and for context we'll check in with key players on the left and right, howard dean, the former chairman of the democratic national committee, and republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina. it's all ahead on face the nation. captioning sponsored by cbs "face the nation" with cbs news chief washington correspondent bob schieffer. and now from cbs news in washington, bob schieffer. >> schieffer: and good morning again. david axelrod is in buchanan michigan this morning. mr. axelrod, welcome to the broadcast. >> thank you, bob. >> schieffer: for the first time in the long, proud history of america, u.s. securities are no longer considered the safest place to invest your money. i just want to ask you, what is the impact of that statement going to be on people who are turning on this broadcast this morning? >> first of all, let's see how the markets react because i think there's a broad consensus that this is still the safest place to put your money. you know, we can debate the strength of the analysis that they did, the history of s&p and so on. they made an egregious analytical er

. >> howard dean is here. >> there's a lot of explaining to do, as they say. >> and michele bachmann gets fact checked again. >> let's all say happy birthday to elvis presley today. >> 34th anniversary of his death, not his birthday. >> i forgot my teleprompters today. >> but who's counting? >> he's still alive, alive in our hearts. >> bachmann got a commanding 80% of the votes she paid for. >>> good evening from new york. it took all of three days for smooth customer, political veteran, rick perry to say something odious, not just odious to me or liberals, but thuggish and odious to anyone, even mr. carl rove. we'll show you what rove said about perry in a minute, but first, here's what perry said at a meet and greet session with voters in cedar rapids, iowa, last night when he was asked about the federal reserve. >> oh, the federal reserve, i'll take a pass on the federal reserve right at the moment to be real honest with you. i know there's a lot of talk and what have you about them. if this guy prints more money, between now and -- i don't know what you'd do to them in iowa, but

howard dean joins us next. >>> remember how the republican party developed sort of a paul ryan budget problem when they all overwhelmingly voted to kill medicare with the paul ryan budget? republicans can't wait to remind everybody about that, rick perry may have that same paul ryan problem in a really, really big way. that's next. [ female announcer ] instantly smooth wrinkles with a shot? wait a second... with olay challenge that. new regenerist wrinkle revolution... relaxes the look of wrinkles instantly, and the look of deep wrinkles in 14 days. ready, set, smooth... regenerist. from olay. when you switch your car insurance to esurance. i could save 'em 522 smackers. you talkin' dough? bread. benjamins? scratch. greenbacks. moolah. cheddar... simoleons! don't try to out-save me. [ female announcer ] any way you say it, $522 is the average amount saved by people who switched to esurance. 522 bucks! [ female announcer ] to find out how much you'll save, call 1-800-esurance or visit esurance.com right now. that's 1-800-esurance or go to esurance.com. dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic

>> that is a howard dean moment!ores howard dean in the president -- he endorsed howard dean in the presidential campaign. howard didn't do it like that. >> sean: oh, okay. >> i think that was -- when people lose everything they lose it. that's what we just saw. when you start to lose that global warming debate like he has, it has been a while back that meeting they had was dressed done by a congressman from louisiana. i remembered that. that sounds like a kid whining. he lost his toys. >> that man could have been our president. >> the point he's making is true -- >> no. >> the thing that is just not the right time is, look we got markets falling apart. everybody is worried about their job. it is going to be hard to move the country now about climate change. >> he couldn't explain his point of view without profanity? >> sean: we went out there on this program and we got al gore flying from tennessee to san francisco. i caught him on a gulfstream two, just him and his wife. it is like the least -- [ talking over each

howard dean joins us next. walles your spending and saving in one place. credit and debit purchases, checks, bills, and other financial information. it lets you see the details as well as the big financial picture. so you can do more with your money. see what a complete view of your money can do for you at pncvirtualwallet.com. ♪ pnc bank. for the achiever in you. ♪ what's it going to take? do we have to spell it out? can't republicans in congress get the message? instead, they protect tax breaks for big oil. tax breaks for billionaires. even tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas. republicans in congress have shown who they stand up for. voting to take care of the wealthy. not the middle class. it's time to bring jobs back to america. seiu cope is responsible for the content of this advertising. >>> remember how the republican party developed sort of a paul ryan budget problem when they all overwhelmingly voted to kill medicare with the paul ryan budget? republicans can't wait to remind everybody about that, rick perry may have that same pau

