but it is hard. >> it is. the early days of march, april, may traveling around the living rooms and the barns as you put it, that's like spring training for a professional baseball team. that's when you learn how to cover first on a bunt, that's how you learn all the fundamentals. when you get into the actual race, the little mistakes are not little mistakes because it is the championship season. there is a very famous saying in most nfl stadiums. the most popular guy in the stadium is the backup quarterback.

>> all right. >> i don't want to be at the christie family thanksgiving party regardless of chris christie's decision. >> i don't know if i want to know be there either if his brother is making the big announcement. i got a preview of the speech, group reveal it, because we'll cover a lot of it here, but a lot of people speculating it seems like that a number of wealthy donors have repeatedly knocked on his door, said, governor, we need you to run, get in the race. it's really not been him, it's been a lot of people asking him. >> yeah. >> sean: what do you think of what his decision is? >> look, it's not wealthy donors. there have been fellow republican governors, party activists, grassroots republican movers and shakers. i mean, this has been a pretty interesting thing to watch. in a very short period of time, since his swearing-in in january of 2010, he's become quite a figure on the national stage, because of what he's done as governor. he took on the teachers unit. he's blunt, straightforward. he's the every man of american politics. and he's got a -- he's got quite a following. so look

i don't think that chris christie will run. advise him, you're a young guy, sit back and wait this out. what's the rush? however, he's an opportunist. he's taken advantage of this opportunity given to him by what is a ridiculously weak republican field of candidates right now. >> is it a ridiculously weak field of candidates as our democrat friend here says? >> every field looks weak two years out, democrat or republican. at the end of the day, i think whoever emerges will be a very strong candidate to have an excellent opportunity of winning this presidency. but we've got a year to go. we've got five or six months before voters get to actually cast ballots. a tough organization, having just tried to put a campaign together in a very short period of time. it is tough to put the money, put the people, do all the kinds of things. to do it this late, fred thompson was the perfect example. he walked into the race. 31% on day one. and faltered every step after that. >> just about every step. that's a fair assessment. hold tight. nex

that plays well there but that's not enough for christie. in certain respects if christie gets in, which i don't expect him to do, he would be as much of a threat to romney because a lot of dissatisfaction among big money guys in new york is that they rightly are skeptical whether mitt romney can really sell. romney has been out there for months and months, if not years and years. and the latest fox poll he's still only at 23%. you talk to his people. people will settle for romney, resigned to the fact that people aren't really excited about their candidate but they think somehow they'll muddle through with them. there's still a lot of people who both conservatives and nonconservatives in the republican party who want some exciting candidates. it's -- partly it's just that. christie has charisma and that makes him attractive. >> thanks to howard feinman and thank you very much, ron kerry, former chief of staff for congressman bachmann for sharing your insights on republican voters' thinking. >> thank you, lawrence. >> thank you. >>> presiden

is this chris christie's window?f he doesn't jump now, in 2016 will be competing against marco rubio or a sitting republican president? probably not. i think certainly chris christie the time. >> greta: who does the white house fear the most? >> mitt romney creates the most problems for them, because he's the most polished candidate, running a general election campaign while the rest of the field is running for the nomination. mitt romney just -- you know, at a cursory glance appears to be somebody that's strong on the economy,f that could be a problem for the white house. >> greta: during the 1980s, the type of job that he had is the type of job where you go in, many times you buy companies, dismantle them, like a job destroyer, not a job creator. has anyone done the rigorous investigation to see if indeed he has that experience in he might have the other experience. >> that's a big knock on governor romney. basically what you just described. a lot of jobs were shipped cutting jobs. certainly he's vulnerable on that

the door slightly open. >> christie left the door slightly open. >> for himself. >> chris christie has left the door open ever so slightly. >> just a sliver open. he left a little sliver open. >> christie's comments especially are a rorschach test, see what you want to see, hear what you want to hear. >> you hear what you want to hear. everyone else hears, i'm not running. a rorschach test? yeah, yeah, it's a rorschach test. it's a rorschach test. tell me what you see. what do you see? [cheering and applause] was that a butterfly humping a mongoose? [laughter] he said no. and if i remember from my freshman dorm orientation correctly, no means no! so back up, no, oh, come on, baby, can't we just form an exploratory committee. come on, let me touch your super pac. no chris christie has given you his answer. stop grinding up against him and asking if you can just put the tip in. [cheering and applause] son of a bitch. at least not all pundits were blinded by their desire to see what they want to see. >> i think that we can take governor christie at his word. i think he kind of put the nai

christie spoke last night at the ronald reagan library. [ inaudible ] christie spokened this way for a questioner pleading for him to run. >> it is extraordinarily flattering. by the same token, that heartfelt message you gave me is also not a reason for me to do it. that reason has to reside inside me. >> that was far from a solid no. christie has a reputation as a blunt-talking budget cutter. he's in the midst of a three-day national trip raising money for the gop. >>> promise and denial. action-packed "dancing with the stars" last night. >> reporter: the italian beauty and her partner are the second casualties of the season. the cha-cha this week one left them near the bottom of the judge's leaderboard with their quick step monday night they came back as most improve. not enough to keep them in the competition. >> for me it was a gift. >> it was a beautiful experience. i got to meet amazing people. and i got to meet her. >> reporter: david arquette and his partner were on the chopping block with them. they were officially in the dreaded bottom two. they hope next week's dance will

