cain, nice to herman cain, and would help newt gingrich, if herman cain were to slip. so, there's been a whole lot of speculation about that. and we should point out that herman cain's loss of altitude began before these allegations came out and has probably paid a bigger role in his fall than the allegations of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct. and scott rasmussen published a new poll today and he asked people, what's more important to you, the allegations against cain or the fact that he's had difficulty answering foreign policy questions? 43% said the allegations, 45% said the foreign policy questions. so, it's about split. people have been disturbed by that. john roberts mentioned steve king, the representative from iowa saying something essentially pronouncing the campaign dead. i've spoken to cain about this and he was concerned about this for quite a while. there was a real problem with the cain campaign before any of these allegations came out. >> now, byron, to your point earlier today on fox news, mike huckabee who will be having a forum with some of th

>> i tell you one thing that herman cain never lacked was swagger, nobody's got swagger like herman cain. we were talking a second ago. we were talking about a minute ago, the power of the herman cain endorsements would be. looking at my switter, larry sabato, a familiar face at fox news, several times, and an endorsement guarantees little. engaged voters do their own picking. cain's people will scatter to several candidates and no en masse transfer. and more coming in from his competitors, newt gingrich writes in twitter feed, i am proud it know herman cain, consider him a friend and i know he will continue to be a powerful voice for years to come. and as to how herman cain affected the debate in the presidential race, gingrich tips his hat to him on the tax plan saying that herman cain's 9-9-9 plan got our country talking about the critical issue of tax reform and elevated the dialog at primary, similar words from john huntsman who remains in the race as well. we'll hear a lot through the rest of the day, saying what herman cain brought to the race and i assume there probably won't be

and look at herman cain. i said when i first spoke on his behalf at his press conference that was a good and decent man. a successful businessman. he has ideas about how to fix the country. and now the media wants to take the focus off of those ideas and they want to go into the he said, she said. i think the naive person here is the media and its failure to focus on the right issues. >> okay. let's hold it there. have a short break. we'll come back and explore your belief that it's the media's fault. >> sure. ♪ [ male announcer ] a simple gesture can spark romance anytime. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day so you can be ready anytime the moment's right, even if it's not every day. [ man ] tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you t

and look at herman cain. i said when i first spoke on his behalf at his press conference that was a good and decent man. a successful businessman. he has ideas about how to fix the country. and now the media wants to take the focus off of those ideas and they want to go into the he said, she said. i think the naive person here is the media and its failure to focus on the right issues. >> okay. let's hold it there. have a short break. we'll come back and explore your belief that it's the media's fault. >> sure. >>> what this says is, is that somebody is awfully afraid that i'm doing too well in this republican nomination to continue to dig up these stories to try and put a cloud and a damper on my campaign. >> that was of course, herman cain advancing a conspiracy theory with wolf blitzer. cain's attorney, lin wood is with me exclusively. >> we're not going to call each other any names this time. >> it's a spirited debate. >> it's okay. i'm teasing you. >> the one thing, let me clarify one thing that we have i

herman! herman! >> now -- >> herman! herman! >> we love you! >> now, here's why it hurts.fe, my family, and i, we know that those false and up proved allegations are not true! [ applause ] so one of the first declarations that i want to make to you today is that i am at peace with my god. [ applause ] i am at peace with my wife. [ applause ] and she is at peace with me! [ applause ] >> gloria! gloria! >> and i am at peace with my family and i'm at peace with myself, which is one of the most important things. now, that being said, becoming president was plan a. and before you get discouraged, today i want to describe plan b. so as of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, i am suspending my presidential campaign. i am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt caused on me and my family, not because we are not fighters. not because i'm not a fighter. it's just that when i went through this reassessment of the impact on my family first, the impact on you, my supporters, your support has been unwavering and undying. a