howard dean goes by him he knows he has to win. murder-suicide pack what you saw last night with pawlenty. >> sean: you agree? >> i do. i think that exchange between the two minnesota candidates the last wore was you put me in a position where i had to choose between raising cigarette taxes and life. i chose life. that's a strong closing argument for that exchange between the two. we should not overlook what santorum did. he was booked out of the debate for a long time. he edged in and made four significant points. >> probably his best moment -- >> national defense point. >> sean: if governor perry and governor palin get in changes the dynamic? >> everything changes. whatever happens tomorrow gets erased immediately. >> sean: you agree? >> i do. if governor perry announces in the middle of the straw poll tomorrow it is not a subtle attempt at stepping on the activity of the straw poll. then to come to iowa and do the event in waterloo -- >> sean: he shows up in any significant way tomorrow in the results? >> he can step back and sa

joining us now, howard dean, former governor of vermont and former chairman of the democratic national committee, governor dean, thanks very much for your time tonight. >> thanks, rachel. thanks for having me on. >> governor perry suggesting that social security and medicare are unconstitutional in addition to what i quoted in the intro, he also called them a ponzi scheme. this sounds to me the same sort of republican argument that's been a gift for democrats all year. do you see it that way? >> this is going to be interesting. although the interesting thing is you'd think this might appeal to the tea party, the problem is he's got some other problems, for example, he talks a lot about the jobs that were created in texas since he was governor. there have been a lot of jobs created, but texas created three out of four of all the jobs increased in the state work force, state workforce up 18% under rick perry, the supposed tea party candidate, it's really extraordinary, and the business of allowing the states to do whatever they please and if the state wants to get rid of social security,

>> howard and dean and i just agreed. >> you're in big trouble now. >> i think so. >> only your home now. >> thanks a lot, howard. kidding obviously. there's several ways i think we can do this. this is another place where u.s. expertise can be helpful on the ground in a commercial sense. you bring in a commercial interest who can reengage the oil production which they're going to need those resources. it's libyan resources. it's a libyan economic -- it's an oil economy. they need to get their oil economy back on its feet. it must be a priority on the commercial front as well as the assets that we have seized and other european nations have seized. we can feed that money back in. we don't need to write a large u.s. check if any check at all. i would argue for the latter because they have the ability to reconnect these resources pretty quickly. we have to help them do that. that's going to take that short time in the interim, but that's where the seized money can come in to get them through that period. we think there's plenty of money to do that. we need to make sure we know who we'r

i don't always agree with howard dean but he's right.my moving. jeb bush said he's made the situation worse. he's got to make it better. if he doesn't make it better, huntsman, bush they are going to be formidable candidates next year. >> andrea, it raises the question, what the president can do over the next 12 months to change not just the approval number, but the unemployment number. he's got a big speech coming up after labor day. what can he do big? >> that's the challenge. there's not only the problem that even economists can't agree on what to be done short term. there are a lot of ideas for what can be done down the road. to get the numbers down in time for the re-election campaign, that's almost impossible even if you do stimulus and infrastructure and hiring. you are not going to make a dent in the unemployment or the long-term unemployment. that's a bigger case. it's going to affect the democratic base. >> what would you like to see? >> i'm baffled by his style of attack, i have to say. i saw him on the bus tour. why would you

. >> howard dean was very exciting to democratic primary voters in 2004. >> yeah. >> and he ended his own candidacy with the dean scream in iowa. rick perry is pretty exciting to republican primary voters. he's a straight talker, which was enough to really endear john mccain and help him win the nomination. he's plain spoken at a time when distrust for every elected -- not just republicans -- every level, there are no more truth. if we are to default on our debt, that's horrible for america. people didn't believe him, a lot of americans felt duped. there is a historic level of distrust in this country, and i think rick perry kind of is a fresh breath of air. >> the parallel with howard dean, the extent was he was against the iraq war. >> but it's more than this ideology. >> not i want to lynch the f.e.d. chairman. he wants to treat them ugly down in texas, wink, wink. >> you saw texan carl rove really come down hard on him. >> rick perry wouldn't want to treat carl rove ugly in texas too. >> that's another story. >> we have time for no more stories. nicolle wallace, thank you so much.