that's no different for governor christie. he may be fantastic debater. in concert with conservatives inside the republican party who dominate a lot of the early nominating contests. >> woodruff: so who is it, david, who is urging him to get in? >> mostly wall street money men. that's first category of folks who have really been calling on him. a lot of these big donors from new york who are not... they don't align twhems the tea party wing of the party. they're more moderate, centrist republicans, they have donated to george bush over the years. they are holding on the sidelines. some of the mccain donors have not jumped in with anyone yet. they see him as their type of guy. also some of his fellow republican governors, some politicians around the country, but right now he's getting a lot of calls from folks with the big money. >> woodruff: aren't those the very same republicans who mitt romney is appealing to in >> they are. there's no doubt about that. and mitt romney has strong ties to wall street and those money folks, too, that fuel campaigns. i wil

todd christie, i've got stories. i have never met him. >> oh, well, he is involved in the whole republican -- >> it would be a great picture to see the skinny obama and the big christie up there debating each other. >> did you call him crispy? that would be a great nickname. >> you were thinking of the krispy kreme. not nice. >> i agree. it would be a terrific debate. >> what a contrast. >> a big, tftian character and the skinny academic. you have the telprompter and the guy who calls you buster. you know he will call you buster when he gets mad. >> they would have to wear the little hats. >> what more do you need? >> she a strong character. >> when i was preparing for the show, he was tweeting his speech. it was sentence by sentence. that's what you do when you tweet. why would he be doing that? if he is not thinking of running, why do that? >> he had an assistant who was board. he told them to do that. i assume that's it. the fact of the matter is he is not shying away from the press he gets because he might run. >

christie is not your ordinary politician. >> get the hell off the beach. you must be the thinnest skinned guy in america. you think that's a confrontational tone you should really see me when i'm pissed. >> reporter: it is that kind of talk that makes republicans want christie. they are not happy with the current crop and thinks christie's style contrasts well with president obama. ross in his speech last night christie invoked ronald reagan, criticized president obama and talked about american exceptionalism. it sounded like the kind of speech a presidental candidate gives. >>> this morning state senator leland yee of san francisco will demonstrate how californians could register to vote using the internet. california still uses paper cards to register voters. a computer database won't be ready for four years. the senator's bill would let people sign up right away, using the internet to put in basic information then identities would be confirmed by comparing signatures with signatures stored in the dmv system. several other states already use the internet

tom kane, a former new jersey governor and long time friend and mentor to christie said christie is givingial run a lot of thought. christie's second in command had a different take. >> the governor is not running for president. >> reporter: the gushing ove christi maye ab republicans' lukewarm feelings about the current front-runners. texas governor rick perry and mitt romney. >> chris christie o >> reporter: let the speculation continue. for now, sources close to governor christie will ony >> very interesting. besides that question mark over christie. also question as but sarah palin, will she, won't she? she gave a telling interview on fox. will it shackle her? >> she is a maverick. doesn't want to fit inside anyone's box. >> doesn't want to be confined by the job. does it prohibit me, and force my message to be what donors, pundits want me to be. blah, blah, blah. that's the biggest contemplation piece. the biggest contemplation piece. >> she admits it is getting a little late in the game, fund raising, everything, christie and palin, a little late in the game. >> maybe they will surpr

did in both cases christie threw his weight around as u.s. attorney and got off easy if you didn't pay your taxes christie there always wait around ok so chris christie's back right i mean it just is he's a big guy but apparently this is like the top of the tel and i think there have been three big odd beds written by henry blodgett eugene robinson michael kinsley just in the past by day or two everyone is discussing whether or not chris christie can really be president because he's that issue or non issue with you guys that don't understand how people get so indignant over this weight issue we live in a country where the highest paid baseball pitcher we're talking your professional athlete here is c.c. sebastien who i think is three hundred pounds so the idea that you can't be president while you're overweight i mean is just absurd and we actually think really if you think that if you can be president it's not what you just said i'm saying if you could be a professional athlete one player because you. know i mean i agree with you actually i

chris christie out of the race. megyn: let me ask you before i let you go because he's been denying it, and yet the reports have continued to bubble up including just yesterday the former new jersey governor coming out saying he's seriously considering it, how sure are we about this report today that he has officially made the decision now once and for all he's out? >> reporter: well, people who have been engaged in the attempts to recruit chris christie are now recognizing and in some cases sharing the idea that they will not prevail, that he's not going to change his mind. and realistically it's important to understand that there are an awful lot of republicans who are unsatisfied with the existing field, and they're hoping existence hope that christie might change his mind. it's not just an expression of their support for the new jersey governor, but also of their lack of satisfaction, their lack of confidence and enthusiasm in the rest of the field. so anything can perhaps happen, but when a candidate has been a

for example, christie on medica marijuana? >> there is a medical marijuana program about to be instated in new jersey. it was approved prior to his administration. he slowed it down, but it is going to happen on his watch. >> and is he in favor of people being able to carry any kind of gun they want when they buy their medical marijuana? >> gun control is not much of an issue in new jersey, but it did come up during the campaign and he supported -- expressed support for new jersey's gun control laws which are the most stringent in the country, so, yes. >> now, matt, it's good business for any politician to be talked about as a presidential candidate. it helps his fund-raising for his own re-election as governor. it helps everything you do as a politician. if he were to call up senators and congressmen in washington today from other states needing their help on something from new jersey, they're going to grab the phone. there's a tremendous benefit to him, even if he has no intention of running for president, to allow this stuf

christie is now. so the "talk back" question today -- why do republicans love chris christie? facebook.com/carolcnn. facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later on. >> we're about to say. those comments, thank you very much. >>> the stories we're covering first. his life reads like an international crime novel. after 41 years of living on the lam, finally captured. we'll tell you how he was finally tracked down in portugal. >>> and find out why health insurance is costing and your employer more this year. >>> then, what happened when this gas line caught fire in a california town? >>> and later, when life brings you lemons, a greeting card. a sign of the times. how hallmark is keeping up with the job losses. ou need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on