and look at herman cain. i said when i first spoke on his behalf at his press conference that was a good and decent man. a successful businessman. he has ideas about how to fix the country. and now the media wants to take the focus off of those ideas and they want to go into the he said, she said. i think the naive person here is the media and its failure to focus on the right issues. >> okay. let's hold it there. have a short break. we'll come back and explore your belief that it's the media's fault. >> sure. for some, it's a lifelong passion. for others, it's something discovered yesterday. we all have things that speak to us. they drive us to get up early, and stay up late. getting lost in the things we love has never felt quite like this. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner

we're awaiting herman cain. next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. >>> like anything in politics, can be deceiving. we're assuming herman cain is on that bus, just pulled up. the crowd has been waiting a couple of hours at least to see herman cain, who i believe now is coming down with mrs. cain. >> hand in hand. >> says a lot. we've talked very much about these politician's wives and how they react to various reports unproven and certainly disputed by herman cain that he had a longtime affair. so we -- honestly, none of us sitting here can tell you what's going to happen, which makes this a very, very interesting story. >> you see that picture just coming off the bus, the first thing that comes to my mind is what they said last week, which was that this reassessment th

i'm not sure herman cain and the herman cain campaign are in that close of quarters. i don't know how else to explain the incredibly fumbled messaging. one minute he's in it to win it. then he's reassessing. >> we are going to find out tomorrow. thank you howard fineman. the latest from newt gingrich. poor kids have poor work habits. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. nyquil: you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers? tylenol: me, too. and nasal congestion. nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. >>> welcome back to "hardball." the new front-runner in the polls, newt gingrich has interesting positions on child labor laws. he calls them stupid and suggested students can replace janitors in schools. he said poor kids have no work habits because no one around them works. we're going to get to that in a moment. gingrich is leading in the polls. does that mean he's the nominee? he thinks so. it's what he said to abc

ç >> i'd like you to listen to herman cain today.ay discussing the question of exactly how much money he gave you over the years. >> how much money did you give her? >> well, i -- because of my attorney and because of some inc. thises that we are looking at, i can't talk about that at this particular point. >> i can tell you, ginger white, that that is not a common answer in interviews with presidential candidates. i can't answer because of my lawyer tells me not to. can you remember or tell us what you think the total amounts of money or any given year, how much money he would end up giving you to help you get by? >> honestly, i'd rather not say. i don't have an exact amount. so i -- you know, i'm just not sure exactly. >> did he give you that money in cash? >> yes, he did. >> always in cash? >> always in cash. >> and he said that he has given -- he has helped other people this {way. did he ever discuss with you helping other people in a similar way? >> he never -- in a similar way would be sleeping with a person and then helping th

so i don't think anybody really knows what herman cain is going to do except for herman cain and his's where this turns, that this week herman cain said that he did not tell his wife about his friendship with ginger white, the atlanta businesswoman who accused him of a 13-year extra marital affair. he had to go home and talk to his wife face to face for the first time in weeks, alex. >> do we know anything about that meeting? >> so far the campaign has been pretty quiet on what exactly has happened. even the press secretary, the georgia press secretary who peter has been talking to, hasn't said he's heard anything even from cain. so even people close to him on this campaign don't know. >> okay. we do know that cain has lost nearly 2/3 of his supporters there in the state of iowa. he's got about 8% support there right now come pained to 23% just a month ago. 32 days left to go until the caucuses. is there anything he could do where he could stay in the race after today and salvage the state of iowa? >> if he stays in this race, he's going to have to figure out how he gets himself back

this isn't herman. i know the person that he is.they were talking about, i don't know who that person is. and we've been married for 43 years. and if i haven't seen parts of that person in 43 years, i don't think i'm that simple that i would miss something that significant. i keep going back to, now, in the beginning, i started thinking in my mind, could i have missed something? but then i always go back to the beginning. no, i'm not missing anything. i know herman. i know him. >> ginger, how did you feel when you saw her give that interview? >> i never saw the interview. and just listening to that, you never really know a person, obviously. and that's really all i have to say on that. i would be surprisedç if she i surprised by this, honestly speaking. i would be surprised. >> is there anything you would like to say to gloria cain tonight? >> no. >> all right. >> i have no comment. >> okay. we're going to take a break here, ginger white and her attorney, edward buckley, please stay with us. we'll be back with more after this break