i remember back -- howard dean. remember, howard dean was well ahead. one single thing. then he was forgotten. politics in the united states of america are very interesting. i think we have to be patient and watch this process. we have to continue to talk to people about the issues that are pertinent. understand there is a difference between a midterm election cycle and a presidential election cycle. in the midterm, you get people that understand the legislative process, people that understand what the congressman is and a senator is. presidential election cycle, you see an increase of people that come out and participate because it becomes more american idol. it really does. be prepared for that. there will be people who will not know who they are going to vote for a week before an election. all of a sudden, i like his suit, or i like his smile, or whatever. that will be the kind of thing that puts them over the top. we have to educate ourselves and step back and be attuned to the issue. it is free seat -- it is preseason football. >> there were a couple of people in he

with me now, governor howard dean and long-time speech writer for president george w. bush, now an op-ed columnist, michael gerson. welcome to both of you. >> good to be with you. >> thanks. >> howard, the president had his bus tour this week. he's of course announced he will come up with a jobs plan, roll it out after labor day. is this sufficient to convince americans he has a handle on this economic crisis and why wait until labor day to do it? >> well, first of all, i think he needs some time to get some plans together. this is tough stuff. is it sufficient, no, but is it a good step in the right direction, yes. he needs to get out of washington. people hate washington with a passion. there has been nothing but yelling and carrying on and not much positive coming out -- >> why do you say not sufficient? you think he should do more? >> he's going to have to be seen to do more. the problem is, the limited response to what you can do. we have a crisis of confidence. that's the biggest problem we have. it's bigger than any of the misdeeds of the banks or any of that kin

kerry went out and met howard dean in iowa rather than waiting for him in new hampshire, beat him there and beat him the rest of the way. same theory, right, jeff? >> exactly. >> you got to beat him in the beginning. >> and romney people are thinking about that. >> chuck, last word. >> you win them both, chris. if romney went in and took iowa, it would be over. >> wow. >> new hampshire, done, this race is finished. but you know, that's the risk/reward of romney playing here for real and doing what he's doing now. >> i love strategic questions. thanks so much, chuck todd. looks like a nice day out there. thank you jeff for joining us tonight. >>> coming up, the biggest winner wasn't on the stage. he's the most interesting guy right now. rick perry, governor of texas. he's announcing tomorrow. he's teased it all over the place. he could be a nightmare for romney, get in there and beat him in iowa, then challenge him in new hampshire and take him in south carolina and win the whole thing. he could challenge the president, too. he could be it. k, jogging strol. you've been stuck in the gara

also howard dean our reader has claimed its first flames with six deaths today it wins out of the coast of north carolina and virginia will get bracing itself for what's feared will be the worst storm in a generation with thousands ordered to leave the puddles at the surface public transport and subways shutdown. and the republican party at pains its hopes on its .

. >>> last night on the "rachel maddow show" democrat howard dean former vermont governor talked about texas governor rick perry. >> the interesting thing about this, you would think this might appeal to the pea party. the problem is he's got some other problems. for example, he talks a lot about the jobs that were created in texas since he's been governor. there have been a lot of jobs created. but texas created three out of four of all the jobs increase in the state workforce. state workforce up 18% under rick perry, the supposed tea party candidate. it's really extraordinary. and this business of allowing the states to do whatever they please and if the state wants to get rid of social security, that's fine. but here's the record in texas, 22% of all children in texas have no health insurance. it's one of the worst in the country. they have a $9 billion deficit. which is bigger than all but four states in texas. so they've got a lot of explaining to do and he's got, he's got a management problem on his hands. most governors don't have a management problem, but it turns out that texa