cain tells herman to stay home? >> i cover all of the campaigns, lawrence, so i will still be covering all of the campaigns as of next week. i think is so fascinating. he is supposed to be opening his campaign headquarters in atlanta on saturday and he is having this heart-to-heart talk with his wife friday night. you know, she is supposed to be standing next to him on saturday it will be fascinating to watch and see what happens. >> jay newton-small of "time" magazine and jonathan capehart of the "washington post," thank you both for joining me. >> us that the, lawrence. >> thank you. >>> coming up, gingrich versus mitt, the fight is really on with those guys and the obama campaign could not be happier. white house press secretary jay carney will join me to talk about the president's push for tax fairness and mitt romney's bly the presid [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plu

i'm not sure that herman cain and the herman cain campaign are in that close of quarters. i don't know how else to explain -- howard points this out. i don't know how else to explain the incredibly fumbled messaging. one minute he's in it to win it. the next minute he's reassessing. and then he's in it to win it, and back to reassessing. >> we'll find out tomorrow. thank you howard fineman and chris cillizza. up next the latest from newt gingrich. poor kids have no work habits because no one around them works, or so he said. there's a dog whistle for the right. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets... ♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪ ...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. that will change your life... for the first time ever... a toothpaste. crest 3d white. if beauty editors notice, who else will? crest 3d white to

michele bachmann and herman cain spoke on the phone.he didn't say exactly when this occurred but it was definitely clear this was recent. number two, she tells me a number of herman cain supporters have reached out to bachmann's campaign to say that they would be willing to support her. now, obviously we don't want to read too much into this. we do not know exactly what the decision will be that herman cain will announce when he comes out, whether he'll stay in the race, whether he'll get out of the race. if we're reading the tea leaves as we have been doing all day about where he might go with this, this is certainly a significant development in that they share a lot of the same supporters, tea party supporters, social conservatives. so it's curious that a number of his supporters, excuse me, would reach out to the bachmann campaign according to alice stewart. so if we're reading the tea leaves as we have been all day, that's another sign in one direction that herman cain might be pulling out. again, we do not know that for sure. fred.

that's the question surrounding herman cain. he is expected to make an announcement very soon about whether or not he plan to stay in the presidential race. spring of sexual harassment allegations and extra marit an affair has some expecting him to drop out. john roberts is standing by in cain's headquarters. any indication of whether or not cain plan to stand in or out? >> your guess is good as mine. there are arguments for and against. we are here in the opening of the new headquarters and there is an atmosphere of celebration here. a lot of supporters came out and signing them up for volunteer work and they are even serving barbecue. i can say in my entire political experience we would see first time one would end while they are serving barbecue. whether he stays in the race will depend on gloria. the allegation of an affair was charged by ginger white. it has taken a toil on his family life. we talked to the georgia press secretary and that's what he told me. >> i think these allegations and everything happened is always tou

>> unless you're herman cain. one of the things that herman cain hat prided himself on is that he is not running a template campaign. he is not running a campaign the likes of which we have ever seen. i would say he has succeeded in that. i thought yesterday when he said, tomorrow i'm going to open my headquarters and then i'm going to talk about my decision on whether or not to even have a campaign was almost a classic herman cain line. i think we don't know what to expect when it comes to him. i think there is -- and there are two tracts here. there's a very personal decision, you know, does he say, listen, the price of my wife, the price to my family is too high, i'm out. or is this a political decision? listen, my numbers are in the tank and with it my donations and, therefore, i can't afford to go on? so there are two different decisions here. either one of which could make his him decide to get out. on the other hand, there have been plenty of times, particularly when the sexual harassment charges came out t