might remember, a year before, a lot of energy, a lot of attention with a much hotter candidate, howard dean, but ultimately, the electorate was convinced that they needed to pick somebody who was a more electable candidate against george w. bush. obvious dlipt work out for john kerry in the long run. that's huntsman's pitch. i'm a sane republican not like those other fringe republicans. that's his argument that he's making. >> all right, we're looking forward to the interview. you can see jake's entire interview with jon huntsman along with the president's campmpgn adviser david actixelr, coming up tomorrow morning on abc's "this week." >>> now a story that we have followed closely the record shortage of medicines in this country, to treat cancers. doctors are telling their patients to come back, we have simply run out of medicine. what's going on here? here's abc's t.j. winick. >> reporter: tonight, america's supply of medications that fights cancer and other diseases is in critical condition. >> we may experience earlier deaths in some patients because of these shortages. >> reporter: at

axelrod, republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina, and former democratic national chairman howard dean. in new orleans today, a federal jury convicted five current and former police officers in the shooting deaths of unarmed civilians six days after hurricane katrina. bigad shaban reports on the case that has focused national attention on police corruption. >> it is going to be all right because justice has been served. >> reporter: sherrell johnson has been waiting six years for this day. her 17-year-old son, james brissette, was on the danziger bridge looking for food when he and five other unarmed people were confronted by police. the officers claimed they were responding to a report gunmen were shooting from a bridge. the police opened fire as soon as they arrived. brissette was shot nearly a dozen times. he and another man were killed. the officers then covered it up, falsified report, and planted a gun at the scene. >> the citizens of this country will not, should not-- and we intend that they will never-- have to fear the individuals who are called upon to protect them. >> repor

can she pulled together the full howard dean type infrastructure? howard dean was a prodigious fund-raiser, was able to have a huge infrastructure in this state that allowed him to continue to be a player after a disappointing finish in iowa. michele bachmann, frankly, does not have that infrastructure here. clearly her focus right now has been on it -- host: 90 show you this quote from john huntsman, from fox news, trying to explain what he meant when he said that michele bachmann makes good copy, "i wish we could all be that photogenic." what do you make of that? guest: i do not think this is getting a lot of play. had john huntsman been in second place or in first place, average everyday voters would know more about this quote then they really do. host: if wa participate in this sation, we set aside a specific number. does what jon huntsman said hurt voters in iowa? caller: iowa is a funny state. it is one of two states in the nation that has never said a woman to congress' war -- to congress or had a woman as governor. it will be fascinating to

can she pulled together the full howard dean type infrastructure? howard dean was a prodigious fund-raiser, was able to have a huge infrastructure in this state that allowed him to continue to be a player after a disappointing finish in iowa. michele bachmann, frankly, does not have that infrastructure here. clearly her focus right now has been on it -- host: 90 show you this quote from john huntsman, from fox news, trying to explain what he meant when he said that michele bachmann makes good copy, "i wish we could all be that photogenic." what do you make of that? guest: i do not think this is getting a lot of play. had john huntsman been in second place or in first place, average everyday voters would know more about this quote then they really do. host: if you want to participate in this conversation, we set aside a specific number. does what jon huntsman said hurt voters in iowa? caller: iowa is a funny state. it is one of two states in the nation that has never said a woman to congress' war -- to congress or had a woman as governor. it will be

megyn: joe trippi is a former howard dean campaign manager and a fox news kr*t contributor. joe, good to see you again. that sound byte is picking up traction on tv and the internet because we've topped the $4 trillion mark in terms of what president obama has added to the debt while he's been in office. how bad is that contrast? >> well it's a totally different situation. i mean i think what he was referring to at the time is we had gone to war in iraq, we are literally borrowing the money to pay for it and giving tax breaks to the wealthy. you know, it was racking up debt and we weren't creating anything with it. i think the problem as obama came in he had to do something to stimulate the economy, and i think where that is not paying off right now for most americans is, they are concerned it hasn't created the jobs that people hoped for with that kind of spending. but the situations are completely different i think. megyn: but, you know, to the average person sitting at home, you can parse it as someone who is immersed in this stuff neck deep. do you think at the average p