of herman cain. that's really what herman cain needed to do tory to put this all to rest as he ended his campaign and suspended his campaign at least and moved forward with whatever he's going to do in the political arena. how many times has a candidate appeared before the cameras with their spouse to acknowledge everything that had happened and you think, wow, the poor spouse and other times when the candidate has appeared without the spouse and that candidate is really dead. but for herman cain to appear here today with gloria presented a united front and loving couple and saying they've talked with each or and very much in love off 40 years of marriage, that was something that helped put a coat on herman cain to allow him to survive in the future. had she not been there, it probably would have been difficult for him to go ahead and if she had been there sort of as the suffering spouse, that also would not have looked very good for him, but, i think that the way that they portrayed this was about a

i went on several trips with herman. we, one particular trip, was the mike tyson holyfield fight in las vegas. you know, i can't make this stuff up. >> but back to herman cain who was asked if this was the end of the accusations against him. and if he was confident nothing else would come up. >> i was in business for over 40 years. i have worked with and helped a lot of people, male and female. there is no way for me to say unequivocally that somebody else may not come up. >> but herman cain did concede he is reassessing whether to stay in the race. he claimed he's getting plenty of positive feedback from supporters and the money was still coming in. but his family is his number one priority. >> this is about trying to bring down herman cain, but if they're going to bring down herman cain at a heavy price on my family, i am in the process of reassessing that. >> a week from now, do you think in your gut you will still be a presidential candidate? a week from now. >> a week from now, i will have made a final decision. >>

i think herman cain is getting started.his as a jumping off pointed just like sarah palin did. i think this is good. he has plenty to do. he has respect for his family and wife and put her first. >> i find it interesting you said you think it was a good thing that he had his wife standing beside him because we see that so many times over and over. i did wonder if that would happen today. >> she was standing by his side, pumping her arms. like in contrast with press conferences with spouses, that is not the role they play. i think that worked well for him. i also think, he looked at this as a celebration. he said, i now have 99% name recognition. i think herman cain got everything he wanted out of this process. he is now on to the whatever television opportunities, bigger book sales. he is happy. >> heather: i have to ask the question, out% more name recognition which will carry over into this book that he is trying to sell. >> which is part of the message today what he was delivering to his supporters there. i'm still perso

if they're saying, you know what, herman cain, you know, what have we learned about herman cain?learned that four women were in his life. three women thought that his advances were sexual harassment. one did not. so that's what -- one in four women who herman cain hits on doesn't think he's harassing her. that's what we learned about him. bye-bye. >> how about newt gingrich, mike? i mean, he's a front-runner here. why would he lower himself to be on the stage with someone who is not a serious journalist? >> newt is the perfect candidate. i call him the composite candidate. the tea party composite candidate. he's a little bit of flip-flop schizophrenia that we see in mitt romney. me has the sex scandal madness we saw in herman cain and the tinfoil hat delusional aspect in him when he talks that we saw with michele bachmann. he has the bug house stupidity we saw with rick perry, every time the newt gets pinned down on real substance. he is the perfect candidate. that's the why this is all lining up. that's why, you know, that's why -- it's anybody's game right now because we really

herman, you are bad! (cheers and applause). >> jon: welcome back.news yesterday. >> as expected, barney frank, a congressman in the united states house of representatives for over three decades announcing his retirement today, suddenly. >> jon: quitter! he only served 16 terms. or as it's known in the house of representatives, the freshman 32. (laughter) he's leaving so early he hasn't developed a charlie rangel front butt(audience reacts) i truly hope that that's air. or ted stevens' anger management problem. >> no! >> that guy was in the senate for 114 years. second long nest history. no one leaves congress voluntarily. certainly not one of the most powerful democrats in washington, something's got to be up. >> i was planning to run again and then the congressional redistricting came. the fact that it's so new makes it hardener terms of learning about new areas, introducing myself to new people. so i would have had this very difficult situation in which i would be going to people in attleborough, bellingham and over areas and saying "please, let m