howard dean, former head of the democratic party said unlike conservatives, we liberals don't go to bed at night. we go to bed worried about kids who don't have enough food. we don't care about kids who don't have enough food. i am paraphrasing a larry king question. what is it about conservatives that they have such a problem with kindness? i like larry. i was on larry king dozen times. he means well. if they didn't believe we were mean-spirited they couldn't stay liberal. they have to believe they mean better than we but we don't have to believe we mean better than them. we have to believe we do better than them. we measure morality by what happens. not what is intended. [applause] very big distinction between us. let me give you 10 -- i could give you 20. ten failings of the progressive policies on the character of the society. number one, the bigger the government the less citizens do for one another. makes perfect sense. you help your neighbor, you'll help you parents, you help your children. we do that and we always did. the question is who does it? if the state won't do it the ch

reminding me of when dick gephardt went after howard dean during the dean campaign. like gephardt was on a suicide mission that. is what -- that is what he did. it was -- i just think it's, a going to be the guy democrats are frayed of. after tonight, man, i really oos he... >> he had the best line of the evening. saying "if you can find barack obama's plan". >> sean: how does this change we looked at pls -- polls coming into the race. obviously romney is the front runner. >> michelle bachmann is second place. now the question is what does rick perry do? based on what i saw today, it comes in and replaces other two governors so that is what we're going to be% watching for when he appear autos what happens to you if he won the battle tonight? has this now shifted? do you think he answered the question? >> he said why do you campaign. >> great answer. >> sean: before new hampshire. >> right. >> he has seen with the front runner, and the challenge for gingrich is can you get people to like you? not just agree with you? getting people to say this is going to be a great p

reminding me of when dick gephardt went after howard dean during the dean campaign. like gephardt was on a suicide mission that. is what -- that is what he did. it was -- i just think it's, a going to be the guy democrats are frayed of. after tonight, man, i really oos he... >> he had the best line of the evening. saying "if you can find barack obama's plan". >> sean: how does this change we looked at pls -- polls coming into the race. obviously romney is the front runner. >> michelle bachmann is second place. now the question is what does rick perry do? based on what i saw today, it comes in and replaces other two governors so that is what we're going to be% watching for when he appear autos what happens to you if he won the battle tonight? has this now shifted? do you think he answered the question? >> he said why do you campaign. >> great answer. >> sean: before new hampshire. >> right. >> he has seen with the front runner, and the challenge for gingrich is can you get people to like you? not just agree with you? getting people to say this is going to be a great p

reminding me of when dick gephardt went after howard dean during the dean campaign. like gephardt was on a suicide mission that. is what -- that is what he did. it was -- i just think it's, a going to be the guy democrats are frayed of. after tonight, man, i really oos he... >> he had the best line of the evening. saying "if you can find barack obama's plan". >> sean: how does this change we looked at pls -- polls coming into the race. obviously romney is the front runner. >> michelle bachmann is second place. now the question is what does rick perry do? based on what i saw today, it comes in and replaces other two governors so that is what we're going to be% watching for when he appear autos what happens to you if he won the battle tonight? has this now shifted? do you think he answered the question? >> he said why do you campaign. >> great answer. >> sean: before new hampshire. >> right. >> he has seen with the front runner, and the challenge for gingrich is can you get people to like you? not just agree with you? getting people to say this is going to be a great p

we'll talk to former howard dean campaign advisor joe trippi and how this campaign can get us there.me weather alert. a video after tornado touching down in florida. this is home video catching funnel cloud as it forms and starts to move. the twister leaving a trail of damage and debris in its wake. thankfully there are no injuries to report. there are new concerns for florida and other parts of the southeast that they could be in the path of emily. right now she is a tropical storm bearing down on the dominican republic and haiti. janice dean always watching it all. she has it live in the fox weathering center. i understand we have a update that came in moments ago. >> yes, ma'am. 50 mile-an-hour winds. it really hasn't changed. as you see on the satellite imagery the storm is kind of disorganized. the center of circulation is displaced from the shower and thunderstorm activity. you need the shower and thunderstorm activity wrap around the circulation. this is ultimately kind of good news. this storm is falling apart. it does have to make its way across hispaniola, dominican republi