to clear out occupy protesters from justin herman plaza. on the left you can see what they had to clean out. television sets and everything else. this was a surprise move however this city have been saying that the protesters had to go. here is more from the police chief. >> we came and a little after 1:00 a.m., anyone who did not want to be arrested would be allowed to leave. half of the encampment last. those who stayed demonstrated they wanted to be arrested. it was peaceful however thereto officers that were insulted. aggravated assault. one was hit in the face of a metal chair. it broke his face shields. two of the rest are for felonies. >>darya: we will continue our coverage and you can get the latest on our web site facebook and it twitter. >>mark: james fletcher has more on the weather. >>james: here is the view from the roof camera this morning. a clear and sunny start. call the and cold with a freeze warnings still in effect that will not expire for another 15 minutes or so. temperatures in the '30's with a sunny afternoon. clear

what is his reaction to the announcement from herman cain?we haven't gotten the official word from his campaign since herman cain made his announcement. earlier in the morning, we asked him to weigh in what it would mean if he left the race, stayed in the race and what specifically it meant for romney and his run for the white house. >> he made the point he didn't focus on what he was doing step by step, but where he's going in his campaign. he did wish herman cain luck should there be the case and he's facing serious allegations. he kind of was hands off when it was what herman cain did or did not do and we're waiting. >> patti ann: and i understand that he took on president obama and the attorney general herri eric holder? >> yes, he ripped into president obama because he's scheduled to vacation, mitt romney says it's not time for a 17 day vacation over the christmas holiday when america is it in a difficult position and should be focused on work. and when it comes to attorney general eric holder, romney believes he husband resign or the pr

the liberals do not want herman cain to get this nomination. but i happen to believe that the american people have a different idea. >> reporter: after the speech, the man behind the 9-9-9 tax plan sounded 50/50 on whether he will remain a candidate. >> mr. cain, jim acosta with cnn. are you vowing to stay in this race? is that your message? >> we are assessing, re-evaluating. >> reporter: are you staying in the race? >> we re-evaluating and reassessing. >> reporter: how soon will have a final answer on your future plans? >> we'll be making a decision in the next several days. >> reporter: supporters at the event were still lining up for yard signs long after the candidate was gone. diane phillips questioned whether the allegations dogging the campaign are true. >> what is a woman in his background compared to all the socialists and communists and whatever that in obama's background? they elected him, so i don't worry about that woman as much as i do the theology and the ideology of the man. i want him in there. >> reporter: either way, karla k

i'm not sure that herman cain and the herman cain campaign are in that close of quarters. i don't know how else to explain -- howard points this out. i don't know how else to explain the incredibly fumbled messaging. one minute he's in it to win it. the next minh he's reassessing, and then he's in it to win it, and back to reassessing. >> we'll find out tomorrow. let's shift gears to mitt romney. mark halperin had a great list of difficulties mitt romney has sustained over the past week. his tv ad that distorted the old quote from president obama. the testy interview with brett bay bear on fox news. the union leader endorsement of newt gingrich over romney in new hampshire. a media showing at the a republican debate. and there's this new "time" magazine cover with an imagine of romney and the headline, "why don't they like me?" >> on the last point, that was the editor's decision to ask that question on the cover of "time" magazine. i wouldn't count that one. and the other ones individually might not have been seen as catastrophic, it's just that there's no juice in the ro

herman cain susspending his campaign for president.de that announcement today in atlanta with his wife behind him . with a lot of prayer and soul searching, i am suspending my presidential campaign. cain saying being president was playad and he has a plan b. >> i am not going to be silence going away. plan b is a grass roots effort to return government to the people. he was surged in the fuels and his catchy 9-9-9 overhall plan and doing what others said he couldn't do. shepherd smith with a closer look. >> i stand here today as a son of a chauffeur and a domestic worker. >> herman cain was born in metchis in 1945 and his father worked three jobs to support his family and scrapping enough money to buy a house and move to atlanta. >> they never uttered the words victim because they never fement like a victim. >> they lived in the segerated south. the teacher said he would never get a good education because he attended black schools. thea graduated second in his class in hospital. he went to moore house college and earned a degree in mat