. >> an example of losing your cool remember howard dean with the he !e government needs to have -- >> sean: he said you have to live within your means like 50 states. >> excuse me, first of all romney hasn't beatenxñjl anyboy this time or last time. he has won some debates he looks good in a few interviews he hasn't beaten anybody. the president of the united states when faced with -- >> sean: the guy with the lowest approval rating. >> the current president that got elected. >> sean: the anointed one. >> one who no one has beaten yet. >> he's only run twice. >> donald trump didn't beat him, sarah palin won't get in and the other eight still can't crack -- >> he promotes class warfare. >> you asked me about rudeness. joe wilson the elected congressman from south carolina embarrassed himself, his state and his party on the floor of the congress. and the president of the united states -- >> sean: all right stop. i showed the president of the united states in 2008 saying george bush is unpatriotic. he was on his midwest bus tour saying that the republican

this looks like the people who voted for howard dean in the democratic primaries, way back in 2004. the passion and energy. they aren't thinking about winning. >> bush's strategy loves this whole idea of compassion and conservatism. you have seen perry very much, you know, toss that out the window. >> now, mitt romney, we have been talking a few minutes here and nobody's brought him up. what can he do to slow down rick perry or even get back in the game? here is a guy that was a front-runner ten dayes a i go. what's happening? >> someone asked him that a couple days ago. he essentially said, i'm just a guy in a race. his strategy is and always has been, being the tourist. under the radar. sticking close to his script on the campaign trail. i have seen him a number of times. i think he is better than people think he is. he is very competent and clear -- >> being cool and calm but he is losing it now. when he took this drop, look at this. he can't take not being the front-runner too well, mr. cool blew it. >> do have you a question? do you have a question? and let me answer your quest

that's what howard dean calls it. they've got that phrase nailed down. is it going to stick matt?imit dozens and dozens of times. force the first time we are going to have more spending cuts for the amount we raised the debt limit. i think republicans and democrats are running a little scared going into next year. i think america has woken up to this huge debt crisis we have looming over our heads. the tea party guys are activists in the country. sometimes people might not like everything they say. they are responsible for the clarion call. >> it is absurd. the fact of the matter this is the standard & poor's political downgrade in my opinion. i don't think the white house is happy. i don't think republicans are happy. i don't think anybody is happy with this downgrade. i think standard & poor's overreached on this given there's question about the numbers being shady. white house says there was two trillion they didn't look at many to call it a tea party downgrade i'm not sure it works. >> mark: even when you start arguing about this two trillion and that two trillion these are cr

went out and met howard dean in iowa rather than waiting in new hampshire. beat him there and the rest of the way. same theory, right, jeff? >> exactly. >> got to be there. >> exact same them, and romney people are thinking about that. >> chuck, last word. >> you win them both, chris. if romney went in and took iowa, it would be over. >> wow. >> done. this race is finished, but, know, that's the rich reward of romney playing for real and doing what he's doing now. >> i love strategic questions. thanks so much, chtd cuck todd. looks like a nice day out there. >> beautiful. >> thank you, jeff. >>> coming up, the winner of last night's debate wasn't even onstage. we'll talk to him. the most interesting guy, rick perry, announcing tomorrow, he could about nightmare for romney, could get in the there and beat him's in iowa and challenge him up in new hampshire and take him in south carolina and win the whole thing. he could challenge the president, too. people wonder. if he could be it. that's next. you're watching "hardball." only on msnbc. i know you're worried

tomorrow on the show, former democratic party chairman howard dean, congressman john lewis joining us from the congressional black caucus jobs fair in atlanta and "washington post" columnist michael grissom. my colleague richard lui has a look at what's next on "newsnation." >> thanks very much, andrea. in our next hour, following breaking news about a foiled bomb plot at a florida high school. police arrested a former student who they say was planning a catastrophic event that included a minute-by-minute plan to attack students and administrators at his school. plus, president obama is wrapping up his bus tour in the midwest, and he's announcing a major jobs plan that he'll unveil after labor day. "newsnation" is minutes away. úÑ >>> hi. i'm richard lui in for tamron hall. "newsnation" is following breaking news right now coming out of tampa, florida, and when could have been a catastrophic attack on a local high school. 17-year-old jared cano was planning to blow up his former high school on the first day of school. police believe as many as 32 people could have been seriously injur

i remember the howard dean story. he came out and said he wasn't sure this made the country safer. he was accused of criticizing the troops of being unpatriotic and endangering our troops in the field. i remember the rhetoric. dean wasn't the only one. congressional members took heat. media people were labelled as anti-american. but you see, before all that, politics stopped at the water's edge. and now that president obama has two, what i would say very solid foreign policy successes, it appears the republicans only wrap themselves in the flag if the president is from the republican side and the resident of 1600 pennsylvania avenue. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think are. are the republicans playing politics with libya? text a for yes and b for no. can you always go to our blog. we'll bring you the results rate later in the show. joining me is a nationally syndicated radio host z any republican have the character to admit that president obama had the correct policy in libya as this unfolds? >> ed, they can't. ever since 9/11, 3,000 americans were murdered in t

someone like howard dean, russ fine gold. they've all said no. the incumbent president won't have a serious primary challenger. that's the situation heading into november 2012. >> good to talk with you. appreciate that. with me on the phone is the mayor of piasta, iowa, population 1300. it sits behind cedar rapids and madison. mayor, good to talk to you today. >> yes. >> do you think the president can do anything for your town without the cooperation of congress? >> i don't think if he can do anything for our town. we've got -- we're pretty much established right now. our economy is good and our housing is good. right now we've got 14 houses being built right now. and our population keeps growing. so i don't know if we can really help him help us. maybe we can help him. >> i think a, you might be one of the very few politicians in this nation who says hey, everything is pleasantville in my town. in what way do you think you could help the president? >> well, maybe we can give him some pointers about what to do to pass into congress to get them to

joining me, president of the new heights communications and former spokesperson for vermont governor howard dean, kristy. and former jeb bush spokesman and florida co-chair for governor tim pawlenty's presidential campaign. justin. guys, consider this for a second. remember when you were kids and you and your siblings did something really bad and you got in trouble and your mom said, i'm very disappointed in all of you and who -- what do you have to say for yourself? okay. so first of all, do you think that the republicans are going to say what they think they've done? justin, you want to take that? >> i hope so. i hope this is a wake-up call. i hope it sobers those up in washington to the pick problem that we have, the fiscal problem we have in our country. while the easy thing to do politically is to play the "game of thrones" and rye to -- blame game. i think i as a republican, i'll say the republicans can take our share of the responsibility for what's happening in washington. i hope kristy and the democrats do the same thing. let's move on and let's try to address the problem because the st

former democratic party chair howard dean and "washington post" columnist michael gercin will join usme" magazine's joe kline introduces us to war veterans making a difference on the home front. "andrea mitchell reports" coming up next. announcer ] anan anthis...is the netwo. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self contained well systems and using state of the art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment we are am

can she pulled together the full howard dean type infrastructure? howard dean was a prodigious fund-raiser, was able to have a huge infrastructure in this state that allowed him to continue to be a player after a disappointing finish in iowa. michele bachmann, frankly, does not have that infrastructure here. clearly her focus right now has beenn it -- host: 90 show you this quote from john huntsman, from fox news, trying to explain what he meant when he said that michele bachmann makes good copy, "i wish we could all be that photogenic." what do you make of at? guest: i do not think this is getting a lot of play. had john huntsman been in second place or in first place, average everyday voters would know more about thisuote then they really do. host: if you want to participate in this conversation, we set aside a specific number. does what jon huntsman said hurt voters in ia? caller: iowa is a funny state. it is one of two states in the nation that has never said a woman to congress' war -- to congress or had a woman as governor. it will be fascinat

former democratic chairman how a howard dean and lindsay graham. all brought to you from c-span beginning at noon with meet the press and abcs this week and fox news sunday and then cnn state of the union and face the nation from cbs. listen to them all on 91 point 1 m f or xm satellite channel channel 119. downloadable on your blackberry or listen on-line at c-span radio dot org. >> house of representatives has been off eight weeks this year including this week. did you get eight weeks of vacation? because i didn't. >> on her nightly week show. former russian host. alyona minkovski tries to take a more irreverent view on washington taunds. >> we're willing to step out the box and try something different and figure out how to make t.v. news exciting and entertaining and informative rather than like i said the garbage it is dwindled down to be. >> she'll talk about that tonight on c-span's q & a. >> might surprise you we think good things come in twos. c-span's live coverage of the house and senate on c-span two. >> watch life of c-span.org. >> c-sp

given that rick and i serve with, for example, rod blagojevich and howard dean. [laughter] had my colleagues know that 1 m's first running, i would not have been elected, and i, too, as the lieutenant mentioned, am a native of texas. born and raised in fort worth, which is a little larger than rick perry's home town. not a lot of people know this. there were a number of years were three native texans were serving at one time as governors of three different states. rick perry, myself, and a gentleman named jeb bush of of florida. this means texas truly is an expansive state. one difference -- i was accepted into the university of texas. he had to go to texas a&m. [laughter] rick perry has built a strong and consistent record as a conservative during his 11 years as governor of texas. he is a leader in emphasizing the role of states in our federal system. rick has frequently taken on the federal government cozy over reaching into our areas of state primacy. strong fiscal conservative. used his line-item veto to veto more than $3 billion of budgeted items. [applause

. >> michele bachmann has been a howard deane figure. she's firmly planted. the challenge is going to be could she put together the full howard dean infrastructure. he was a predishes. michele bachmann does not have the infrastructure. clearly her focus is on now. >> host: from fox news, trying to explain what he say when he says she makes good copy and good photography. calling someone photogenic, i wish we are all photogenic. >> this is after a quote he made in new york magazine where he said the good copy and a good picture. i don't think this is getting a lot of play. had jon hundredth man -- huntsman been in first place or second place, average voters would know more. >> host: if in you are new hampshire and iowa and want to participate, we have a special number. let me go to mike glover, in iowa, does what jon huntsman say hurt him with female vote necessary that state? >> not particularly. it's going to be interesting to see how michele bachmann plays here. iowa is a funny state. they have never elected a woman to congress or governor. she's very popul

bush, christy who is president of new heights communication, form spokesman for howard dean. christy, let me start with you. we've got a preview today actually from the senator strategy gist for the president david axelrod said that new jobs plan will include more government stimulus spending. you know what, look at any poll. most americans don't think the first stimulus worked and little appetite for another one. isn't that a stale and unpopular idea? >> thank you for having me here. listen. in order for americans to really understand where president obama is going and to understand the leadership, they need to think where we've been. when president obama took office we were still losing 750,000 jobs a month. we were coming off of eight years of the bush administration. >> gregg: i hate to stop you. i don't want to review history. we have tried stimulus and american public said been there, don't like it? >> i don't think so. what they have shown we were able to stop the bleeding, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month and we are in fact creating jobs. i understand that it's not

we want to talk about this with the former howard dean campaign manager, joe trippi. everybody talks about the independents, but who are these people? >> reporter: they are people that are pressured they don't have faith in the way the economy, the country is going. and they've been moving in big swings from party to party. towards the end of 2008 they moved against the republicans. in 20 some they worked against the democrats. now it looks like, again because of, you know, the buck stops here in the white house it looks like they are more angry at the democrats and obama at this point. jenna: the "wall street journal" had a real interesting article on that maybe six months ago talking about how the vote for change, which was the president's mantra for 2008 really is the same sort of change that people were asking for in 2010, it just came in different forms. how as a straigh strategist and go out and seduce them. >> reporter: i don't think seducing them is the word. the rubber has to hit the road. the economy has to turn here, and they need to feel it. jenna: if it d